Stresseddepressedlemonzestsblog - Untitled

Hang this in the Louvre

I apologize for the person I will become when the Olympics start and the USWNT start playing

Dear The @cwnetwork:

Let's talk.

Let's talk about why the queerbaiting between the characters of Kara Danvers and Lena Luthor of Supergirl, whether accidental, indirect, or implied, needs to stop asap.

I understand the difference of accidental chemistry between your actresses and straight-up using their storylines as bait to keep your audience hooked.

I know that the LGBTQIA+ community isn't your only audience. However, we are the audience that you are targeting specifically these days. Everytime your program uses Kara and Lena's scenes in the trailer, the teasers from then and now, in the dialogue, their relationship as a recurring topic, as social media boards, promo mats, or when you show their moments in-between that they parallel with other canon DC TV couples, we can't help but hope. We invest our time and emotions in these characters who might get an entire different ending because your management can't stomach a lead ending up with another woman on television.

I get it. You want Supergirl to be a family-friendly show. You want her character to inspire young girls and boys alike. What would parents tell their kids if Supergirl ends up with a woman? Well, what are you showing now if she doesn't end up with the only character who translates to being her soulmate? It seems to me that you don't actually want kids and adults alike to 'dare to defy'. You're afraid of a generation that is confident and emotionally secure to become whoever they want to be. You're telling the same sick excuse that if kids watch a major heroine character end up with another woman, they might follow suit. That is so unrealistic. I've been watching the most heterosexual Disney movies since I was 5 yet I'm still attracted to men and women. Also, so what if these kids grow up to be confident queer folks? Would it be so bad for the younger generation to grow up loving themselves for who they are through a show that preaches about it?

If the chemistry between Melissa and Katie was accidental, we get it. Props to them for acting the hell out every single time they're in a scene together. But to constantly use the "friendship" of their characters to a point where it became the most interesting and awaited dynamic in the entire show yet you still try to convince us that there is nothing 'romantic' is not okay. If they're just best friends, then make them act like they are just best friends.

Don't show us Lena Luthor constantly supporting Kara as a reporter, seeing her potential since the beginning. Don't let Lena be the first one Kara thinks of when she wants to just be herself. It doesn't matter if it's gushing about 90's boy bands, getting her fill of her favorite fast-food, talking about her family, or just simply being happy. If not Lena, then don't show her constantly upgrading Supergirl's suits every single time so Kara can be safe. Don't even think about letting Lena move to National City to 'share her home with a Kryptonian'. Whenever I have a celebrity crush, all I want is to get their autograph or a selfie. Not to breathe the same air where they live! If it's not Lena, then don't trick us into believing that she is the most important person Kara trusts 'in the entire galaxy'. Do not let them become each other's life support. And whatever you do, don't show Kara constantly worrying about Lena every chance she gets to the point where she would risk her identity to save her. That even on the brink of death, she can't help but mention this woman. Do not let Kara fight every single one in her way who even thinks of disrespecting Ms. CEO of LCorp. Don't make an entire episode of Kara visiting different alternate realities in the hopes that Lena would find it in her heart to forgive her. That maybe there is a world out there where they will work out. That's too romantic. We might see right through it. Please refrain from showing these very straight women staring longingly at photographs of each other when things go haywire. Don't create scenes that equate to them breaking up constantly even if they're not technically together. For the love of all things fashion, don't let them constantly wear couple-coded outfits so that they could match. Not the red and blue! That's reserved for the canon partner. Don't even suggest that they're each other's "person". Big no-no. Too much.

You can't tell us, "Well, maybe you've never had a best friend." I sure as hell do not make extra efforts to see my bestie every five minutes, filling their office with flowers, etc. No. You do not know how to value a healthy and loving romantic relationship and it shows.

Being a part of a community that is constantly oppressed, bullied, and shamed for loving who the fuck you want to love is exhausting. It's 2021 and some of you are still acting like we might polish the devil's shoes for holding another girl's hand. You cannot continue on using romantic themes between Kara and Lena if they're not going to end up together. You know why? Because you're telling majority of your viewers, particularly those belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community whether young, old, or in between, that our stories do not matter. Kara and Lena's entire journey reflects a real queer couple's. So if you say that there is absolutely nothing romantic between these characters, it's invalidating.

So, The CW, forgive us for being delighted when we see a major heroine on our fucking TV screens who might just be one of us. Forgive us for wanting representation and demanding for the representation of our community to be respectful. We're sorry for hoping that our stories, our struggles, our fight for love and equality might just be represented by a major TV superhero show in Hollywood. And yes, we have Alex Danvers, Kelly Olsen, and Nia Nal already. But if you really care about these characters that are a part of our community, then give them and their relationships the much-deserved screentime and story development.

But honey, I will never apologize for giving you hell on constantly failing to find a "lead" that would match your protagonist. To be fair, you have a talent for finding the worst possible partners for Kara. Lucy? Wasted potential. James? You we're too racist before they had a chance then turned him into a terrible character. Mon-el? Self-absorbed and toxic. Also, he's married in the future. Don't even think about bringing his ass back. This show ain't The Legal Wife. I don't care if the actors are married in real life, this is fiction and their stories are different. William? ARE. YOU. FUCKING. KIDDING. ME?!

Here's what we've been trying to say about William Dey: he is irrelevant to any kind of plot in the episodes he's been in and the ones in the future, no emotional string to any other character, and pointless to the entire show. If he really is your final choice as Kara's love interest, make their relationship make sense. First of all, there is no chemistry. Second, there is no story. If he's your leading man, why is he the most disconnected character to Kara, both as a reporter and as Supergirl. Why is his character the most underwhelming? How come we cringe when we see him on our screens? Inserting him in random scenarios to seem relevant doesn't make him prince charming material. Just because he's also a reporter doesn't make him the Lois Lane of the show. He just got here! Being an asshole in the beginning, disrespecting her work, then suddenly sending treats on her doorstep isn't romantic. It's gaslighting. If he is truly Kara's endgame, it's disappointing because she will have the most shallow and thoughtless love story out of all the DC TV superheroes. To make matters worse, the actor is so defensive. He insists on being bullied by the fans and that his character is misunderstood. And I can't believe that there are cast members who are so vocal about giving his character a chance. This isn't a best friend's race where you have to defend your cast member all the freaking time. It sucks to hear. Ladies, if he's such a great character, you don't need to constantly convince your audience. You can't say you're tired of the fans who keep bullying him. His character simply does not fit the narrative. We're not bullies! We're simply asking for a better partner. Also, I understand that we must learn to separate the artist from his art. We get it. The actor who constantly whines on social media for the bare minimum support should know the difference too. To be clear, we don't really have anything against William as long as he stays as an extra because that's who he is on the show right now. Crumbs, darling. What we don't like is for him to end up with Kara because she deserves better.

Your main character has been traumatized for years, always at war with who she is and which side matters most, constantly loses the people she loves, selfless to the core, and isn't even given the space to breathe, process, and recover. She deserves someone who will be worthy of representing her family motto. El mayarah.

Kara Zor-El needs somebody who's gonna love her so much it's gonna hurt. She needs somebody who doesn't love her only because she's the girl from the stars, but understands that sometimes she just wants to be held. She needs somebody who respects her and actually listens to her. She needs to be protected more than ever because of the constant near-death experiences she faces. What's William gonna do? Kara needs somebody to come home to and show photos of the cats she rescued from a huge tree down the street and how maybe they could adopt one too. She deserves pillow fights, lazy nights, flopping at baking, geeking about her abilities, and so much more. She deserves someone she can share her heritage and build a home with. She needs someone who is just as human as she yearns to be, broken, a little bruised, but stronger everyday. She deserves to end up with the character who cares for her just as fiercely as Alex does. If that's really William Dey, you have a despicable way of showing it.

But, if you're too homophobic and decide for Kara to end up alone, then that's not fair. She has given so much to save her family, offered her cousin the space he does not deserve, the patience her parents have not earned, and her friends most of her time that they spend too much on just her alter-ego. She is worthy of being loved without expectations. And you know what? She already is.

Lena Kieran Luthor loves her - irrevocably,  unconditionally, to a fault.

I don't care if it was accidental, the acting brought it out, or you're just using their stories as a plot device to keep us on the edge of our seats. Lena loves Kara too much it almost broke her. She loves her so much that you decided to create this huge plot where she never finds out the secret so Kara won't lose the one person who doesn't mind if she lives in the rent-controlled side of town. Honestly, if that's just who she is, no cape or super abilities, Lena would love her just as much. She already does. Lena Luthor, the busiest character on the show, loves Kara to the point of devotion and invention. Do you know how hard it is to speak to a CEO casually? It's like trying to solve this global pandemic. It's impossible. Yet here she is constantly thinking about Kara this or Supergirl that. To be clear, I'm not excusing her actions last season. But she's stronger than what your showrunners give her credit for. Lena is constantly manipulated, abused, neglected, lied to, betrayed, you name it. But time and time again she has proven that she is Kara's match. You have given Kara Zor-El a soulmate the moment you decided that Katie McGrath should stay as a series regular. And I for one am not sorry that her character is a strong independent woman. You should start not being sorry or afraid too.

