#qaf s5

[wellcomeoneileen]

Post 2/? on Processing QaF

End of qaf -technical points. 

This is a very logistical view on the literal end of the show. My more thematic l thoughts about the whole final season are also under this tag, in post 1. Again, conceding that I am very new to an established fandom and this is my immediate processing of finishing my recent obsession, and there are probably several other posts like this floating around.

I read every spoiler possible. I read nearly every fanfic possible all before I watched any of the last season of QaF. The endless thought pieces really did help sooth me for seasons four and five. I think I was a much more at peace with them than fans who were watching it live back in 2005. But the last one or two episodes had me pausing with my jaw dropped multiple times. I hated it!

And I contemplated why - when I knew every single thing that was gonna happen, even several lines of dialogue I knew!

And I think it comes down to the breakneck pacing and editing.

:readmore:

Because right after finishing, I paced around my home angrily muttering over what had happening. And outlining the end like that, even though I was in a mood, still sort of made sense. 

Brian has been a sex god for several seasons. He let down his guard to let Justin in. Out of fear, he did what fans/Justin thought they wanted, and asked for marriage/said I love you with Justin. Brian loves him enough to not force him to stay, Justin loves him enough to not make him change. Peacefully and lovingly, they go their separate ways with the strong and insinuation that they will either do long distance or reconcile. That sounds good! It was horrible to watch.

The show betrays itself by acknowledging the Britin arc is the most important to the show and viewers by saving it for the penultimate scene. The final episode(s) have all really revolved around Brian. Even the girls leaving was really about Brian (in its show presentation, at least). And Brian and Justin have the final scene of all the characters resolving their storylines. The final, final scene was an ensemble one (as it should be for an ensemble show) which reflected on the show as a whole. That was the epilogue, because Britin was the denouement.

This is tough in two ways.

First, because the Britin arc has a bittersweet end, yet felt more like the writers wagging their finger at the audience instead of a thoughtful conclusion that was necessarily bittersweet. Whole other post.

Second, because of their editing – both storyline wise and visual execution wise.

The decision to show Justin and Brian in bed together, not even see Justin leave, and then show Brian in bed alone was pretty cutthroat. I literally paused and my jaw dropped – but not in a good, teary way, or my heart strings were pulled way, but in a … I felt like the writers were kind of flipping me off? Or flipping the actors off? I literally googled if Randy Harrison had fought with the showrunners because of that (and allegedly, yes, lmao. You can tell!!!). That was just an unpleasant viewing experience.

Then, the writers did not give any sort of breathing room for that emotional beat to end and then the series finale beat to begin. There is no space between Brian being left alone and Brian and Michael going to the club and then dancing. No space timewise, plotline wise, or even visually, as they literally meld the end of Britin into the start of Brian/Michael final.

Because of this, even though I’m sure it was written and outlined as very separate plot points for separate emotional beats for separate scenes, it doesn’t feel that way as an audience member.

Instead, it feels like a run-of-the-mill action-reaction pair for a singular emotional beat. It doesn’t feel, or look, like two separate, contained, emotional beats.

Without being able to digest a very bittersweet conclusion to what is arguably the most important plot line of the entire show, it still feels like we’re still wrestling with that in the final scene. It is LEAPING from denouement to epilogue, which even tacky, bittersweet rom-coms don’t do, if you pay attention ( I am literally thinking of how the HARRY STYLES FANFICTION movie Idea of You handled this similar thing better, good lord.)

Therefore, watching Brian dance alone, while we’re being told the thumpa thumpa goes on, feels like he’s being reset. Because we go oh sad, Britin is getting a bittersweet end :/ then THIRTY seconds later we are seeing Brian party and it’s impossible for audience members to not directly connect those dots. Those are the only dots we’re shown!!

I read a 2005 livejournal where stayci28 said she viewed the end as more symbolic than real. It’s about the queer community continuing matter what and it’s really about people will continue to rise up. No matter what is being given to them and they will persevere, they will be proud, they will be here and they’re not gonna go anywhere. That’s a beautiful sentiment, makes a lot of sense, and is a fitting conclusion for the WHOLE show after the Britin bit is wrapped up.

However, Ron Cowan himself said that was only half true in an interview here: https://bjfic.livejournal.com/2528384.html?

He said that the dance was real and was one last outing. Though the sentiment is true – the scene was meant to be about queers surviving, not Brian being alone or an old party boy. (sidenote: see post 1 for me complaining that if this is one last outing…what is Brian doing, exactly, with his time now??)

But the editing and the pacing did not give the audience that space - and so the final scene still seems to be solely about Brian, not about the overall message of queer survival and joy. It LOOKS, at least, like (as Tumblr user @sophsun1 said) Brian was out with no son, no lover (who was in the city he wanted to be in), in a burnt out club. Rip.

The smallest of changes, like having the Britin ending coming earlier in the episode, or even inserting a single “breathing” scene between the Britin and finale scenes would have established the scene beats much better. Honestly, just changing Michael’s awful line (really that whole convo) about Brian always being young and beautiful to simply be about the ~~hopeful future~~ would have set the tone to be not about Brian being miserable.

When I see really old comments online about the end, I don’t get the sense that people fully “got” the end. From what I’ve seen, even fans who were okay with a bittersweet end weren’t really connecting that the finale wasn’t showing Brian miserable, lol.

