#lo-cotidiano

[nolabballgirl]

Bestie I am requesting to know your thoughts on everything related to Bridgerton 👁👄👁 rumaan and I have been DMing so now I just need yours (and Ardi’s) to determine if I in fact do have the right opinions 🤣

hiiiiiiiiii jennnn! okay, so first i have to list out a bunch of caveats (also i really want to know your/rumaan's thoughts too!) but...

i haven't read the books. and i don't plan to. not only because julia quinn's comments on writing characters of colors are quite sus 👀but reviewers i follow have also pointed out racist undertones here and there, so i'm basing this completely off the netflix adaptation!

i knew going into this season that any type of fantasy/catharsis given british historical colonialism/brutality in india would be wishful thinking. and with s1's mishandling of race, i didn't expect much.

romance as a literary genre is so unfairly maligned. but at the end of the day, a well-written story is a well-written story!

so some thoughts (i'm on s2, ep 7 thus far):

so i have...mixed feelings about it all. like okay the positives, simone ashley is a star. a star! love her and what she brings to the character. i honestly found daphne in s1 to be such a bore, bland, and uninspiring. so kate is such a breath of fresh air in comparison. her relationship with edwina is so interesting and chemistry with anthony is satisfying.

love to see a south asian actress of tamil background headlining a major netflix show. we can go on and on about the colorism rampant (not only in the indian film industry but whenever south asians are portrayed on camera) so this was nice.

i'm enjoying s2 (actually more than s1 tbh) as hitting on what i enjoy in the romance genre generally speaking (tropes, lush costumes, stupid dumb fools in love, etc.) without the consent problems and lackluster main of s1.

okay, the negatives. i just can't get over how little research the writers did when constructing the sharmas' background. like i get it's supposed to be "fantasy" or whatnot but you end up flattening the vibrant and diverse cultures across india to this hodge-podge mess. (and let's not forget our good friend mr. keith butternaan pointing out the casteism at work too!)

the way the show treats race just leaves so much to be desired. this vox article captures my thoughts: "the inclusion of racially conscious casting becomes a convenient mechanism by which racism as a theme can be duly eliminated." like it's just not satisfying to me when there are still class divides, misogyny etc. which are being explored but we conveniently explain away race?

tl;dr it's fun if you don't think about it too carefully, but when you start unpacking the show, then there's a lot left to be desired for me. idk idk.

[inmyarmswrappedin]

I was thinking about your “Kasim as Lito” theory and I’m also wondering if... Kasim is also supposed to be Elias becsuse in S4 we saw him always getting drunk and going out. And I remember seeing theories where people thought it was because he was secretly gay (though these were also the people who shipped him and Eskild). So maybe Eskam said “we’ll what if we did make a gay Elias?” But then... did this.💀

Heyyy. I have to admit that I was one of those Elias/Eskild shippers, because... idk, 2017 was a different time I guess. 😅 Tbh I feel like Julie wanted to go somewhere with Elias’ drinking (not necessarily closeted Elias, but something eating at him), but it got lost in the trainwreck that was the second half of the season.

But I agree. And I also agree with the post you made last week about this storyline containing traces of Emma’s POV (in s3) and wanting to deal with homosexuality and religion. And more specifically Islam and homosexuality, because that will go down a lot easier with Spanish viewers and the Catholic church, than doing Catholicism and homosexuality.

In general this Kasim storyline is a hodgepodge of different elements from Skam that never crystallized into a proper storyline, Elite’s overblown drama (I mean......... that scene outside the bar, Skam would’ve never), and the usual tropes about gays, Muslims, and gay Muslims. 

Tangentially, I’ve been thinking that maybe Julie intended for Even/Mikael to be requited, but she might’ve run out of time, or the actors weren’t comfortable with it (she did hold off from having Sana and Yousef be official because of Iman’s wishes after all), or whatever other reason. I say this because I know the Italian director communicates very extensively with Julie (per Julie’s own admission) and he made Even/Mikael an actual thing, and their Mikael equivalent canonically gay. To me, it actually explains why Isak was jealous of what he saw outside the karaoke bar, which I always assumed was like... two bros just talking lol.

