#metaslash

I’ve written about this before.

But it continues to come up, so… here I am again.

Because unrealistic gender ideals kill people.

It bugs me when a writer has the one character ooh and aah over the other guy’s body in really specific detail, calling out specifically defined musculature. In 911, in particular, it throws me right out of the story because Buck doesn’t have a single body shape, does he? Do any of them?

Actors will look noticeably different all the damned time often for no particular plot-driven or character-driven reason, but just because they have bodily autonomy and are human. Sometimes, the actor is prepping for another role. Sometimes, they’ve been warned they’ve got a seminude scene coming. Sometimes, the actors are competing with each other or whatnot (see Stargate SG1). Sometimes, they’re depressed or ill or injured. Oh, and people age, too. (See Hawaii Five O.)

I get that it’s fantasy and erotica and writers often write just to their own personal kinks. I do get that.

But I also tend to wonder if the WRITER thinks Character A is attracted to Character B, period, all the time, or only when they look a certain way. And I often think it’s something younger fans don’t even notice they’re doing.

And now I bring you some varying Oliver Stark as Buck visuals for, um, purely illustrative purposes.

So you think you know queerbaiting? If the finale of Hawaii Five 0 (Aloha) disappointed you, let me remind you of these finales and remind you that WE WROTE THRU THE PAIN, in defiance of TPTB. [See the remarkable fandom of Garashir!]

The Sentinel by Blair Sandburg

Sherlock: The Final Problem

I loved TATORT: Dortmund’s Peter Faber. Jörg Hartmann rings my bell. He’s a lot like Hugh Laurie in House & Matthew Goode in Dept Q.

So I’ve been watching more Tatort on MHzChoice in order to get away from America.

I’m up to S1E9 (1997) of TATORT: Cologne. 93 episodes of this? Hurrah!

I’m not NOT going to look for Ballauf/Schenk on A03.

On the subject of Buddie, @firefightersgobrrr recently wrote: "I feel like we moved on too fast from-" yeah we did bc they keep shooting absolutely insane things at us. List of things we moved on too fast from bc the damn things to move on from just keep coming…”

And when I read things like that, just want to start CHANTING:

Not to mention

the presence of too much:

compulsory heterosexuality; general character assassination; kill your gays; overly long hiatuses; premature series cancellation; hetero-cis-centrism; racism; ridiculous plotting; etc.

and the lack of enough:

silent interiority; follow-through; continuity of character and plot; consistently good writing; good pacing; writing that meets the Bechdel Test; bisexuals; sexual fluidity; good AUs; fully-fleshed-out character backstories; prequels; returns of one-off/minor characters we like; good crossovers; etc.

in most Film & TV.

In 911, it’s usually Eddie Diaz (with Buck being bisexual). In Hawaii Five O, I’ve seen both Steve and/or Danno labeled as demi.

Yet demi seems like a self-identity label used mostly by women who self-identify as straight, bi, pan, or gay. Secondarily I’ve seen it sometimes used by self-identified queer men. And—lagging much farther behind— by heterosexual men. And I’ve rarely seen it used by fans to describe or label characters in fanfic who remain exclusively heterosexual.

I know that many ppl consider demi to be a queer label.

…used the tags to list every sex act they included n a story and whatever else was on their mind.