I think the writers continuously structured the show to revolve around Brian and Britin, then wrote themselves out of that with various in your face plots/dialog, but ignored that beyond the literal words on script, story STRUCTURE impacts viewing experience just as much! These final two scenes display the embodiment of that issue.

The writers desperately needed to slow down, allow digestion, and visually show a divide of scenes if they had wanted the audience to comprehend the last two scenes as separate beats and not action/reaction.

Later this week, I have lots of thoughts about S5 replacement plotlines that would have easily fit into Cowlip’s established world, and a lot about Brian Kinney’s value system and internalized gender issues :)

#queer as folk #qaf #brian kinney #brian kinney s5 #justin taylor #britin #qaf s5 #let me timetravel back into that writing room and give me editing powers for ONE DAY!!!! #wellcomeoneileen talks qaf #i truly believe all good media runs the risk of eventually by ruined by someone thinking we dont need to edit this

[oidickhead]

I'm way too Brian coded for season 5 it's so painful

#qaf #qaf s5 #queer as folk s5

[britinbliss]

Hey! Thanks for all the great posts you do. :)

I’m on my first watch of queer as folk, and am obsessed. I just finished season four and didn’t hate it at all, though I did notice a big dip in quality from the first three seasons.

I’ve heard season five is a train wreck. Would you mind sharing your opinions about whether it’s still worth to watch to see these wonderful characters all the way to their canon end, or is it better to avoid the hot mess and just read some really good fanfiction?

I know how it officially ends, so I’ve already come to grips with that final episode, I just am wondering if I would be able to take a whole season of seeing horrible writing or characterization if it really is that bad

omg hiii ☺️

i'm so happy u like my posts!

i've said this before but i wish i cld watch qaf for the first time again.

i think my favorite seasons are the first two so i get it.

i rewatched a few episodes from s5 months ago and i liked it more than i remembered. at least more than s4 i think lol.

i remember not loving the ending at first. just bc it seemed like everyone got a "happy ending" except for brian and in a way justin.

as time has passed, i rly like the open ending and it makes sense for the characters.

i was typing more abt the other characters but then i realized they would be spoilers so i deleted it lol.

i'm still obsessed with the show so i really think u should watch it all. i don’t think it’s that bad. i just think s5 was too short for some of the storylines, they didn’t make sense, or they weren’t needed esp for the final season.

if u do, pls let me know ur thoughts!

i hope u like it! 💗

#britin #queer as folk #qaf #brian is v based in s5 and i kinda live for it #in terms of the finale i rmbr being confused at first as to why they couldn't remain engaged or be long distance while justin went to ny #bc i did take the final scene as a breakup #BUT I LOVE THE ANGST OF THEM BREAKING UP AND THEN GETTING BACK TOGETHER THOUGH #or even the heartbreak of them nvr getting back together #i love people's ideas for 's6' of qaf bc it cld rly be anything #brian kinney #justin taylor #i've forgiven qaf for it's bad moments in general #i also feel like i have a unpopular opinion on one of ted's relationships in s5

[classic-maya]

I really loved your view on when did Brian fall in love with Justin and I saw how happy you were about a qaf ask, so here I am:

when do you think britin reunited after the finale, specifically how long do you think they lived apart for AND how do you they reunited? (I couldn't bring myself to watch that episode because this is gonna break my heart) OR do you think they are not together?

I love this fandom and I love you. I’ve been wanting to write some more fic for them for a while and haven’t had the motivation, but this might spur me along.

In the meantime…I’ll start with the last episode and why I have an unpopular opinion about how it ended and then get into how I envision their reunion. 

Finale

I know there is a lot of hate for S5 finale, but I honestly love the “It’s only time” speech that Brian gives and it’s so so special to me. I feel like it is one of the most romantic lines in the show because in Brian Kinney-speak “It’s only time” is "I will always love you. I will love you just as much tomorrow as I love you today and the next day and the next and the next. I will die loving you. I will love you if you come back to me and I will love you if you never come back to me because time doesn't matter, you are the person I love and that will never change.” 

Not joking, QaF fundamentally altered my view on romantic love. I previously only thought that familial love could be unconditional, but it was such a believable representation of unconditional romantic love that it shifted my perspective. They both truly just want what is best for the other, even if that means they cannot physically be together or at times are not in a relationship. It took my breath away.

All that being said, I definitely do not think of their last scenes together in S5 as a break-up, maybe just a break. They needed to exist separately and apart from each other for a little bit. I think Brian is fairly conscious of their age gap and he never wants to hold Justin back from anything because of their relationship. We see him struggle with this throughout the series, remember him encouraging Justin to make some friends his own age, “Enjoy your youth…I sure have ;)” as well as his many attempts to get Justin to go to and finish college. Even when Justin was with Ethan, of course Brian was hurt because of the cheating, but he also didn’t hold it against Justin because he ultimately wants him to have everything he wants and desires and Brian recognized that he couldn’t give Justin that at the time (let’s Brian’s struggles with low self-esteem aside for the purpose of this conversation). On the other side, Justin loves Brian exactly how he is, and I think Brian’s sudden change of heart (i.e. declaring his love, proposing marriage, turning down opportunities to hook up with tricks etc.) scared Justin.

