Was yesterday, technically, and now I have to share with you an end product of missing Lost Girl (and bi main character Bo Dennis) and subsequently going down another YouTube fan vid rabbit-hole.
Showing posts with label Bisexuality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bisexuality. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Friday, September 22, 2017
#BiWeek Friday: Callie Torres
Fact: Callie Torres is the best Grey's Anatomy character in the history of the long-running show and also my fave bi character* of all time (and played by the fabulous bi-in-real-life Sara Ramirez).
Also, I just really wish things would have worked out between her and my favorite roller-shoe-wearing pediatrician. Speaking of which, please enjoy this Calzona fan vid.
*Other contestants in the running were Bo Dennis (Lost Girl), Kalinda Sharma (The Good Wife), Sara Lance (Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow), Number Three (Battlestar Galactica), Kara Danvers (Supergirl, in my headcanon anyway), Tara Thornton (True Blood), all of the male vampires in True Blood(??),
Talk about this or other stuff!
Also, I just really wish things would have worked out between her and my favorite roller-shoe-wearing pediatrician. Speaking of which, please enjoy this Calzona fan vid.
*Other contestants in the running were Bo Dennis (Lost Girl), Kalinda Sharma (The Good Wife), Sara Lance (Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow), Number Three (Battlestar Galactica), Kara Danvers (Supergirl, in my headcanon anyway), Tara Thornton (True Blood), all of the male vampires in True Blood(??),
Talk about this or other stuff!
Friday, March 10, 2017
Femslash Friday: Supergirl Returns
I'm pleased to report that Supergirl Season 2 recaps are coming to Fannie's Room very soon. From the buzz I've heard, I'm especially looking forward to certain character developments.
And, what can I say, I really also want Kara Danvers to be bi (and Alex to be a lesbian, obvs). Are there any bisexual protagonists on TV right now, with the departure of Callie Torres from Grey's Anatomy and Lost Girl's Bo Dennis? I can't think of any, but I also don't watch all the TV.
In the meantime, enjoy this related fan vid:
And, what can I say, I really also want Kara Danvers to be bi (and Alex to be a lesbian, obvs). Are there any bisexual protagonists on TV right now, with the departure of Callie Torres from Grey's Anatomy and Lost Girl's Bo Dennis? I can't think of any, but I also don't watch all the TV.
In the meantime, enjoy this related fan vid:
Monday, February 6, 2017
Dispatches From the Queer Resistance
Exit polls suggest that 77% of LGBT people voted for Hillary Clinton in Election 2016. As you might imagine, many of us have some opinions about Trump.
Over at Shakesville, I have started a series documenting acts of queer resistance.
Feel free to send me tips and news items as you encounter them!
Over at Shakesville, I have started a series documenting acts of queer resistance.
Feel free to send me tips and news items as you encounter them!
Friday, November 18, 2016
Flashback Friday: The Bush Years and The L Word
The L Word (2004-2009) was popular, at least among many bi/lesbian women, smack in the middle of the Bush years.
Queer women's culture, at least some iterations of it, has struck me as ....disappearing. Have we seen a complacency, perhaps? A taking for granted that progress will always be linear? Our bars and independent, feminist, queer-friendly bookstores are going away. Blogs and websites I used to read on the regular no longer exist, or are unrecognizable. Bi/lesbian characters on TV still, too often, end up buried.
It makes me sad, sometimes, when younger queers ironically (and god, I'm getting old) ungratefully mock The L Word. Critique is appropriate, but I don't know, is it only acceptable to mock things if you lived through them within the oppressive historical context in which they were rendered?
Back then, I had never seen anything like The L Word. Many of us were desperate for representation; and many still are. It was pre-marriage-equality. DADT was in effect. NOM and its ilk were obsessive in their quest to keep equality out of our reach. State after state were passing amendments or laws against equality. George W. Bush and his administration were explicitly hostile to our community.
But then, we got a whole show in all its imperfect glory about at least a part of the community. It tackled (sometimes too earnestly?) political issues. It was about women, lots of women, who talked to each other about pretty much everything but men. It showed female friendships and rivalries. It showed women fucking. It was sometimes feminist. And, unpopular opinion alert, but I don't actually think Jenny Schecter was The Worst. (Except, that stuff with Sounder was fucked up).
During The L Word years, I remember the weekly huddling into people's living rooms on Sundays to watch (those who had Showtime were high status friends). Bars would have viewings and, if you can believe it, the rooms would be completely silent because if you dared to even whisper, a hundred angry lesbians and bisexuals would glare, shush, and make you leave and then everyone would demand that the bartender rewind it and so the actual viewing would take like two hours instead of just one.
It was pop culture as solace, however imperfectly (too white, too cis, weird on bisexuality) and corporate (women fucking, but not for the male gaze, but also looking very Traditional Standards of Femininity). But, it was ours. And when it was good, it was fucking good.
Friday fan video, below (NSFW).
[content note: loss of pregnancy, anti-gay bigotry]
The video is set to Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." You might remember this song being played in the Season 1 episode, "Liberally." In it, Bette agrees to a televised debate with anti-gay bigot Fae Buckley, a Phyllis Schlafly type of woman. During the debate, Buckley says that god condemns homosexuality, which is why god made Bette's "lesbian lover" have a miscarriage. And god, it's so unbelievably cruel and I remember it so capturing the zeitgeist of what living with a bigot President, one who enabled hate groups, was like.
Sorry to end on a negative note. I feel tired, ya'll. I'm down for the resistance. But goddamn. To go through this shit again. And, by the fucking way, I will never get over Dana Fairbanks. So could whoever makes the Trump-years L Word reboot please not kill the new version of her, thanks.
Queer women's culture, at least some iterations of it, has struck me as ....disappearing. Have we seen a complacency, perhaps? A taking for granted that progress will always be linear? Our bars and independent, feminist, queer-friendly bookstores are going away. Blogs and websites I used to read on the regular no longer exist, or are unrecognizable. Bi/lesbian characters on TV still, too often, end up buried.
It makes me sad, sometimes, when younger queers ironically (and god, I'm getting old) ungratefully mock The L Word. Critique is appropriate, but I don't know, is it only acceptable to mock things if you lived through them within the oppressive historical context in which they were rendered?
Back then, I had never seen anything like The L Word. Many of us were desperate for representation; and many still are. It was pre-marriage-equality. DADT was in effect. NOM and its ilk were obsessive in their quest to keep equality out of our reach. State after state were passing amendments or laws against equality. George W. Bush and his administration were explicitly hostile to our community.
But then, we got a whole show in all its imperfect glory about at least a part of the community. It tackled (sometimes too earnestly?) political issues. It was about women, lots of women, who talked to each other about pretty much everything but men. It showed female friendships and rivalries. It showed women fucking. It was sometimes feminist. And, unpopular opinion alert, but I don't actually think Jenny Schecter was The Worst. (Except, that stuff with Sounder was fucked up).
