Thinking about Elementary and I am Unwell. You know how some episodes open with Joan being badass and cool all by herself because Sherlock's fucked off somewhere on his own and it's like. Shit, I could watch a whole season of Joan solving mysteries on her own and hanging out with Clyde and Bell and Gregson and having homoerotic tension with nemesis. But then Sherlock comes back and you realize. Fuck. Shit. They belong together. You can't have Elementary without both of them. Because yeah, they are their own people and we know that off screen they're doing their own things and living their own lives. But the story being told is about THEM. it's about their partnership. It's about these two people that love each other. Elementary isnt about Sherlock Holmes. It's about Sherlock and Joan and their partnership and goddamnit I'm gonna cry about this fucking show again istg.

when ur in a homoerotic friendship except u can't tell if your introverted non-confrontational masc friend is aware that their actions are homoerotic..........

had a bit of an epiphany but idk how to word it nor who true it is

Would you be willing to share more about the extra gay retelling of Carmilla you mentioned? 👀 Would love to give it a read personally!

Sure thing! I'll include pictures since it's on my shelf right next to me. Here's my copy of the original and the retelling side by side:

Really funny fact, both the editor of the original manuscript and the writer of the retelling are sapphic. To the surprise of no one... (Listen the homoeroticism must be preserved.)

Honestly, I first read Carmilla on Project Gutenberg when I was a teenager, and it was hilarious to me, but this edition has really grown on me over time.

Anyway, about the extra gay retelling. You should not rely on me to tell you the objective quality of any piece of media, honestly, but I remember enjoying it when I read it. Funnily enough, the changes begin right away with Hesselius being genderbent. The ending goes more for the idea that Carmilla wasn't trying to kill Laura, and turns Laura into a vampire, and they both live. It was interesting to see another take on the story and how things led there, and I found the way it tied things up to be satisfying, being just about as long as the original. Despite what others may think, I don't read books often, so this was a special case.

Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to know!

Homoeroticism, Rivalries, and Doubling in Lo and Behold

( Let me just post some of my old essays that I wrote 2 years ago on here not that I think anyone cares )

Come Home Love: Lo and Behold is a sitcom from Hong Kong’s TVB (Television Broadcast Limited), which currently has over 1300 episodes and has been running since 2017. The name of the series, Come Home Love, comes from the previous installments of similar yet unrelated sitcoms, which all promote the qualities of familial love with a goal to bring happiness to the people of Hong Kong each day. In addition to familial love, there is no shortage of romantic storylines for the characters, although they are entirely heterosexual relationships. This is unsurprising as same-sex topics are still taboo and rare in Hong Kong media, especially within TVB. While there is a slow change emerging, as seen in Ossan’s Love, a television drama featuring relationships between homosexual male characters from TVB’s rival broadcasting company ViuTV, LGBTQ+ representation is still lacking. However, some characters in Lo and Behold exhibit interpersonal relationships with dynamics that can be interpreted as homoerotic and queer-coded in subtext. Netizens online refer to their favourite on-screen pairings as “CPs” (couples), and several popular CPs feature characters of the same gender. It is noted that there is virtually no distinction between romantic and platonic CPs, which further blurs the line between the two types of relationships. One of the show’s most popular same-gender CPs include George (Aaryn Cheung) and Chi Chi Hau (Hero Yuen), in which the former character feigned homosexuality in the show, when he was actually in love with the latter’s girlfriend at the time. The storyline between George and Hau is the only close to canon depiction of homosexuality. There are also more homosexual male CPs, such as the bromance between Kam Shing On (Kalok Chow) and Chu Ling Ling (Ricco Ng), and the rivals-to-friends pairing between KC (Jimmy Au) and John (Stephen Ho). Meanwhile, the most popular female-female CP is the pairing nicknamed and loosely translated as “Double Big”, between “Ms. Big” Linda Lung (Mandy Lam) and “Big Sister” Hung Sheung Sin (Joyce Tang). The frequent enemies-to-friends-to-enemies-again dynamic between the two have captured audiences since their first storyline together in episode 350, and have since been a fan favourite. The pairing between Linda and Sheung Sin encapsulate the essence of homoerotic subtext and queer-coding in the sitcom through the rivalry dynamic, subversion of female gender roles in characterization, and the mirroring concept.

