Ok but can we talk about how emo, as a genre, defied gender roles in a big way? Like, everything about the culture, from the guys wearing makeup and womens’ skinny jeans, to the way they got unabashedly emotional in spite of the “men aren’t supposed to cry” narrative they’d obviously been socialized with, was just this complete “fuck you” to the idea that there’s a certain way to be a “man”.
And a lot of their detractors called them “girly” or “gay”. And they didn’t give a fuck! Fall Out Boy has a whole song entitled “Gay Is Not A Synonym for Shitty”, which referenced a famous Pete Wentz quote, where he basically said that if you thought his band sucked, to just say it sucked, and not be a “homophobic asshole” about it.
And, then, geez, My Chemical Romance took it a step further, and Gerard Way outright kissed one of his bandmates at concerts purely to infuriate homophobes who were at his shows.
A lot of these bands were openly for LGBT rights, for womens’ rights. I remember one instance where some band MCR was touring with asked women to flash their tits in exchange for backstage passes. And Gerard was so horrified by this, and told his female fans to “spit in the faces” of misogynists in the rock scene.
Like, god, these bands were so progressive. And they still are. Right after the Pulse tragedy, Brendon Urie literally danced around in a pride flag and told his queer fans what they meant to him. Pete Wentz said that “Uma Thurman” was meant to show his female fans that they could be “badass”, too. And Gerard pretty much admitted in an interview to somewhat identifying with the label “nonbinary”.
That’s the most lasting impact that emo is going to have. Showing fans of all genders that there’s nothing wrong with being whoever the fuck you are, that there’s no specific way to be a man or woman. And, god, I just fucking love that.
“So every day during my set, when I’m playing my own shows, I talk about people that are transgender. I talk about it a lot because everyday basically I say: …”
I feel like disco and emo should team up and that should be the next big music thing, sort of a defiant apocalyptic dance party, because disco did this sort of thing too, the rejection of straight white male heteronormativity, and that was basically why it was killed, so, like, emo plus defiant zombie disco would be the perfect thing to play in the Mango Menace era.
I love meta posts like these bc now i understand why my diehard defiant teenage ass was in love with these bands and this culture
Congratulations, genius. You convinced your best friend, the Protagonist, not to marry the story’s Love Interest, and instead go off and have awesome adventures with you forever. But in doing so, you pissed off the Author.
After the third bandit ambush, the Unnecessary Character waits until the Protagonist falls asleep to turn an accusing look at the sky.
“Hey,” the Unnecessary Character says, jabbing a finger stupidly at the non-sentient array of stars, “you quit it. You quit it right now.”
The Unnecessary Character, henceforth known as TUC so as not to waste too many letters on them, looks rather rough. Their hair is a tangled mess from the swallows who’d mistaken the horrendous strands as nesting material.
“I know that was you,” TUC hisses. “Swallows use mud and spit to make their nests, not twigs.”
TUC is unaware that they actually look like dirt, just terrible, smelly dirt.
“This is a lot of unnecessary anger,” TUC says to the sky. “You’re the one who thought Ally needed a friend and now you’re mad that I’m being a friend to her? Josiah was a creep, you know. Maybe you think he was charming, but he’s borderline abusive. No, scratch that. He was straight up abusive.”
TUC’s main weakness has always been the inability to see the big picture. They don’t know that the Love Interest would do anything for the Protagonist, up to and including battling the dragon that would inevitable be coming to the castle.
TUC pales until they begin to resemble watery porridge. “The what?!”
Their voice is shrill and stupid. The pitch of it nearly wakes the poor, exhausted Protagonist who’s had it rough these past few nights with TUC waylaying her with their idiocy.
“Let’s…let’s swing back to the dragon later,” TUC says. They pinch the bridge of their nose, trying to ease the headache thinking so hard has given them. “Look, Josiah wanted to keep Ally in the castle, okay? Like, all the time. She’s an adventurer, dude, not a stay-at-home wife. And have you already forgotten how Josiah locked her in the dungeons when those rebel forces tried to break in? And then just forgot about her in the aftermath until she broke out?”
It’s not surprising that TUC has misinterpreted that lovely and gallant action. Ally is a lady, forced to work hard all her life to support her mean family. She needs someone to take care of her so she can finally be happy.
“Her mean–they were poor!” TUC says, missing the point completely. They direct a hideous look at the sky. “No, I’m not missing the point! Everyone in her family was worked to the bone, not just her! They all had to work insane hours just to pay taxes! Taxes, may I remind you, that Josiah and his father set!”
A depressed guy moves into a haunted house with 7 demons, each corresponding to a deadly sin. But, they’re all trying to help him get back on his feet; Pride helps with self confidence, Lust helps him get laid, etc.
I would watch the crap outta this like wow
Envy: “Glut, back off the guy, okay?”
Gluttony: “I’m just saying he could stand to gain a few pounds! I made spaghetti!”
Sloth: “After we eat, it’s gonna be time for a nice nap. We’ve earned it!”
Pride: “Damn right we did!”
Just imagine the Catholic Church making a statement regarding this new tv show.
Wrath does nothing but encourage him to punch assholes.
“You deserve better! That was YOUR parking space!”
“He’s like three hundred pounds of muscle, Wrath.”
“And you are 165 pounds of RAGE!”
Wrath’s advice isn’t great, but he means well.
Greed spends his days trying to help him manage his budget and put money on the side
“Bro check this out i’ve got the sickest retirement plan, technically it’s tax evasion i guess but fuck those guys, right?”