Look, you can say that it's too early in the season so I should not get ahead of myself. This is also fictional so I shouldn't have so many expectations. I would stop if you refrain from throwing any kind of bone. Maybe I should remain seated and let the writers do their thing? The reality is it's not too early in the season. In fact, it's far too late in the game. If this was RuPaul's Drag Race, baby we are lipsyncing for the crown! You can either sew, crack a joke, death drop 'til your legs give out while remembering the words to Shut Up And Drive, or sashay away.

This is your final season. You should be tying up loose ends. If Lena Luthor was a man, they would be having twins by now for all we know. You can't keep baiting us with your half-baked storylines just so you can keep your ratings afloat. You can't go on like this. Do it or drop it.

If you're going with a different romantic pairing for Kara than most of us hoped for, make it fucking make sense and stick with it. Otherwise, allow Kara to embody her family motto with the only person who truly makes her stronger.

Note: GIF taken from the @lonelydiary through Tumblr. Hope it's okay. Thank you.

heheeheehe

she looks at me with

more adoration than i thought

a heart could possibly hold

and i don't know how to tell her

that i don't want to be a hero anymore.

heroes don't get happy endings,

the stories lie.

heroes make sacrifices,

heroes ache,

heroes have to choose.

how dare you ask me to choose

between the love of my life

and the rest of the world?

how could i make that decision?

what good is the rest of the world

if she isn't in it?

what good am i?

-mars

supercorp and coming out at game night? ft lucy saying “give me the 20, danvers” “you bet on us?!”??

After… everything, Lucy flew home to National City and Lena started coming to Game Night.

Because Lena and Kara had become even more inseparable, and because Lucy needed to be with her family. 

It was strange for Alex, at first. Game Night had always been a more active version of Sisters’ Night; then, it was James and Winn, and sometimes Lucy, which started out feeling forced and uncomfortable and making Alex realize how little time she spent with people other than Kara outside of work, but then… then started feeling an awful lot like… well, like family. 

Then, Maggie joined in – at Kara’s invitation, after Rick Malverne – which had been stressful and scary but ultimately, wonderful. And even more like family.

And now, with Lena, Alex is… cautious. Because what if Lena is angry with Maggie for arresting her? Alex has been unusually frightened of fights since the tank, because, after all, she got into that elevator alone after Maggie and Kara tore into each other… 

Kara promises her that it’ll be fine, that Lena isn’t holding a grudge. That she needs a family, especially now, especially after the way she was played, the way she was used, the way she saved the Earth and was terrified that she’d have lost Kara in the process.

And… it is fine. More than fine, really.

Because Lena Luthor? Lena is funny. She and Winn won’t stop bringing little gadgets into the games to help them get the upper hand, won’t stop babbling, talking over each other, hands on each other, giggling in a way that Alex never imagined Lena Luthor could giggle, about the new tech they were working on, about the tech they wanted to dream up together.

Winn keeps whipping out napkins to write notes on for later, until Lena reminds him with an arched eyebrow that he could always use his phone.

Alex laughs as Lucy drinks, as James and Maggie whisper to each other. She leans into her little sister, who was also sitting back, taking it all in. Her family.

“You okay?” Alex nudges her, because she hasn’t been okay, lately. But around Lena, she seems… better. Happier. She even smiles and laughs, now.

Kara sighs and lets her head drop onto her sister’s shoulder. “Happy to be with everyone,” she tells her, and she doesn’t have to tell her the underlying implication.

That everyone is alive. Shockingly.

Alex nods quietly, and watches Lena’s eyes catch Kara’s. Feels Kara’s body sit up. Watches Lena bite her lip before looking away almost coyly. 

Alex wonders for a moment if she’d hear Kara’s heartrate increase if she had Kara’s superhearing.

But she doesn’t have her superhearing, so she has to just wonder. Lucy and Maggie have their opinions, she knows, but she’s just waiting to hear it from Kara herself.

She doesn’t have to wait long. 

