While birds are chirping, bees are a-buzzin, and "Official" oracles of corporate media are wailing far off in the distance, we here at Narnia are basking in the glow and enjoying the cool soothing breezes of what it feels like to be winning.
Amid the monotonous backdrop of what has amusingly become downright silly, delusional media narratives about how Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles are not in a committed relationship together (no way, no how), and most importantly clearly not gay in anyway, shape, or form, these two never cease to casually stroll right on by with a good-natured wave of the hand and a knowing smile to go about their business. Without missing a step, each man making sure to provide glimpses into what is genuinely going on behind the scenes, and what is just a load of rubbish designed to stir up trouble and sow doubt and confusion. In big ways and small, each guy reminding us that the lights of fame will never blind them, or prevent the other from always finding their way home.
Let's begin with just a few of Sony/Syco's most recent, head shaking storytelling efforts. The first "programmed" instance occurred in early summer when the 1D fandom was hit with the outlandish, but obviously well-timed and intentional controversy, which aired on the HBO series, Euphoria. The curious episode, broadcasted on June 30th, included a female character by the name of Kat, who we are told by the narrator is only 11 years old. Her happy life takes a disruptive turn when she goes on a family vacation to Sandals, Jamaica for 8 days and because of her dislike of the ocean (we see a jelly fish attached to her leg to hit home the reason why) she decides to make her own kind of fun by drinking 72 Virgin Piña Coladas in one week. Apparently, her bacchanalia bender of the sugary beverage causes her to rapidly gain 20 pounds, and at only 5'2" the audience learns that her body weight became quite "noticeable".
Given the narrator's careful choice of words, one might have been initially fooled into thinking that the plot development for this episode had been penned by sensitive, insightful types. Those kind of individuals who are plainly "woke" when it comes to portraying body image issues and the inner struggles of a young girl as she looks at herself in the mirror and struggles to fit into her clothes after returning from the Caribbean Island. First impressions can be deceiving, however, as the viewing audience is quickly relieved of their misunderstanding. Instead of a thoughtful exploration of a youngster's self worth, the storytelling jarringly pivots (or should we use the word swerves instead?) to an awkwardly produced RPS (real person slash) M/M pairing, "starring" Louis Tomlinson and his One Direction bandmate, Harry Styles. The setting of a teen drama mini-series providing the perfect exit ramp for any possibly perceived insult since it's just a TV show after all.
In fact, if ever fans needed proof that Sony/Syco is continuing to use corporate media to denounce and stigmatize the credibility of Larry Stylinson as an actual relationship post hiatus, (e.g., Happy Together and the theatrical release of After two more parallel examples) this recent depiction is all one needs to be convinced of that notion. Three's the charm, after all. In other words, if Larry Stylinson was just a rumor conjured up by crazy fangirls with deranged sexual fantasies like Sony/Syco has wanted the public to believe since One Direction skyrocketed to global prominence in 2012, why doesn't management just bury the chatter? Sony/Syco certainly has the connections and the resources to accomplish that goal, along with an inherent lack of human decency. The simple answer is unavoidable after experiencing years upon years of relentless industry counterplots and machinations. That's right, the romantic relationship between Louis and Harry is all too real, and "still going strong". For TPTB this is a most inconvenient truth that just refuses to die. No matter how hard they try to reshape the narrative.
We see you, Harry:
Harry Styles Live on Tour, Madison Square Garden, June 22, 2018
Performing "Still the One" with Kacey Musgraves
Performing "Still the One" with Kacey Musgraves
Now, don't get us wrong, industry insiders and powerful people with axes to grind have made some inroads in their spin about delusional fangirls imposing sexualities on two obviously "straight" band members. For the past three years, there has been a highly controlled, rinse, wash, repeat coverage of the subject of Larry Stylinson in the mass media. In addition to the hardly "spontaneous" on the record (Translation: gun to his head) denials from Louis Tomlinson.
The targeted campaign allowing certain individuals to push Harry and Louis deeper into the closet knowing that NDAs and contracts prevent them from speaking up or from coming out. And, secondly this periodic denigration (the discrediting term 'conspiracy' inevitably attached to the moniker) is a way of continuing to factionalize (through a war of attrition) the 1D fandom. The constant ridicule surrounding the very idea that these two men are together continues to marginalize and ostracize the once formidable Larrie supporters. The plan is partly homophobic, partly based on revenge, partly a power play.
So let's return to the content of the Euphoria episode to wrap this example up. Overweight and now a social outcast, Kat starts high school and begins to write fan fiction. She apparently doesn't need much time to become one of the most prolific fan writers on Tumblr. And, what's the story that makes her instantaneously famous? "The First Night," a 7,000 word fic largely credited with starting "the Larry Stylinson conspiracy theory." Spelling out to viewers, just in case they were unaware, that any speculation about Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles of One Direction secretly "f*cking" one another (Euphoria's words, not ours) was just made up by some sexually frustrated prepubescent teenager. Just silly fangirl stuff. And certainly nothing to do with two young men falling in love.
Excuse us for a moment while we....
Oh,
did we forget to mention that the Larry Stylinson segment concludes with an animated
sex scene (i.e., blow job) between Harry and
Louis, hurling them into the heavens with the guys actually morphing
into twinkling constellations as they curl into one another in an
erotic 69 formation? How could we ever forget that?
With
this enormous sized golf ball teed up at the ready, less than 24-hours later, here comes the inevitable "Louis Tomlinson" twitter response
(which fans have been subjected to for nearly seven years). Once again,
wrapped up in the feign personal outrage.
The tweet that started it all:
By the way, I think it's important to note, that somehow neither Sony/Syco, Rob Stringer, Simon Jones, David Massey, nor Simon Cowell are ever upset at these media portrayals. That's right Louis' tweet assures everyone that "he" is the lone industry insider speaking out against this perceived outrage, amplified, of course, with companion headlines indicating that One Direction fans are livid as well:
The tweet that started it all:
By the way, I think it's important to note, that somehow neither Sony/Syco, Rob Stringer, Simon Jones, David Massey, nor Simon Cowell are ever upset at these media portrayals. That's right Louis' tweet assures everyone that "he" is the lone industry insider speaking out against this perceived outrage, amplified, of course, with companion headlines indicating that One Direction fans are livid as well:
One Direction fans are furious after HBO's 'Euphoria' featured a racy animated scene between Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson
Insider.comThis nonsense was followed a little over a month later on August 2, 2019 by a member of the gay community (so why would he lie, right?); Queer Eye‘s culture expert Karamo Brown. Frankly, this set up was expected by Narnia after seeing Harry socialize in Japan with Queer Eye's cast back in February 2019. Let's get real, it was only a matter of time before something came of that much publicized meeting. Fast forward nearly half a year later to right before Harry launches his Gucci fragrance campaign when the now 1D factionalized fandom is most engaged, and here comes Brown's great "reveal" of how he helped instruct Harry Styles about the queer dating/ hookup app, Grindr. Because, of course, everyone knows how clueless "straight" Harry is about all this gay stuff. You know, the extroverted rainbow flag waving, "I mess around with him", "Everyone's a bit gay" crooner. Gasp! You mean men hook up with other men? Whut? And people use mobile apps to locate them? Just incredible! Please tell me more about this newfangled thing called the Internet. /snark
Bobby Berk said: “Harry was absolutely lovely, super sweet guy, super chill… who else could you ask for as a better karaoke partner?”
Karamo Brown teased: “I can tell you this… one of the people that was with Bobby and I there, taught Harry, showed him Grindr.
“He had never seen Grindr before, it was his first time.
“It was kind of cute that this straight guy was like, there’s an app where you can just find a date? I thought it was really cute.”
Obviously, the person who conjured up this piece of fiction forgot that back in 2012 when Sony/Syco was constantly shipping Harry with Nick Grimshaw to "prove" that he was definitely not with Louis, the publicly gay BBC Radio 1 host often referred to Harry as one of his best friends, openly talking about Grindr on the air and how he regularly pranked guests with the dating app.
Nick Grimshaw, Radio 1’s new breakfast show presenter, apparently is a
fan of Grindr, and is said to have used the gay dating app with his
best friend during filming for his TV shows.
October 19, 2012 Pink News - UK
Excuse us for a moment while we....
With this amusing context in mind, let's now focus on why we here at Narnia are currently grinning from ear to ear and writing this post. So much effort on the part of the entertainment industry's corporate media, with so little gain.
Backdrop: Although Sony/Syco published stories back in February 2013, when Harry was first inked with a new, and very prominent tattoo to try and "plant" the theory in fan's minds that his new body art was in fact a fern,
Excuse us for a moment while we....
By the way, this is what an actual fern looks like.
** Scroll down for significance of
Leeds Festival for Harry and Louis **
And this is what a fern tattoo looks like
And, since this is what an actual sprig of Laurel Leaves looks like,
One can easily see that this is what Harry has strikingly tattooed on his left and right hips since April 2014, two sprigs, if affixed together, transform into a wreath-like design,
Now, this alone is not a revelation, given that several fans discovered long ago why Sony/Syco wants to convince the public that Harry has a fern tattoo. After all, the meaning of Laurel is a bit embarrassing if you've been trying to prove for nearly a decade that no there, there exists when it comes to Louis and Harry being together as a couple:
Laurel: Larry (you know, like in Larry Stylinson)
Etymology: lorrer, from Old French laurier, from Latin laurus "laurel tree"
SIMPLE MEANING:
Man from Laurentum\
The English adopted Laurence from the French, originally
derived from the Latin Laurentius essentially meaning "someone from
Laurentum.” Laurentum was an ancient Roman city in the Latium region southwest
of Rome, and some Roman historians considered it as the first capital of the Latins.
