By Red B., Grade 9 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now that pride month is upon us, it is time to talk about a very important part of queer culture: Queer Media.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately, this seems to be the most common form of queer media, and this disappoints many people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo many other series than mention queer characters being LGBTQ+ is always so centered about them being queer or it’s their whole personality.\u201d Dora F., Grade 9, said. Others have similar concerns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cModern queer media is far too preoccupied with being \u201cgood representation\u201d and classic queer media is too preoccupied with being miserable, to ever really explore the possibilities of queer experiences: wouldn\u2019t it be [messed] up if I fed you, my soul? Would you even take it?\u201d Gideon B. an MIS graduate said. \u201cBe less afraid of bad representations, less concerned with being respectable, and more interested in what is possible, what is interesting.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what are some good examples of queer media? Which shows should you watch, books should you read, and podcasts should you listen to? You\u2019re in good hands my friend. Here is a curated list of pieces of queer media, approved by the queer community and its allies. Spoilers ahead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although the book is taglined as \u201cLesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space!\u201d by Charles Stross, this is untrue for a multitude of reasons.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOne, What Gideon Nav and Harrowhark Nonagesimus have going on is so insane and complicated that summing it up in one word, even if that word \u2014 like lesbian \u2014 contains multitudes, is completely absurd.\u201d Gideon B. said. \u201cTwo, the focal character Gideon is not a necromancer; she is the swordswoman [or] cavalier for Harrowhark, necromancer heir of the ninth house of the emperor undying, [and] three, for most of the first book they are decidedly not in space.\u201d\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Was this tagline simplified, or even true at all? Gideon describes the premise of the books as \u201cThe necromancer heirs of eight noble houses and their cavaliers are invited to a beautiful ruin to achieve immortality, but as the bodies start piling up, everyone decides to ignore the locked room murder mystery in front of them so they can focus on the spooky laboratories in the basement, and the body count goes up and up. Meanwhile Gideon and Harrow try to devise new increasingly romantic ways to hate each other.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are certainly necromancers in Gideon the Ninth, so indeed, the necromancer part of the tagline is true, to an extent. Now, for the most important part of the tagline, considering the entire point of this list, how does the queerness play into the series? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDespite an absolutely massive cast, 7 adept-cavalier pairs, a trio, and \u201cTeacher\u201d the undead, everyone remains distinct.\u201d Gideon B. said. \u201cMuir has a way of clearly differentiating the individual characters through voice and mannerisms.\u201d\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gideon B. describes the inherent queerness of necromancy in the series, including \u201ca character who manages to be transfem, transmasc, and cisgender all at the same time canonically, the best [queerplatonic relationship] in fiction, not that we\u2019re spoiled for choice, and really interesting discussions of what constitutes love.\u201d\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, how does Gideon B. rate the series? Five out of five stars, actually. \u201cThe reader is forced immediately into a very unfamiliar world full of unfamiliar jargon and expected to hit the ground running. This is probably my favorite kind of book, with a world of magic to decipher, but I understand that it\u2019s not everyone\u2019s cup of tea.\u201d Gideon B. said. They also really enjoy the character Gideon with whom they share a name with. \u201cFor a while the book consumed my every waking thought.\u201d\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTamsyn Muir\u2019s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as skillfully animated as arcane revenants. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy.\u201d Blurb of Gideon the Ninth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPart murder mystery, part diary, and a pitch-perfect snapshot of adolescent friendship . . . A sharp-witted debut for Stevens, one that will leave readers eagerly awaiting subsequent instalments\u201d – Publishers Weekly<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Murder Most Unladylike is a murder mystery novel and series that follows the adventures of Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong. \u201cOne thing leads to another, and their science teacher dies, so they immediately have to solve her murder\u2026Basically they just end up at a lot of really weird places with a lot of really weird murders. And they solve all of them without credit.\u201d Dora F., Grade 9 explained. \u201c[and there\u2019s] Daisy\u2019s incredibly [mysterious] uncle who\u2019s part of the FBI.\u201d\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt’s really cool because they just casually mention that Daisy’s a lesbian,\u201d Dora F. said. \u201cAnd the only time that Hazel is any time genuinely concerned about Daisy because she\u2019s gay is they were like, \u2018but can’t you be arrested for that?\u2019 No, that’s only for men. They don’t [care] about women.\u201d She continued, \u201cI also love how they talk about like being queer in a political sense too? like the book is set [in the 1930s] so they mention how gay men were arrested for it.