Kara tells her before she tells everyone else. 

Tells her that she’s bi. That she hadn’t said anything earlier because she didn’t know, and then because she didn’t want to take away from Alex’s own coming out. But she has to tell her now, because… well, because she and Lena are dating, but Alex can’t tell anyone yet, because Lena’s not ready, but Lena knows Kara is telling her and oh Alex, please don’t be angry with me – 

Alex cuts her off with the longest, hardest hug they’ve shared in a while – while is saying something because their hugs have only grown lately – and promises not to say anything until Lena is ready.

Which turns out to be difficult, because Lena keeps coming to Game Nights. With everyone. Pretending not to be dating her little sister.

It amuses Alex, more than anything. Especially because Lucy and Maggie don’t officially know. 

So she sits through over a month of weekly Game Nights – all featuring Lena in attendance, looser than Alex had ever imagined she could be, Lucy jabbing Alex in the ribcage every time Kara and Lena’s hands brush, catching Maggie and Lucy playing a silent drinking game based on Kara and Lena’s interactions – without being able to say anything. 

Pretending she knows nothing.

Pretending she can’t bare to think about her little sister’s love and sex life, even though it’s almost all they’ve been talking about lately.

Pretending, that is, until Lena clears her throat and Kara nods and takes her hand.

Lucy practically spills her drink down her front.

Maggie does.

“Um, guys?” Kara asks to the already silent room.

Silent, that is, except for Winn, who’s still scooting Toad through Bowser’s Castle, his whole body moving along with the controls. 

They all wait, bemused, for him to notice that the only sound in the apartment is suddenly Mario Kart music. He pauses it and looks up.

“Wh – oh. Ohhhhhh.” He sees Kara and Lena’s hands, their fingers interlaced, and he purses his lips to contain his excitement.

“Guys, um… Lena and I wanted to tell you…” Kara adjusts her glasses, and Alex ignores Lucy’s persistent elbow at her side. “We’ve been seeing each other.” Another glasses adjustment. “Well, um, I mean, of course we’ve been seeing each other, I’m looking at her right now, I just… I really mean… Lena’s my girlfriend. And I’m her girlfriend.”

James smiles broadly at his folded hands, Winn reaches behind Alex to high five Maggie, and Lucy jumps up from her seat at the edge of the coffee table, knocking over a bowl of popcorn and utterly not caring.

“You owe me twenty bucks, Danvers!”

“You were betting on us?” Lena wants to know, and Alex shrugs with a laugh.

“Well, I wasn’t supposed to tell them that I knew, now was I?”

Kara and Lena nod, both grinning with relief, in concession, but Maggie and Lucy explode.

“You knew and you didn’t tell us?!”

“You let us play all those drinking games and you knew the whole time?”

“I thought we were friends!”

“I thought you were my fiancee!”

“I thought we were bonded for life after rescuing you from Cadmus – “

“To be fair, you also sent her there in the first place, Luce – “

“No one asked you, Olsen!”

“I love you, babe, but you’re totally sleeping on the couch tonight.”

It goes on, and on, and on, and Kara and Lena take the time to watch their friends bicker – bicker out of pure happiness that Kara is wearing that smile again, that they’ve gained another new family member again.

“Well, if I’d known the biggest problem anyone would have had with our relationship was a drinking game and a twenty dollar bet, I would have told them sooner,” Lena smiles into Kara’s lips, and the awwwwwwwwwww that rises from the Superfriends as they kiss is what finally ends the playful bickering.

Language matters. Try 'active genocide' and 'deliberate starvation'.

New view of them on the carpet! Love seeing Paige's smile!

Okay my ass passed tf out post game. But I just woke up again and can’t NOT put my lukewarm takes on the Internet.

USWNT v SWEDEN

Alyssa - did what she could? I’m sure she expected plenty of shots on goal because Sweden has proven to always be a solid opponent but I don’t think she was ready to be called upon all game. But there wasn’t a time where I was like ‘dang, maybe if Alyssa was a better keeper, we wouldn’t be down’. She was fine.

Becky - I find her hard pressed to say anyone did well, but all things considered, Becky was okay. She was carrying the ball forward more than usual, seemingly holding onto it a bit too long sometimes. But no one was really open for her, so what tf was she supposed to do.