During The L Word years, I remember the weekly huddling into people's living rooms on Sundays to watch (those who had Showtime were high status friends). Bars would have viewings and, if you can believe it, the rooms would be completely silent because if you dared to even whisper, a hundred angry lesbians and bisexuals would glare, shush, and make you leave and then everyone would demand that the bartender rewind it and so the actual viewing would take like two hours instead of just one.
It was pop culture as solace, however imperfectly (too white, too cis, weird on bisexuality) and corporate (women fucking, but not for the male gaze, but also looking very Traditional Standards of Femininity). But, it was ours. And when it was good, it was fucking good.
Friday fan video, below (NSFW).
[content note: loss of pregnancy, anti-gay bigotry]
The video is set to Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." You might remember this song being played in the Season 1 episode, "Liberally." In it, Bette agrees to a televised debate with anti-gay bigot Fae Buckley, a Phyllis Schlafly type of woman. During the debate, Buckley says that god condemns homosexuality, which is why god made Bette's "lesbian lover" have a miscarriage. And god, it's so unbelievably cruel and I remember it so capturing the zeitgeist of what living with a bigot President, one who enabled hate groups, was like.
Sorry to end on a negative note. I feel tired, ya'll. I'm down for the resistance. But goddamn. To go through this shit again. And, by the fucking way, I will never get over Dana Fairbanks. So could whoever makes the Trump-years L Word reboot please not kill the new version of her, thanks.
Monday, October 10, 2016
Very Important Updates
In no particular order:
At the same time, I see many feminists getting articles published and, importantly, shared all over the Internet, taking down Trump. Feminists are providing the mainstream with a language to talk about, and contemplate, someone who in many ways is the embodiment of everything many of us fight against.
I guess, to look on the bright side.
- This is not a drill. Sara Ramirez has come out as bisexual. Ramirez portrayed the bisexual Callie Torres on Grey's Anatomy for about 10 years. She is also a board member of the True Colors Fund, an LGBT homelessness organization. AND, she understands intersectionality (*faint*):
#40ToNoneSummit #SpeakingMyTruth! Will post full video of speech soon! #ThankYou @TrueColorsFund #WomanOfColor #Bisexual #Queer #Immigrant pic.twitter.com/1q8JmKih9I— Sara Ramirez (@SaraRamirez) October 8, 2016
- On Wednesdays we do Supergirl recaps.
- I have a lot of thoughts about the Trump Tapes. But, one of the most troubling aspects to me is that some of those scolding him on the right are missing the point when they seem more concerned about his word choice ("pussy") than about the on-the-job culture of sexual assault/harassment he created for, probably, decades.
At the same time, I see many feminists getting articles published and, importantly, shared all over the Internet, taking down Trump. Feminists are providing the mainstream with a language to talk about, and contemplate, someone who in many ways is the embodiment of everything many of us fight against.
I guess, to look on the bright side.
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
"I Can't Think Straight" Tuesday
I am the worst at titling blog posts, so please bear with me. For today, I want to celebrate the film that is I Can't Think Straight.
In this gem of a movie, which is a semi-autobiographical account of director Shamim Sarif's life, Christian Palestinian Tala falls in love with another woman, Leyla, who is a (100% adorable) British Indian Muslim woman. Tala is in the midst of planning her wedding (to a man). Leyla's family, meanwhile, is on her case about not being married or attending religious services often enough. So, the two have some cultural and familial stuff serving as barriers to a relationship (that are also, consequently, working in favor of building the tension).
(Spoiler Alert) Now, I will say that this film is easily one of my top ten favorites featuring lesbian/bisexual women, and not just because it has a happy ending and nobody dies. I put it in my top ten because, and I mean this in the best possible way, it has one of my favorite of favorite fanfic tropes: "accidental" but fortuitous bed sharing between two characters who have high sexual tension with one another.
Take, for instance, their first kiss.
In the scene below, Tala and Leyla are away on a trip together (because um?) and, on this trip, they are sharing exactly one room with exactly one bed (because um?). Nevermind that Tala's family is super-rich and they could probably spring for a double. And nevermind that same-sex hetero adult pal bed-sharing has literally not happened in a movie since Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (disclaimer: unfounded claim).
What matters is that at one point, Tala is listening to music in a little robe and begins dancing. Leyla, meanwhile, is "reading a book." Scare quotes entirely necessary, as you will see. Tala then beckons the shy Leyla to join her in the dancing. In their one room that has one bed that they are to later share. All of which is 100% heterosexual? (I don't know, is it? Help me out hetero ladies).
ANYWAY, Leyla rejects Tala's advance for a hot second with a half-hearted, "Oh, I have absolutely no sense of rhythm." But then a millisecond later, she is all of us: getting her ass in gear and dancing with Tala. Because listen ladies, brother sestras, and those who identify outside the binary, when Tala beckons you to dance, you fucking dance (but only if that's your thing, and in affirming, mutually consensual ways, of course).
See for yourselves (clip contains plot spoilers and is NSFW, probs):
LOL @ "But some of my best friends are Lebanese!"
Samesies.
In this gem of a movie, which is a semi-autobiographical account of director Shamim Sarif's life, Christian Palestinian Tala falls in love with another woman, Leyla, who is a (100% adorable) British Indian Muslim woman. Tala is in the midst of planning her wedding (to a man). Leyla's family, meanwhile, is on her case about not being married or attending religious services often enough. So, the two have some cultural and familial stuff serving as barriers to a relationship (that are also, consequently, working in favor of building the tension).
(Spoiler Alert) Now, I will say that this film is easily one of my top ten favorites featuring lesbian/bisexual women, and not just because it has a happy ending and nobody dies. I put it in my top ten because, and I mean this in the best possible way, it has one of my favorite of favorite fanfic tropes: "accidental" but fortuitous bed sharing between two characters who have high sexual tension with one another.
Take, for instance, their first kiss.
In the scene below, Tala and Leyla are away on a trip together (because um?) and, on this trip, they are sharing exactly one room with exactly one bed (because um?). Nevermind that Tala's family is super-rich and they could probably spring for a double. And nevermind that same-sex hetero adult pal bed-sharing has literally not happened in a movie since Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (disclaimer: unfounded claim).
What matters is that at one point, Tala is listening to music in a little robe and begins dancing. Leyla, meanwhile, is "reading a book." Scare quotes entirely necessary, as you will see. Tala then beckons the shy Leyla to join her in the dancing. In their one room that has one bed that they are to later share. All of which is 100% heterosexual? (I don't know, is it? Help me out hetero ladies).
ANYWAY, Leyla rejects Tala's advance for a hot second with a half-hearted, "Oh, I have absolutely no sense of rhythm." But then a millisecond later, she is all of us: getting her ass in gear and dancing with Tala. Because listen ladies, brother sestras, and those who identify outside the binary, when Tala beckons you to dance, you fucking dance (but only if that's your thing, and in affirming, mutually consensual ways, of course).
See for yourselves (clip contains plot spoilers and is NSFW, probs):
LOL @ "But some of my best friends are Lebanese!"