The homoerotic subtext lies within Sheung Sin and Linda’s rivalry and obsession with one another, and their desire to anger the other person for amusement. Their enemies-to-friends-to-enemies-again dynamic is what makes their relationship work. While Sheung Sin and Linda have other rivals in the series such as Holly (Chelffy Yau), Linda’s rival socialite, they do not spark the same effect. Perhaps it is the combination of Tang and Lam’s outstanding chemistry paired with the right scripts that creates the fan-favourite “Double Big” CP. They frequently experience near-death experiences together, thus strengthening their bond and becoming friends momentarily, only to return to enemy status afterwards for the sake of their egos. Although they claim to hate each other in public, there are moments of vulnerability that demonstrate they care for each other. For instance, Linda admits to caring about Sheung Sin in episode 1192 when she visits her at the hospital, and refuses to leave her behind when they are chased by a killer. Sheung Sin and Linda’s obsession carries sapphic undertones as one can argue that rivalries are inherently homoerotic. For instance, Linda is often at the forefront of Sheung Sin’s mind, and functions as her muse in a way since she has based many of her screenplays’ characters on Linda. It is worth noting that Sheung Sin does so with the intention of angering her, which may further push the homoeroticism. Furthermore, their storylines depict tropes that would otherwise be romantic clichés if enacted on a heterosexual couple, such as constantly bickering like an old married couple, or the plot where their dogs were apparently in love and had babies together in episodes 397–420. It is not unrealistic to detect romantic feelings between the pairing; several heterosexual romantic relationships on the show, such as the popular “KungShui” CP between Kung Yip (Stanley Cheung) and Mary (Koni Lui), also follow the enemies-to-lovers trope. Therefore, the line between platonic and romantic attraction for the two characters is continually muddled throughout the long-running series.

The characterizations of Linda and Sheung Sin’s characters are largely subversions of how traditional Chinese cultures expect women to act, and thus contribute to their queer-coded nature. Queer-coding villains has been a common practice in media for decades; while Linda and Sheung Sin are not exactly villains, the writers assign undesirable traits that make them frequently loathed by the other characters and loved-to-be-hated by audiences alike. They are both extremely stubborn, short-tempered, and domineering, which is the opposite of how women are expected to act, especially in regards to Chinese traditions about submissive and gentle women. Moreover, misogynistic and ageist jokes are often made at their expense due to their identities as middle-aged women. For instance, Lung King Fung (Andrew Chan) often labels Linda as “middle-aged crazy lady”, and there are frequent references to their ages along with menopausal tempers. Their actions are usually made out to be unreasonable and heartless; for instance, Linda fits the “mean older female boss” trope who is often verbally abusive to her employees while Sheung Sin is a writer known for her vengeful heart and stops at nothing to bring pain on those who have wronged her. Lo and Behold has a variety of characters representing different ideals, including Tam Do Duk (Wing Chun Chan) and his family who are strict believers of traditional Chinese values that directly oppose Linda and Sheung Sin’s behaviours. These stark comparisons emphasize the distinction between the characters. For example, episodes 719–721 feature Linda and Sheung Sin at a camp run by Do Duk in attempts to transform themselves into good, traditional Chinese wives. However, by the end of the mini arc the two women and their partners realize that they prefer the way they are, and there is no need to change themselves. Their characterizations may not be directly linked to queer-coding itself, but complex relationships with femininity and patriarchal expectations are common for women in the LGBTQ+ community.