\u201d\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dora also explained how Daisy does end up with a girlfriend at the end of the series who takes her to Egypt, but it never is the biggest plot point. For Dora, the most important kinds of relationships in the series are the platonic ones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dora, despite numerous attempts, refused to rate the series as anything other than a hundred stars. I’m taking this and making it five out of five stars. 100%, right? <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMake your statement, face your fear.\u201d – Rusty Quill <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Magnus Archives is a horror theatre podcast. If you are unfamiliar with that term, theatre podcasts are dramatized audio performances. Think of it as if you are watching a movie with your eyes closed.\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n The story follows Jon Sims, not to be confused with Jon Sims, the writer and voice actor of Jon Sims. Nadija T., Grade 9 describes the different seasons as follows: \u201cS1: sceptic turned paranoid after a DRASTIC worm infestation. S2: help! All my coworkers are trying to kill me! And I keep on accusing the wrong one! S3: how many times can ONE sad archivist get kidnapped and be misinformed?! S4: all my friends are dead\/hate me, my crush won\u2019t talk to me, and I\u2019m a monster. S5: the Antichrist and his boyfriend traipsing across the eye-pocalypse to kill their immortal boss.\u201d\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, what does any of this mean? Well, my dear reader, that is why I\u2019m here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Jon Sims, Archivist at the Magnus Institute, reads statements of people who have had strange experiences with the so-called \u201cfear-gods\u201d, 14 or 15 eldritch gods who feed on and represent human (and animal) fears. \u201cOne of my favourite things about them is they are not bigger than humans to the point they are nigh impossible to understand.\u201d Nadija T. said. \u201cSome people have weird co-dependent relationships with these fear gods. They are scared of them to the point where they find comfort in it. The fears then give them power and in return they \u2018feed what feeds them\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Jon, the main character, is one of these people, these \u2018Avatars\u2019 as they are called. \u201cHe needs to read statements or draw them out from people’s lives, to satiate a deep hunger within his soul. This is because of the fear god he serves, The Eye, which wants to watch\u2026it\u2019s kinda the fear of paranoia but mainly having all your secrets aired out, I think.\u201d Nadija T. explained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n How does queerness play into this horror podcast? Nadija T. explained it beautifully.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen it comes to the queerness of the characters it\u2019s barely acknowledged, the main character Jon is ace, which was revealed in a vague way when it came to break room gossip.\u201d Nadija T. said \u201cAlso the romance between Jon and Martin truly doesn\u2019t feel forced. It wasn\u2019t some long mutual pining thing. They\u2019ve even talked about in the podcast about how if they didn\u2019t go through the things that they did together. Making the romance feel more real. Something that I really like about it is that it probably would have held no difference if they were straight.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n When asked about a rating, Nadija T. continued to praise the podcast. \u201cIt\u2019s perfect. It literally has all I\u2019m looking for in any form of media, it\u2019s got plot, it\u2019s got a wide cast of characters, there are moral struggles, and it\u2019s queer. My one qualm is that the fandom isn\u2019t big enough.\u201d Nadija T. rated The Magnus Archives as five out of five stars.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAfter being a victim of fraud, Johnny Rose and his family go from extremely wealthy to penniless overnight. The only asset left to them is a small, unsophisticated town: Schitt’s Creek. They relocate there. Culture shock ensues.\u201d – IMDb <\/p>\n\n\n\n The second piece of media on this list comes from an ally of the queer community! Schitt’s Creek was recommended by Ms Tousignant, an 8th Grade EAL Teacher. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I do not know much about the show, so bare with me dear reader. The story follows Johnny Rose (wow, second jon on this list!) and his family when they suddenly become broke and are forced to move to Schitt\u2019s Creek, a town they bought as a joke. Which, dear reader, how does one buy an entire town? I would like to know for\u2026research purposes\u2026anyways- <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, the main focus of this section of the articles revolves around David and Patrick\u2019s relationship, I think, I wasn\u2019t actually given names. Having done some research after the interview with Ms Tousignant, I have discovered that David is pansexual from the beginning of the show, and openly so. No, his character development has nothing to do with his queerness and is instead about him becoming a good person after having been a spoiled man-child.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere’s a moment when they get together, they each have a moment with each other where it’s different episodes and they sing \u201cSimply the best\u201d, the Tina Turner song to each other. And it sort of becomes their love song.\u201d Ms Tousignant said.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ms Tousignant rated the show five out of five stars. \u201cIt starts off being a show about really horrible people who find their humanity and they become really lovely people. And then the romantic relationships in it are super fun to watch, too\u2026With that relationship between the two men being the highlight of the entire show, then showing that love story in a way that’s truly, like, loving and caring and again, without homophobia in it is just, It’s really nice.