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“It’s so nice to see that the cast, they’ve all become such good friends. You don’t know if that’s gonna happen, they might all hate each other, but in this case they just really bonded, like immediately.” - Alice Oseman
They own my entire heart
kit connor is gonna deliver this line
PLZ THIS IS MY FAVORITE THING EVER I WISH I COULD TATTOO THIS IN MY FORHEAD I LOVE ALICE OSEMAN AND EVERTHING SHE DOES. SHE FKNG GIVE ME A REASON TO KEEP GOING.
- Queer character says/does homophobic things to repress their feelings and protect their straight image: Nick is confused about his sexuality, but he never turns to homophobia or toxic masculine behavior in order to ward off rumors about his sexuality
- Queer character breaks up with partner because they're closeted: Charlie breaks things off with Ben because he doesn't actually care about Charlie and is emotionally abusive, not because Ben is in the closet. When Nick and Charlie start dating, Charlie respects Nick's desire to keep things a secret for the meantime.
- Queer character is "flamboyant" or displays "effeminate" or "tomboyish" traits: Ironically, Tao (the "token straight friend") is the most "extra" and flamboyant character. Additionally, Nick's interest in traditionally masculine activities such as rugby does not preclude him from being queer.
- Someone catches queer couple being intimate and outs them to everyone: Isaac walks in on an affectionate moment between Nick and Charlie but never says anything about it, even if he can detect the attraction between the two of them. No one walks in on Charlie and Nick sharing their first kiss in public at the bowling alley. They can just enjoy the moment together!
- Queer character pretends or tries to be straight by dating someone of the opposite gender: While Ben does fit this trope, Nick subverts it when he cancels his date with Imogen and tells her that he doesn't have romantic feelings for her. And contrary to expectations that Imogen might be jealous and retaliate in some way, she accepts that Nick doesn't like her and appears to be supportive of his relationship with Charlie at the end of the show.
- Parents reject their child when they come out: Charlie's parents are seen being supportive of him and expressing concern about potential bullying. When Nick comes out to his mum, she is completely accepting, telling him she loves him, hugging him, and apologizing for saying anything that made it difficult to confide in her.
- Female characters kiss for the enjoyment of male characters: When Nick sees Tara and Darcy kiss at Harry's party, he is empowered to pursue his own feelings for Charlie and be himself. He doesn't objectify or fetishize them in any way.
- Trans characters can't be in straight relationships: Tao and Elle clearly have feelings for each other, and her being trans doesn't matter in the slightest!
- Queer character signals acceptance of their identity through dramatic public announcement: Nick could have done this by kissing Charlie in front of all the other students after running off the field during Sports Day, but instead, his moments of self-acceptance are quiet, intimate celebrations (e.g., Nick telling Charlie he is "definitely bisexual" and saying "Oh my god, I like you so much. And I love liking you" to Charlie on their beach date)
Feel free to add more!
heartstopper + reductress headlines
- Would you… go out with someone who wasn’t a girl? - I don’t know… Maybe. A pang of hope.
HEARTSTOPPER | 1x03: “Kiss” Script by Alice Oseman
no because it's the way nick realized instantly that he was acting just like ben and made it a point to try to be different... they way every single time he saw charlie around he'd say hi, public or private, the way he literally sprinted in the rain to personally apologize for running away after they kissed, the way he emphasized again and again how much he liked charlie and being with him, the way he was open and communicative about how he wanted to have privacy to understand his feelings but that he clearly didn't want to be a secret indefinitely, the way he said he'd respect it if charlie really wanted to end things but he didn't want it to be for the wrong reasons, the way he Shone when charlie called them boyfriends, the wa
being someone in their early 20’s watching heartstopper is such an overall emotional experience. there’s jealousy happiness joy longing regret sadness hope loss and most of all fucking final exam anxiety crushing us while we try to study but can’t because NICK FUCKING NELSON GOT A 62% ON THE BUZZFEED AM I GAY QUIZ.
people calling tao xu annoying are completely overlooking the fact that he is FIFTEEN YEARS OLD, and his life is shifting like sand beneath his feet. he watched charlie, one of his closest friends, get bullied by the very people charlie is now spending huge amounts of time with. he supported charlie through that, and doesn’t know that nick and charlie are secretly dating. his best friend elle has moved schools, and he supported her through her bullying and misses her desperately (and he is slowly falling for her, and scared of THAT friendship changing too).
the moment he finds out about nick and charlie, he drops the antagonism, accepts nick, and apologises to charlie, acknowledging his actions made it hard for charlie to tell him about nick. he is a straight boy who is unapologetically supportive and defensive of his queer friends, throwing words AND fists if necessary. he is a fifteen year old who wants the best for his friends, who loves them deeply. tao xu is not annoying. he is a boy with a heart of gold absolutely overflowing for those around him.
I feel about heartstopper the way I imagine nick feels when he sees Tara and Darcy kiss in the middle of the party.
so happy and relieved to be able to see queer joy, but there’s a longing and a want to be able to stand in their shoes and be unapologetically ourselves the way Tara and Darcy are unapologetically themselves.
the feeling i feel is pretty similar. seeing queer joy as a queer person is heartstopping in the best way possible. but damn do I wish I had in high school what they have in the show
Nick's bisexuality arc is probably one of - if not the - best part of heartstopper to me. Coz it's genuinely so nice to have a plot where a questioning character gets to not only research his sexuality, but also to talk to other queer people about their identities. He doesn't know automatically how he feels and he doesn't assume what anyone else goes through, so he goes and asks other queer people about their experiences
Nick asking Charlie about how he knew he's gay and asking Tara if she felt anything for him when they were younger is so nice to see, because you can see him start to understand that he doesn't relate to those parts of their queerness. He gets a chance to compare their experiences with same-gender attraction, and it helps him to figure out that he isn't gay but that another label would fit him better
And when he does decide that he's bisexual, he's accepted without arguments. The only time someone questions it is when his mum says that he doesn't have to say he likes girls if he doesn't, and when he confirms that he does like girls, she immediately believes him
Just them depicting a arc where people believe and celebrate him for learning that he's bisexual is so beloved. You can tell that this is a show written by queer people for queer people, and the compassion they show closeted people and bisexuals is just incredible because of it
this part of heartstopper was so funny to me bc u just KNOW charlie was hoping and praying that nick would be like “actually i’m not straight haha!!” and it’s hilarious bc we’ve all been there dropping very unsubtle hints to try find out if your crush is queer too
special appreciation to both groups of our gays holding hands while running
nick nelsons journey to accepting being bisexual is genuinely one of if not the best representation of bisexuality that i’ve ever seen onscreen. everything about it- from the way his favourite film as a child was mamma mia, to how confused he is, to his mum saying “you can tell me if you only like boys” “no i like girls too” is just so perfect. i saw myself so much in him it was incredible