Crystal - thank sweet baby Jesus for her recovery runs and slide tackles. I would not like to know what a score line would be without them. She unfortunately was super overloaded which caused a lot of uncharacteristic giveaway passes in dangerous spots. To her credit, she showed a lot of creativity breaking out of the three players that seemed to close in on her. But our midfield and forwards really hung her out to dry not offering outlets for her to pass to.

Abby - this was a tough game for Abby. She was getting caught on the outside shoulder instead of covering inside and allowed the center backs to be split on numerous occasions. She did have a few of her typical nice diagonal long balls. But really seemed frantic and was beat to the ball in the box on the goals.

Kelley - in the same camp as Becky. Of nothing detrimental. But nothing incredible. She wasn’t given the same amount of pressure as Crystal which made things better. But her passes could have been cleaner, crosses could have been more direct.

Tierna - things were pretty dismal by the time she came in. She did decent for the time left though. Not sure it would have helped anything but her height definitely could have beneficial to us as a center back earlier in the game.

Lindsey - not her day as the 6. She managed it well through the summer series and send off games, but Sweden is so different than the teams they played. She got lost. She was so needed to be Crystals outlet and to be that person that helped move the ball from side to side to break Sweden down. She was almost timid, it was weird. She started doing a bit better when she was back in her normal position. But the team was already back on their heels at that point so it didn’t help.

Rose - well god dammit. Rose was out there trying! It wasn’t working, but you could tell that she was not having it and was trying to make something happen. She was key in the passing combos the US managed to string together. Most glimmers of good came with her involvement. She still fell victim to holding the ball too long and passing directly to Sweden but I did appreciate her effort!

Sam - oh goodness, poor Sammy Bananas. This was not her game. She seemed like she was hiding behind Swedish players. She wasn’t open for anyone to pass to. And when she had the ball, more often than not, she was passing it to Sweden. It was hard to watch after she’s been playing so well. I will give a small positive that on a couple plays, she found her stride and did what she does best, driving the ball up centrally, pulling defenders, and passing out wide for a cross in. She needed off at half though, glad Vlatko pulled her.

Julie - well shit balls I really wish she was 100%. Her being in wasn’t a game changer. I mean, duh they still scored twice in the second half. But there were moments I was like, oh yeah. That’s what it’s like to have Julie Ertz playing the 6. That’s nice. She is far from full game fit though, and you could tell she’s nervous going 150% into hard tackles. And with being out for all the buildup games, her chemistry with everyone is a little off.

Kristie - she wasn’t in long. But she’s was running her butt off. Like Tierna, it’s not like she could do much to help. She didn’t do anything to hurt though. Her energy was good to see, who knows if her coming in earlier could have sparked something. (Probably not but it’s fun to dream)

Alex - welp. She was in there. Few decent runs into the box. Was there for the header off Christen’s beautiful first half cross. But very lost, not connecting, I had no issue with. Vlatko pulling her at half for Carli.

Tobin - after the excitement of her return in the Mexico games, it sucked to see her like this. To her credit, she was all over the damn pitch trying to make things happen. But in doing so, was out of position which didn’t make switching the field easier. Sweden had to time for her foot skills and just bodied her off of things. She had some of our most promising offensive plays though. And history has proven that pissing Tobin off means she is going to pop off. Waiting for that!

Christen - the goal post is not her friend. So rude. She also gave us some of our closest goal opportunities. But dang. She needed to be helping Crystal on defense big time. And she needed to provide a better outlet pass and not just the option of a ball over the top. I honestly forgot she was out there sometimes which was uncharacteristic.

Carli - I was actually happy to see her come in. But she couldn’t break the funk the team was in. I’m sure a game like this will make her work harder, so maybe that’s good. I don’t know.

Pinoe - came in with a little spark. She was a positive sub. But we were such a mess at that point it didn’t do much. I wish she was full ninety fit, we needed her chaos.

All in all. We all watched the mess. We know. They were outplayed. Sweden is fucking GOOD. We just played them, it wasn’t a surprise. At least, it shouldn’t have been. Maybe it’s the Sweden Olympic curse. Maybe it’s because the USWNT has been go go go all year and has run themselves a little ragged with the camps and friendlies along with NWSL. Doesn’t matter. They knew the Olympics were coming. They weren’t good enough and I hope they turn it around.

Hopefully next game we can remember what jerseys we’re wearing so we can pass to the right team and everyone gets a good night sleep so we can LOOK ALIVE OUT THERE.

"You are a language I am no longer fluent in but still remember how to read."

- Ashe Vernon, from "Skeleton Song," Wrong Side of a Fistfight