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ms Tousignant continued to talk a little bit more about queer media. \u201cI’ve seen this in a number of shows and movies lately where they sort of have a token queer character, and it’s maybe not delving into that character in a way that feels super meaningful. It feels like it’s sort of a thrown in thing to say, \u2018Hey, not everyone in this show is heterosexual\u2019, so it can feel like an afterthought sometimes.\u201d She said, \u201c[Now] it’s totally cool that everyone is, like, a different sexuality or gender or all of these things. Like, okay, it’s not always perfectly accepted, but it’s so much more accepted. There\u2019re so many different versions of relationships that you get to see that we were, like, I was not exposed to as a kid\u2026I hope that just continues\u2026because everyone needs to see themselves in television and movies and podcasts, books.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Chronicles of Aelwyn begins with six unlikely characters finding themselves in a bizarre situation with no memories and an identical list of names on each of them\u2026\u201d – Winters Tales <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Chronicles of Aelwyn is a Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition campaign exploring the idea of \u2018what if the players didn\u2019t know their own characters?\u2019 It is set in the fictional world of Aelwyn, a homebrew world created by AJ Winters, the Dungeon Master. Homebrew means material for the game created by players and not the publishers.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Chronicles of Aelwyn follows the Unmarked Six, otherwise known as Everard, Huxley, Caid, Roscoe, Iggy and Aneska, as they struggle to find out who they are and where they came from. As the show goes on, they quickly learn about their pasts and abilities. So, what if they accidentally killed someone in the process, they brought him back! Because of the nature of Dungeons and Dragons or \u2018DnD\u2019, The Chronicles of Aelwyn is almost entirely improvised. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The queerness in the show comes in many ways. In particular with Caid, played by Lukas Perez (They\/Them). Caid is an Ivanthomea, a plant-like species particularly known for being, quite literally, genderfluid. Although Caid presents as completely neutral, Caid does find out they had a fiance, who it turns out they may have murdered. Furthermore, the queerness of the characters continues with Iggy, an Ethid, beings gifted magic by the gods. Ethids are not particularly known for being monogamous, and it is revealed that Iggy has at least one partner. The idea of queerness seems to be widely accepted within Aelwyn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Having recommended this campaign myself, I would give it a four out of five stars, only taking off one point due to the length of the episodes (almost three hours per episode!). The writing is superb, and the players are incredibly invested in their characters and the world. There are some incredibly raw lines that come up during the story, one I have mentioned below. Not to mention, the set used and the incredible detail when it comes to props and non-player characters is immaculate. They had an actual dinner party with food and a \u2018waitress\u2019!\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou are not a bad person. A bad person wouldn\u2019t be sitting here crying, a bad person wouldn\u2019t even care.\u201d – Huxley to Caid after finding out about the dead fianc\u00e9.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n And that is a wrap on this short list of pieces of queer media. I hope you check out the things that interested you and continue to delve into the wonderful world of queer media. Happy Pride! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Red B., Grade 9 Now that pride month is upon us, it is time to talk about a very important part of queer culture: Queer Media.\u202f Unfortunately, this seems to be the most common form of queer media, and this disappoints many people. \u201cSo many other series than mention queer characters being LGBTQ+ is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":2954,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyles","category-opinion"],"featured_image_src":"http:\/\/blog.mis-munich.de\/buchhofbulletin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2024\/09\/tempImageo8RMjm.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"buchhofbulletin","author_link":"http:\/\/blog.mis-munich.de\/buchhofbulletin\/author\/buchhofbulletin\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.mis-munich.de\/buchhofbulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.mis-munich.de\/buchhofbulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.mis-munich.de\/buchhofbulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.mis-munich.de\/buchhofbulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.mis-munich.de\/buchhofbulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2953"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/blog.mis-munich.de\/buchhofbulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2953\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2955,"href":"http:\/\/blog.mis-munich.de\/buchhofbulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2953\/revisions\/2955"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.mis-munich.de\/buchhofbulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.mis-munich.de\/buchhofbulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.mis-munich.de\/buchhofbulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.mis-munich.de\/buchhofbulletin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The Magnus Archives by Rusty Quill:\u202f <\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Schitt\u2019s Creek by Dan and Eugene Levy:\u202f <\/h5>\n\n\n\n
The Chronicles of Aelwyn by Winters Tales: <\/h5>\n\n\n\n