As such, Laurentius was a common Roman given name during the classical era, and
the name has persisted for millennia through the Middle Ages and into modern
times in many forms (Laurence, Lawrence, Lars, Lorenz, Lorenzo, etc). The name
of the ancient city of Laurentum may have been derived from the Latin word
“laurus” which means "laurel" (a symbol of wisdom and
accomplishment). Incidentally, Laurence is actually a female name in France
while the English use both spellings of Laurence or Lawrence for boys. Larry
is the English short form of Laurence.
https://ohbabynames.com/all-baby-names/laurence/
Moreover, don't forget that the nautical themes found in many of Louis and Harry's tattoos, also have two laurel leaves integrated in a crown-like formation, particularly with regard to anchors and ships,
And, here's the Royal Louis ship tattoo Harry got on December 19, 2012:
Even more significantly, here is Harry's anchor tattoo from January 2014, which covered up his June 2012, "I CAN'T CHANGE" skin design. As mentioned in a previous post, the deeper symbolic meaning of an anchor (security, stability, and being grounded), may have been well-timed to coincide with the rumor, four months earlier, that Louis and Harry had tied the knot on September 28, 2013.
Domesticated Larry
Domesticated Larry
And meaningfully, the message of being accepted for who you are, was echoed again in Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' Grammy nominated song "Same Love," which was recorded in February 2012, just four months before Harry unveiled his I CAN'T CHANGE tattoo.
It's the same hate that's caused wars from religion
Gender to skin color, the complexion of your pigment
The same fight that led people to walk-outs and sit-ins
It's human rights for everybody, there is no difference
Live on and be yourself....
And I can't change, even if I tried
Even if I wanted to...." - SAME LOVE
The placement of the I CAN'T CHANGE tattoo is also telling in that Harry chose to put the message on his left wrist, sentimentally matching the same exact spot that he wore his Leeds Festival 2011 bracelet until it fell apart in April - May 2012 (the music festival Louis and Harry attended for three days, the last week in August 2011). At that festival, Louis and Harry watched the punk band Rise Against perform their groundbreaking song entitled, "Make It Stop," which refers to kids who commit suicide after being bullied for being gay. "Born free, but still they hate. Born me, no I can't change."
The following year, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis performed "Same Love" on August 25, 2013 at the Barclay's Center (MTV Video Music Awards). One Direction was also in attendance, while Harry watched the performance, resting (nuzzling) his head on Louis' shoulder. Two young men once again listening to a band express a similar message to the one at Leeds: Same Love. Quite platonic, don't you think?
After performing “Same Love”, Macklemore firmly pronounced that: “Gay rights are human rights. There is no separation.”
Louis and Harry listening to Macklemore's performance of "Same Love", August 2013 at the VMAs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Detail of Louis' compass - HOME
To finish this discussion up, let's return to the topic of laurel leaves and Larry. This one act, part of the reason for the upbeat feeling here at Narnia Dispatches. What did Mr. Styles do this past week for anyone with eyes to see? Well, Mr. Fashonista wore shorts that were not predictably from the Gucci collection, but rather, curiously enough, from the Fred Perry...
Laurel wreath collection
August 6, 2019, Philadephia - Merion Cricket Club
[Notice the Laurel wreath emblem in the right hand corner (We see you, Larry.)
And let's not forget Harry's #2 Gucci photo shoot and his lovely gold crown fashioned in the shape of a laurel (Larry) wreath from September 18, 2018
Not to be outdone by the husband, Louis wore a Burberry bomber
jacket for the Two of Us Spotify video, with a laurel (Larry) wreath design on March 12, 2019,
As well as a Burberry splice embroidered hoodie with a laurel (Larry) wreath design for the same Spotify video, #Two of Us
And last, but not least Louis' Spotify 28 Playlist cannot be overlooked when a song is included entitled, wait for it...#5 Laurel Wreath - a song about vulnerability and courage and the need for connection....
In other words, no matter how many denials Sony/Syco tries to set forth in the media, or how much ridicule is heaped upon Larries through strategic campaigns designed to activate bullying attacks from other parts of the fandom, it truly does seem like the two main subjects of those Larry Stylinson rumors, and that would be Louis and Harry themselves, really, really really enjoy associating themselves with that connection as often as possible. Larry, Larry, and more Larry. Somehow, we here at Narnia suspect that Sony/Syco are not laughing so hard right now.
BREAKING NEWS: Another Laurel Leaf sighting in Madrid!
Louis smashed it at his debut solo headliner performance in Madrid, Spain on September 14, 2019 (CCME). He knew all eyes would be on him, to listen to the songs, decipher the meaning and inspiration of lyrics (we see you Harry) and, of course, to see what he was wearing. As usual, Louis did not disappoint. Drum roll please:
pic sources: Louis Tomlinson Fashion Archive, Harry Styles Fashion Archive, Spotify,
Spindle Magazine, giphy, HBO
our playlist: Laurel Wreath - Ben's Den
Home - One Direction
Drag Me Down - One Direction
One Thing - One Direction
2 comments:
M&M really knows how to pull back on that bow and....
SNAP!
Direct hit.
Helllooooo
Welllll, I've been watching Maycee the weimaruner (sp!) and Lizzie, the Pomeranian/chihuahua mix this weekend and we're constantly going inside and out. Between the fierce thunderstorms and Maycee's upset tummy this morning, it's been quite the time so far.
So I've been struggling to get the next post done, but it'll be worth it when it's finished. ;-) Believe me.
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