lowkey forget that most people are not even remotely aware of what asexual and aromantic mean as queer identities. like when i remember that i, myself, thought i was literally the only person in the world who didnt want to be intimate with anyone, i think of how many other people think they’re all alone.
im so excited that alice oseman is in charge of one of the most genuine and fun shows out there, and that they are acearo themselves, and will be putting the utmost care into her ace/aro characters
there’s still so much further to go but i am so hopeful that their work will be the start to more aromantic and asexual characters who are fully fleshed out and celebrated so actual people belonging to these groups can feel seen, can feel supported, and feel validated :)
i just finished the last ep of heartstopper earlier today and holy shit I cried. when I read nick coming out to his mom in the comic it was emotional for me because it was just a beautiful moment for him and his journey in accepting and finding his bisexuality. but when I watched that scene with Kit Connor and Olivia Colman I just bawled. the fact that Nick’s mom is just so supportive and says “I’m sorry you felt like you couldn’t tell me” is just so heartwarming. i sobbed because I knew I could never have that moment with my mother. i sobbed because I know my mother doesn’t believe in people being gay. i sobbed because I know she would say I’m just confused and that I’m just gay. i sobbed because I just came out to my uncle because I was desperate for someone in my family to give me support and he without question completely accepted me for who I am because he had a feeling but let me come to him when I was ready. the lgbtq+ but more specifically the bi representation in heartstopper is beautiful, raw and real and it made me even more proud to be bi. it made me be happy for the people who do have people like Nick’s mom because they do have that support that I don’t have from my mom. so for those who do have supportive family members please don’t take them for granted and for those who don’t I’m here for you. also, do me a favor please watch heartstopper, you won’t regret it :)
okay i actually managed to get some (semi) coherent thoughts down on the brilliance of heartstopper asjnka so here goes:
Nick (Kit Conner) absolutely STOLE the show I mean of course EVERYONE was amazing and fantastic but NICK what a sweetheart what a darl I’m sorry but it’s the truth
Elle is so gorgeous. What
ALICE ON THE TRAIN I DIDN’T EVEN REALIZE
I just want to flatten Tao’s hair I’m so sorry
Darcy having a lil gay panic moment when Tara kisses her at sports day, like just look at her expression everyone and try to tell me she’s not whipped
and of course Charlie always having sweet gay panics and giggles and and his smiles
the gay panic phone-background with the text. enough said.
Isaac reading in every scene. I think I can say for all of us that this is who we are and who we want to be spiritually and on all levels.
“Hi I am Darcy I am hERE to meet the local gays !!”
Elle’s hair Elle’s hair Elle’s hair
Girl In Red, Choice Moriondo and Orla Gartland in the soundtrack!!!!
all the little comic screen splits and little animations are just perfection and soooo cuteee especially the little electricity pew pew
The COLOUR SCHEME I could write a whole screen and media analysis on the colours and animation for my degree
Tara simultaneously being in love and completely exasperated by Darcy at all times, iconic.
Imogen and her Tik Tok hair !! it would not be a real teen show if someone didn’t have those little blonde streak framing their face ya know?
how similar it was to the comic - down to the scenes and framing and the lines like “CHAR” !!! my heart !!!
Honestly. The most accurate portrayal of teenagers texting . AND most accurate representation of teenagers. Like they actually looked like real teenagers. I am very happy for them.
Charlie’s happy little face and heart eyes when nick was having is romantic speech/breakdown about how amazing and kind Charlie is
Darcy screaming homophobia when their kissing was interrupted, the most accurate representation of a queer teen I’ve ever seen.
Also Darcy literally wearing a random ass hoodie over her uniform like no one else is doing that and I KNOW from going to a school with strictish uniform policy that she probably was not even allowed to do that and we stan.
and lastly, and most iconically “Do you like this girl?” “…..Her dog died”.
What it is: a webcomic about two boys at an British all-boys school.
Why it’s on this list: The main boy is gay, having come out in the last year. The other lead explores his sexuality as the comic goes on. It’s a love story folks, and it’s great.
Where you can find it: It’s on tumblr at @heartstoppercomic, and you can also read it on Tapas here. Alice also has a few published novels, including a novella about Nick and Charlie, and you can find out more about her and those books on her website here.
I stumbled upon this comic randomly, because tumblr actually suggested something good, for once. I read it all at once, and it’s such a well-told story. Beautifully simple at moments, I could read dozens of pages of Charlie and Nick just talking.
There’s a scene where they’re having a serious conversation, and I didn’t even notice that there was something in the background changing in each panel until it was almost taking over the next one. And it has to be one of my favourite pages. It’s also a great metaphor for the whole comic, little things told in the expressions of the leads and also of their friends, classmates, and teachers, as they become friends and maybe sometime more.
The way identity is approached in Heartstopper is really lovely, too. It’s very real, and it has a character who realized he was gay quite young and a character who is just starting to question his identity as the story happens, with neither being treated as more valid than the other.
There’s some classic tropes in here, like the pretending to just be friends in public, the pushy ex (who is thoroughly warned for, the author puts warnings at the top of any update that has anything potentially triggering, including said Bad Dude), and even plays around with the Jock and Musician kind of dynamic. Notice how I said classic - nothing about them felt cliche, and I really am enjoying how each of them are playing out in the narrative. It really does feel Classic, which is so exciting, because queer stories so rarely get to be that. We deserve every kiss in the rain we can get, and Nick and Charlie deliver.
The whole comic really does feel like getting to watch a flower slowly bloom, which is why it makes so much sense that that’s an ongoing motif for the comic itself.
Oh! Shout out to Charlie’s friends - often, the already out kid doesn’t get to have friends, but he has some really good ones. We’re just getting to know some of them where the comic is right now, but I’m excited to see more. One of the characters just introduced is a trans girl, and there’s also a side character who’s a lesbian and she has a girlfriend!
The author also treats us to some awesome alternate universe oneshots, including a Harry Potter one. I felt positively spoiled.
If you’re a fan of soft boys falling in love, or you just need something to make you feel warm on the inside, give Heartstopper a try.
Note: The author does talk about how eventually this comic will deal with some pretty heavy stuff, but that no one will die and that Nick and Charlie are made for each other. You can find more info about what exactly the comic will cover on the comic’s FAQ page.
Reading Heartstopper? Let us know what you think! And if you’re looking for more great queer content, reminder that this is Day 9 of 365 queer reviews, one for each day of 2018. You can find all the reviews here.
i love how heartstopper literally hits like almost every letter in the lgbtqia+ acronym but never feels like diversity for the sake of diversity. the characters are not tokenized, stereotyped, or flattened into a letter. they are an unapologetic, queer, vibrant friend group whose identities and personalities shine.