[aimeegbbs]

For the lgbtq+ skam ask game: 2, 3, and 5 :)

thank youuuuu, love💜

2) Which “Isak” season resonated with you the most?

both cris’ and matteo’s season. they were airing while i was coming to terms with my sexuality so i really needed that. maybe even cris’ season a little bit more because it was nice to see two girls fall in love for once

3) already answered here

5) What is your favorite non-canon M/M ship?

i haven’t put much thought into this since the skamverse actually gave us some great canon m/m ships… but maybe eskild and elias from skam? i remember while s4 was airing people were convinced there was sth going on and elias was drinking so much because he realized he was gay. i was really rooting for that storyline to happen back then! also mohammed and alex from druck was a great crack ship

send me a number from the LGBTQ+ skamiverse fans* ask game!

[hellswolfie]

For the lgbtq+ skam ask game: 1, 21 and 44!

Thank you !!!!

So

1) which « Isak » do you relate to the most ?

I’m gonna go with Matteo (druck) because yeah, the way he seemed to feel so empty inside in the beginning, his panic attack at the party before the almost kiss...I could really relate a lot to that.

21) which « Isak and Noora » friendship is your favorite ?

Lucas and Manon (Skam france) , no doubt. The clip at night where they just hug eachother is so beautifull and like they radiate sibling vibes. I just wish we’d seen more of this latter on...

44) what is something a remake did that you like better than Skam did ?

The first that comes to mind is the minute by minute clip in Skam france, where they really went more in depth of this and let Eliott really speak about his MI. It was so great !! I also fucking love girl!Isak in Skam Austin, my Shay (her season when seriously 😭) !!

Anyway, thank you so much for sending me this, @lo-cotidiano, I really needed this distraction :)

[ritualisticlamb]

For the lgbtq+ ask meme: both 11s and 47!

Hi!!!

11) Which canon LGBTQ+ character’s wardrobe would you steal?

Cris’s 100% her style is so cool 

47) Which “Isak” season soundtrack is your favorite?

Definitely Matteo’s. They never fail to capture Matteo’s vibe in music form! 

[lesbianfujoshis]

For the lgbtq ask game - 9, 20, and 42 :)

I love that the only person who sent me questions is the creator of the game. Feeling like a celebrity!

9) If you had an “Isak” season about your life now (or if you’re older, your time in high school), what would the themes be?

I feel like I did have an Isak season. In that I relate to his season so much. Mine didn’t end in a beautiful girlfriend who kissed me in a pool tho. BUt I have a mentally ill family member where the relationship is kinda like isak and his mom. Also I was very awkward about being gay for the longest time. I think MY season would be focused on my friendship with an “older” (she’s 2 years older than me) lesbian friend of mine who really helped me in high school. And then probably like combine that with me getting over my embarrassment with saying lesbian. Because I was bullied in high school there would be some artsy struggle about like well would be gayer make it worse or is it worth it. In real life, I decided to be as gay as possible and that made me happiest. BUt if I had an Isak season it would be supes artsy and it would be set in like spring 2017 so there’s the whole new prez thing and also the whole soundtrack would be Hayley Kiyoko because I was obsessed with her at that time. I was also obsessed with skam so… HM

20) Which “Isak & Sana” friendship is your favorite?

Obviously Amira and Cris because I see myself in both of them re: when I first came out. The originals hold a place in my heart and I love them too, but something about ya know female friendship and all that!

42) What would you want to see in Shay’s season?

I could write, and I have, write like a million words on this. But I would definitely want to see something about religion and talk about how Shay is like guys I know we live in Austin but we still live in Texas my mom is still super christian (I’m p sure Isak’s mom was catholic but that would be changed because the south has very few catholics). 

