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eddiezpaghetti · 4 months

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It has come to my attention that SOME OF YOU who read my last Byler post remain UNCONVINCED. So I'm gonna tack onto it this:

I'm older than fucking God and air, and I've been out and proud since 2007. Yes, I know what homophobia is, and yes, I know what queerbaiting is. I know about Supernatural and Teen Wolf and Sherlock and blahdyblahdyblah. No new ground is being covered here. I thought I made that clear in the original post, but, clearly, I did not.

I am aware of queerbaiting and homophobia, and I'm still wholeheartedly certain in Byler being canon anyway.

Okay, so there are three types of relationship I want to discuss when it comes to queerbaiting. They're all, like, "queer relationships that could have happened, but didn't".

First off, queer-coding. This isn't really a thing so much anymore, but it still crops up every once in a while. I'd argue it probably happens most with male-male relationships in family shows these days. First example that comes to mind is Mr. Smiley and Mr. Frowny from Steven Universe. You can't make a relationship canon because some shitty overhead bastard overhead said no, so you get as close as you can without compromising the show. Can't make someone gay? Well, now their comedy routine is a blatant allegory for a romantic relationship. Boom-shaka-laka. This is something I don't see being a problem with regards to Stranger Things, but I want it to be there as contrast, a demonstration of one of many things queerbaiting is not. However, one could argue that, thus far, Will Byers is, canonically, queer-coded. It's pretty fucking heavily implied in the show, and the creators have confirmed it, and you're gonna be able to see it if you're not FUCKING BLIND, but word of god is not technically canon which means that interviews don't technically make something canon, blahdyblahdyblahdyblah, technicalities, Robin has been explicitly stated in the text to be queer while Will has, thus far, not, outside of good ol' Show-Don't-Tell. Of course, anyone with two brain cells to rub together can tell that that's going to change by the end of Season 5, but, hey, for what it's worth, I'm throwing this out there.

Alrighty, Thingamajingama Number Two: "Oops, I accidentally made the greatest love story known to man." AKA, a genuine, honest-to-goodness mistake. Unfortunately, we do live in a heteronormative society. Sometimes people who don't think about being gay much write a friendship that's incredibly compelling and don't even consider the possibility that it could have been read as romantic. Something something Top Gun something. This is, again, not queerbaiting. This is Steddie, this is Ronance, this is Elmax, this is your favorite flavor of non-canon ship this week, this is not Byler. The creators know DAMN well what they're doing. They've talked about it. We know this. Nothing new here.

Which brings us to the topic of discussion here. Actual queerbaiting. This usually starts out as an "accidental greatest love story", and then reacts to fan response. And when I say "reacts", I mean like a goddamn chemical reaction. Like bleach and ammonia, bitch. It's noxious and it's gonna kick your fucking ass without mercy. This is when a creator is like, "Hey, let's get our queer audience invested, but we're not actually going to give them what they want because our straight audience isn't here for that/we personally think it's gross/we don't give enough of a shit to want to research a goddamn thing to write a real gay character," blah blah blah whatever excuse they want to come up with this time.

And when you think "queerbaiting", I want you to think "bullying". Because that's what it is. It's lucrative bullying, like beating us up and taking our lunch money, but it's bullying all the same. And it's a real goddamn thing, even if people misuse the word a lot, often when they mean one of the two above, sometimes when they mean "bury your gays", which is another homophobic thing entirely that I'm not going to get into here. Queerbaiting is the thing we're focused on, and it's real, and it's bullying. And here's the reason I want you to think of it as bullying:

They

Think

It's

Funny.

They are actively making fun of us.

That's why Dean had the "Cas, get out of my ass," line in Supernatural. It's why the "Do you like boys?" line happened in Teen Wolf. It's why "Lie with me, Watson," happened in the RDJ Sherlock Holmes movies. Because "It's just a joke, mate." "It was just a prank, bro." "You didn't really think it would happen, did you?" "You should see your face."

So here's probably the biggest reason I don't think it's specifically queerbaiting in this specific instance of Will Byers and Mike Wheeler.

Stranger Things has never, not once, made a gay joke. Ever.

Every single time queerness comes up, it's dead serious.