Samesies.
Thursday, September 22, 2016
MTV Thursday
Just out of curiosity, how do the kids these days watch/find out about music videos?
I listen to new music mostly through different streaming services, but rarely do I seek out music videos. I grew up in the era of Music Television (MTV) where the station literally mostly played music videos in the early 1980s. (Hey, remember video jockey Kennedy? She's now a conservative Republitarian - that's my made-up word for Republican/Libertarian, or maybe other people say it too, whatever).
ANYway, my point today is that although I have heard the song numerous times, I did not realize that Rihanna's music video for "Te Amo" is.... kind of amazing. And by kind of, I mean a lot. And it's like 6 years old!
The important thing is that I am definitely here for it now. Oh yes. And by that I mean I've only watched it about eleventymillion times in the past week. Is it possible to become more gay when you're already really gay? Yes. I believe so.
I listen to new music mostly through different streaming services, but rarely do I seek out music videos. I grew up in the era of Music Television (MTV) where the station literally mostly played music videos in the early 1980s. (Hey, remember video jockey Kennedy? She's now a conservative Republitarian - that's my made-up word for Republican/Libertarian, or maybe other people say it too, whatever).
ANYway, my point today is that although I have heard the song numerous times, I did not realize that Rihanna's music video for "Te Amo" is.... kind of amazing. And by kind of, I mean a lot. And it's like 6 years old!
The important thing is that I am definitely here for it now. Oh yes. And by that I mean I've only watched it about eleventymillion times in the past week. Is it possible to become more gay when you're already really gay? Yes. I believe so.
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Damn: Trish Bendix Writes AfterEllen Eulogy
AfterEllen, the popular lesbian and bisexual pop culture site, is shutting down. Or, at least, is going to be significantly changing. [NOTE: See update]
Editor in Chief Trish Bendix wrote a eulogy yesterday on tumblr, noting that the company that owns AfterEllen wouldn't let her post her piece at AfterEllen:
It's a bit unfathomable to me that the site will be changing or will no longer exist in its current incarnation.
Through its interviews with lesbian, bisexual, and trans (LBT) actors and those portraying them on TV/film and through its recaps, reviews, and different contests (like the AfterEllen Hot 100), I think the site has had an extremely important (and perhaps overlooked) impact in terms of letting the TV/film industry know both (a) that LBT women exist as a fanbase, and (b) we care A LOT about how we are represented in TV/film.
Without being privy to financial circumstances that Bendix refers to with the respect to the company that owns AfterEllen, my subjective opinion as a user is that the site declined significantly in terms of user experience, something I noticed mostly in the past couple of years. I'm not at all referring to the content of articles, but rather, to what seemed to be a greatly-increased commercial presence. When visiting, I always got the sense that first and foremost a company was behind the site wanting to make money off of users, and that sense was almost completely overwhelming when visiting.
I understand the importance of ads being necessary to generate revenue when one is running a commercial site. Yet, a visit to the site to read an article often entailed: seeing a banner ad, seeing ads on the sidebar, having ads on the sidebar with embedded videos that would automatically play, having a pop up ad with video show up once you clicked on an article, and having a pop-up ad play audio/video. Like I said, overwhelming. The ad content was overly-intrusive, made the site slow, and it distracted from the substantive content, so I know my visits to the site definitely decreased over the years.
But, I also think sites ought to pay writers, particularly if they are commercial sites. And, the revenue to do that has to come from somewhere.
With the shuttering of The Toast earlier this year (which I also find heartbreaking, and which also seems like it was done at least in part for financial reasons), the LBT and feminist blogospheres will have to continue to explore models of sustainability - models that pay people and in which the user/reader experience is not eroded. Readers seem to not like paid subscription models. Although, I know other sites (like Shakesville) use a donation model.
Personally, I would love to blog/write about LGBT pop culture and feminism on a full-time paying basis, but it's difficult to conceive of doing that in a way that would pay the bills. Hence, Fannie's Room, something I do in my free time. (YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR, SUCKERS!) And, there's almost a Catch-22 component to it: if you work full time at a non-blogging job, you have less energy to write during your free time. If you work full-time at a blogging job, you probably have more trouble paying the bills.
I guess my point is that I don't have a simple answer. I'm sad to hear this news about AfterEllen. It seems like the end of an era, in some ways, and I hope we can find a way to collectively fill the void. What is after AfterEllen?
[UPDATE: An Emrah Kovacoglu, General Manager of TotallyHer Media, posted at AE today that the site isn't shutting down, but that Bendix has been fired as Editor, that people would still be able to access content, and that they hope to work with freelancers to generate new content. This claim aligns with what Bendix said in her tumblr.
In the comment threads, multiple current writers for the site have said that this information had not previously been shared with them, and that the editorial change was abrupt. The way TotallyHer has handled this situation has led to distrust within the community that AE would be now (mis)managed by straight men and eventually shut down when not profitable enough. I will certainly be monitoring developments.]
Editor in Chief Trish Bendix wrote a eulogy yesterday on tumblr, noting that the company that owns AfterEllen wouldn't let her post her piece at AfterEllen:
"Here are the facts: Evolve Media purchased AfterEllen from Viacom two years ago. They gave us two fiscal years to become their LGBT property and profit in that space, and they found we are not as profitable as moms and fashion. And, yes, “they” are mainly white heterosexual men, which is important to note because not only is this the story for us, but for a lot of other properties—large-scale media outlets, lesbian bars out-priced by neighborhoods they helped establish, housing in queer meccas like Portland that is being turned into condos and AirBNBs.
At the very same time, queer women and culture is being celebrated on the Emmys, in the legalization of both mothers being included on their newborn’s birth certificate, and our namesake, Ellen DeGeneres, being one of the most well-known, well-liked and undeniably profitable television and lifestyle personalities of our generation.With all of the usual disclaimers that I haven't agreed with all of the site's content or moderation practices, this space has been important for so many women during its 14 years in existence, including to me. Participating in The L Word forums circa 2004 were some of my first experiences interacting with an online community of queer women. I even had a completely awkward (on my part) meetup with founder Sarah Warn when she was visiting the city in which I live, and which she probably 100% doesn't remember, LOL. But, I drank too much and we talked about my shitty ex, Desert Hearts, and how/why she created the site.
Somewhere, there’s a disconnect. AfterEllen is just one of the homes lesbian, bisexual and queer women will have lost in the last decade. It was a refuge, a community, a virtual church for so many. I’m not sure that some people outside of us can really ever understand that.
Evolve has decided to keep the site and its archives alive for now, with a promise of periodically publishing freelance pieces in the future. I am not sure what that will look like, as Friday is also my last day, after 10 years of contributing writing and eventually coming on to work full time as a blog editor, then managing editor, and, for the last two years, as Editor in Chief."
It's a bit unfathomable to me that the site will be changing or will no longer exist in its current incarnation.