The two of them went through yet another extraordinary trauma with the attack on Babylon and I think the rush to get married was an extension of that, but I don’t know if either of them were actually ready for marriage. In the same way Brian is afraid Justin will wind up resenting him and their relationship if it were to keep Justin from reaching his full potential as an artist, I think Justin is afraid that if they do get married, Brian will later resent it because he was only caught up in the fear of once again losing the love of his life. But no matter what, something big did shift in a very real way for both of them and made Brian feel freer to express his love for Justin. Reunion

I think Justin moves to New York and has the exact experience he was looking for. He struggles for a bit and he hides it from Brian and his family because he wants to prove to himself that he can do it, that he can take care of himself and Brian lets him. He supports and loves his independence. I think they see each other frequently and are madly, passionately, exuberantly in love even though they live in different cities. I think Brian flies to New York every few weeks and Justin takes the bus to the Pitts every chance he gets.

The first time Brian visits, Justin picks him up from the airport and they can’t stand another moment not touching each other, so they don’t even make it home and end up having a quickie in the airport bathroom. Then Brian takes them to a hotel because he is not sleeping on Justin’s ratty second-hand mattress and letting his roommate hear them fuck their brains out for the next 48 hours.

Eventually, Justin’s art starts selling and he stops struggling. He makes a name for himself and is being flown across the country for different shows and speaking engagements. Meanwhile, Kinnetic becomes the top ad agency in Pennsylvania and begins to gain clients throughout the northeast and in New York to the extent that developing a satellite office in the city only makes sense. Brian moves to New York, not because he is following Justin, but because it has always been his dream. He sells Britin and swaps it for a penthouse in Manhattan that he puts in both their names. Justin moves in without either of them talking about it.

I see them getting married about 7 or 8 years after we last see them in the show, and this time it feels right. They go back to Pittsburgh and their chosen family, the gang and some new friends, are all there to celebrate them. I do not think they will ever choose to have a monogamous relationship. It is not what either of them want nor do they see it as a way to show their devotion to each other. Their non-monogamy looks a lot different than it did when they were younger though. They are both more intentional about the partners they choose and it’s more like the trick of the month vs the trick of the night (or even hour if you’re Brian Kinney). More often than not they wind up in threesomes or moresomes together rather than seeing someone separately. They allow the exchange of names and numbers because they feel more secure in their relationship with each other. The prohibition on kissing anyone else remains.

They don’t have kids together, but they both are in and out of Toronto with enough regularity that Gus sees them as de facto parents who helped his moms raise him. Gus often goes to New York to spend long weekends with them and in high school and college he will spend entire summers in New York with Brian and Justin.

They are the consummate New York power couple; they help each other’s business and are always attending each other’s events. They travel separately for work but always make time to leave the country and vacation together a few times a year. Eventually, they move from the penthouse to a beautiful Brooklyn brownstone and at some point, they (cover Brian’s ears) grow old together.

#britin #qaf #queer as folk #brian kinney #justin talyor #qaf meta #otp: it's only time #orig #anon #ask

[winderlylandchime]

Fanfiction Year in Review 2023

I fell out of fandom in 2021-ish for mental health and other reasons (iykyk). I returned this past year and reunited with old friends and made new ones. I absolutely adore fandom and all that it brings with it. The passion, the love, the community, the complete bypassing of cringe. Please, more.

This year, I returned to fanfiction and published over 150k words. I know absolutely that word counts mean nothing but if we’re taking writing as a symptom of emotional and mental well-being for me (for me!), then I feel so very good about this. I also learned how many ways someone can write about the same theme (prom! arc!) without completely losing their audience. I wanted to do a little year-in-review by listing the fics I’ve published and my favorite line from each.

Thank you so much to every single person who encouraged me in DMs, servers, kudos, and comments. Writing brings me happiness but the community around writing brings me the most joy. I would not have returned to fandom without each of you.

And then there were three rating: T, word count: 727, ficlet, inspired by a prompt by @lostcol and a bit of a character study of Brian Kinney.

Favorite line: Oh, there are mothers in Brian’s life now. They’re surrounding him as he sits, head bowed, face covered in tears-streaked blood, scent of death and ammonia in his nose.

(and I’d do it again) rating: E, word count: 6,865, one-shot, canon divergence in S5, maybe something other than a bomb can bring them back together

Favorite line: It’s not like Justin is going to come back to the loft with him. Not after he up and left five weeks and three - no four days ago. He’s ready to wash his hands of this night. Ready to be done to the extent that he’ll ever be done with Justin. To the extent that he’ll ever be able to fully wash his hands of any of this. He feels like Lady Macbeth with her eternal spot, forever marked by blood on the cold cement floor of a parking garage.

carried me with you rating: E, word count: 36,405, after prom Jennifer asks Brian to stay away from Justin, and he does

Favorite line: ”But that’s not me taking care of you. That’s, that’s - ” I struggled to find the words to convey what was natural, what was something that didn’t require effort or thought or intention. “ - that’s like breathing.”

love is so short (forgetting is so long) rating: T, word count: 2,777, WARNING MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH, what the fuck was I thinking?