Linda’s canon romantic relationships in the show are also heavily queer-coded and subvert traditional expectations of a heterosexual relationship. Due to Linda’s wealthy family background, one of her biggest obstacles is her disapproving father Lung Kam Wai (Lok Lam Law) whom she vies for validation from. Early on in episode 40, Linda’s romantic past is revealed; her father disapproved of her college boyfriend and then she marries a man strictly for business reasons, which is not an uncommon practice among the wealthy characters in Lo and Behold. However, they later divorce and Linda has remained single until she meets her current love interest, Sung Shui Fai (Jack Hui). While under the influence of Sheung Sin’s hypnotism, she also later reveals that she did not receive her first kiss until the age of 30. A lack of romantic experience is common for members of the LBGTQ+ community, especially those who remain closeted throughout their teenaged years. Additionally, her romance-less marriage is resemblant of lavender marriages, which are opposite-sex marriages conducted by queer people in order to conceal their true sexualities. However, the most indicative factor of queer-coding among Linda’s relationships lies within her current relationship with Shui Fai. In the earlier stages of their relationship, their romance was a secretive affair since he is a lower middle-class worker and she is a member of the upper-class, and was also engaged to another man at the time. The themes of hiding in a secretive relationship and fearing being discovered are common in queer relationships due to the danger of homophobia. Furthermore, she is 6 years older than him, has a higher professional and social status, and has the dominant personality in the relationship, thus subverting patriarchal heterosexual relationships again. In episodes 627–628, Linda “comes out” about her relationship to her father, and is subsequently disowned by him, leaving her with few financial resources. These events are deeply reminiscent of young queer people getting disowned by their families who disapprove of their sexuality and their relationships. Like some parents in reality, Kam Wai has a complicated relationship with Linda, and he gradually gives her and her partner a chance after a long period of time. All of Linda’s previous love interests could be replaced with women, and there would not be many changes in the overall narrative because it already fits that of a queer character. Of course, the divide between Linda and Shui Fai in canon is a class related issue, but interpretation through a queer lens provides the conclusion that it shares many similarities with LBGTQ+ relationships.

Linda and Sheung Sin’s relationship verges on the mirroring concept in which two characters are extremely similar to one another to the point where their identities begin to blur into one can be found between. Borrowing from the Gothic genre, tropes such as doubling and mirroring can be used to explore sexuality and other repressed desires that may not immediately surface. These concepts are also explored in more recent pieces of media with homoerotic undertones such as Ingmar Bergman’s 1997 film Persona, David Lynch’s 2001 film Mulholland Drive, and the K-Pop subunit Red Velvet — Irene & Seulgi. While the tone of Lo and Behold gravitates toward mindless comedy rather than that of a psychological thriller, there are still familiar remnants of these classic tropes. Despite the social class difference, the two characters have similar backgrounds as eldest daughters of their family who had lost their mothers at a young age, in addition to the aforementioned shared personality traits. The other characters are aware of their similarities; in episode 990, Sheung Sin’s uncle Hung Shu Yan (Pal Sinn) points out that besides Linda’s signature wavy hair and sequined outfits, the two women are practically the same in temperament. Mirroring in Lo and Behold is also visually represented through deliberate styling choices, with several comical scenes in which Linda and Sheung Sin find themselves coincidentally wearing the same clothing (episodes 350, 380, 762, 1222, 1502). While the scenes are meant to elicit a few lighthearted chuckles, it emphasizes the effect of doubling through direct imagery, as if they are looking in a mirror. The characters are frequently mistaken for one another even by those closest to them, since the similarities run so deep inside and out.

The blurring of their identities does not stop with physical appearances and personality traits; Linda and Sheung Sin have both attempted to take over each other’s roles within their families for the sake of contention. Since their lives are intertwined with one another, their families often interact, making it easy for both women to manipulate each other’s family members to their heart’s content. Linda’s brother Terry (Kim Li) is an actor for the productions that Sheung Sin works on, and Sheung Sin’s own family members are often caught up in between the two women, since her uncle Shu Yan, her son Shing On, and her sister Mary all work for Linda. After Kam Wai cuts ties with Linda, Sheung Sin devises a plan to replace Linda’s role in the Lung family simply so she can anger her. In doing so, she transforms her hair and clothing into Linda’s style, temporarily becomes Kam Wai’s goddaughter, and gains the trust of her brother, uncle, and former employees, seemingly taking everything away from her. Although her plans are foiled, she tries to “become” Linda yet again in episode 1041, in which she becomes Terry’s replacement sister while he is angry at her over a misunderstanding. While Linda is less intent on becoming Sheung Sin, episode 709 features a jealous Sheung Sin because Linda had replaced her role as her son’s most feared person. From these incidents, it appears as though Sheung Sin has an obsession with taking Linda’s identity, to the point where their respective family members begin to feel confusion about who is who. The constantly blurred line between their identities and their habit of replacing one another resembles the tropes in other forms of media with homoerotic subtext.