Also I would be obsessed with Shay and Zoya’s friendship. Like the intersectionality of it all. Shay would be like yeah but you’re not gay so you don’t get it. And Zoya would be like not to play oppression olympics here but I’m a hijabi. And then they would bond over being black women who also have added struggles.

 Also Tyler??? I love him (i don’t know either) and I feel like he would be one of her Eskilds along with eve’s token black friend because I could not deal with a white woman teaching a black woman about oppression. Also since Shay is def more gnc than eve so like! I feel like her and Tyler’s friendship would play a big part in the season. And in this hypothetical what if they did it like viri and Nora’s season in España? 

Ok this was probably way more than anyone ever asked for but I have so many thoughts and feelings about skam. It’s been three years and I’m still obsessed.

[greenteawithlilies]

Ooooh and honest opinion on all of Amira’s relationships! (Or the ones that you think are most important)

Now that Druck has ended, I finally have the time to answer this ask. Sorry it took so long. Anyway, here we go:

Omar and Essam: I loved the sibling dynamics. Omar is a great older brother, considerate and attentive, but not intrusive. He is a great ally to Amira, advocating to their parents on her behalf and helping her ‘babysit’ Essam. Essam on the other hand, really needs to do some growing up. He is such a typical youngest child. But he is obviously struggling, so he and Amira have a lot in common, even though they handle themselves very differently and get treated very differently. I would have loved a scene where Omar and Amira had confronted Essam over his behavior. It could have let to a great discussion between the three siblings about how they cope with living in Germany. Also, I needed more Omar.

Papa and Mama Mahmood: I hate that we don’t know anything about her father. Is he strict? Is he very engaged with his children’s lives? Does he tell embarrassing dad jokes? Are he and Amira close? As for Mama Mahmood, I quite liked her relationship with Amira at first, but then Druck messed it up. The last we saw of her was when she was furious at how Amira behaved during Nadia’s henna evening. I really needed a clip of Amira resolving things with her mom.

Nadia: I wonder if I missed something, but I don’t think we ever found out why there was tension between Amira and Nadia. Clearly they’ve had some kind of falling out and Amira did not seem pleased with some of Nadia’s choices. But I don’t know what exactly happened there. But Nadia seems like a great friend and she obviously was trying very hard to reestablish their friendship. She tried to make friends with one of Amira’s new friends and wasn’t even angry at Amira for what happened during the henna evening. So yeah, Nadia is kind of the best (and should have been invited to Amira’s farewell party).

The Girl Squad: I found it interesting how absent Hanna was during this season. But it kind of makes sense to me that Amira would be less close to Hanna than to the other girls. Even though Kiki is the most problematic of the girl squad, Hanna is very passive and unpolitical. And that clearly comes from a place of privilege. Hanna doesn’t have to take a stance and care about politics. I like her quite a bit, but I am not sure I’d be friends with her either. Kiki otoh is one of the only Vildes that isn’t depicted as super naive, and so while she needs to work on herself, I have actually more confidence that she might one day become an ally to Amira. She definitely is more engaged with other people’s lives and politics, so to me there’s hope there. I think Hanna is too nice to ever have her views challenged, but that needs to happen for her to be anything but a typical white centrist. As for the other two, I was really happy with Mia’s role in this season until episode 8 happened. Sam could have had a really interesting dynamic with Amira due to their different attitudes and personalities, but Druck didn’t really care it seems (i’m so salty about this).

Matteo and David: This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I was okay with Amira and Matteo not being best buds. It made sense to me that Amira was very supportive of Matteo last season (at least when he wasn’t attacking her for her religion), since she is kind of the mom friend. Matteo clearly needed some help, so Amira was there for him. But I don’t necessarily see this friendship continuing after high school. I wish we’d gotten some more David and Amira though. I feel like they could have really bonded over some of their personal experiences. It definitely was the relationship I wanted to see develop the most.

