HEY FLIST, COME TEAL DEER AT ME
So I was talking to Lullabee about how in my world, all characters are pretty much bisexual because I have some strict ideas about how canon works.
As I understand it, popular consciousness believes a character is Straight Until Proven Gay/Bi. In GBLT-oriented media, I assume it's the opposite. Me, I have always believed a character is Bisexual Until Proven Otherwise (be that straight, gay, or asexual).
I'm also a big believer in Death of the Author-- basically, that if it's not in the text, it is not canon. As in I don't even accept Dumbledore as gay because it wasn't in the canon. As I mentioned in... Fly's LJ? I think? As I mentioned somewhere, I actually am far more likely to give weight to well-reasoned fanon than to Word of God.
That's not even including media with multiple authors (such as the EDAs) where I will flat-out call Discontinuity on the canon if I think it's particularly nonsensical. In my head, Fitz and the Doctor did meet back up in St. Louis, Missouri, because Colin Brake's take on that was fucking idiotic Wallbangery Creator Provincialism.
When it comes to character sexuality, I think I have three criteria that must be met before I will consider them not theoretically bisexual. Like, if I'm going to consider a character 100% straight...
1. The character must be shown in a relationship or pursuing the opposite gender.
2. They must not show interest or attraction to anyone of the same sex.
3. They must be stated to be straight in the text. If there is an omniscient narrator, they have to proclaim the character as straight. If the text is within the character's point of view, they must confidently claim to be straight.
3.5. If the character in question isn't in a story with an omniscient narrator and they are not the POV character, you cannot prove them to be straight.
FOR EXAMPLE, lets look at the Dresden Files since that's what I'm getting into now. Harry Dresden passes on 1 and 3 (IIRC), but fails on 2. So while in canon, he pegs as leaning towards heterosexual, to me he will always be theoretically bisexual.
Is this a common view? Do you have your own criteria for this stuff? Am I overthinking this? Do you just use your gaydar? Bueller?
ETA: Now that I go through the list of characters I have Thoughts about, the above is my guideline on sexuality but not the rule. John Sheppard from SGA, for example, pinged as gay SO HARD for me that I cannot think of him as even bisexual, even given evidence on the show that he's interested in women. I chalk it up to his military background and repression and other tl;dr meta that I won't go into here. But outside characters like that, yeah.
ETA2: Not that I have sexy Thoughts about Sheppard. I have sexual Thoughts about-- no, that doesn't sound better or offer more clarity. I think about Sheppard sexually, but only on an academic level? I mean :continues ad nauseum:
Originally posted at DW. Comment here or there. DW comments:
As I understand it, popular consciousness believes a character is Straight Until Proven Gay/Bi. In GBLT-oriented media, I assume it's the opposite. Me, I have always believed a character is Bisexual Until Proven Otherwise (be that straight, gay, or asexual).
I'm also a big believer in Death of the Author-- basically, that if it's not in the text, it is not canon. As in I don't even accept Dumbledore as gay because it wasn't in the canon. As I mentioned in... Fly's LJ? I think? As I mentioned somewhere, I actually am far more likely to give weight to well-reasoned fanon than to Word of God.
That's not even including media with multiple authors (such as the EDAs) where I will flat-out call Discontinuity on the canon if I think it's particularly nonsensical. In my head, Fitz and the Doctor did meet back up in St. Louis, Missouri, because Colin Brake's take on that was fucking idiotic Wallbangery Creator Provincialism.
When it comes to character sexuality, I think I have three criteria that must be met before I will consider them not theoretically bisexual. Like, if I'm going to consider a character 100% straight...
1. The character must be shown in a relationship or pursuing the opposite gender.
2. They must not show interest or attraction to anyone of the same sex.
3. They must be stated to be straight in the text. If there is an omniscient narrator, they have to proclaim the character as straight. If the text is within the character's point of view, they must confidently claim to be straight.
3.5. If the character in question isn't in a story with an omniscient narrator and they are not the POV character, you cannot prove them to be straight.
FOR EXAMPLE, lets look at the Dresden Files since that's what I'm getting into now. Harry Dresden passes on 1 and 3 (IIRC), but fails on 2. So while in canon, he pegs as leaning towards heterosexual, to me he will always be theoretically bisexual.
Is this a common view? Do you have your own criteria for this stuff? Am I overthinking this? Do you just use your gaydar? Bueller?
ETA: Now that I go through the list of characters I have Thoughts about, the above is my guideline on sexuality but not the rule. John Sheppard from SGA, for example, pinged as gay SO HARD for me that I cannot think of him as even bisexual, even given evidence on the show that he's interested in women. I chalk it up to his military background and repression and other tl;dr meta that I won't go into here. But outside characters like that, yeah.
ETA2: Not that I have sexy Thoughts about Sheppard. I have sexual Thoughts about-- no, that doesn't sound better or offer more clarity. I think about Sheppard sexually, but only on an academic level? I mean :continues ad nauseum:
Originally posted at DW. Comment here or there. DW comments: