The Magical Hedonistic Bisexual Tropes

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[@zabchan]

I aspire to magical hedonistic bisexuality

[@vikib1758]

that make two of us aldo more Magnus and less Constantine

[@kinseydesignsbrands]

Sammmmmeeeee

[@someonesomeone25]

Me three! Gender and sexual variation has often been associated with magic across different cultures. And hedonism, well ... that's just fun ;)

[@katybechnikova2821]

Who doesn't.

[@jan_Masewin]

there is no higher goal

[@skyllalafey]

As a bisexual, my superpower is still magically never realizing when someone of any gender is trying to flirt with me.

[@sleazybtd]

Same. I feel your pain.

[@aliced.1973]

Same. But that still seems to be one of the minor difficulties with me dating...

[@lupo987]

I have a spiritual connection with you, pal

[@galaxymew5138]

Same, I'm an absolute BRICK when it comes to noticing that someone likes me until they actually TELL ME, lol

[@minavain9744]

lol sameXD

[@sparrowhawk4641]

I wish my bisexuality came with bonus super powers :/

[@lenan5913]

It does we're all werewolves

[@randompotato7391]

@@lenan5913 Oooo, exciting! I never knew this before! I look forward to shifting on the next full moon.

[@plumkeo]

yeah, mine only came with a gender crisis

[@sleazybtd]

@@lenan5913 A good waxing salon took that superpower away from me.

[@alexanderfo3886]

But there is one: we're invisible, after all :-D

[@jonsmissingrib9742]

Captain Jack Harkness was the first lgbtq+ character that I’d seen that didn’t have a coming out story or something like it within the show, and it made me very happy to see a character that didn’t have to prove their validity for everyone. Everyone else was just like “aight seems legit” and didn’t question him at all.

[@noissues5439]

HELP i thought u meant captain jack sparrow

[@randomtinypotatocried]

@@noissues5439 It isn't too far off with Captain Jack Sparrow either

[@clairesegura3530]

@@noissues5439 SAME i was like "did i miss that??!??"

[@noissues5439]

@@clairesegura3530 hahaha plss

[@andrewmalinowski6673]

@@noissues5439 Well, according to Depp he said that he always considered when playing Capt. Jack Sparrow that he was supposed to be LGBT if not necessarily gay. Since finding the article it seemed kind of inspiring, but since it's Disney they might never use it because of the "won't somebody think of the children" argument that will undoubtedly come up

[@Alexander-ww8gx]

In the Shadowhunter books Magnus refers to himself as a “Freewheeling bisexual” and I knew from that moment he was undoubtedly my favorite character.

[@ellismartiskainen7729]

Yes me too!

[@jennycull1061]

SAAAAME!!! He's a true bicon. I love him so much

[@lenan5913]

Do you remember which book? I read most as a kid but I missed that

[@Alexander-ww8gx]

@@lenan5913 I’m pretty sure it was in City Of Lost Souls, but I could be wrong. It was during the truck scene when they were driving to Luke’s barn. Couldn’t find the exact page :/

[@Maria-fm5no]

@@lenan5913 it's from city of lost souls

[@sx160]

"Bisexuality is a loaded issue. With it comes a broad range of specific and difficult life experiences, which may be less appealing to creators than bisexuality as a metaphor." holy shit, this was so powerful!! I've never thought about how bisexuality is used as a metaphor like that (despite being bisexual myself) but this really added to my understanding of these characters and why it's so important for bi characters to be...written by bi people.

[@Hromovlad1]

I em Bi, and I would still write bisexuals as larger than life heroes. As well as heterosexuals. And asexuals. And homosexuals. I don't want to be reminded of real life. Real life is boring. I want cool escapism where everyone is hot and mighty.

[@briar2603]

@@Hromovlad1 TRUE.

[@TigerPrawn_]

You might want to check out Jacob Engelberg’s work about the representation of bisexuality on film. He does a lot about this and bisexuality as metaphors.

[@Goblin_Mom]

Black Lightning does this super well by having a bisexual character who's just bisexual in a normal human way, openly identifies herself as bisexual, and just also happens to have super powers lol

[@rentok1739]

Wait who’s the bisexual character?

[@Goblin_Mom]

@@rentok1739 i thought i remembered Anissa saying she's bisexual but looking it up now i think Grace is the only character that's confirmed to be bi

[@Duck-mn8xp]

Like Aubrey from TAZ? She’s a normal person, but she has magic powers. She’s not from another planet or anything, she’s just magic because her ancestors took a piece of an alien magic crystal, but she’s human herself. She just identifies as bi like a regular person, had a gf, and just is generally cool

[@Nick_B_Cool]

@@rentok1739 Grace Choi

[@clartblart3266]

@@Duck-mn8xp What does TAZ stand for?