Favorite line: His mama, an artist, just said, “Gussy, some people, most people, have an infinite capacity to love. Other people have the capacity to love one person infinitely.” He never asked again.

clothes mean nothing until until somebody lives in them rating: M, word count: 3,007, 5+1 things and clothes sharing

Favorite line: That night, Justin lies in Michael’s old bed and holds the shirt over his face while he remembers the vibrations of Brian’s moans against his skin as he ate him out the night before. He jerks off to the memory. Not the first boy to jerk off to thoughts of Brian in this bed.

you’re like a tattoo (something i can’t undo) rating: E, word count: 87,170, my first QAF complete AU, sugar daddy AU. also kinneycutt!

favorite line: “Oh, darling,” Emmett’s voice is dripping with something cashmere soft. “Oh, oh, oh . Darling, you are fucked. Oh, you are beyond fucked.” He looks at Brian. “And you don’t even know it.”

beautiful like the darkness between the fireflies rating: E, word count: 18,611 (WIP), my first QAF post canon, exes-to-lovers, soft fluffity fluff

favorite line: “And, dad?” There’s a hopeful edge to Gus’ voice, something that hasn’t been killed by the spectacular failure of their moms’ marriage and generally having Brian as a third parent.

“Yeah?” He feels the word bubble up from deep in his chest. He wants this kid to hold onto hope for as long as they can.

“An anchor can be good, it can keep you grounded, you know?”

very low-key, no pressure, tagging to share your 2023 wins fanfic, gifs, or otherwise: @getmehighonmagic @magicandarchery @lostcol @kiranerysed @sophsun1 @bigassbowlingballhead @bartbarthelme @sheisraging @eusuntgratie @xoxoemynn

#my fanfiction #queer as folk #queer as folk fanfiction #qaf fanfiction #fanfiction #fandom

[britingotmywholeheart]

I asked @britinbliss for their favorite britin scenes and also for their favorite qaf scenes in the whole show, and I am sooo happy that they answered, and they asked me to answer the questions too, so here we are.

My favorite britin scenes:

5. I really love their first time sex scene cause it was so intense and just beautiful and really hot. Especially, I love the rim-job Brian gave Justin. It was so beautiful when Brian's tongue runs over Justin's back and a small drop of sweat caught on her. And Justin moaning when Brian's tongue got in his ass was just so intense. I love it!

4. The pride party scene at the end of the pride episode is sooo beautiful. Justin accepted who and how Brian is and wanted to leave, so Brian can do what he wants to do, but Brian just wanted to dance with Justin is such a huge step in their relationship. "Hey stud, wanna dance with me?" "Shut up." "I promise you won't forget this one." makes me giggling and smiling every time cause it is just so cute and beautiful. Brian would literally do anything for Justin, and we see this in season two. Season five is so far away, but we can see that Brian really cares about Justin and loves him. Brian is just proud of Justin cause he made it. He showed his pride and he got over the thing with Chris Hobbs. Brian taught Justin so much and this scene shows this and is just lovely.

3. Of course, I really love the scene in s5 ep10 where Brian says "I love you." for the first time. I cried so much when I first saw it because we all waited so long for this moment, and it was soooo beautiful. Brian showed Justin that he loves him for five seasons (not straight lol) but when he said it a new era began.

2. Also, one of my favorite scenes is when Brian brought Justin to Britin and said he would do anything and be anyone to prove Justin that he loves him and that he meant it when he said he wants to marry him. The best part of this scene is when Justin said, "You bought this! This Palace!" and is totally in shock and Brian just answered "It's for my Prince." And when they made love on the floor in front of the fireplace, I was crying again.

1. My all-time favorite scene is their reunification in season three. How they are laughing and smiling while kissing and undressing each other is so beautiful. I can see that Brian missed Justin so much, and he wants him back soo badly. I just love this. And how they dance after this in Babylon is just perfect. Ben was so right when he said, "The biggest reunion since Germany" (which is so meaningful and funny to me because I am German). But I can not stay with my top five, cause my second all-time favorite scene is when Brian and Justin are celebrating that they betrayed Stockwell (of course they are celebrating with sex) and got interrupted by Stockwell and Gardner Vance. The sex in this scene was so intense and how they undressed each other was just beautiful. But what I also like about this scene is that Brian said "Wanna finish?" after Stockwell and Gardner Vance were gone. He doesn't seem to be mad about Justin and what happened. He wanted to go back to Justin and fuck his brains out like he always does, cause he hates it to get interrupted when he has his time with Justin.

To write down my top five was really difficult cause I love nearly all the britin scenes the show gives us, but I tried.

My favorite scenes from the show in general:

5. I really love the scene in s3 ep14 when everyone at Liberty Avenue is celebrating that Stockwell lost the election and Mel and Lindsey had their absolutely cute moment. They were sooo happy together, and I loved them very much in that scene. I also love the britin scene in the last moments of season three when Brian said, "I guess I've lost everything." And Justin answered, "Not everything." to show Brian, he will stay with him no matter what happens.

4. I also really enjoyed the scene in s1 ep1 when Daphne asked Justin where he was, and he just said, "I saw the face of god! His name is Brian Kinney." This scene is so funny but also shows how much Justin felt in love with Brian after one, okay two times, they had sex.

3. And you're right! I love the scenes where the whole group of friends helped for Mel´ and Lind's wedding. It was such so beautiful how they all worked together and Mel was soo happy about this. In my opinion, she wanted to hug Brian, but she knew it would be awkward for both of them, so she just smiled and punched him softly.