The homoerotic interpretation of the characters and events in Come Home Love: Lo and Behold merely approaches events and facts that already exist in canon from a different angle. The clear tension and subtext between Linda Lung and Hung Sheung Sin is present and creates an enjoyable viewing experience with two dynamic and fascinating characters, and brings an insurmountable amount of depth into a simplistic sitcom. Whether Sheung Sin wants to become Linda or whether she simply wants her is left up to interpretation, and the complex psyche of a twisted mind like Hung Sheung Sin’s is worth exploring.

ok but in the queerbaiting vs. intentionally subtextual queer love, Trobed is just straight queerbaiting right like I'm thinking of Troy's love for Abed and learning to accept himself as a gay Jehovah man and getting emotional but also... in terms of the show that one was Harmon qbaiting us right

I mean.... I honestly don’t think dan harmon was intentionally exploiting his queer viewership I think he just thought that the homoeroticism between them and queercoding of troy and abed respectively (and annie, and britta, and frankie, and—obviously—the dean) was funny and that it made for good jokes. so no, I wouldn’t call it queerbaiting, which implies an insidious intentionality on the part of the creators. I do think that some of the writers definitely did know what they were doing, though, such as karey dornetto who wrote “early 21st century romanticism” (the valentines day episode) or “epidemiology” (the zombie episode), an out lesbian who is married to jamie babbit (director of “but im a cheerleader”), and definitely used her voice on the show to make some pretty explicit textual statements, specifically regarding troy’s series-long (metaphorical) coming out arc, but also giving us some of the most concrete proof of annie’s... sapphic inclinations (which is otherwise mostly “blink and you miss it” subtext). community was a show written by many different people over the years (and not entirely with dan harmon’s oversight... much to its detriment), and not all of them had the same (largely unspoken) intentions. but if the question is, did dan harmon queerbait? no, I don’t think so. but is he a casual homophobe? yeah, obviously.

[excerpted]

In 2019, pop is beginning to look like everything Tumblr wanted it to be in the early 2010s: inclusive, empowered, and increasingly gay. Many artists are out and proud about their nuanced queer identities, from Kehlani to Janelle Monáe, while non-queer artists are making sure to bring in, and sometimes pander to, highly engaged queer audiences. Even Taylor Swift, newfound queen of Tumblr aesthetics, has built the practice of “queerbaiting” into her release strategy. Hints of homoeroticism have become as common among pop stars—from Ariana Grande to Dua Lipa to Charli XCX—as they are characters on a teen soap.

The new language used to articulate gender and sexual identity has been popularized in lockstep with the platform. “The site’s queer users have led the way for the mainstream proliferation of queer/gender-conforming identity development,” McCracken says. Asexuality, demisexuality, grey sexuality, pansexuality, as well as non-binary—which may have even originated as a term on the site, it’s difficult to tell—have made their way, as public labels, to the pop world. Miley Cyrus, Kesha, Sia, Monáe, and others have identified themselves as at least one of the above, in the time since Tumblr popularized these micro-minorities in the early 2010s. “This is the Tumblr effect,” McCracken adds.

With the rise of queer acceptance came the monetization of it. Meme librarian Amanda Brennan, who works on Tumblr’s Fandometrics project to chart fan trends across the site, says she noticed a large spike in popularity for Panic! At The Disco among Tumblr users when the band’s singer Brendon Urie began identifying as pansexual in July 2018. The same happened for Lil Nas X when he revealed this summer that he isn’t straight.

The intense level of engagement that Tumblr inspires from its queer users is an especially valuable currency now that most musicians make more money from their tours and merchandise than their actual music. At the same time as this industry-wide shift, says McCracken, “the last 10 years has really seen what is considered by fan studies scholars as the mainstreaming of fandom by the corporate media.” That’s also meant that queer fans, who rely on “transformative works” (fan-created and fan-centered art) in order to serve their own interests, have been targeted more directly. Queer people will find themselves represented (or appropriated) in pop music now more than ever—they’re even beginning to share a common language. “‘Cause shade never made anybody less gay,” sings Swift, who recently came out as straight, on “You Need To Calm Down.”

It’s now increasingly common for queer fans on Tumblr to bolster the popularity of musicians who are thought to be heterosexual. This is the case for Charli XCX, once a very active Tumblr user herself. In return, she often echoes the language of her queer fanbase, rooting for herself via the excessively punctuated enthusiasm and multiple letter cases of a Tumblr post (“i really feel like Gone is one of the best songs that has been released this year.... like it’s in the top 10 best songs of the year FOR SURE. right?!? rt if u agree,” she recently tweeted). This is also, bewilderingly, the case for Hozier. The Irish “Take Me to Church” singer espouses a particularly sapphic kind of yearning, according to his queer fanbase on Tumblr. “Hozier is a lesbian” is currently an active tag on the site.

