Avantika - Tumblr Posts
as a south asian queer woman, sometimes mainstream queer culture is really white (/nm— I’m not mad!! i’m just reflecting.)
when mean girls (2024) came out and the queer community was like “Reneé Rapp was the only good part of the movie”… and its like yes that’s great that a queer woman is playing Regina and it’s amazing Rapp champions the view of Regina as a lesbian.
but everyone so casually dismissed Avantika’s performance as Karen (character who’s also queer in this version— Avantika said Karen Shetty is a “pansexual queen”). it was crazy how blind it seemed people were to how groundbreaking her casting was by reversing south Asian stereotypes (1. she’s dumb instead of smart 2. she sings “sexy” when south Asian women are considered in American society to be unattractive)— like it was just a moment where i was kinda sitting there dumbfounded, not at all mad or anything— just reminded that “oh right. they’re white. I’m not. i come from a different perspective and am going to go crazy over the queer woc not the queer white woman.”
GOD Avantika is soooooo PRETTYYYYYYYYUYYLLSKWKWM
about karen shetty’s sexuality
now that the new mean girls movie has established janis as being officially and canonically a lesbian, the door has been opened for other characters in the same universe to also be queer. the most popular contender is regina george, played by the openly lesbian artist, reneé rapp.
reneé rapp has been open on her stance that regina george was a lesbian and it’s interesting to watch the movie and to see how that stance bled into her performance.
but, like, what does that have to do with avantika’s character, karen shetty? quite a bit, actually.
in the original movie, karen is portrayed as being very promiscuous, almost to a fault. however, she’s only ever shown being attracted to men. in the new movie, this isn’t the case- at least, it seems that way.
it’s a minor plot thread throughout the 2024 movie that karen has slept with 11 “people.” not guys or men specifically. both gretchen and regina say that karen has slept with 11 people. from this, it’s reasonable to assume that she’s been with girls, guys, and maybe even people in between. and avantika seems to agree.
“if you tell me karen is anything but pansexual, i have beef with you,” is what avantika said in an interview. avantika’s karen is a “pansexual queen.”
so that’s that. karen, well karen shetty at least, is semi-canonically pansexual. i find that this element of her character is often overlooked. mostly because it’s not well-known in the first place. it’s unknown whether or not avantika even played karen with that in mind.
regardless, i think this is ostensibly a good thing. that the new mean girls movie is inherently queer speaks to an audience that may not have fully connected with the original film. that karen is pansexual, janis is officially a lesbian, and damian is gay opens the doors for other queer characters to have a place in mean girls, a movie and franchise that was previously incredibly straight.
to put it simply, karen is sapphic now. and i think that’s pretty cool.
i see these two and be like “i’m so normal right now” (i’m lying)
me after remembering that karen and gretchen were holding hands/linking arms all throughout the whole runtime of i’d rather be me whenever they were onscreen
i think uh gretchen and karen are gay and in love so here’s some of my headcanons about it :3
<3-before they got together, karen was incredibly clingy with gretchen and gretchen only (as i mentioned before, karen is just a very touchy person but gravitated toward gretchen)
<3-karen heard gretchen when she was singing “what’s wrong with me?” and went on a very long and heartfelt rant about how there’s nothing wrong with her
<3-that’s when gretch realised she had feelings for her best friend c:
<3-they literally share everything like if gretchen gets a coffee half of it will be drank by karen
<3-karen loses her things a lot so gretchen’s come to have extras always
<3-they make collaborative spotify playlists :3
<3-they’re always clinging to each other during sleepovers at regina’s and regina is a really big hater about it
<3-they had their first kiss after cady’s party
<3-gretchen was so upset about jason and karen was there for her the whole time
<3- “i dunno why you like him so much. you’re like…really nice and smart and pretty. but he’s so…not nice to you.” among other compliments
<3-gretchen could not believe that karen really felt that way about her
<3-she kinda just stared at karen for a few seconds
<3-they made out very passionately after that (gretchen kissed karen first even though she was terrified to)
<3-it took gretchen like a day after that to tell karen she actually liked her
<3-they were each other’s dates to the spring fling c: they weren’t official yet at that point
<3-when they started dating, karen asked gretchen, “does this make you or me the boyfriend?”