[@kurootsuki3326]

mentally though, i am the magical bisexual

[@lenan5913]

Aren't we all

[@kaim0nd]

same

[@JillCohart]

RIGHT!? Honestly, I take a lot of issue with this video for exactly this reason. Bisexuality ISN’T like other orientations; that’s why it’s so awesome! We DO straddle two worlds. We DO tend to be outside thinkers with weird ideas. And yes, we are very often prone to hedonism. I hate this “realistic bi characters” shit because I’m a walking talking bi stereotype. So when I write from my own experiences, people treat me like I’m just being a lazy writer. Kinda feels like that’s what this video is implying too.

[@Troubledfortune]

@@JillCohart preach!🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@ClinomaticVixen]

Me too haha . I'm actually a witch 😅

[@allis_o2628]

Big hate: when characters are obviously bisexual, but the show talks about them as "Straight again" or "Suddenly gay" depending on what gender the character dates at the moment (examples: Piper from OITNB and Samantha from SATC. .. Maybe even Willow from Buffy?).

[@owl.drinks.tequila]

Right? We love the erasure... yall can just say bi its okay 😭

[@emd4390]

iirc Joss Whedon has said he wanted Willow to be bisexual but he didnt think she’d be accepted by the public or something like that

[@loreleiflare7388]

@@emd4390 Okay, but I'm gonna take that with two tablespoons of salt because Joss Whedon never admits his mistakes.

[@emd4390]

@@loreleiflare7388 ok. Im not gonna be a Joss Whedon defense team, he’s not that great or even good tbh 😅

[@loreleiflare7388]

@@emd4390 haha

[@MidnightEkaki]

I want to talk about Constantine since Im a fan of his comics. I really love him as a bisexual character because it was revealed off-offhandedly in a Hellblazer issue in the 90s, it wasn't forced or politicised. It was just a mention of having "the odd boyfriend" and that was it. I should mention that Constantine from that time was kind of different from the one now that we see in LOT. The earlier issues of Hellblazer were very political and horror, and a lot less focused on magic and superheroes like they are now. They specifically focused on a post-Margret Thatcher Britain and dealt with issues such as racism, facism, and homophobia (not really anything to do with Constantine himself though but other gay characters). He was also often very depressed and struggled with a lot of things. So I think his trope is originally actually much more along the lines of being a depraved/anarchistic bisexual. Its interesting to me how hes so openly bisexual in the modern shows & comics but never mentions homosexuality in a political way, however in the early comics he literally talks about homophobia and protects a friend from homophobic attacks. Its a shame they kind of got rid of that aspect about his character because it was one of the most interesting things about him to me.

[@garydoq]

That’s fascinating, I’ve been wanting to seek him out in some comics, he’s a fascinating character. I didn’t realize his bisexuality was revealed so early, as most LBGTQ+ characters have been revealed or created in the 21st century comics. It would have been really interesting to see queer politics in the CW show, and with the network’s liberal/political lean I might’ve expected it. Hopefully in the seasons to come, I believe they haven’t had much time or story cohesive idea to tie in those politics.

[@Raiden6277]

Him being bisexual isn't a shocker. He's fucked everything from demons, angels, and everything in between.

[@skelitonking117]

Lmfao out of everything Constantine has done THAT is the most interesting thing about him? Lmfao what

[@Raiden6277]

@@skelitonking117 I know right. It's like being able to fool even the lords of Hell, a death god, countless demons, and even the Fates is not interesting enough compared to his sexuality.

[@jaernihiltheus7817]

@@garydoq I'd rather not bring anything political on the show, they have a good balance of it atm. However, to pivot away from that, most of the characters whose clips this video shows have either existed as bi/gay or came out as said sexualities in the 80s, 90s, or 2000s. As op said, Constantine has been bi since the 90s, rocky horror picture show was released as a film in 1975 (73 for the stage show), harly quinn has been bi since the (very) early 2000s (though she was created in the 90s, so about a 10 year gap if that), wonder woman, while she hasn't been officially confirmed to be bi until the 2000s or early 2010s, the implication that all amazons are bi or lesbian has been a thing since at least the 50s, same goes for the 60s flash villain pied piper being implied gay with his overt flamboyancy since his creation and then being confirmed to be so in the 90s - likewise the street fighter character Poison was revealed to be trans back in the 80s, and sarah and ava - well - tbh they're OCs of arrow and legends of tomorrow respectively (same with charlie). The tropes this video has talked about have been a thing in nerd culture for a while now and there's always been gay/bi/trans characters in these spaces, even if it had to be done discreetly/subtley to not offend parents (the main reason the comics industry became "child appropriate" durung the 60s and 70s was that some guy who wasn't a fan of comics thought batman and robin were kinda gay and wrote a book about it). I'm glad lgbt characters are allowed to exist freely now without strings attached, but they've always been here in this space before geek culture ever became anywhere close to mainstream (back when it was shunned and people were beat up for liking sci fi/fantasy/video games/comics over the age of 6 which was considered the norm more often than not). This is nothing new is i guess what I'm ultimately trying to say - most people who aren't super into just haven't noticed.