2. I really liked much of the scenes with Emmett and George. In my opinion they were a good and cute mature couple. And Emmett was so tough with the thing with George's money to give the whole money back to his awful family just to make his point clear.

1. I really don't like Cody Bell and what he made Justin do, but I love his little argument in the church with the reverent. "What's your point, young man?" "I believe the point is, if you can eat shrimp, we can eat cock!" I love this quote. It's so on the point and so true.

My favorite episode:

I would say my favorite episode in the show is s2 ep9, cause in serious times it's nice to watch it and just laugh about it. This whole episode is just funny and nice. The beginning where Brian fucks the reverent is so cool, cause in first place I thought Brian is just fucking around as always, but then he leans to the side and kisses Justin. And Micheal says they have a date night. Their definition of a date night is so cool. And then the whole thing with Ted taking viagra and the conversation on Mel´and Linds´ veranda, "What do you mean, you still have an erection?!" "Thank you, CNN!" is just so hilarious. Brian's idea to spook Ted's penis and when he said Mel and Lindsay should show him their tits to turn him of is soo funny. And after that, the scene where Justin and Brian really stole Teds viagra and are fucking for the tenth time this day and their conversation "I can't believe you're fucking me again." "It was your idea to steal Ted's viagra." is so fucking hilarious, too. The whole thing with Brian's mum is so shitty, and I hate Joan so much that it's actually funny again. How Brian holds his hands in front of his erection, so his mum can not see it, is so funny. I just love everything about this episode, so I should stop.

I could write so much more about other (favorite) episodes, so I should stop. It's too much.

I hope you all can understand what I wrote in here. English is not my first language, but I really try.

#queer as folk #brian kinney #britin #qaf #The whole thing escalated a bit #qafus #queer as folk us #michael novotny #emmett honeycutt #debbie novotny #ted schmidt #queerasfolkedit #queerasfolk

[sophsun1]

Hey there...Just wanted to share with you that I was streaming Desperate Housewives, just an old crazy soapy show from after QAF, and s5 straight love interest for one of the main cast---BAM. Gale Harold. I was so shocked. His energy is so different from Brian and it's just weird. They didn't give the character enough depth for Gale to work with, so far anyway, he's like Generic Hot Guy. But also, like. Brian would hate this guy lol.

I can't recommend DH as a show I think you'd be into, but...Gale Howard! So great to see him in anything!

Hey anon!

I did actually know about Gale's guest starring role in Desperate Housewives as Susan's boyfriend I think?

I had seen a few episodes back in the day, it was extremely soapy lol but it wasn't really my thing so I never followed it. I can't imagine just casually watching it and then... boom... there's Gale 😆

Yeah, it would feel weird watching him as someone else when you're experience is of him being Brian and he's known for that role. Given the type of show it was where it was beautiful women getting off with beautiful men, I'm not surprised that he was maybe playing just a pretty face (what a beautiful face it is).

I have such a low cringe threshold that I was never drawn to watching it as I imagined it would be that sort of thing. I have seen criminal minds and particles of truth the indie film he did which i enjoyed alongside other clips of shows. I know that's mostly his jam.

Also how can I forget that awful, campy, gay murder mystery he starred in where he was basically playing Brian, my god, I was dying watching it and for once was so grateful that he was barely in it. I surmised his rent was due and he needed the coin, which like I get it, I respect that.

It's a shame his tv/film work isn't that mainstream or popular as I'd love to watch him in more things.

#soph asks #queer as folk #gale harold #thanks for letting me know either way anon #the grand mystery of what gale does for work these days truly haunts me #maybe he has a sugar mama out there #😂😂😂

[maryp50]

tagged by @sophsun1 @haxprocess and @wildlydone thank you for the tags 💜💜💜

Last song: Messy by Reneé Rapp. I keep seeing her on my dash and I thought why not finally check out her music.

Last film: Not really a film but it was 2 hours long lol so I'm counting it but I finally watched Gale Harold's Out of the Box interview. It's a great interview and he's such a peculiar, lovely, interesting person.

Currently reading: Queer as Folk fan fic.

Currently watching: I finally started Only Murders in the Building and I need to finish Fargo S5. And of course I try to watch an episode of QAF every day or so. Usually one inspired by something @sophsun1 posted that day lol.

Currently consuming: Water and coffee with my beloved peppermint mocha creamer.

Currently craving: Oreo cookie cheesecake.

Tagging @grapehyasynth @noahreids @saraminia @alinelovelace @winderlylandchime and @schitthappens no pressure to participate of course!

#tagged #tag games #ask games

[nick-nellson]

Laura, I finished it...I finished QAF....and immediately ordered the box set so I can watch it again soon. I miss it already and it's only been two minutes 😭

Also, I had very mixed feelings about season 5 (as I assume most people did), but I didn't actually hate the series finale. I feel like Brian's "it's only time" speech was actually the most romantic thing he's ever said and even more impactful than finally saying "I love you". I mean, remember at the beginning of s5 when he thought Justin had abandoned him for LA just because they'd been apart for a few months? And now he's saying that time isn't a barrier to their love for each other, literally nothing is, because they actually love each other that much. Romantic af.