Through its interviews with lesbian, bisexual, and trans (LBT) actors and those portraying them on TV/film and through its recaps, reviews, and different contests (like the AfterEllen Hot 100), I think the site has had an extremely important (and perhaps overlooked) impact in terms of letting the TV/film industry know both (a) that LBT women exist as a fanbase, and (b) we care A LOT about how we are represented in TV/film.
Without being privy to financial circumstances that Bendix refers to with the respect to the company that owns AfterEllen, my subjective opinion as a user is that the site declined significantly in terms of user experience, something I noticed mostly in the past couple of years. I'm not at all referring to the content of articles, but rather, to what seemed to be a greatly-increased commercial presence. When visiting, I always got the sense that first and foremost a company was behind the site wanting to make money off of users, and that sense was almost completely overwhelming when visiting.
I understand the importance of ads being necessary to generate revenue when one is running a commercial site. Yet, a visit to the site to read an article often entailed: seeing a banner ad, seeing ads on the sidebar, having ads on the sidebar with embedded videos that would automatically play, having a pop up ad with video show up once you clicked on an article, and having a pop-up ad play audio/video. Like I said, overwhelming. The ad content was overly-intrusive, made the site slow, and it distracted from the substantive content, so I know my visits to the site definitely decreased over the years.
But, I also think sites ought to pay writers, particularly if they are commercial sites. And, the revenue to do that has to come from somewhere.
With the shuttering of The Toast earlier this year (which I also find heartbreaking, and which also seems like it was done at least in part for financial reasons), the LBT and feminist blogospheres will have to continue to explore models of sustainability - models that pay people and in which the user/reader experience is not eroded. Readers seem to not like paid subscription models. Although, I know other sites (like Shakesville) use a donation model.
Personally, I would love to blog/write about LGBT pop culture and feminism on a full-time paying basis, but it's difficult to conceive of doing that in a way that would pay the bills. Hence, Fannie's Room, something I do in my free time. (YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR, SUCKERS!) And, there's almost a Catch-22 component to it: if you work full time at a non-blogging job, you have less energy to write during your free time. If you work full-time at a blogging job, you probably have more trouble paying the bills.
I guess my point is that I don't have a simple answer. I'm sad to hear this news about AfterEllen. It seems like the end of an era, in some ways, and I hope we can find a way to collectively fill the void. What is after AfterEllen?
[UPDATE: An Emrah Kovacoglu, General Manager of TotallyHer Media, posted at AE today that the site isn't shutting down, but that Bendix has been fired as Editor, that people would still be able to access content, and that they hope to work with freelancers to generate new content. This claim aligns with what Bendix said in her tumblr.
In the comment threads, multiple current writers for the site have said that this information had not previously been shared with them, and that the editorial change was abrupt. The way TotallyHer has handled this situation has led to distrust within the community that AE would be now (mis)managed by straight men and eventually shut down when not profitable enough. I will certainly be monitoring developments.]
Friday, September 9, 2016
Brittana Friday
So, I stopped watching Glee sometime around Season 4. I have no problem with late 20-somethings playing high school students. After all, I came of age when Gabrielle Carteris convincingly played a high school student at the age of 29 on 90210.
In all actuality, I am fine with TV shows that let their characters stay in high school (or college or their shitty job) indefinitely, like The Simpsons. That environment is probably a big reason why the show works. Yes, I'm basically saying I don't care if a character "grows" or "moves on with their life." If a show is good how it is, it seems better to keep that going than to force characters into new environments that fuck with the magic.
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, can't we just enjoy Naya Rivera dancing in a white suit today? Post-Labor Day be damned!
In a hurry? Fast forward to 1:50. Thank me later.
I also realize that Heather Morris does some impressive dancing in this video, so props to that! I literally never dance in my head like that when I go to the dentist.
In all actuality, I am fine with TV shows that let their characters stay in high school (or college or their shitty job) indefinitely, like The Simpsons. That environment is probably a big reason why the show works. Yes, I'm basically saying I don't care if a character "grows" or "moves on with their life." If a show is good how it is, it seems better to keep that going than to force characters into new environments that fuck with the magic.
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, can't we just enjoy Naya Rivera dancing in a white suit today? Post-Labor Day be damned!
In a hurry? Fast forward to 1:50. Thank me later.
I also realize that Heather Morris does some impressive dancing in this video, so props to that! I literally never dance in my head like that when I go to the dentist.
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Yes, Queens!
Welp, I called it, regarding YaraAsha and Daenerys on Game of Thrones!
"I never demand, but I'm up for anything really."
Here's to hoping that actually progresses into maintext.
"I never demand, but I'm up for anything really."
Here's to hoping that actually progresses into maintext.
Friday, June 10, 2016
Femslash Friday: GoT Edition
Dear Game of Thrones fandom, I demand a YaraAsha/Daenerys fan video.
How perfect would the pairing be? Dany is in need of some "wooden horses" with which to sail to assume her rightful place as the ruler of Westeros. YaraAsha has just sailed forth with a fleet, fleeing those who want to kill her.
And, yes while Euron thinks he's going to somehow go woo Dany, let's be real regarding his chances. For starters, many a man has believed he could swoop in and marry Dany for her power and dragons, just because he's a guy in charge of stuff used to getting his way. Many a man has been wrong.
Secondly, I'll just say that I think Dany would by her nature be more sympathetic to a competent, strong-yet-downtrodden Greyjoy who was usurped from a leadership position by a murderer. Would it be true love? Who knows. What it would be is both pragmatic and HAF. A double bonus.
Somebody make it happen, okay, byeeee!
(See also, good interview with actor who portrays YaraAsha. I appreciate that she doesn't let the reporter box in YaraAsha as "gay," saying instead: " I don’t think she’d limit herself to one or another. Anything goes. Get the job done with whatever if fun and interesting.")
How perfect would the pairing be? Dany is in need of some "wooden horses" with which to sail to assume her rightful place as the ruler of Westeros. YaraAsha has just sailed forth with a fleet, fleeing those who want to kill her.
And, yes while Euron thinks he's going to somehow go woo Dany, let's be real regarding his chances. For starters, many a man has believed he could swoop in and marry Dany for her power and dragons, just because he's a guy in charge of stuff used to getting his way. Many a man has been wrong.
Secondly, I'll just say that I think Dany would by her nature be more sympathetic to a competent, strong-yet-downtrodden Greyjoy who was usurped from a leadership position by a murderer. Would it be true love? Who knows. What it would be is both pragmatic and HAF. A double bonus.
 |
| LOL your patriarchy |
Somebody make it happen, okay, byeeee!
(See also, good interview with actor who portrays YaraAsha. I appreciate that she doesn't let the reporter box in YaraAsha as "gay," saying instead: " I don’t think she’d limit herself to one or another. Anything goes. Get the job done with whatever if fun and interesting.")
Friday, April 22, 2016
Femslash Friday: Pam and Tara
Brace yourselves for what I'm about to say, TV people.
