Sep 25, 2025
“ZOE IS LESBIAN, AND TOM IS GAY,” I yell into the mic.
In this essay, I will talk about how they were both hit with the comphet beam—
#mi high#mi high zoe#tom tupper#Zoe being forced together with Dan#Tom being jealous that Dan is the centre of attention with girls but then doesn’t care at the end of the episode#AND Zoe is never seen to be jealous because of said girls in that episode either#need I say more?#yes it could just be Tom realising he doesn't need recognition from girls who don't actually care about the real him#but he never gains a female love interest or crush—even a temporary one that lasts for an episode—AT ALL#yes it could just be Zoe being wholly oblivious to romantic conventions because she's been sheltered her entire life#but Zoe isn't shown to harbour mutual romantic feelings for Dan the way he is and it's always somebody else teasing that they're a couple#and it's interesting that Tom is always one of the people doing the teasing (perpetuating the heteronormativity)#it's okay he hasn't realised it yet#oh AND in 'The Final Endgame' Zoe specifically calls out Dan's name after she says “the value of FRIENDSHIP”#in other contexts you could chalk this up to being romantic because she seems to value Dan on a different level than the rest of the team#but she also specifically says “I knew YOU'D come back” to Dan so that clearly shows that she sees him as a friend above all else#not to say that she doesn't actually value Dan differently than the rest—I definitely think that she trusts him more but just platonically#she values friendship and family over any romantic relationship she could have and this doesn't really mean she can't be attracted to guys#HOWEVER for a show that loves showing off how amazing Dan is you'd think they'd show just a little more of an inkling#honestly they probably meant it as “they are best friends AND lovers” which is nice because it's usually a forgotten aspect of ships#but it's a power of FRIENDSHIP narrative!! the dynamic you're supposed to value—and SHE values the most—is their FRIENDSHIP#it could also be aro-coded too and her disinterest in romantic relationships could also be a layer to this as well as not understanding#I just like the idea that she ends up having an awakening that she likes girls so#but she still could fall under the aro-spectrum to some degree I just haven’t thought about that much#anyway Tom is gay because I was also influenced by that one edit that I saw so!!#but he could also be aro and only came to the realisation after Flatley’s ‘woo’ conversation#because seeing his reaction gave me those vibes LMAO#but to ME they are lesbian-gay solidarity who may or may not also be on the aro spec ARGUE WITH THE WALL#I am now headcanoning Tom as aroflux and gay whereas Zoe is a demiromantic lesbian#because I enjoy the idea of her mixing up platonic and romantic feelings and going “ohhh that makes sense” so YEAH