I mean, if I'd been a writer for the show, I wouldn't have ended the series that way, but I have literally no doubts whatsoever that they are endgame. And even though season 5 was pretty messy, they did make a lot of strides in their relationship. Brian actually proposing and being willing to get married showed a lot of character growth on his part and I think finally convinced Justin how serious he was, which gave him enough confidence to go to New York. Idk, I'm rambling now and I'll stop, I just have a lot of feelings and no one else to talk to 😭

you did it!!!! i love the restraint you had to finish it before buying it cause i did that when i was midway through watching hahaha!

oh i’m so glad you hear you didn’t hate the finale because i also didn’t hate the finale! it wasn’t over for them, they so totally saw each other all the time and maybe in the future they did tie the knot! ITS ONLY TIME!!!!! i’ve never recovered tbh and you’re right it’s romantic af!!!

i think every season has a storyline i don’t love but that overall it was a solid run and it did its job well. i fully support you rewatching it as soon as you get it!

#ivysunna #q and a #queer as folk

[thevioletjones]

TAG GAME WEDNESDAY: FANDOM EDITION

Thank you for the tag again, @mzshko

---

your name: Jen

your age: just turned 40 😭

your first fandom(s): Queer as Folk

your current fandom(s): Shameless

how did you first get into fandom? Stumbled upon the Television Without Pity QAF boards when that show first started, which led to a fic archive called Across the Pond. I'd never known about fanfiction before that.

how long have you been engaging with fandom spaces? Since I was 17.

how often do you read fanfics? Not that much anymore, tbh. It's hard to find new stuff I really connect with and don't lose interest in partway through. Sometimes I reread old faves. A few times a month, tops.

top 3 characters from your current fandom(s): Ian, Mickey, and Mandy.

have you ever written a fic for a fandom? if so, shout it out! Both fandoms I already mentioned.

have you ever drawn fanart for a fandom? No.

share a personal headcanon that you feel very strongly about: I don't think Ian and Mickey are traditional people. I don't think they would've gotten married, at least so young. And I don't think they would've done a lot of stuff they did in canon post-S5. One of my biggest peeves is Mickey now forever being pegged for a fucking Bon Jovi fan. 🤮 Not in my house, dipshit boomer writing motherfuckers!!!

you’re trying to convince a friend to get into your current fandom(s) with you. what episode, clip, or scene are you showing them? The sequence where Mickey comes out at the Alibi, which spills chaos into the streets, and screaming about loving Ian's dick. Trés classique.

and finally, what does fandom mean to you? I mean, in terms of fanfic level fandom, I've only gotten into it for shows where I didn't enjoy the writing very much. I needed people, including myself, to do better things with great characters and pairings. Neither of these 2 fandoms are favorite shows of mine for one reason: subpar writing. So I felt like it needed to be fixed. I was hugely into Lost message boards when that show was airing, but I loved the writing, so it was all about theorizing and guessing what was going on week to week and season to season. I also used to be on a lot of pop culture sites where I could just talk about media and music, mainly the AV Club, but that all got blown up by a corporate sellout and it coincided with me finding Ian/Mickey. When I've dabbled in looking for fic for shows I enjoy more, it just doesn't cut it. Super weird that way. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Tagging the one and only @andthatisnotfake!

[wellcomeoneileen]

POST 1/? ON PROCESSING QAF

The show’s ending was more sad than bittersweet to me. I really love heart wrenching and bittersweet and knew QaF would be, so I was surprised at how perturbed I was at Brian’s ending.

Many, many people have thought long and hard on this, so please accept this thought train as more of processing for myself and less as me thinking I’m adding something new/profound to a fandom I literally just joined.

There was a thematic letdown to the whole season and a technical letdown to the very last few minutes. Combined, I left with a sour taste in my mouth.

This post regards the thematic letdown, and the technical letdown can be found in this tag/later post as well.

The show built up to Brian’s big come to Jesus moment for four seasons, then went sidewise in season 5.

That’s because what I thought was his come to Jesus moment and what the show did were totally different. I never felt monogamy or settling down was the core issue for Brian in his view of self or in his relationships with other. I thought it was clear that was a proxy battle, and we were leading up to the bigger, real self-examination.

However, in this email from a show-writer, I think the writers really did see Brian as primarily needing the journey of romantic love, instead of needing an overhaul of his whole worldview: https://queerasfolkfans.livejournal.com/2034990.html

They seem to think Brian was a mostly happy guy, needing to better appreciate romantic love. He grew in that regard, and from it, learned to apply that to other relationships too, and then chose to still not place romantic love as his priority, but at least understands why it was important to have experienced romantic love. That’s not a bad arc, actually. That’s also…not Brian’s story?

My personal key issue, and what I feel like was many other fans, is not that he started and ended the show single, dancing, and proud to be different. The issue is that he started and ended the show lost, hurt, and unhealed.

Why did S5 treat examining his upbringing as something that wouldn’t matter?

Why did S5 end with Brian saying he would visit Gus all the time, Michael saying he wouldn’t, and Brian resigning himself to that?

Why did S5 tease us with Brian and Ted, but didn’t give substance to their friendship?

Ironically, it was the show that gave all of Brian’s conflicts, inciting incidents, and motivations be wrapped around his romantic arc. This shortchanges the viewers. The show writer may say viewers are ignoring Brian’s own wants by wanting him in a relationship, but the show itself didn’t let S5 Brian really have any depth unrelated to Justin. Even growth unrelated to Justin himself had Justin as some sort of impetus.