*whispering voice* I think True Blood was at least as good as Buffy. *end whispering voice*
I mean, we can think outside the binary here and appreciate both series, right? True Blood did the vampire thing and, set in Louisiana, somewhat made it its own. Sure, Buffy had the Whedonesque witty, fast dialogue, but True Blood had dark humor, which is always going to be my weakness. Buffy's central vampires were broody, morally gray, and had... interesting facial structures. True Blood's are darker, more sexual, more violent, and honestly I think how they zip around all over the place is both scary and cool.
In the Buffyverse, magic was a metaphor for both drug abuse and lesbianism, which I somewhat found confusing. In True Blood, vampirism was a loose metaphor for homosexuality, and honestly, I thought it worked better.
Buffy had good, complicated female characters, and True Blood had .... Pam and Tara. And also other cool female characters, but seriously.... let's focus on Pam and Tara. Although, I have to admit Sookie Stackhouse always had a little bit of Bella's (Twilight) Annoying and Very Difficult Dilemma of "All of these men who are SO HOT want to be with me. My life is SO HARD! Whatever shall I do?" (To be honest, I think the dudes would have been down for a threeway. So way to blow that opportunity, Sookie). I mean, I'm 99% lesbian, but Eric Northman and Alcide made even me feel a little sexually confused. But I digress.
The point here is Pam and Tara. Pam is .... not a nice person. Pam Quote of the Day: "I'm so over Sookie and her precious fairy vagina." (We all are, Pam. We all are). And, I think it's okay for a female character to be mean.
Tara is, on the other hand, a mostly good person who's had a lot of bad shit happen to her. Thankfully, for a time, she avoids the dead lesbian/bisexual character trope by being turned into a vampire after having been shot (TV writers: I recommend this plot twist of turning female characters if it means avoiding dead lesbian/bisexual trope scenarios. Like, no matter the genre).
In any event, the following clip is from when Tara helps rescue Pam, after she'd been captured by theanti-gay bigots anti-vampire forces. What can I say, sometimes the bond between vampire maker and progeny is strong. And hot.
*whispering voice* I think True Blood was at least as good as Buffy. *end whispering voice*
I mean, we can think outside the binary here and appreciate both series, right? True Blood did the vampire thing and, set in Louisiana, somewhat made it its own. Sure, Buffy had the Whedonesque witty, fast dialogue, but True Blood had dark humor, which is always going to be my weakness. Buffy's central vampires were broody, morally gray, and had... interesting facial structures. True Blood's are darker, more sexual, more violent, and honestly I think how they zip around all over the place is both scary and cool.
In the Buffyverse, magic was a metaphor for both drug abuse and lesbianism, which I somewhat found confusing. In True Blood, vampirism was a loose metaphor for homosexuality, and honestly, I thought it worked better.
Buffy had good, complicated female characters, and True Blood had .... Pam and Tara. And also other cool female characters, but seriously.... let's focus on Pam and Tara. Although, I have to admit Sookie Stackhouse always had a little bit of Bella's (Twilight) Annoying and Very Difficult Dilemma of "All of these men who are SO HOT want to be with me. My life is SO HARD! Whatever shall I do?" (To be honest, I think the dudes would have been down for a threeway. So way to blow that opportunity, Sookie). I mean, I'm 99% lesbian, but Eric Northman and Alcide made even me feel a little sexually confused. But I digress.
The point here is Pam and Tara. Pam is .... not a nice person. Pam Quote of the Day: "I'm so over Sookie and her precious fairy vagina." (We all are, Pam. We all are). And, I think it's okay for a female character to be mean.
Tara is, on the other hand, a mostly good person who's had a lot of bad shit happen to her. Thankfully, for a time, she avoids the dead lesbian/bisexual character trope by being turned into a vampire after having been shot (TV writers: I recommend this plot twist of turning female characters if it means avoiding dead lesbian/bisexual trope scenarios. Like, no matter the genre).
In any event, the following clip is from when Tara helps rescue Pam, after she'd been captured by the
Friday, March 25, 2016
Femslash Friday: The Women of Sense8
All I'm going to say here is that in Season 1 of Sense8, this happened:
Which, fine. That's cool. Nomi gets all the guys in the hot tub.
So, um, when is our companion scene with Nomi and the rest of women? Season 2, I hope.
Just once? It's only fair.
Preferred quad: Nomi/Sun/Kala/Riley
| I'd ship it. |
Which, fine. That's cool. Nomi gets all the guys in the hot tub.
So, um, when is our companion scene with Nomi and the rest of women? Season 2, I hope.
Just once? It's only fair.
Preferred quad: Nomi/Sun/Kala/Riley
Friday, March 18, 2016
Ghost Lady Friday
*Sigh*
It is a truth universally-acknowledged by TV/film writers and producers that any show with a lesbian or bisexual woman must be in want of her to be killed off eventually. (And yes, today's post was brought to you by the mess that was The 100's handling of Lexa. More here, if you're curious.).
Perhaps I don't have to explain this trend to most of you, but here goes anyway: queer characters make up a tiny share of TV/film characters. So, while ideally, they would get the same treatment any other character would get, including the possibility of death, it seems that lesbian and bisexual female characters in particular are killed off in disproportionate numbers. So, we are already barely represented in media, and then when we are, this representation decreases further when these characters are killed off.
(I have no idea if this is also a thing for queer men. Whatever the case, I don't see them critiquing the phenomenon as much. Or maybe I just don't pay as much attention. Anyway).
I dedicate today's post to these lesbian and bisexual characters, an assemblage of which can be found at Autostraddle. (Addendum: Without getting pedantic about it, I would have included Xena on this list. Which means Lucy Lawless could have been on this list 3 times. Which makes me feel very confused, to be honest. I love that she's playing lesbian/bi, but for once would love to see her get a happy ending doing so! Also, if movies were included in this list, this list would have been quite a bit longer, as lesbian/bi characters in movies get similar treatment as in TV).
HOWEVER, to end on an upbeat note, I think it's important to add that it is a rare lesbian/bisexual character death that I accept as canon. In my head, despite their tragic ends, all of these characters are now somewhere happier. Together. Like getting down with their bad selves at a Dinah Shores Afterlife.
Or, perhaps, canoodling in a secret password-protected vault of stories at A03.
I am quite sure of this.
Imagine:
Dana Fairbanks (The L Word) is alive, giving Samantha Krueger (Ascension) free tennis lessons, just because Samantha reminds her of a "soup chef" she once knew. It is precisely as adorkable as you think it would be.
Tara Thornton (True Blood) and Tamsin (Lost Girl) are generally in charge of things in this 'verse, and are even more badass when their powers are combined (and yes, I mean "when their powers are combined" in the dirtiest manner possible).
And then, what would happen if we mixed the authoritarian Helena Cain (Battlestar Galactica) with free spirit Jenny Schecter (The L Word)? Yes, please.
The possibilities are endless, really, and at this point, they belong to the fans.