[@thepeopleslast2579]

Grey's anatomy has Callie, a bisexual orthopedic(?) surgeon and I honestly loved the portrayal of it so much. She sadly has to consistently fight both with her lesbian wife and her straight father on her bisexuality on how she identifies and she says multiple times that she's bisexual and even has a child with a man (while she and her partner was seperated) and her wife adopts her. She was the first casual non stereotype bisexual I ever saw and she sticks with me.

[@Pixieee885]

I really really love Callie and how much that representation meant for me growing up

[@Mimmers483]

Darryl from crazy ex girlfriend is without a doubt my favorite “normal” bisexual. Getting Bi is such a bop

[@lenan5913]

And he's dorky and just so so normal. Plus he was introduced in the first season without pressure from the fandom

[@saloni.sharma]

😂 The moment I read this my head went straight to the song "I'm g g ge ge getting bi" with all colors, band and everything...

[@nicolepiscopo6553]

And in the song he's wearing purple while the male dancers wear blue and the females wear red

[@alexshane5713]

Love Darryl 💗

[@crestflames492]

Queen Maeve from The Boys is a character who straddles the line between “Magical Hedonistic Bisexual” and “Normal Bisexual” pretty successfully. I like that they explicitly call her bisexual in the show and have her storyline be a commentary on how bisexuality is erased to increase marketability among the general public. The show makes it very clear that erasure is not a privilege - it is oppression.

[@anotherworldhopper5344]

I’ve just realized that I am a fucking trope. My whole life has been a lie...

[@christianbethany]

(Why does this read like an Adrian Mole diary entry to me)

[@SnowofLight]

Me too, brother. ...or sister. Or whatever you are.

[@JillCohart]

I wish people would stop shamming bisexuals for fitting the stereotype. I hate that kind of respectability politics shit. Even this video feels kinda judgmental about that. It’s like, oh are my real life experiences too stereotypical? I’m sorry I’m not boring enough for you.

[@sophiehelena6737]

cant wait for ace tropes

[@tily5939]

@@JillCohart are you saying you have magical powers?

[@stahlhelmturtle9822]

I refer to this decade as "The Screaming Twenties"

[@lenan5913]

Roaring implies we're all fierce and thriving when really we're just angry and struggling

[@stahlhelmturtle9822]

@@lenan5913 Exactly lol

[@saloni.sharma]

@@lenan5913Lol... I feel called out

[@themaggattack]

@@lenan5913 Roaring basically means the same as screaming in Ireland. So the roaring 20's still works there.

[@andynonymous6769]

I just found this channel and I’ve never felt so valid 🥰

[@saloni.sharma]

Yeah same. 😁

[@eypu999]

ikr?????

[@andynonymous6769]

Just the way she tells us that it's ok not to like both genders 50-50 all the time. Nobody's ever actually said that to me before, that's probably why I never came out. I mean I know that bi people are allowed to have preferences, but it always felt like a big thing that my preferences can change on a whim... her video on the bi-cycle made everything finally click

[@alexanderfo3886]

I can feel you. I had to wait till my thirties to get here, and it was worth it.

[@thedragonflyers6184]

As a bisexual I’m incredibly happy with the magical and hedonistic bisexual - even more so than realistic portrayals

[@jennycull1061]

mood. magnus bane is a bi icon and i dont take any criticism

[@Tayet4Buri]

'scuse me, I *AM* a raging, magical, amazing, hedonistic bisexual. These portrayals are 200% accurate.

[@simmydafinessa8017]

Exactly! the kind of normie benign bisexual representation has no meaning while the magical bi is more adventurous, flawed at heart, more charismatic and reflects me at best because I am emo and I love a good gothic aesthetic along with a rebellious nature.

[@williamozier918]

It seems that society always has to try to go through a "magical X" phase when trying to figure out how to portray an 'other'.

[@garydoq]

Yeah, unfortunately we’re still stuck in that with trans and enby people for the most part. Its not really rep when they do it that way, have a character come from a society without gender or sexuality. I can’t relate to that, because we live in a society with gender and sexuality labels and limits and prejudices.

[@lenan5913]

Little do they know we are magic but it's not a phase

[@bellab2662]

i'm honestly stunned how often the magical black man/woman trope is still used today.

[@lenan5913]

@@bellab2662 I think writers are trying to uplift black people so they give them powers but it doesn't always achieve that. That trope can still be a bit tone-deaf

[@LacerationGravity]

in a torchwood book ianto and gwen have a discussion about bisexuality!! it’s a shame the word is never said in the show though. great video btw, as a bisexy i loved it :]

[@keinnarutofan13]

Do you remember which book?

[@LacerationGravity]

@@keinnarutofan13 twilight streets

[@lawrnc]

Only watched the show and loved it. Would've loved that to feature in the show

[@NayRezendee]

Magnus also talks about identifying as a "freewheeling bissexual" in the books and hangs outs with bi/pan/queer friends throughout different moments of history. But that was not shown in the tv show unfortunately

[@lenan5913]

Shoutout to all the bisexies

[@RanXisXawesome]

You missed Ambrose from the chilling adventures of Sabrina

[@IaMSpeaks]

that's just all of the witches from that show

[@AgentSteffi]

@@IaMSpeaks no Sabrina isn't (as far as I know - haven't seen season 4)

[@IaMSpeaks]

@@AgentSteffi SPOILERS for SABRINA I mean she also just is not a witch...

[@TheFreekje]

@@AgentSteffi probably because she's the main character

[@estellacorduroy5259]

He's pansexual

[@finalgwen]

Excellent video, and as I watched I was like "Wow, yeah, this really is my fave bi archetype in fiction." Some of my favourite musicals are filled with them, like Bat Out Of Hell which has a subculture of slightly magical/mutant rebels who are all pretty bi coded and hedonistic in their own right. (Also, there's an interesting trend of immortal bis in fiction. Probably started with Orlando, but it's definitely a thing, and even beyond Jack, Doctor Who has at least a handful to name off the top of my head before and after him. No bad thing though, given everything else we have to deal with, at least could take the weight of mortality off!)

[@andynonymous6769]

I’ve thought about the immortal bisexual trope before: I think maybe it’s because as time goes on, immortal characters tend to become more hedonistic since they run out of things they haven’t done before. So of course writers are going to bi-code them. These characters usually don’t like limiting their options by deciding that they only want to have sex with one specific category. I am kind of conflicted about that trope- sometimes it’s implied that they weren’t bi until they became immortal and they’re just bi out of boredom. That’s... interesting? Not gonna judge anyone’s lgbt awakening

[@darlalathan6143]

I created on, myself!

[@mayananji]

@@andynonymous6769 This is interesting, I've thought kind of similarly but more like they're immortal so they stop giving a fuck trying to restrict themselves to people's ideas so they just decide to live the way they want or bc they have so much time to just try things they end up realising they like it either way. I think the idea of not dying as well ties into our ingrained like fear of hell and stuff so once the writer creates a character that's immortal, there's no hell or consequences to fear.

[@andynonymous6769]

@@mayananji i like your interpretation better

[@ryptoll4801]

I love the magical/hedonistic bisexual characters too. I am a hedonistic, magical bisexual (well, magical in a metaphorical sense of course, I mean I'm quite excentric and have a ton of confidence, but I also wear the label bisexual openly and rant about the struggles of being bi) so I relate a lot to those characters. But I agree other types of bisexuals should be represented as well, of course.

[@tamarbeker1701]

Exactly. Same over here.

[@isalesme015]

I really loved this video💕 Honestly I never really put in perspective how the magical or impossible aspect of some of these characters could somehow metaphorically be assigned to bisexuality. Although it is somehow of a trope, I do love the Jack Harnesses and River Songs of the world. Also, a good example of the "normal bisexual" is Feel Good from Netflix and I thought it would pop on the video (maybe it did and I didn't notice, idk) anyways I definitely recommend it.

[@verilybitchie]

Thank you! I thought about putting Feel Good in there actually, and I think I just forgot in the end! Love that show!

[@damekkoDark]

Klaus, not belonging to the world of living or dead, is such an obvious metaphor I'm surprised it wasnt mentioned until actor involvement

[@julyol119]

I went into this with the thought "Oh, I hope they don't hate this trope, because I love it O.O" Im very happy with the results.

[@tamarbeker1701]

Yup

[@asterismos5451]

Sticking to the shadowhunter books because they have everything I could ever want and they definitely explicitly use the word bisexual for their bisexual characters.

[@noname-hz1sf]

Thank you for this video! I've really struggled with embracing my sexuality because of tropes like these. I don't feel, or want to feel, hedonistic or transgressive or special, and as more and more bi representation has come out but so much of it falls into these tropes, I've actually felt more alienated from my own identity, not less! It helps to know I'm not the only one who's affected by representation like this.

[@randomtinypotatocried]

I wish there was more bisexual/pansexual male characters since it feels like it's constantly just women

[@jaernihiltheus7817]

Female non-hetero characters not in strictly comedic or blink and you'll miss it kind of minor roles are far more common in fiction in general. Overwhelmingly so. It's honestly kind of annoying at times because there's almost always a token gay/bi character in any given show nowadays (min of 1) and it feels like 9/10 they're either female or only around for like 5 minutes every other episode (including scenes where they don't have any lines).

[@glitched-eyes7378]

I need a t-shirt with Magical Hedonistic Bisexual on it now

[@tsukkitaiyo3106]

8 months after you post this video we have bisexual loki. well, we've ever had him as one of us but loki used to be part of these three categories you said and now, on his own show, it's clear his bisexuality is finally represented as the last category. "a bit of both", with a beautiful bi lighting scenario and in the middle of a conversation about what is love. of course, behind this conquer is a bisexual director

[@eoincampbell1584]

If you want some great bi rep watch Crazy Ex Girlfriend, 3 different bi characters who are all super different and one of them even sings a song about being bi.

[@theod078]

hey this is a really good video!!

[@kato6196]

Wow, this encapsulates my thoughts so perfectly. As much as I would love more "normal" bi rep, this trope(s) is such a fun escapist power fantasy.

[@annachan8151]

This portrayal is actually what lead me to discover myself and feel ok about how weird and out of place I feel everyday. I love the heathenistic bisexuals who are both powerful and weird and amazing and also unashamed to be themselves.

[@kinocrone7275]

As someone who mostly exclusively consumes fantasy and sci fi, pleasse don't ever stop doing the hedonistic magical bisexual. They bring me life.

[@eev14]

The main representation I miss in the media is the fact that as a bisexual woman you're far more likely to have mostly male partners and that this brings about a great deal of uncertainty, even when you're 100% sure of your bisexuality you might still doubt it just because you rarely end up in a same sex relationship. Reasons for that of course vary but often it has to do with being 'straight-passing' or generally unrecognizable as a woman that likes women. I would really like to see that portrayed.

[@tabularasa]

"Bisexuality as a metaphor" is so obvious to me now, after seeing all the numerous examples presented in this video, but it hadn't really occurred to me before. Oh, it's been too long since I've been in any Comp Lit classes 😂 Thank you for this one. Very concise and nicely edited

[@iknowyouwanttofly]

I used to be the hedonistic bisexual but sadly not very magical. But know I am almost 30 and want to be the boringly stable family bisexual. I wish I knew any movies with boring familybi. Like someone wanting to start a family and thinking about if they should swipe on tinder for men woman or both. Cause starting a family will look so diffrent and is it wrong to think about when dateing etc. Ordinary problems like that.

[@themaggattack]

As a bisexual, having felt hedonistic but not magical is so relatable. Bisexuals have traditionally been hypersexualized. I love sex, but I am discerning about it. I'm demisexual, but there was a time when I completely ignored the demi in me. Having internalized common misconceptions about bisexuality, I didn't think I had the right to be demi! I thought demi sexuality was only for cis, straight virgin prudes! (Also a common misconception.) I had internalized the common false assumption that being bisexual automatically made me some kind of boundariless nymphomaniac. I was playing to the expectations society constantly set on me as a bisexual. When trying to figure out how to express who we are, we often tend to first go down the wrong path, trying to live up to and fit into the box of what's expected of us. It's especially difficult to be bisexual when bi-erasure and misconceptions of bisexuality are pervasive in both straight communities AND gay communities. To be more accurate, I identify as omnisexual now, but back before there was a word for that, I identified as bi. Actually, I usually didn't openly identify, because it was rarely recieved without a whole grip of assumptions instantly tacked onto it. As soon as someone would find out I was bi, the exploitation, expectations, assumptions, shaming and judgment would ensue. Performative bisexuality was a VERY common expectation. I wasn't into that. But I dabbled in it a little bit, just for want of some type of acceptance. It was so hurtful to be shunned by people for not wanting to be just used like a sex doll. They wanted eye candy, just for clout and immage. Only for for their temporary consumption. And then discarded like nothing. (I'm not young and fit anymore, so I no longer would have to worry about being viewed as just eye candy!) Still, simply by saying "I'm bi" could get you discarded, ignored, disrespected and assumed to be just a confused slut. By gays and by straits, alike. Especially in the past, being bisexual felt indeed like being an alien. A dirty alien, unworthy of love or respect. So Jack Harkness and other brilliant characters like him were DEFINITELY my heros!! Here's to magical alien bisexual empowerment! 👽

[@anitaguadalupe6259]

@@themaggattack OMG, same I'm demisexual too, but I suffer the hipersexualisation also

[@mr.miscellaneous1079]

The good place was good bi rep too I think

[@saloni.sharma]

Yeah me too... It was subtle and they never made a big deal out of it but it was there. Eleanor is bisexual and everyone can see that time and again and it's not a big deal. Maybe because both TGP and B99 are created by Michael Schur.... And B99 is yet another show that shows very realistic representation of bisexuals.

[@saloni.sharma]

Thinking about it now I just realised that Parks and Recreation is also created by Michael and.... It has subtle representation of polyamorous bi relationship as well.

[@anitaguadalupe6259]

Yeah but I think that Kristen Bell is also bi

[@anomienormie8126]

As someone who relates most to the magical/hedonistic bisexual trope, I kind of resent it being called unrealistic and not the “normal human bisexual way”. I never had a sexuality crisis; I thought bisexuality was a given. And it shocked me to learn that people didn’t treat it as such.

[@TalysAlankil]

I can't believe that I'm going to defend Shadowhunters, my pop culture nemesis since 2013, but it's a little strange to show a clip of magnus bane when you bring up that the hedonistic magical bisexual won't ever use the label when he literally does (in the books anyway, I forget if he does in the show). Just a tiny nitpick though, excellent essay otherwise

[@Angria_Ra]

I want to recommend other two characters that fall into these tropes: Captain Flint from Black Sails, a pirate with revolutionary ideals, and Michael from Roswell New Mexico, an alien with a rebel heart who finds himself on earth (and who, to my surprise, uses the word bisexual not once but twice to talk about himself!). Anyways I didn't expect to see Piper on this list. I didn't watch OITNB until the end but I remember the controversies surrounding the fact that other characters identified her as a lesbian or straight numerous times and she was never allowed to reply and correct them. It felt like the writers were doing it on purpose considering they had no problems saying "gay" "lesbian" and "trans" for the entirety of the show. It became even more obvious when they had Soso forgo the magic word as well. Though I think I heard they finally let Piper use the B word in the final season.

[@verilybitchie]

I think the way that Piper's bisexuality effects her relationships is realistic, even if they don't use the word bi. Compare that to Magnus Bane, River Song, etc. I think its fine to put aside the identity politics for this topic and just think of bisexual as meaning "a person who experience attraction to some people regardless of gender". I don't think using the word "bi" is vital to make a portrayal more grounded, as many of us don't use labels in real life anyway. Though I do think the way LGBT is often being translated to "lesbian, gay, and trans" is an issue, I think it can be considered a separate issue in this context, though one worth talking about, for sure.

[@Angria_Ra]

@@verilybitchie My criticism of the missing B word stems more from a trend than individual cases. Hearing characters use the words "gay" and "lesbian" to describe themselves just isn't as uncommon as hearing a bi character call themselves "bisexual", which makes me think that rather than having an issue with labels in general (fair enough), writers have an issue with the word "bisexual" in particular, cause they've formed negative associations to it. And while it's true that this mirrors real life (gay people in my experience are more likely to call themselves gay compared to bi people who call themselves bi), it's a shame to see media not trying to combat this and rehabiliate the bisexual label just as they've done with the gay and lesbian ones. After all behind labels, behind words more precisely, there's power, history, strength and, most importantly, community. Bisexual isn't a dirty a word and hiding from it, rather than shouting it from the rooftops, only feeds into internalized biphobia in my opinion. On a sidenote: Magnus' actor said that he was actually actively fighting to get his character to use the word (and indeed in the books he openly calls himself "a freewheeling bisexual" and there are way more issues with Alec really not dealing well with Magnus' attraction to multiple genders and sexually promiscuous past) but it never happened in the show so I'm assuming he lost that fight. Eventually even the books' author (a straight woman) went back on it. She was told on twitter about the supposed "difference" between bisexuality and pansexuality (and by that I mean the difference made up by 15 years olds on tumblr who don't know anything about bi history, bi communities or LGBT communities in general) and said that he's actually pansexual.

[@verilybitchie]

Oh yeah I agree, I just mean that Piper not using the B word doesn't exclude her from the category I put her in.

[@Visplight]

Ah, Captain Flint - the angry pirate bisexual!

[@freebeerishere]

captain flint 💗💗💗💗

[@queerlyvictorian]

Small note: in the books, Magnus Bane declares his sexuality openly and with a label - book Magnus was actually the character who exposed me to the word “bisexual.”

[@nataliajokhan1865]

I’m In love with 90% of characters in this video.... pretty much all the legends

[@keefashine2657]

I don't see enough comments talking about the Magicians. Eliot is the hedonist, even if he's more gay and flexible than he is bi. Quentin and Margo are both bi, with Margo being confirmed on screen and Q's never fully confirmed (as in, Margo straight out said she found a woman hot and would sleep with her. Q did sleep with Eliot more than once but it's never addressed and then he dies so :/ eh) but the three of them are close and all queer. and all magical, hedonistic and Q is depressed. I love them all with my whole heart

[@soph1111e]

If I were a movie/tv character I’d be a normal bisexual who thinks they’re a magical hedonist bisexual

[@stanfordfeynman2796]

“Hey guys, when we said we play both sides, this is not what we meant...”

[@Brione30]

What I love about Jack Harkness as a bi representative is that he flirts with almost everyone he encounters, but it’s never portrayed as him being slutty or perverted. He’s just the type of character who legitimately has romantic feelings for so many different people of so many different identities, and wants to pursue those feelings in a normal healthy way.

[@roxannarodriguez2050]

Castiel from Supernatural is a magical bisexual :)

[@TrashGremlenDoesArt]

Don’t forget dean!

[@roxannarodriguez2050]

@@TrashGremlenDoesArt he is very much the hedonistic bisexual

[@ziraelxx5879]

"I love them. I do" at the end was so soft I slitghtly wheezed Great video!

[@Kuudere-Kun]

How do you tell the difference between the Magical Bisexual Trope, and a Bisexual who can labeled that simply because it's a fantastical story and probably every main character is "magical" in some capacity? I'm pretty Sarah Lance has in fact explicitly identified as Bisexual.

[@kellharris2491]

Probably on their narrative arc.

[@jaernihiltheus7817]

Sarah is bi, yes. Though prefer women

[@rosalinecapulet]

Based on how the Magical Bisexual is described here, it seems to me that the difference is in whether their bisexuality is used as a way to show that they’re ~otherworldly and alien~ or if it’s just treated as part of their character the way a monosexual orientation would be

[@spins_jj9820]

I'd say it is getting better. I mean, Lucifer officially identifies as bisexual, and has an officially pan friend. Magnus has an official tag on ao3 about his bisexuality and its officially named in the books, in the show he had a girlfriend and has a husband. I've also realised most of my favourite characters are here

[@Robo5apien]

Some people say why all the labels, because if people want to put us in a box we'll just find more boxes.