In S1, Brian only cares about his job and sex, and to a lesser degree, the gang. He gets more and more perspective as the show goes on. Critically, he loses both his wealth (Stockwell firing) and sex (testicular cancer) before season 5. The natural next question for S5 to tackle is, okay, if life isn’t exclusively about money and sex, what is it about?

Because the show didn’t allow Brian to examine this for himself, the obvious answer is Justin, the only other thing Brian has ever been passionate about on screen. But that’s a resounding no in-show. Okay, Michael and/or Gus? Also, the show said no.

So….what does Brian have going for him, then? The show only said “no” they didn’t dig deep enough to say “yes” to anything.

It’s like, the show said at the start, Brian cares only about youth and wealth and those things can’t sustain you. Agreed!

Then, the show said during its duration, romantic love can’t sustain you. Agreed!

But then…it stopped there? What IS sustaining Brian?? It was so obviously set up to have him embrace his community, particularly, Gus, and move beyond the reactionary, traumatized kid he started the show as.

In a good environment, young people can explore several aspects of themselves. Whatever myriad of values they have, they can find outlets for it. And Brian does clearly have several values:

Competitive, creative, problem-solver, likes a challenge, protective, stubborn, a love for flaunting the rules, and a struggle between independence and love of close-knit community.

But the abuse, rejection, and homophobia of his parents did not allow him time to safely explore these facets of himself. He had to quickly cling to whatever would give him positive attention, and he built his life around reactivity to what his parents valued.

He did not get the chance in childhood to deeply know himself. Season 5 would have done well to allow him to explore more of himself, and detach himself from simply doing things he parents would hate, and discover what he, regardless of what they may think, does love. He was primed to do in S5. But they just had him react out of fear more. His wild lifestyle and his settled down lifestyle were both fear-based reactions to trauma in his life.

He took up with tricks out of fear of losing Justin to Hollywood, then he proposed out of fear of losing Justin (and Michael). I would have loved to have seen Brian be allowed to make choices without being put in a corner first. That would have been wonderful character development and allowed more depth to him.  AND if those choices weren’t relationship focused until the end of the season, even better. The whole season could have been “If I am no longer THAT, then what am I?” and it didn’t have to have relationship drama until the end for a grand finale.

Ironically, the show itself was only reacting instead of finding their own stance, just like Brian. They wanted a character who wasn’t only into his romantic love. But they never said what he WAS into. 

In S5, they were perfectly setup, but totally fell short of completing Brian’s arc. He starts the show prioritizing sex and money. He does seem to learn that’s not sustainable. He wrestles with prioritizing romantic love, and the show says that doesn’t suit him. And yet, at the end, Michael and Gus are in places that Brian can’t really touch. So, we don’t know what exactly he should prioritize. What’s his new value set? His worldview? Literally, what will he does with his time now??

By all means, allow Brian to live a non traditional life! But they wasted time with going back and forth on MARRIAGE instead of letting us see Brian try and fail and learn what a life looks like not centered on money, sex, or childhood trauma.

Next posts will detail what I think are reasonable plotlines for S5, the small technical issue for the big last scene flop of S5, and will dive deeper into my thoughts on Brian’s value system that I mentioned in passing here :)

#qaf #queer as folk #brian kinney #qaf S5 #Brian kinney S5 #justin taylor #gus marcus peterson #michael novotny #wellcomeoneileen talks QaF

[surrealsunday]

Not early season 2 Britin they make me weak! The way Brian so obviously loved Justin but was so emotionally constipated that he couldn’t show it but at the same time he also couldn’t NOT show it. How kind and sweet he was helping Justin through his trauma and not realizing that they were supporting each other through their own shared trauma. (Also I skip the evil Ethan part because THAT NEVER HAPPENED! It was the first and almost only time I was on Michaels side, until S5. Ethan was so annoying.) Jamie I do not have the time for a 5 season QaF rewatch! I still have all of KP to rewatch! STOP POSTING GIFS OF MY FAV SHOWS!

No but actually never stop because why do we have so much in common???? QaF, Buffy, KP, Skam and their remakes… the list goes on.

- crazy theory anon 👋🏻

Omg. You see how I told you we're the same person?! I am laughing 😂.

For real, early s2 Brian... there are so many moments I love. The way he was absolutely destroyed over what happened to Justin. Justin really had no idea. There are two scenes that stand out in memory to me. 1. The scene I reblogged when Justin is about to freak out walking through the crowds, and then you see Brian standing there with his arms extended out to him encouraging him to keep going. I s2g every time Brian did something just truly loving it hit so much harder 😭. And 2. When Justin is trying to remember what happened to him and he has no idea of the way Brian is reliving the trauma of it, even as he tries to help. (Bonus scene is when Brian punches Michael but I think that was start of s3... the way I loved that tho... like Brian couldn't even handle his best friend saying a bad word about Justin).

Also I know this will sound crazy because you're right and Ethan was the actual worst, but I like that storyline. It just gave me the most delicious angst and the best Britin moments. Plus I loved the way it made Justin recognize what he had with Brian (the way he screams ‘Brian NEVER cheated on me’ at Ethan? *chefs kiss*). And I agree, it helped make Michael something other than the Most Annoying Character Ever (tm) - side note: it’s crazy how Michael and Ben and Hunter made me love his character by the end of the show considering how I hated him at the start.

