Passionate Ambivalence

Revry ad talking about lack of bi rep. I guess that's true, tho the missing rep that really sticks out for me is trans rep, POC queer rep, and disabled queer rep. Did I mention trans POC? Especially Black trans masc folks? yeah.

There didn't used to be good bi/pan rep, but gay chars used to be tokens written by, or at least for, straight ppl. But even then, Maureen in Rent was there for us. She sucks, but so do I sometimes.

Smart-and-Dumbass ND Disaster Bi Dr. Julian Bashir should be mentioned...

I feel very represented by Disaster Bi Jock Avatar Korra.

Decently seen with Eleanor on The Good Place.

Killjoys is full of queers and damn near everyone is queer friendly, tho I couldn't think of a specific bi/pan char... wait yes I could. ZEPH! I love that nerd! and she does make me feel seen.

In The Dragon Prince:
BIG RELATE with High Mage Viren (queer in the VERY LOUD subtext) and Queen Sarai (gone too soon, taken by the Fridge Your Moms trope, with a small assist from Bury Your Gays)

I feel super duper represented by p much all the dumbass pansexual vampires on What We Do In The Shadows. Nadja and Laszlo and Jenna, but very especially Mr. Nandor the Relentless. Practically just my vampsona, but tall and with a beard. I do possess more capacity for introspection than he displays, but it's awful and I avoid it, so it comes out the same.

The Filth, tho.
I never imagined I could feel as well-represented as I do by Stella on The Filth. She's like... me, but without kids. Me... but a plumber. Me... but lives in California.

I even had a Max, too, sort of, and he had a Danny. But my Max is bi, too, and he's married to a woman now, AFAIK, and has a cute kid. And his Danny married a chicken-raising, roller derby-playing agender butch with two kids, and became a hell of a stepdad.

ETA: I cannot fucking believe I left out Xena. I was thinking about stuff I watched as an adult, but how the fuck can u talk about dumbass pansexual warlords and not bring her up?!? Just smush Xena & Stella together & u get me. Also u kinda get Nandor? And Korra is really similar? Also something something The Old Guard...

Contains mild, vague spoilers for Into The Spiderverse

I mentioned one of my fav ship types:

Ruler/Leader and childhood/longtime Friend/Companion who's always by their side, will defend them to the death/pain/afterlife/etc.

A wonderful variation on that is where the Companion is some kind of monster, magical, alien, not constrained by things like "physics" or "ethical concerns"...

fichuntie wrote Virrow fic that, like, strokes this button for me:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/17126294


Garak/Bashir can hit this nicely. I should dig up some of my fav fics. Julian wasn't particularly a leader in the show, but it's definitely something he could grow into.

Charles & Eric can do this, too...

Man, Roku & Sozin coulda had this!

Marvel!Thor and Loki can have it, too. I don't ship them, but you can do it with other kinds of love. Also ages ago on norsekink I prompted this and someone started writing it as Loki/Rhodey, which was AMAZING, but I don't think it got continued...

It's fine if they take turns being the monster.

Itempas/Nahadoth from Jemisin's Inheritence Trilogy hit this really well. You can do it in an OT3 too... I guess Shahar Arameri / Itempas works too? The whole series does amazing stuff with power and responsibility and love and lust and devotion and aaaaaaaaaaaaa like enslaved gods and tattoos with magical world-altering power and and and

OMFG I almost forgot the most amazing potential for this in The Killing Moon with Reapers, or even just devoted pet Gatherers. *Pours one out for Ehiru* *Vows to reread*

Riv and Isaac in the Mangoverse by Shira Glassman sort of fit, taking turns I guess? He's a literal monster with the dragon-shifting (and snakes? I should reread...), she's a mercenary in the first book and general hardcore warrior.

SG called Isaac a "snarky wizard DILF" in a tweet so of course that made me think of Viren...

Djinn can be all about this trope! Variations on coercion vs. partnership...
Must... find... American Gods... fic...

I want to think of more examples with woman characters. My shiny new ship from Into the Spiderverse might work... ("Oh great, it's my ex-girlfriend the evil genius with tentacles")

I was never really in VLD fandom, but if you shipped Allura with one (or several... or all...) of Lotor's generals you could have an amazing version of this!

I should go see what's in the Wonder Woman tag on AO3, Amazons got this...

I like it ok with het ships as long as the woman is in charge. A shadow side* AU Galadriel/Celeborn could be this. Hell, Melian/Thingol and Luthien/Beren kind of canonically are this? Arwen/Aragorn could be too...

Persephone & Hades got this going on sometimes. I should find that comic where he's like, "Kick his ass babe, I'll hold your flower."

I really, really, really wanted Ella & Frederick in the Hero's Guide series to grow into this. I also ship her with Rapunzel and that could have been such a nice OT3. If someone got with Briar Rose they could have this, too.

Shades of this in the...3rd book, was it? with the witch and the barbarian, non-romantic... Doing this while sharing a body is interesting... (frantic scribbling about soulfang serpents...)



*Is "shadow side" a better way of saying "dark" for AUs and stuff? It's a little awkward, but it's the best thing I can think of, reminds me of magic and shadow work but where does that come from? is it too close to "dark" to be ok? What are some alternatives that make sense?