Lonnie calls Will a fag, and the show is not at all reluctant to show what a goddamn horrible person he is. And when Hopper latches onto that, it's not as "Hahah, is he gay, though?" It's because he's trying to determine a potential motive for Will's disappearance, and even if someone had interpreted it as a joke, Joyce immediately has a line that functions as snapping her fingers in front of the audience's face and yelling "FOCUS" when she says "He's MISSING." Basically outright saying "This isn't funny!"

Troy calls him a fairy, along with targeting Lucas and Dustin for their skin color and disability respectively, and Mike gets damn near murderous. Troy is portrayed as a goddamn monster and the show portrays it as justice when El makes him piss his pants and later breaks his arm.

Steve calls Jonathan "queer" as a slur and gets the shit beat out of him for it.

Billy's father is revealed to be homophobic and abusive in the same breath.

Mike says "It's not my fault you don't like girls!" and we're shown how devastated Will is and Mike immediately follows him to beg for forgiveness.

There is a joke in Robin's coming-out scene, but it's not at Robin's expense. It's at Steve's. Specifically for being heteronormative.

Jonathan has multiple scenes where he's trying so hard to tell Will that he's always going to love him as he is, whether he's gay or not, without pressuring him to come out before he's ready.

Even when there's a little bit of ribbing at Robin's expense, it's always because she's an awkward nerd who's nervous around pretty girls, just the same as Lucas and Dustin are teased when they both first develop crushes on Max, and even then, even then, it always comes as a package deal where they make fun of Steve's girl problems at the same time.

Stranger Things is an emphatically pro-gay show. It may not be the core point of the show the way it is in, say, Our Flag Means Death, but there is nothing less than respect for its queer characters. Its queer characters are always taken completely seriously. No one is making fun of us. They never have. That's why I have serious doubts that this is queerbaiting. It would come completely out of left field for the bullying to start in Stranger Things' final season.

So it's not at all likely to be queerbaiting because queerness is taken completely seriously. The creators have talked about Will's queerness, at least, so it's not an accident. And queer-coding would be silly to expect from this show when it's already on its final season. Like, what is Netflix gonna do? Cancel it? Not to mention all the explicit queerness that's in there already. And no one's gonna "What about the children?" a show that's had sex scenes in it since the first season.

There's no fakeout here. It's gonna happen. Breathe.

#byler #Part 2 I fucking guess.#Wasn't planning on making a Part 2 but here we are.#I seriously just want you guys to feel safe.#I'm not naive. I do not say any of this shit lightly.#But I've been around the block long enough to know what queerbaiting looks like and this ain't it. Promise.#Will's already been confirmed as in love with Mike for fuck's sake. You don't think the other half of the equation's gonna follow through?#There has only ever been one other situation where I've gone 'Okay this is going in gay places' with no doubt whatsoever without being told #And that was with Daja in Tamora Pierce's 'Will of the Empress' when I read it at like sixteen or whatever #and she wound up having whole-ass fuckin' gay sex.#I was right then and I'm right now. I swear.

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clownsuu · 8 months

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have a nice day!!

((i'm sending congratulations in advance, because when I have your birthday, I will sleep soundly))

AWEAWEAWE ALL OF MY LIL GOOBERSSSSSSS ;;;;;

#AWEAWE SO CUUUUUTE #all my lil smellis ;;;;;;#THIS IS REALLY CUTE MY GUY THANK YOU FOR THIS!!#You guys are so cool I love you all;;#So many ebic gamers who have told me happy birbday;;;;;;;;;;;#SO HAPPY;;;;;;;;;;#Oh man if Robbie existed and he knew it was my birthday he'd swing me around like a rag doll and break my back--#I love ya Robbie but I ain't as resilient and sturdy as you are JDDHDBBD #Mari would spend more than half of the time staring at the round foil balloons (or the partially inflated rubber ones)#She gets a reward for participation 💔🥄🥄#Also stone and Harvey just talk about their divorce at my party LMAAOAAOOOO

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the-cat-and-the-birdie · 4 months

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Miguel really be like 'you're not supposed to be spiderman but also your dad has to die because you're spiderman and if he doesn't die the world will end and it'll be your fault cause you're spiderman'

Wait Sir you lost me I'm not following can rerepeat your logic? Can you elaborate? Can you rephrase the statement?? I must not be understanding

#Diane listening to Miguel explain Miles being anamoly and having ten thousand questions #but not asking cause she's like 'maybe I'm just dumb. cause Chile this ain't making no sense #spiderman #atsv #spider man #marvel #across the spiderverse #miguel o'hara #miguel ohara #miles morales

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drawthethingdoppelganger · 5 months

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Oh what's this? Me actually posting a holidays fanart on time? Either witchcraft or a Christmas miracle, there's no middleground

But yeah, have a couple of doodles to appreciate the most annoying muppet woman who's just soooooo incredibly normal about Christmas ❤

#every belcher christmas shopping trip would be over 3 hours cuz linda'd be all ooo and aaa at every single tree ornament she can see #you ain't having a normal christmas with this woman she'd make a bastard version of it #bobs burgers #bob's burgers #bobs burgers fanart #linda belcher #bob belcher #louise belcher #tina belcher #gene belcher

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tyttetardis · 4 months

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Macbeth Q&A 18th Jan 2024 Part 1

Was lucky enough to get a ticket for the Member's Event at the Donmar Warehouse that took place on the 18th...with the price of the patronages I sure never thought I'd have gotten the chance, but luckily, they also let in some non-members 🥹❤️

The brilliant performance of Macbeth was followed by a very quick cleaning of the stage - thought for sure it would've taken them longer to remove the blood than like 5 minutes - followed by a lovely, little Q&A session.

The Q&A was led by Craig Gilbert (Literary manager) who talked to Annie Grace and Alasdair Macrae (Musicians and part of the acting ensemble) as well as Cush Jumbo and David Tennant.

Anyway, just gonna write down some of the stuff they talked about :) sorry if it's a bit messy! Might be spoilery if haven't seen it yet but is going to!

To begin with Craig remarked that he didn't think he'd ever seen that many people staying behind for a Q&A before (While I was just wondering why some people even left!? Stressful!).

David introduced himself with "My real name is David "Thane of Paisely" Tennant - while Cush introduced herself with "I´m Cush Jumbo - there's only one of me".

First question was Craig asking them what it was that brought them to the Donmar to do Macbeth - to which David pretty much just replied that 1. It's the Donmar! 2. It's Macbeth! One of the greatest plays of all time in an amazingly intimate space - and that the theatre is famous for its quality of work. So he found it quite hard to think of a reason not to do it!

Cush said she'd worked there before and loves the theatre, how it's so intimate but also a great workspace. Followed by her saying she said yes because David asked her. She talked about how important it was for this play to do it together with the right actor playing opposite you.

David says Max Webster asked him about a year ago if he wanted to do the play - he gave him the dates - and since there weren't any obstacles in the way, David didn't have any excuse not to do it.

He then said that he had slightly avoided Macbeth - there sorta being the assumption that if you're Scottish and has done some Shakespeare plays before you have to do Macbeth. Which he joked was a bit odd since it's not like every Italian has to play Romeo. Then he mentioned that Macbeth is probably a bit more of a jock than he is - that it seemed more like a part for big, burly actors.

Max had laid out his initial ideas to David, a lot of which are in the final production, and David thought he seemed lovely, bright and clever and inventive plus it being the Donmar Warehouse! To which joked that he had last worked there 20 years ago - when he was 8 years old! "It's just one of those spaces" - friendly and epic at the same time where it's such a pleasure to be on the stage.

When Craig asked his next question concerning the sound of the play someone asked him to speak louder as she couldn't hear them - to which David joked that they've gotten so used to whispering. But also said sorry, and that they would!

Alasdair explained a bit about the process of the binaural sound - bit I find it a bit difficult to decipher it all correctly, sorry. He did say that a interesting part of it is that it allows them a controlled environment where they can put all the musicians (and even the bagpipes!) behind the soundproof box so "Poor David and Cush" doesn't have to shout over all the racket.

Craig asked David and Cush what their reaction was when they heard about the concept of the binaural soundscape - to which David replied that it didn't quite exist when they first came onboard - Cush joking they were tricked into it. Then she talked about her and David going on a workshop with Max to get a feeling of how it would all work - and get a sense of how it would sound to the audience, as this was one of the few times, they got to hear that side of it. Their experience of the play being completely different to the experience the audience has.

Cush said they can hear some of the sound - like she can hear some of the animal sounds and David can hear some of the stuff from the glass box - but most of their cues and information comes from timing with each other. She said they won't be able to ever hear what the audience hears - to which David joked "We're busy".