It is a truth universally-acknowledged by TV/film writers and producers that any show with a lesbian or bisexual woman must be in want of her to be killed off eventually. (And yes, today's post was brought to you by the mess that was The 100's handling of Lexa. More here, if you're curious.).
Perhaps I don't have to explain this trend to most of you, but here goes anyway: queer characters make up a tiny share of TV/film characters. So, while ideally, they would get the same treatment any other character would get, including the possibility of death, it seems that lesbian and bisexual female characters in particular are killed off in disproportionate numbers. So, we are already barely represented in media, and then when we are, this representation decreases further when these characters are killed off.
(I have no idea if this is also a thing for queer men. Whatever the case, I don't see them critiquing the phenomenon as much. Or maybe I just don't pay as much attention. Anyway).
I dedicate today's post to these lesbian and bisexual characters, an assemblage of which can be found at Autostraddle. (Addendum: Without getting pedantic about it, I would have included Xena on this list. Which means Lucy Lawless could have been on this list 3 times. Which makes me feel very confused, to be honest. I love that she's playing lesbian/bi, but for once would love to see her get a happy ending doing so! Also, if movies were included in this list, this list would have been quite a bit longer, as lesbian/bi characters in movies get similar treatment as in TV).
HOWEVER, to end on an upbeat note, I think it's important to add that it is a rare lesbian/bisexual character death that I accept as canon. In my head, despite their tragic ends, all of these characters are now somewhere happier. Together. Like getting down with their bad selves at a Dinah Shores Afterlife.
Or, perhaps, canoodling in a secret password-protected vault of stories at A03.
I am quite sure of this.
Imagine:
Dana Fairbanks (The L Word) is alive, giving Samantha Krueger (Ascension) free tennis lessons, just because Samantha reminds her of a "soup chef" she once knew. It is precisely as adorkable as you think it would be.
Tara Thornton (True Blood) and Tamsin (Lost Girl) are generally in charge of things in this 'verse, and are even more badass when their powers are combined (and yes, I mean "when their powers are combined" in the dirtiest manner possible).
And then, what would happen if we mixed the authoritarian Helena Cain (Battlestar Galactica) with free spirit Jenny Schecter (The L Word)? Yes, please.
The possibilities are endless, really, and at this point, they belong to the fans.
Friday, March 4, 2016
Femslash Friday: Robots
Today's Femslash Friday extravaganza can be a tricky one.
Fembots are somewhat of a trope in science fiction. Yet, to what extent does sex and gender differentiation tangibly exist for robots? Isn't it primarily something their designers build into them? Can mechanical beings have a sex or a gender?
My short answer: It depends on the 'verse?
Longer answer: When fembots exist in a given 'verse, their relation to male robots sometimes parallels that of how human men relate to the human women: That is, male writers sometimes (often?) create both female human and robot characters in a way that suggests men are the default, women are the deviation.
But sometimes, the robots are badass, nuanced, flawed, awful, cool, assholes, beautiful, and/or awesome. Sometimes, robot characters are written so that they are more human-seeming and multi-dimensional than some of the human women character roles that exist for many women actors (See also: "A Producer is Tweeting Descriptions of Women from Movie Scripts and It's Hilariously Awful.")
1) Women of Battlestar Galactica (BSG)
Battlestar Galactica is, for me, legit one of the most thought-provoking series I've ever seen. With three complete watch-throughs, I always find new threads and questions to turn around in my head. I see some of the characters slightly (and sometimes even much) differently on second and third viewings. Admiral Helena Cain, for instance, went from hard-core, unredeemable to, well.... life was complicated after the Cylon attack.
The humanoid Clyons - D'Anna Biers (Lucy Lawless), Six (Tricia Helfer), Sharon Valerii/Agathon (Grace Park), Tory Foster (Rheka Sharma), Ellen Tigh (Kate Vernon) - had conflicting loyalties among each other, the Cylons, the humans, and even among themselves.
Unlike series such as (*looks around nervously*) Lord of the Rings, that has a clear-cut villain who must be stopped by the readily-identified hero at all costs, BSG suggests that good and evil is not always clear cut. The cylons are an enemy to humans, but individual cylons have shifting loyalties to the humans, the cylons, and even themselves.
But here I am, not talking about femslash. On that note:
Pairings: D'Anna/Caprica Six (with Gauis Baltar nowhere in sight); Sharon "Boomer" Valerii/Starbuck. And, okay, if you insist: Ellen/President Roslin (for the power couple status).
2) Android (aka - the Zobot) - Dark Matter
Admittedly, I would watch Zoie Palmer in anything. In some ways, her portrayal of Android in Dark Matter seems a bit of an extension of the nerdy Lauren Lewis (Lost Girl).
And also, in one already-classic (for me anyway) episode Ruby Rose guest stars as an "Entertainment Model" (*eyeroll*) robot. While that veers into fembot territory ALERT ALERT ALERT, what it also means is that Zoie Palmer and Ruby Rose are both robots. Together. In the same episode. This is not a drill! Gleep Glorp.
In the episode, Rose plays a robot named Wendy. She is sexy, cooks really good food, has a cute accent, and has a variety of skills useful to the crew. So, naturally, Android gets jealous of the crew's attention to Wendy, leading to a character development arc for Android in which she realizes she might either have (a) human-like feelings, or (b) a software flaw.
Did I mention that the Zobot is adorable? She is. Watch a clip, here, and see for yourself.
Pairing: Zobot/Wendy. Obvs.
3) GLaDOS (Portal)
I have to admit, GLaDOS scared the piss out of me during my first play-through of Portal.
Like, you know when you're playing at first, and you're all, "Well, this is a nice-yet-challenging little puzzle game?" But, then you do some side exploring around the different levels and you literally start to see disturbing writing on the wall ("The cake is a lie!") and then GLaDOS' robot quotes keep getting meaner and creepier?
Sample:
But, also, if you squint, maybe it's kind of ..... (*looks around nervously again*)....... sexy?
Pairing: GLaDOS/Companion Cube
Fembots are somewhat of a trope in science fiction. Yet, to what extent does sex and gender differentiation tangibly exist for robots? Isn't it primarily something their designers build into them? Can mechanical beings have a sex or a gender?
My short answer: It depends on the 'verse?
Longer answer: When fembots exist in a given 'verse, their relation to male robots sometimes parallels that of how human men relate to the human women: That is, male writers sometimes (often?) create both female human and robot characters in a way that suggests men are the default, women are the deviation.
But sometimes, the robots are badass, nuanced, flawed, awful, cool, assholes, beautiful, and/or awesome. Sometimes, robot characters are written so that they are more human-seeming and multi-dimensional than some of the human women character roles that exist for many women actors (See also: "A Producer is Tweeting Descriptions of Women from Movie Scripts and It's Hilariously Awful.")