There’s no greater example of the campy veneration of heterosexual artists on Tumblr than One Direction. This was largely thanks to Rainbow Direction, a campaign for queer visibility among 1D fans, created in 2013 by a Tumblr user who was tired of seeing straight girls targeted exclusively by the band. As 1D members became aware of their popularity on the site, they often participated in Tumblr fan Q&As, where they interacted with a largely queer fanbase that helped keep them at the forefront of culture until their split. “It’s a great example of how Tumblr fans queered popular culture,” McCracken says. “On Tumblr, lesbian fans of One Direction were so pervasive that they defined the fandom there.” Those attending One Direction shows were encouraged to wear rainbow clothing and accessories, which likely resulted in Harry Styles waving a rainbow Pride flag in September 2015. In the years since, the androgynous Styles has cultivated a kind of queer appeal, particularly after staying ambiguous about his own sexuality and debuting songs with a perceived subtext of bisexuality.

Now, nearly a half-decade removed from the height of Rainbow Direction, it’s hard not to feel nostalgic for the Tumblr we once knew—where queer earnestness was encouraged, where Frank Ocean felt safe enough to share his heart. Since Verizon’s acquisition of Tumblr in 2017, once highly active users of the site began to feel disaffected. That was exacerbated when the company decided to purge Tumblr’s archives of pornographic content in 2018, effectively putting a digital chastity belt on its queer users who once looked to the site for a horny representation of themselves. In the early 2010s, Tumblr was a construction site for new ways of identifying beyond the heteropatriarchal binary. Today, these values have been co-opted and sanitized for the purpose of profit. At the very least, like Frank, we’ll always have the memories.

Viewers: Well, Netflix, I made it- despite your lack of promotion.

Netflix: Ah. New Subscribers. Welcome. - I hope you're prepared for an unforgettable new show.

Viewers: Yeah.

*Writers strike*

Netflix: Oh, egads! My show is ruined. But what if I were to half-ass the writing and disguise it as good representation? Delightfully devilish, Netflix.

Viewers: Netflix!

Netflix: Subscriber, I was just- uh, just delaying the air date for a few months. Making sure to get the characters right. You understand?

Viewers: Why is the air date in the summer deadzone, Netflix?

Netflix: Uh- Oh. That isn't a deadzone. It's for pride! Pride for the lesbian representation we’re showing. Mmm. Lesbian Representation.

Netflix: Whew. Honoured Viewers, I hope you're ready for mouthwatering Homoeroticism.

Viewers: I thought we were having Lesbian Representation.

Netflix: D'oh, no. I said Lesbian Sexuality. That's what I call Representation.

Viewers: You call Representation on screen Eroticism?

Netflix: Yes. It's plays better with the demographics.

Viewers: Uh-huh. Uh, what demographic?

Netflix: Uh, thirsty reddit users.

Viewers: Really. Well, I'm from Tumblr, and I've never heard anyone use the phrase "On screen Lesbian Sexuality."

Netflix: Oh, not on Tumblr. No. It's a corporate expression.

Viewers: I see. You know, this show’s attitudes to sapphics are quite similar to the ones we’ve seen on screen for years.

Netflix: Oh, no. Patented Netflix writing. New woke storytelling.

Viewers: For “Onscreen Lesbian Sexuality”.

Netflix: Yes.

Viewers: Yes. And you call it Onscreen Lesbian Sexuality despite the fact that it is obviously Queer Baiting.

Netflix: Ye- You know, the- One thing I should- - Excuse me for one second.

Viewers: Of course.

Netflix: Oh well, that was wonderful. A good season was had by all. I'm pooped.

Viewers: Yes. I should be- Good Lord! What is happening in there?

Netflix: Transgender protagonist?

Viewers: Uh- A Transgender protagonist at this time of year, this close to awards season, localized entirely on your front page!?

Netflix: Yes.

Viewers: May I see it?

Netflix: No.

Reed Hastings (Netflix parent company): Netflix! The company is losing PR!

Netflix: No, Stockholders. It's just the gays.

Viewers: Well, Netflix, you are an odd streaming service, but I must say you screen a good lesbian.