It felt like mixing medias - as it all went quite against their natural stagecraft instinct - but Cush found that in the long run it made things very interesting - like they don't have to worry about getting something whispered to each other - as the audience will hear it anyway.

David said the odd thing is that they don't really know what the experience truly is like. He mentioned that to the sides of the stage there's a speaker for them where they will get any cues that they need to hear. Like they can hear the witches - but they can't hear where they are "positioned" - so they have to learn how to place themselves to fit with what the audience hears. They don't hear everything, though. And the audio they hear is quite quiet, so it doesn't disturb what comes through the headphones.

He thinks it's been exciting - that it's a bit like a mix between film and theatre. It's happening live - but it's also like post-production is happening between them and the audience as it's going on. They just have to trust that the audience is hearing what they are supposed to for it all to make sense.

Cush said she thinks in 10 - 20 years, as these technologies has developed, doing theatre like this will feel a lot more normal - not that they will do it ALL the time, but that they will be doing it - whereas now it's still like an experiment. What Cush really like about the concept is that if was done in a much bigger theatre - then people in the cheapest seats would be able to have an experience much more similar to those in the most expensive seats - they'd be a lot more immersed into the action.

David then talks about how it feels extremely counterintuitive to not go on stage and speak loud enough that the people in the back row can also hear you. And usually, if they can't hear you, you aren't doing your job right! But then it felt very liberating. He loves it.

Cush then talked about how it felt odd waiting in the wings for a cue you can't hear - where you traditionally wait backstage and you can hear your cues, you can hear the rythm and know when it's your turn - so it was quite disconcerting to hear silence. So it's basically down to them now knowing the show and each other's timings - like if David is standing at a certain point, she knows how long she has before she needs to say/do something. So you have to watch each other more closely and really focus on what the others are doing.

David asked the musicians if they can hear everything inside the box, to which Annie replied that they get everything except some extra bits in the soundscape. But they can hear the actors on stage. Annie said it's actually a bit of a mystery to all of them what the audience actually experiences - how the big pictures actually look like - they just have to trust that it's there "Is it there?!".

Someone asked if they had had any adverse reactions from audiences to having to wear the headphones. Quite a bit of laughter all around :P then David said "There's the odd person" and something about if someone hadn't gotten the memo before turning up...but not sure how he ended the line. Then once again says that yes, there's the odd person who doesn't like it and that's fair enough.

The same audience member then said he could see the advantage of it in a big theatre where the distance is big, but not in a small place like the Donmar - to which David very quickly, rather passionately replied that it's not about projection, it's about being able to do things you wouldn't normally be able to do live - where they can speak so quietly that they can't even hear each other when standing next to each other. So even in such a small place, people wouldn't be able to hear that. It's about creating a different play - which isn't to everyone's taste and that's fair enough. But for a play that's been done a hundred and seven million times he thinks it's very valid to try and find a new way into the play - even if it's not for everyone.

Part 2

#David Tennant #Macbeth #Donmar warehouse #Cush Jumbo #I messed up this recording sooooo bad #I didn't see people pull out their phones to record it so I didn't dare do that either...#and man did I get a shitty recording out of it :(#and the audio ain't great either...Craig was sitting the furthest from me and didn't have a mic so can be a bit difficult to hear at times #Cush was sitting the closest to me (not that close - I was still in second row!) and David was sitting next to her #while I didn't have a perfect frontal view - the angle I was at did mean that I still got a perfect view of David's adorable smiles <3 #and all his other lovely facial expressions as he often looked to Cush when she was talking and replied to her...#which made it FEEL like he was looking in my direction *sigh*#and he looked so good with his comfy cardigan - skin tight jeans - and his glasses!#You know I have seen David quite a few times by now - but I'm pretty sure this was the first time I saw him wearing his own glasses!#I desperately wish I had managed to capture some pictures or a video---because OMG! He was so lovely <3 #Oh didn't know there was a text limit...or that I had written this much...guess I'm continuing in a part 2

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radioactivemelody · 4 months

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I adore the concept of Homura using her shield not as something to defend herself but as a blunt force weapon

Sayaka was a victim of that, lol </3

#sayaka was lucky to have healing powers or otherwise my girl would've gone to hospital after getting her ass kicked #by two different people #she ain't winning 😂😂😂😭😭#puella magi madoka magica #madoka magica #pmmm

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angelxd-3303 · 10 months

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To say that Nimona had made it an uphill battle for Ambrosius was a tragic understatement. Ever since she'd reappeared in true chaotic fashion, the 'Golden Boy' didn't think he'd ever received more dirty looks. With Nimona incessantly pressing herself between him and her 'boss', Ambrosius was left wondering if this was how others had seen him. Back before...yeah...