So, this is an idea I’ve been kicking around for awhile. It’s probably the start of something larger, so I thought I’d kick it out and see if it has any legs.
The old woman sat low before the flickering flames, her heavy robes hid her thin frame. Bright eyes wreathed in wrinkled flesh lined by long days of sun. Her voice was low and strong as she spoke, young eager ears open and listening close.
“In the days of old, the ancient times, the source of myth and wonder, it is said that magic came upon the primordial world and filled the life it found there. Magic reshaped it, sustained it, and nurtured it. Magic gave rise to the races, the elves and fey, the giants and the dwarves. All things lived in harmony and peace… Except for one. Isn’t there always one? This race, Magic did not affect in the same way it did the other creatures. No one knows why, but magic became twisted within mankind. They became dark and corrupt with power. Using magic to fight with not only their own kind, but seemingly with nature itself. The blasted lands, and great deserts, are still the scarred legacy mankind left behind. Yes, left behind. It took the united front of all the races to drive them away, sending them into exile beyond the veil. They were left to die, starved of life giving magic. To the magical realm, mankind was long dead. Mythical monsters used to scare their young into obedience.”
The fire popped at a dramatically appropriate time, sending a flurry of sparks into the air. She lowered her voice adding a serious knowing tone. “Mankind was not so easily disposed.”
“With magic drained from humanity, many did indeed wither and die. Some learned to feed upon the residual magic within their brethren and survive for a time, remembered as creatures and villans of human lore. A few, the ones considered weak or unskilled in the use of magical arts, outcasts that had once been shunned, did not find the loss of magic so tragic. They adapted. They survived. It was not as quick, nor was it as effortless, but the meek did indeed inherit the earth. They were not the largest, strongest, or the fastest creature in this world, but they were the most vicious and tenacious. First they found stones they could work through effort into honed edges. Fire could be called forth by chemical reactions instead of beseeching a spirt of flame. Countless generations passed, building upon the grimoire of learned ability. Science bloomed. They slowly picked apart the fabric of their new world, finding the reactions and interactions that held it together, creating their own form of magic available freely for all to wield.”
She stood, charms jingling loosely, “Neither world was ready for the day the barrier fell, and both realms were reunited.”
Clanking, roaring beasts of cold iron pushed their way through the forest. Heavy tracks crushing flora into the soft ground as it passed. A curious fairy, mere inches tall, flitted down close. She reached out a tiny hand, foolishly pressing it against the surface. A quick snapping hiss sounded, her desiccated body dropping to the ground. Every mote of magic that had once animated her had been drawn away instantly. Reaching a clearing, the transport stopped, and shut down the engine. The plume of dark exhaust ceased fouling the pure air. The soldiers disembarked from their vessel, and began making a camp there in the forest.
Wide terrified eyes watched them work. These creatures filled them with dread, and seemed to exude a miasma of death from every pore of their bodies.
“Wireless communications are practically useless here. There is something interfering.” He shook the small box in his hand. “We’ll probably have to set up repeaters every few hundred feet, or just lay a hardline.” He looked back at the path the APV had pressed through the woods. “Hardline might be faster…” He thought a moment, “Maybe bounce a laser around if the weather stays, and line of sight isn’t an issue. The canopy doesn’t look too tall.”
“Talking to yourself again Eiffel?” The larger man was carrying a heavy crate from their conveyance.
“The drones will have to be preprogrammed, there’s no way R.O. Is going to work.” Eiffel said, looking up from his handheld equipment. He continued to poke at its surface, making notes.
“So it’s going to be a bitch to work here is what you are saying?”
“Until we figure out how to compensate for the interference, there will be some issues Roberts. Maybe we can find a clearer bandwidth to use, or some active distortion filters… there’s some kind of pervasive radiation.”
“Did I hear the ‘R’ word?” Came the higher pitched feminine voice of their biologist, her arms filled with sample boxes and a portable microscope.
“Yes you did.” Eiffel responded, “But I don’t think it’s the cancer kind. So far its seems to only be interacting with our devices.”
“I’ll be the one that decides if its dangerous.” She said, considering if they needed dosimeter badges. She’d check with her equipment first, then decide. “The oxygen content here is high. 28%. So watch your flammables, it will take less to set them off. There’s no sign of any industrial contaminants, CO2 levels are also pre-industrial. I’ll need to take samples back to check for isotope levels.”
“So you’re sayin we have a clean new world here Roche?” Roberts said, stacking the last crate.
“Its at least not as fucked up as ours.” She said, approaching a tree.
“We’re probably not going to run into a big city, or catch anything on TV for sure.” Eiffel said.
“And try not to put anything in your mouth. The air near the gate was pathogen free, but we don’t know anything about the soil, or vegetation.” Roche said.
“Or the locals.” Roberts intoned, raising a weapon to the willowy figure which had emerged from the woods.
Her hands were open and empty, in what she hoped would be seen as a gesture of non threat. These beings were unlike any she had ever encountered. They were so like many races she did know, but were wrong somehow. Heavy like the dwarves, but almost as tall as her own elves. What frightened her the most however, was not their appearance. They were the only creatures she’d ever seen which had absolutely no light within them at all. She couldn’t even say they were filled with darkness, darkness would at least be something. They were like shells of living nothingness. There was only one thing she could think of they might have been.. She prayed to her Goddess that she was wrong, even as she uttered the words in common tongue.
just moving along like everyone else 