Mohammed: I mean they’re clearly soulmates. They’re perfect, and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. :)

[fatoulein]

Honest opinion on each Eskild AND honest opinion on each Eskild/Isak relationship!

yessss!!! 

eskild: LITERALLY the best, like honestly no one really compares with him. he’s the original gay mentor and he’s really just a wonderful character, just showing a gay guy being fem and flamboyant and LOVING it, just existing and being so happy with himself, generally!! like...I actively love him so much. relationship w/ isak: good!!! i think having eskild be the gay mentor in isak’s season is really wonderful. i wish we could see more of isak and eskild hanging out and being happy with each other once isak is able to accept himself and overcome his internalized homophobia more, and i do always hate the pride scene because it hurts so much to see how eskild is hurt. but overall, i do enjoy their dynamic but more in a “this is good and important” way than like a personal enjoyment way.

mika: ......meh. mean to lucas so much at the beginning of s3 that it’s hard to take their relationship seriously later on. and he, like so many remake eskilds, really pushes the stereotypically flamboyant gay eskild into a very....kinda excessive area that verges on parody. so i don’t love him. i do like his post on insta after the pride speech, though. that was really good. relationship w/ lucas: like i said before, it’s hard to find their relationship believable since mika is so rude to lucas at first. but when they become more friendly with each other, they do have a nice enough relationship. it’s just the development that’s lacking.

hans: i really like him!! i do feel like he’s one of the few eskilds, if any, where it actually feels as though they treat him and his sex/romantic life seriously and with respect, and i really like that. i think his personality is really nice and honest, and feels very realistic tbh, and i love his relationship with mia. i do hate that he peed all over the toilet seat, though. relationship w/ matteo: i really like their dynamic, honestly! hans’s cheerfulness contrasts with matteo’s grumpiness in a way that’s fun and works really well without feeling too sitcom-y. and he and linn really care about matteo before he comes out to them, which is really nice. i do hate the pride scene with them though, but that’s mainly because i kinda feel like it didn't actually make sense for matteo to have that scene - they didn’t set up his internalized homophobia in the same way that og did with isak. but i love all the other conversations they have throughout the season. one of the best eskild/isak dynamics imo.

lucas r: love him love him love him!!! he’s such a sweetheart and a really great, creative character that skamesp has made. i loved watching him grow into his self-confidence in his sexuality and become more and more gnc and happy. this is something we don’t get to see with all the other eskilds, so it feels really special! i’m excited to see how he continues to grow in future seasons. relationship w/ cris: LOVED! IT! i cannot emphasize that ENOUGH!!! as much as i would have loved for cris to have had a wlw eskild to look up to, i think that lucas really works, and i love that she has a friend like him to lean on throughout her coming out process. i love how he got to serve multiple roles in her story as she grew and developed, and also that there isn’t just one token gay in their collective friend group (boy squad + girl squad). they have each other!

eve: .......you all know what i think. i do Not like her. she’s very much a lesbian written by a straight person for straight audiences, and she really feels like a parody 90% of the time. also idk WHAT the directors were thinking when they cast her cause that is NOT gnc. also, shay deserves an amazing, confident Black gnc lesbian mentor, not the very white eve. so basically, she’s like nothing i wanted in skam austin’s eskild at all. and then worse. relationship w/ shay: we haven’t seen a lot yet, but i highkey hate what we’ve seen so far, so i’m not looking forward to anything. her talking about how cute shay is and flirting with her is so awful and not okay that i really want her to never be onscreen with shay again as of now.

ralph: i like him a lot!! he’s very fun and kind, and he and liv have a genuinely nice relationship. we haven't gotten to see him in s3 yet so i don’t have a fully-formed opinion, but i think along with hans he is probably the best traditional remake eskild in the way that he is shown to be flamboyant and openly gay, but in a way that’s realistic and respectful, not a parody. he’s like the one thing i’m excited about in skamnl s3! relationship w/ lucas vdh: can’t say much cause not a lot has happened yet, but i did like them being on grindr together. that was fun!