[ SECRET POST #3510 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3510 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.



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02.
[Stephen King]


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03.
[John Green]


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04.
[American Gods]


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05.
[Charlie Hunnam in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword]


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06.
[Penn & Teller: Fool Us]


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07.
[Steven Universe]


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08.
[Questionable Content]


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09.
[Ghostbusters 2016]











Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 53 secrets from Secret Submission Post #502.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 1 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

Re: queerbaiting?

[(Anonymous)]

I don't think that all fictional platonic friendships are queerbaiting, but as media has become more aware of slash and slash fans, I've seen the same pattern repeat multiple times:

There will be a canon friendship which the writers never intend to ever make romantic. However, as they are attractive white dudes who spend a lot of time together, they are inevitably slashed. Slash fans squee and write fic, which brings in more slash fans.

(Also LGBT people, who have some degree of overlap with slash fans, but no one is sure exactly how much.)

At this point, TPTB realize they've got a new audience section on their hands. Their goal at this point is to keep and grow that audience, while not alienating anybody who will be squicked out by an actual same-sex relationship playing out on the screen.

What follows is a protracted game of wink-wink nudge-nudge that plays out on social media sites and at conventions, both of which skew young and presumably less likely to be offended by teh ghey. Actors, writers, and/or producers will make vague but suggestive statements about how these guys are "so close" and "subtext" which they will imply might, eventually, become text.

Pro tip: they have no intention of ever letting Destiel, or Sterek, or whatever popular ship become text.

The whole thing relies on a level of plausible deniability. It's "all in fun" and "cheeky" and anyone who expects actual major queer characters and/or relationships is obviously "overly invested."

Well, you yourselves did all you could to foster that investment, because invested fans write fanfic and meta and squee all over social media and bring in more fans. You teased the fans when you had no intention of delivering.

Part of the problem is that the stereotype of the slash fan as a heterosexual female means that it's easy to write off the complaints of queer fans as "just upset their favorites aren't going to get together." We're "overreacting."

No, we're reacting perfectly appropriately to the message: that while we're good enough to tease in order to build their audience share, we don't actually deserve to be the hero, rather than the sidekick or the one-off guest star.