fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2285 ]

[ SECRET POST #2285 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2285 ⌋

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

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[NCIS]

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04.

[Kirk Cameron]

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05.

[Lindsay Lohan, Sean Penn, Sean Bean]

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07.

[MCU/Marvel movies - NOT the comics]

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[ ----- SPOILERY SECRETS AHEAD ----- ]

10. [SPOILERS for Spartacus War of the Damned]

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11. [SPOILERS for Dangan Ronpa]

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12. [SPOILERS for The Walking Dead]

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13. [SPOILERS for House MD]

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[ ----- TRIGGERY SECRETS AHEAD ----- ]

14. [WARNING for rape]

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15. [WARNING for abuse]

[the beatles]

Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 000 secrets from Secret Submission Post #326.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - 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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm just so sick of every show/movie/book/etc. being filled with nothing but cis het characters in conventional and monogamous sexual relationships. Gay and bi and pan people exist, poly people exist, asexual people exist, trans people exist, and various combinations of those things exist, and it's really frustrating hardly ever being able to find stories about them. But no, it has to be the same 'attractive cis straight guy meets attractive cis straight girl and they live happily ever after' shit over and over and over. And over.

It's gotten to the point where I want to write a bunch of original fic where pretty much everyone is queer. Which makes me feel dumb because it's completely unrealistic to write something (that's not sci-fi/fantasy) where every single character is non-straight. (And of course, that's ignoring the fact that I'm not any good anyway and even if I could write something that didn't suck, I can never finish anything.)

Usually I try to be optimistic and think 'well, it'll get better eventually' but I'm in a pessimistic mood right now and frustrated at never being able to find characters or relationships in media that I can relate to at all, or even find the slightest bit interesting to read about. So annoying. :(

There really does need to be more representation for everyone, but it isn't totally nonexistent like you seem to think it is.

OP

I know it does exist but it seems like they're almost always the side characters, never the main ones, and if by some chance they are something tragic happens to them. Or if they are a main character and DON'T end up miserable and alone or die, it's because it's considered some niche 'gay movie' or something. I guess I just wish there was more representation in mainstream media, with characters of varying orientations and genders, and it wasn't a big deal and they weren't treated any differently than any other characters or relationships. And I know there are a few, but it just seems like in 2013 there should be far more than there are. Like I said, I realize I'm being pessimistic and I guess I should just try to get over it, but I wish things were different.

But if a cis het author wrote a main character who was anything but, people quite similar to you would scold them for being unauthentic or offensive somehow. Appropriation would be the word tossed around.

Write your stories. Also check out BBC shows.

OP

Oh god, I really hope I'm not quite similar to those people. I don't think there's necessarily anything wrong with people writing about a group they aren't a part of (hell, even I'm not a part of *every* group I mentioned as examples) as long as they do research when necessary, at least attempt to be respectful, and aren't all 'these people are evil weirdos' or some shit. And I don't think I've ever seriously used the word 'appropriation' in my life.

I'm not sure what BBC shows you're talking about, but I think I'm going to try to start working on my stories again and see what I can do with them. Thanks.

I worded that poorly. I mean well-spoken people who criticize media on the internet and care about queer representation.

It's a damned if you do, damned if you don't sort of thing. It's much easier to get derided as a bigot if you include characters who aren't mainstream and someone thinks you wrote them wrong. If you don't include these characters people can only criticize you for exclusion.

BBC seems to have an actual agenda aimed at putting more minority and queer characters in their dramas, including scifi. They seem to be doing a better job than American networks right now.

I live a heteronormative place. Wouldn't be much market for any other kind of media. TV shows starring gay or bi characters don't do well here because no one can relate to them.

You keep telling yourself that...

DA

I don't know anything about AYRT's situation, but let's be honest: there's a bigger market for heteronormative media in general. It's just what it is. Everyone deserves to be represented in media, but since most media is about making money, people will aim for the largest audience, and they always will.

AYRT

The TV ratings told the studios that.

Look, I agree there needs to be more representation. But I also understand why there isn't as much as there should be. If you cater to a small group, you will have a small audience. This means small/no profit. That isn't how any part of the entertainment media works.

I think nursejoy is correct that you should write. For-profit entertainers aren't catering to the audience you're talking about, but that audience does exist.

OP

Realistically, I realize that hetero people are the majority so it makes sense that most media is marketed towards them (although I obviously disagree that no one can relate to gay/bi characters) but it's definitely still frustrating to me. I find it depressing the way things are but I guess I need to accept that it most likely won't change.

Just write it.

Seriously.

You might be the only one who ever reads it, it might never be finished. But if you want to, maybe you can post it somewhere and someone will read it. Maybe you can even work hard on it and get it published. But don't worry about that right now. You want to do something, so just do it. Nobody is going to be looking over your shoulder saying "THAT'S NOT REALISTIC AND IT SUCKS." You are just taking your daydreams and putting them onto paper. There's nothing wrong with that.

And people read all kinds of shit that isn't realistic. I think there's definitely a place for an 'everyone is queer' story. I have felt what you're feeling many times, and I would certainly be interested in reading something like that.

OP

Thanks. I have half a dozen or so ideas, but one of them kind of just appeared in my head with the main characters' families and all this backstory already there, which has never happened to me before, so maybe I should just start there and see what happens. I guess even if it sucks and I never end up showing it to anyone it might at least make me feel better.

Yeah. A story will go nowhere until you actually put the pen to the paper, or start typing. Go, go, go!

This. Just write it. And seconding your rant. Even if *some* of the people you mentioned are in media/movies/whatever, there isn't enough, and Mr and Miss Whitebread meet/greet/fuck/breed storylines are booooooooooring and irritating.

That's why i started reading stuff like 'Giovani's room' as a teen, and why i find fanfiction - desperately looking for stories where the main characters are NOT hetero.

This is what I mostly plan to do with my works. A lot of webcomics buck the heteronormative trend as well specifically because they know that they have to do something new and original in order to get noticed in that kind of world.

OP, write your stories. The more, the merrier. There are a lot of non-heteronormative pieces out there, and yeah, they're not mainstream, and they're small in number, but they're there. They exist. And adding more to that, proving that more people want to see these things, can only help in the long run.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ SECRET POST #2285 ]

So tired of heteronormativity in media (rant)

Re: So tired of heteronormativity in media (rant)

Re: So tired of heteronormativity in media (rant)

Re: So tired of heteronormativity in media (rant)

Re: So tired of heteronormativity in media (rant)

Re: So tired of heteronormativity in media (rant)

Re: So tired of heteronormativity in media (rant)

Re: So tired of heteronormativity in media (rant)

Re: So tired of heteronormativity in media (rant)

Re: So tired of heteronormativity in media (rant)

Re: So tired of heteronormativity in media (rant)

Re: So tired of heteronormativity in media (rant)

Re: So tired of heteronormativity in media (rant)

Re: So tired of heteronormativity in media (rant)

Re: So tired of heteronormativity in media (rant)

Re: So tired of heteronormativity in media (rant)