1) Women of Battlestar Galactica (BSG)
Battlestar Galactica is, for me, legit one of the most thought-provoking series I've ever seen. With three complete watch-throughs, I always find new threads and questions to turn around in my head. I see some of the characters slightly (and sometimes even much) differently on second and third viewings. Admiral Helena Cain, for instance, went from hard-core, unredeemable to, well.... life was complicated after the Cylon attack.
The humanoid Clyons - D'Anna Biers (Lucy Lawless), Six (Tricia Helfer), Sharon Valerii/Agathon (Grace Park), Tory Foster (Rheka Sharma), Ellen Tigh (Kate Vernon) - had conflicting loyalties among each other, the Cylons, the humans, and even among themselves.
Unlike series such as (*looks around nervously*) Lord of the Rings, that has a clear-cut villain who must be stopped by the readily-identified hero at all costs, BSG suggests that good and evil is not always clear cut. The cylons are an enemy to humans, but individual cylons have shifting loyalties to the humans, the cylons, and even themselves.
But here I am, not talking about femslash. On that note:
Pairings: D'Anna/Caprica Six (with Gauis Baltar nowhere in sight); Sharon "Boomer" Valerii/Starbuck. And, okay, if you insist: Ellen/President Roslin (for the power couple status).
2) Android (aka - the Zobot) - Dark Matter
Admittedly, I would watch Zoie Palmer in anything. In some ways, her portrayal of Android in Dark Matter seems a bit of an extension of the nerdy Lauren Lewis (Lost Girl).
And also, in one already-classic (for me anyway) episode Ruby Rose guest stars as an "Entertainment Model" (*eyeroll*) robot. While that veers into fembot territory ALERT ALERT ALERT, what it also means is that Zoie Palmer and Ruby Rose are both robots. Together. In the same episode. This is not a drill! Gleep Glorp.
In the episode, Rose plays a robot named Wendy. She is sexy, cooks really good food, has a cute accent, and has a variety of skills useful to the crew. So, naturally, Android gets jealous of the crew's attention to Wendy, leading to a character development arc for Android in which she realizes she might either have (a) human-like feelings, or (b) a software flaw.
Did I mention that the Zobot is adorable? She is. Watch a clip, here, and see for yourself.
Pairing: Zobot/Wendy. Obvs.
3) GLaDOS (Portal)
I have to admit, GLaDOS scared the piss out of me during my first play-through of Portal.
Like, you know when you're playing at first, and you're all, "Well, this is a nice-yet-challenging little puzzle game?" But, then you do some side exploring around the different levels and you literally start to see disturbing writing on the wall ("The cake is a lie!") and then GLaDOS' robot quotes keep getting meaner and creepier?
Sample:
GLaDOS [to you]: Have I lied to you?
[pause]
GLaDOS: I mean, in this room?Yeah.
But, also, if you squint, maybe it's kind of ..... (*looks around nervously again*)....... sexy?
Pairing: GLaDOS/Companion Cube
Friday, February 26, 2016
Femslash February Friday: A Classic
Welp, Femslash February is just about over, which is sad.
The good news, however, is that Femslash Friday will continue. It is an election year, and I'm not sure we will make it through the news cycle and political bullshit without additional femslash in our lives.
Today, in honor of the month, I bring you a classic. This one's a Xena/Gabrielle fan video to the tune of "Holding Out for a Hero."
Because aren't we all, in these desperate times?
Content note: If you watch it. you will officially become more lesbian for doing so. No, I mean, even if you're not a lesbian, because I know there are those of you who read here who aren't lesbians, and I certainly don't want to erase you!
I truly believe we can all be united in harmony here in Fannie's Room around a shared appreciation for femslash. High fives all around!
And, I have to say, it makes me especially happy that some of my potential bigot readers might become more lesbian.
But seriously, it's just that it's scientifically proven that watching a fan video that was at one time a Xena Convention Winner will result in slight shifts in one's place on the Kinsey Scale.
(Hey, people have claimed homosexuality is "caused" by worse things, yeah?)
The good news, however, is that Femslash Friday will continue. It is an election year, and I'm not sure we will make it through the news cycle and political bullshit without additional femslash in our lives.
Today, in honor of the month, I bring you a classic. This one's a Xena/Gabrielle fan video to the tune of "Holding Out for a Hero."
Because aren't we all, in these desperate times?
Content note: If you watch it. you will officially become more lesbian for doing so. No, I mean, even if you're not a lesbian, because I know there are those of you who read here who aren't lesbians, and I certainly don't want to erase you!
I truly believe we can all be united in harmony here in Fannie's Room around a shared appreciation for femslash. High fives all around!
And, I have to say, it makes me especially happy that some of my potential bigot readers might become more lesbian.
But seriously, it's just that it's scientifically proven that watching a fan video that was at one time a Xena Convention Winner will result in slight shifts in one's place on the Kinsey Scale.
(Hey, people have claimed homosexuality is "caused" by worse things, yeah?)
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Femslash February Friday: Antiheros
The antihero, the dictionary tells us, is "a central character in a story, movie, or drama who lacks conventional heroic attributes." Wikipedia currently tells us that conventional heroic attributes include "idealism, courage, and morality." TV Tropes tell us the antihero leans toward the cynical side of the so-called "Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism."
I like that.
I like that.
However, the truth is, however we define them, I'm of the opinion that the line between hero and antihero is a thin, subjective one. Is there any hero who is the perfect archetype of hero? Every hero has their weakness, their lapse in judgment, their mistakes.
To me, I know an antihero when I get the feeling (a) they might be, at any given moment, on the verge of going rogue; and (b) they engage in questionably-moral actions for what is perhaps a noble purpose.
Mostly, I appreciate the antihero because they remind us that good v. bad is not always (or even often?) clear cut. That is not to say that all morals are relative, just that life is fucking complicated.
Perhaps because I too gravitate toward cynicism and have a strong appreciation for dark humor, antiheroes are some of my favorite characters in TV/Film. I especially appreciate the female antihero as contrasted with the female character whose responsibility is to be perky, upbeat, and a moral compass of the show, however that is defined in the particular 'verse. It is a real life trope for women, as men's "opposite," to be morally responsible for keeping others, men especially, in line. The female antihero subverts that. She keeps no one in line. She barely keeps herself in line.
To me, I know an antihero when I get the feeling (a) they might be, at any given moment, on the verge of going rogue; and (b) they engage in questionably-moral actions for what is perhaps a noble purpose.
Mostly, I appreciate the antihero because they remind us that good v. bad is not always (or even often?) clear cut. That is not to say that all morals are relative, just that life is fucking complicated.
Perhaps because I too gravitate toward cynicism and have a strong appreciation for dark humor, antiheroes are some of my favorite characters in TV/Film. I especially appreciate the female antihero as contrasted with the female character whose responsibility is to be perky, upbeat, and a moral compass of the show, however that is defined in the particular 'verse. It is a real life trope for women, as men's "opposite," to be morally responsible for keeping others, men especially, in line. The female antihero subverts that. She keeps no one in line. She barely keeps herself in line.