[@popflicktionedits3256]

There is also the bisexual that the creators of the show claim to be bisexual but never show any interest whatsoever in the same gender

[@thomasw4422]

Some of those like Harkness do present a future to inspire to. You don't see straight meetup groups because it is normalisted, and not needed. In the far future, it would be nice to see that extended to everyone else too. In the near future, even.

[@DillyDallysDelights]

You're channel is really helping me process a lot of thoughts and feelings I've been having about both sexuality and gender. Your video about sexuality helped me feel more comfortable with the muddled feelings I have. I know exactly where I stand, but its just not as clean cut as the world expects it to be. I finally feel like it's okay that it's not simple. Also it was neat to learn about the history of lesbianism and the different ideologies around it. And also I think I needed to hear what you said in your videos about the lesbian masterdoc/comphet.

[@Jadzia_Dax]

Your channel is wonderful, thankyou!

[@loreleiflare7388]

I'm bisexual, extremely thotty and kinky, and also quite ace. It's a real pain to explain the last point to people.

[@MoonyMoonzzi]

*Explains “Magical Bissexual”* Me: Zagreus Hades??????????

[@marie5349]

Tbh half of the characters can be described at such

[@redheadrogue]

Sadly, a lot of the time I've found "normal bisexual" characters to be written poorly, by making them all very promiscuous and unfaithful. While these characters don't fall into the categories of evil, magical, or hedonistic, they are still victims of the idea that "Bisexuals are cheaters/will cheat on you." Rosa was one of the few characters I had ever seen being openly bi and I was REALLY excited. Then they wrote a subplot of her flirting with two people and being unable to choose between them, and leading them both on in the process. She never outright "cheated" on either of them, but the fact that it was written in still pissed me off. So while there has been a little progress towards the writing of bisexual characters, we still have a LONG way to go.

[@dutchik5107]

I mean the autistic bisexual is statistically not unlikely. Especially not for women. Yes there is an overlap. Autistic people are more likely to be lgbtq. Autistic women are Especially more likely to be bisexual

[@celestia849]

@Alessia A it may be the way that our brains are wired? I’m not a psychologist, but I am an autistic bi woman who knows many other aspie bi women too. (Take my anecdotal evidence with a pinch of salt though) From what I’m aware of, there’s a study that either has been or is being conducted on the overlap between being autistic and LGBTQ+

[@lenan5913]

Magnifique. The whole video is *chef's kiss

[@loreleiflare7388]

"Bisexuality as a metaphor" is a really useful way to refer to it. I want "autism as a metaphor" to become a normalized way of critiquing modern autistic representation in characters like Community's Abed, Dumbing of Age's Dina and She-Ra's Entrapta: a seemingly positive, but at the same time weirdly fetishized and savanticized, version of a disability that is rarely as simple and all-encompassing as depicted in these characters.

[@jaschul]

Hmm. John Constantine was created in the 1980s for the SWAMP THING comic and his bisexuality was made explicit when Jamie Delano was writing HELLBLAZER circa 1990. But no writer really did anything with that fact, so to speak, until the late 90s. I suppose John would've said something like "I don't have a community, squire, I don't have the bloody time." Something like that.

[@TigerPrawn_]

3:40 This is sooo true. Also, Shiri Eisner talks about this on the episode of Two Bi Guys podcast they were on.

[@AngDevigne]

Hit me right in the feels.

[@avatarlhamo3063]

I like most of bi characters and what they radiate as you explained gorgeously, and I get the "Other" can’t vocally sort themselves as bi without feeling a bit off and counter-intuitive but my only regret is there’s so few onscreen representation of panic and moments of doubt which feels like the opposite of the magical hedonistic etc vibe. Bi constantly doubt themselves by waves and cycles and they don’t fully know if it’s based on "mono-normativity" (either gay or straight like you have to choose) of society or a confusion that come from themselves for other reasons

[@Ireallywouldrathernot]

I'm here to spread the word that Hawkeye in Mash is Bi.

[@lawrnc]

Yes I love this type of character too, definitely empowering. Always loved Jack Harkness. But on the other hand it's also important to recognize that this is mostly a fantasy not real life. Also the approach of not identifying as bi, instead pretending that everyone is secretly bi and orientation doesn't exist can backfire. In the years I realised that not identifying exposed me to confused comments and judgements from others, even without malice, where every one of my relationship became about the gender of my partner, like "so you date women/men now?!". And also had someone close often told me I should act in this hypersexualised way, like " I saw that bi character, why are you not dating anyone right now?". When I started to identify as unequivocally and clearly as bi (rather than saying crap like "do we even need labels") it removed a lot of those negative interactions.

[@Plottoberry]

What are your thoughs on the bisexuals Darrell and Valencia from Craxy Ex Girlfriend?