I gotta stop talking about this too tho because I am also making myself want to do a rewatch and I do not have time for that!

And what can I say... we have taste 😌. And we're clearly meant to be friends 😊❤️.

#crazy theory anon #qaf

[sftbrtin]

Hey!! Love your posts and edits - thanks for doing all you do!!

Question - I’m watching QaF for the first time. Am totally obsessed. Is it worth it to watch season 5? I just finished season 4 and felt lregot neutral about it. I understood what the writers wanted but don’t think they executed as well as season 1-3. I’ve heard season 5 is a trainwreck. I already know how it ends, and have fanfics lined up, lol.

Is s5 as bad as the internet has led me to believe and just read the fanfic before I get upset, or should I see my favorite characters to the (canon) end?

i'm overly sorry for the late reply (idk when you sent this)

i watched all of s5 except the finale? i hated it to the bottom of my heart but it gave some very good, nice, britin scenes and as i've watched the show only for them, it makes s5 worth it for me?

but the hatred for s5 is worth it, it's a decent season but i fear it lacks severly some more brian or justin for me, even more so some britin, the britin BU being made about michael kinda rubbed me the wrong way too... and i'm nothing if not a michael hater. soo idk if you've watched yet but if no, here's that, if yes please lmk what you thought.

#queer as folk

[classic-maya]

#queer as folk #qaf #britin #Brian Kinney #Justin Taylor #debbie novotny #Vic Grassi #orig

[winderlylandchime]

May I ask what are your favorite Britin fics? 🥺

Hello dear sweet anon!

I am always happy to share my QAF/Britin fic recs. I keep a collection going of my bookmarks at AO3 and try to keep them pretty well tagged. You can find that here but I’ll pull out a few that I find particularly enjoyable:

Pulse Point - a complete AU with trauma surgeon!Brian and EMT!Justin. By Xie

Unfold Me - a S5 canon divergent fic which honestly solves a lot of my issues with S5. By mornmeril

Monogamy - another S5 canon divergent fic which takes an entirely different approach and is full of the feels. By frayach

The Love Song of Brian A. Kinney - a post canon classic, one shot. By ipoiledi.

Counting Dollars - a gapfiller for between S3 and S4, one shot. Also by ipoiledi.

Catalepsis - lovely S3 canon divergent fic, lots of delicious hurt/comfort. By @lostcol

Forward - post canon one shot focusing on Brian. By @kinnenvy

Glowing Rooms - canon divergent at 122 - Brian moves to NYC and doesn’t go to prom, Justin is bashed anyway. One shot. Amazing. By ohmyjetsabel

Only Time - post canon series, honestly could be S6, absolutely brilliant. Also by Xie

Homecoming - honestly, you cannot go wrong with this writer but her main series (The One Where Justin Loses His Hearing) can be intimidating. These are two parts of that series that can be read as a standalone fic (two chapters). By LaVieEnRose

If you want some fantastic PWP, I highly recommend devil_on_your_shoulder27384

Also all of ivysunna’s fics are incredible but I love their canon fics such as we’d still worship this love (S2, canon compliant, outsider POV which is always fun for Britin) and their newest the heat of your electric touch (S4/cancer arc gapfiller, canon compliant).

Wait - set during S3, Justin has an HIV scare (open ending). By @thissugarcane

Also, if you are new to fic in QAF, I would be absolutely remiss if I didn’t direct you toward Myrna’s four part fic that is canon divergent after the end of S2 and is delicious hurt/comfort and alternating POV. It is partway down this archive page. Look for If You Needed Me (If You Needed Me / I Would Come to You / I’d Swim the Seas / For To Ease Your Pain). I encourage you to save it as PDFs because it is hard to track down.

Overall, I tend to bookmark fics where the premise is interesting (bonus points for hurt/comfort), the characters and their growth are central, and the characters must be in character (any changes to their character must be explained by growth or AU circumstances but honestly I love these characters and I want to read about them), and the writing is good. I don’t enjoy fics that are anti-character. I know those are popular in this fandom and I’m not going to yuck anyone’s yum, but I generally find every character on this show has something redeeming about them and they are all flawed. It’s far more interesting to me to explore that rather than have an outright villain. More than any other fandom, I tend to enjoy canon-based fics rather than complete AUs (I say as I’m partway through writing a complete AU).

Happy reading! If you read anything that you enjoy, come back and let me know your thoughts (from this list or anything else).

#fic recs #queer as folk fanfiction #qaf fanfiction #brian x justin fanfiction #queer as folk fanfic #qaf fanfic #qaf fic recs #queer as folk fic recs #dear sweet anon #ask winderlylandchime

[defresh]

Ted's 39 (really 40)

You know every year I wish for the same thing.

A boyfriend.

Someone to love.

That will love me.

This year I think I'm going to wish for something else.

The wisdom and maturity to realize that

I won't find what I want by looking for it.

Not expect someone else to give me what I never gave myself.

That I'm not a 1/2 waiting to be made whole.

And even if that special person never comes along.

I'll be just fine.

Ted Schmidt to Emmett Honeycut

QAF S5:E13

Series Finale