And, relevant to the Femslash February Friday theme, people, and by people I mean me, also love shipping the antihero. Specifically, the damaged, cynical, brooding antihero with a more traditionally-noble hero.
Here are some of my favorites:
Here are some of my favorites:
- Faith (Buffy the Vampire Slayer):
Faith was, in some ways, Buffy's shadow character. Buffy had a Scooby Gang who supported her survival and kept her sane. Faith was a loner. Bitter and alienated, she was a legit villain at times. Even as a slayer, seemed to genuinely enjoy killing foes in a way that Buffy did not.
But, I'm a sucker for a redemption story, and Whedon a company delivered it in the final season. Faith continued to have questionable judgment, of course, but ultimately joined forces with Buffy in defeating the final big bad.
Did you know that Faith/Buffy femslash is one of the top pairings at A03 in the Buffy fanfic archives? It is second in femslash pairings in the Buffyverse only to Willow/Tara. Also, people are super into Xander/Spike, another antihero pairing.
All of that is five by five with me.
- Tamsin (Lost Girl)
When Tamsin entered the Lost Girl 'verse in Season 3, I assumed she was being brought in as a competing love interest for Dyson, one of the main male characters. I was pleasantly surprised to find that she was actually more interested in competing for Bo's interest, with Dyson and Lauren being her competitors.
Like many an antihero, Tamsin lends the appearance of giving zero fucks about most things or people while in reality her sensitive feelings are covered under a thick veneer of acting rude, carefree, and smart-assy. She's the woman who'll tell someone to "eat a sack of tits" one day, and then the next wrap herself in a bow and give herself to someone for their birthday.
(Let's just re-imagine that scene for a moment, shall we? Or better yet, re-watch it):
Preferred ships include: Tamsin/Bo (#Doccubus) and (even better, in my opinion) Tamsin/Lauren (#CopDoc).
- Indra (The 100)
Now, I've watched The 100 since the beginning of the series and, I have to admit, until around mid-Season 2, I mostly thought of it as "teeny-bopper." However, (Spoiler Alert), shit got legitimately real when Clarke killed Finn, the characters started making a ton of morally-questionable choices, and queerness became maintext.
Indra stands out to me as antihero for her decision to (Spoiler Alert) follow Lexa in abandoning their previous commitment to Clarke and the Sky People near the end of Season 2. She was faced with an unenviable moral choice of (a) obeying her commander and breaking a promise versus (b) disobeying her commander and keeping a promise.
Perhaps we are all the antihero when faced with such choices. Perhaps I exaggerate.
Nonetheless, preferred pairing: Indra/Octavia.
- Jessica Jones (Jessica Jones)
Simply put, if an archetype exists for antihero, she is Jessica Jones. She drinks too much, swears too much, and will legit smack a dude down if he barks at her to "smile" (and can we all watch when that happens?)
Unlike (ahem) some male superheroes, there are no playboy mansions, butlers, or batmobiles. It's just Jessica, living in a hovel, not giving a bag of dicks what kinky shit other people are into as long as they're into it quietly.
Preferred Femslash Pairing: Jessica/Trish for the bad/good dynamic. Jessica/Hogarth for the bad/bad.
Add more antiheroes in the comments!
Friday, February 5, 2016
Femslash February: Giant Lady Houses
When I was but a wee lesbian, I think I often imagined that as an adult I would live in a large house with a bunch of other women.
Sort of like a sorority for grown-ups where one did not have to attend frat parties or "rush" to get into (is "rush" the right lingo, I don't know). Honestly, I'm still not entirely convinced that one day I won't find myself living in such a situation. Even if it's at a retirement home for queer women. Which would be entirely amazing.
Anyway, some of my favorite examples of group female living scenarios from TV/Film include:
Sort of like a sorority for grown-ups where one did not have to attend frat parties or "rush" to get into (is "rush" the right lingo, I don't know). Honestly, I'm still not entirely convinced that one day I won't find myself living in such a situation. Even if it's at a retirement home for queer women. Which would be entirely amazing.
Anyway, some of my favorite examples of group female living scenarios from TV/Film include:
- The Rockford Peaches' house from A League of Their Own. Sigh. All those baseball players and not one lesbian or bisexual gal? I don't buy it! You know Doris was tip-toeing to Ellen Sue and/or All the Way Mae's bedroom after their nights out at the Sudsbucket
- Nonnatus House from Call the Midwife. Nuns + Nurses + Uniforms + Simple, Communal Living + Do-Goodism = queer lady catnip. I just started Season 4 of this series and am glad the show is finally introducing an overt same-sex relationship. But will it end well?!
- The Barden Bellas' house in Pitch Perfect 2. When Beca briefly left Chloe for the Kommisar, do you think they made the giant German sled down the steps? Ja/Nein.
- Miss Robichaux's House in American Horror Story: Coven. A Caveat. Imagine a different version, in which Queenie is the obvious Supreme and, instead of competing with each other, the witches join forces with Marie Laveau and legit take down the patriarchy. In this scenario, I would also write myself in as Mary Sue/Advisor/Lover of Cordelia Foxx.
Additions?
Friday, January 15, 2016
Femslash Friday: And I Think I'm Kinda Gay
I always loved Buffy episodes with Vampire Willow. She was so badass, blunt, and ... licky.
Now, sure, you might be saying, "Fannie, Vampire Willow was evil." And yes. Yes, that is true. But to that I say, she couldn't help what she had become, cut her some slack!
And, I suppose if one was being honest, one might also say that Vampire Willow displays a fair amount of sexual confusion. Not so much about her sexual orientation but more about the above business with her alternate universe self.
Relatedly, you might be thinking that, technically, "femslash" requires a pairing, hence the "slash." So some of you might be wondering who the related pairing is today. As in, Vampire Willow/Regular Willow, or ..... Vampire Willow/Glory (hmmmmm, let that one marinate).
Here I would suggest that the real question is not who would Vampire Willow be paired with, but who wouldn't be, really?
See also, this tribute fan video.
There may or may not come a day when I talk about serious things in Fannie's Room again. I mean, it only took me 9 years of blogging to realize I don't have to engage with shitheads if I don't want to.
Now, sure, you might be saying, "Fannie, Vampire Willow was evil." And yes. Yes, that is true. But to that I say, she couldn't help what she had become, cut her some slack!
And, I suppose if one was being honest, one might also say that Vampire Willow displays a fair amount of sexual confusion. Not so much about her sexual orientation but more about the above business with her alternate universe self.
Relatedly, you might be thinking that, technically, "femslash" requires a pairing, hence the "slash." So some of you might be wondering who the related pairing is today. As in, Vampire Willow/Regular Willow, or ..... Vampire Willow/Glory (hmmmmm, let that one marinate).
Here I would suggest that the real question is not who would Vampire Willow be paired with, but who wouldn't be, really?
See also, this tribute fan video.
There may or may not come a day when I talk about serious things in Fannie's Room again. I mean, it only took me 9 years of blogging to realize I don't have to engage with shitheads if I don't want to.
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