[@verilybitchie]

Oh I think they're great! I suspect there may have been a bisexual behind the scenes on that show, though I can't prove it! If there's not, it gives me hope for monosexual writers!

[@Plottoberry]

@@verilybitchie I'm not sure. However, the actor who plays Josh is a homosexual man, who is playing a straight dude.

[@IPONJ]

Excellent video essay. Well thought out, written and narrated. Hated every minute of this wonderful work. ;)

[@femmefatale4442]

Where are my magical powers that come with being bi???

[@sirin9850]

its common knowledge that all bisexuals have magic powers

[@neivilde.1242]

i do hope more men start being portrayed as the normal bisexual, i mean we all the the most powerful duo is the bi girl and bi guy best friends

[@katesampleseverything]

"You people and your quaint little categories." Definitely how I see the world and specifically sexuality.

[@mayasidhe8780]

You showed the clip of Eliot waugh and I nearly squeaked with glee!

[@starsndips]

Magical Hedonists: here to have a good time and to help their homies 😌

[@grozmeistere7504]

Guess I'm a hedonistic bisexual then

[@markinscoe3739]

Now we have Nick and Ben from Heartstopper contributing to the sparse population of normal bisexuals. At first glance, Ben seems like an evil bisexual but his bad behavior doesn't come from his being bisexual but from his inability to come to terms with his own orientation.

[@kanellita]

i haven't enjoyed a video so much in a long time!

[@laurengray7010]

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has some normal bisexual characters, like Daryl and Valencia. But I've been watching Loki and he definitely fits into that magical hedonistic bisexual trope. He even calls himself hedonistic recently after mentioning being bisexual.

[@edenkalaj-rice8608]

Ive never realized that the majority of characters that I love in these shows and/or kin fit this trope. a new revelation has washed over me. thank you for this

[@mistermangoman69]

“Bisexuality goes hand in hand with power” well what the fuck happened with me then I know a 4 year old,who is genuinely stronger than me

[@sleazybtd]

Strength isn't the only power you can have.

[@MiriamClairify]

me pausing everytime theres a magicians clip to cry some more Don't worry about

[@cyrus159]

I definitely did this as well, I couldn't help myself

[@tonyagibbs1963]

Wonderful work!

[@rebeccalambert3240]

"have a chat with their bisexual friends about being bisexual" I haven't even seen a full episode of torchwood and I know that's what it's about-

[@gloglotv4094]

Thanks for this video! It's really informative and made me question some of these tropes and how they've come to affect me.

[@natbatrat-d7e]

i was a child who related to jack harkness, now i’m an adult who relates to klaus hargreeves

[@GaysianAmerican]

Magnus Bane becomes a loving and devoted husband to Alexander Lightwood and father to two children.

[@Killi880]

As much as i am for real representation with the realistic bisexual.. the hedonistic /magical bisexual is so amazing to look at most of the time😊

[@vincentgeiszler3749]

This is a very old video but I do think it’s important to mention that John Constantine’s relationship to his bisexuality is extremely human and not at all related to his magic- in fact, while John Constantine is a magician, he is, first and foremost, just a dude. Like he’s legit just a blue collar worker from Liverpool who fell into occult stuff to cope with childhood trauma (some of which stemmed from his father’s homophobia) and is now addicted to it, even if it’s killing him. His bisexuality was revealed in issue 51 of Hellblazer, an issue where he’s sitting in a laundromat and panicking trying to exist in a normal space without danger, thinking about how he’s too fucked up to be loved. It’s a beautiful story and an extremely human one, at that. He’s my favorite bisexual ever.

[@jackparsons8612]

"Magical hedonistic bisexual" is the closest thing I've come to a sublime description of myself. Seems accurate to me!

[@rociosaborido7993]

Thank you, now I identify as magical hedonistic bisexual. This has been truly illuminating 💜

[@marbleking1307]

Why always women are bisexual, but almost never men?

[@Kinography]

So straight men can fetishize them 🙄

[@ahsink.3080]

Fantastic video 💖

[@WhiteScorpio2]

As a magical hedonistic bisexual (well, biromantic, but that's details) I feel represented.

[@d007ization]

Stereotypes sure run deep.

[@lavernebennet7395]

I definitely see where John Constantine falls into the "hedonistic bisexual" trope, but I don't think he's a "magical bisexual" beyond in the literal sense. I haven't seen Legends of Tomorrow, but comics Constantine (whose bisexuality was revealed in 1992, albeit in a Loki-like mention of "the odd boyfriend" but I think that's more acceptable for the 90s) is just some guy from Liverpool who learned how to cast spells (to quote him, "any cunt can do it"). Him not identifying as bi explicitly is still a problem though; the only instance I can think of is a shot with a bunch of polaroid photos in it and one of them is John wearing a bi flag tie, but I didn't even notice the tie at first glance.

[@saraa.4295]

I actually like the description of sexual preference in the 100, where everyone is assumed to be bisexual, or at least no one assumes anything, whatever partner you choose, they are your partner, without assuming the opposite gender is now no longer an option