Even now, weeks later, Nimona was cuddled into Ballister's side while swatting Ambrosius with her tail. It was a scarlet whip like appendage with an arrowhead tip, and Bal grasped it to keep her from smacking him again. Nimona huffed, shifting into an otter and snuggling into Ballister's lap. The brunet ran his fingers through her fur, sighing deeply.

As annoying as it was to be pushed away from his boyfriend, Ambrosius had to admit that he was grateful for Nimona's protectiveness. The way she defended Bal, even when the whole world stood against him.

'Including me.' He thought bitterly, looking away. He and Ballister had talked about the whole thing, of course. They'd spent many days after the collapse of the wall sitting in Ambrosius' apartment crying and holding each other through choked apologies. Once it got out that Bal had been living in a broken down tower, Ambrosius had spared no expense in fixing it up so they could move in together. Since everything that happened, he wanted nothing more than to get out of the city. Now they sat in the newly renovated tower living room, scrolling through Netflix to wind down for the evening.

There were times where Ambrosius wondered if he'd ever regain the kind of relationship he had with Ballister before. Did he completely mess it all up?

"Hey, can you grab the popcorn Bambi?"

Ambrosius' breath caught in his throat. He hadn't heard that nickname since they were kids! He and Nimona both whipped around to stare at Ballister. The brunet was transfixed on the TV, clearly unaware of his slip-up. A fond smile spread across Ambrosius' face, and he stood up. As he walked around the back of the couch, Ambrosius placed a gentle kiss to Ballister's temple.

"Sure thing, Thumper."

Ambrosius strolled into the kitchen, chuckling at the rapid footsteps behind him. Nimona grabbed his arm, jerking him down to her level.

"What the hell?? Bambi?! Thumper?! Wha-?!" She sputtered. Ambrosius laughed, setting up the popcorn machine.

"Heh, yeah. Kind of an inside joke." He replied. Nimona gestured impatiently. Ambrosius smiled softly.

"Well, when we were kids, Bal had a hard time... pronouncing things. He didn't have access to a lot of the education that I did, and he kinda found other ways to say things."

"So he started calling you Bambi?"

"Well, it's easier than Ambrosius, right?" Nimona shrugged.

"I guess so." Ambrosius chuckled.

"The teachers at the Institute all thought it was so cute that no one corrected him. I gotta admit... it's nice to hear it again." Nimona tilted her head as Ambrosius leaned back against the counter.

"Yeah?" He nodded.

"I...I feel sometimes like everything I did to him has ruined our relationship. Like we'll never be as close as we were. I guess hearing it kinda..." He struggled to explain.

"Reminds you that the foundation is still there." Nimona finished. Ambrosius looked up at her, surprised. She raised a brow.

"What? I wasn't born yesterday. I'm older than both of you combined." She deadpanned. Ambrosius chuckled, pouring the popcorn into bowls.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." As they returned to the couch, Nimona leaned in to whisper:

"You know I'm never letting you live this down, right 'Bambi'?" Ambrosius gave her a fake look of annoyance, face splitting into a grin as they sat down.

If Ambrosius noticed that Nimona let him sit next to Ballister on the couch, he didn't say anything. Counting it as a victory, he pulled Bal into his arms and cuddled him close.

'I've got to be the luckiest man alive.' He thought, as Ballister melted into his arms just as he did before. Nimona leaned into his side with crossed arms, not without giving him a light smack with her tail.

#ambrosius goldenloin #ballister boldheart #ballister x ambrosius #Nimona #i.e. the golden retriever and the shark have a bonding moment #fic drabble #Ambrosius is a big puddle of guilt #I'm just imagining little Bal calling for “Bambi!” from across the schoolyard and his knight in shining armor coming to see what's happening #nimona is slowly learning to trust Ambrosius #she ain't making it easy for him tho #protective Nimona

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