<3-gretchen calls karen “mama”, “(mi) amor”, or “kare-bear” if she’s feeling particularly corny and karen calls gretchen “gretch” always
<3-they have movie nights with regina, cady, aaron, janis, and damian and whenever someone picks a horror movie karen gets scared so easily that she just huddles up to gretchen the whole time
<3-gretchen absolutely loves karen’s big brown eyes like there might actually be nothing she loves more in the whole world
<3-karen loves biting gretchen like not in a sexual way she just thinks gretchen looks so edible she will bite her very softly all the time
<3-gretchen will absentmindedly do that thing with her thumb when she and karen are holding hands and it kinda drives karen crazy
<3-they do that cheesy couple thing where they rest their foreheads together like they’re about to kiss and everyone else hates it (affectionately)
<3-karen had feelings for gretchen for a while and made it painfully obvious but just never said anything
<3-gretchen is a lesbian (i’m kinda projecting with this one) jason was just her comphet fr
<3-karen is pan (this is semi canon/confirmed by avantika)
<3-gretchen has insomnia and often calls karen in the middle of the night just to hear her voice
<3-gretchen sometimes has panic attacks and karen is the only person who knows exactly how to calm her down
<3-gretchen picks at her cuticles and karen brings her colourful bandaids and holds her hands to prevent her from doing so
<3-gretchen gets quite jealous easily,, mostly due to being a very anxious and insecure person
okay . i’m done thank u for coming to my ted talk ^w^ (i have more please ask me about them if you want)
i just completely reread this and FETCHEN PARALLEL PLAY AT THE END!!!! oughhh they’re both neurodivergent and silly :c
you should totally share gretchen x karen (fetchen?) hcs for their dates
like where would they go and how would they act in public with each other
!!!FETCHEN DATES HEADCANONS
notes : these are random because I have alot of thoughts about these lil ladies.... This was super fun!!!!!
.𖥔 ݁ ˖Gretchen LOVES fancy restaurants, she likes to keep things classy
˖ ݁ 𖥔.Karen preferes just going out, maybe a walk or a picnic
.𖥔 ݁ ˖because of this standards barrier they mostly end up in cute themed cafe (like cat cafes!)
˖ ݁ 𖥔.they buy two cheap cups of coffee and sit in there for HOURS, most likely till the place closes for the day
˖ ݁ 𖥔.they go on fancy dates every second friday, Karen hates the formal atmosphere but cares about Gretchen's good time more than she cares about hers
.𖥔 ݁ ˖other than that, they go on dates almost every week, they still see each other/hang out like every single day tho
.𖥔 ݁ ˖they have this one cafe where they go at least twice a week before or after school, the baristas remember their names at this point. One time when Karen went there alone the barista asked where her girlfriend was
˖ ݁ 𖥔.their dates look exactly like their hang outs but they state that there’s a huge difference
.𖥔 ݁ ˖Karen is big on PDA, so they’re ALWAYS holding hands, Karen is glued to Gretchen’s side 24/7
˖ ݁ 𖥔.on dates they mostly just gossip and update each other on things they didn’t have time to mention during the week
.𖥔 ݁ ˖they have movie dates!!!! Gretchen rarely watches movies by herself, so Karen makes her watch every single movie she has ever seen and spoils them everytime
˖ ݁ 𖥔.they tried having a reading date once but Karen wasn’t a fan of the silence and found the concept boring, Gretchen just read the book out loud for her
.𖥔 ݁ ˖every date ends with a sleepover because both of them aren’t satisfied with the amount of time they had; Karen always says how they’re going to stay up all night and how many things they’re going to do, Gretchen always ends up going to sleep at 11pm
˖ ݁ 𖥔.their dates often are distributed by Regina, occasionally bringing Cady along so she can call it a group hang out (I mentioned it in my fetchen dating headcanons btw….)
.𖥔 ݁ ˖when theres nothing to talk to during a date they just don’t speak at all, they get busy with their own shit and just acknowledge each others presence, they don’t mind the silence
fetchen thinker, do you think Karen used the word "fetch" without even knowing wjat it means? just in random situations. failed her test? fetch. bought a new lipstick? fetch! someone died? fetch.
Im in class and suddenly I have a brain that forms thoughts
i think tbh karen never used “fetch” in response to something bad happening . like she knew “fetch” was supposed to be a good thing for something to be so she only uses it if something good happens . like u got into ur dream college??? fetch!
but i think she’d see gretchen using it when good things happen so she just follows gretchen’s lead
GRETCH CRYING FOR TWO HOURS AFTER IS SO REAL AND SO SAD 😭😭 MY POOR BABY . she probably thought it was yet another thing she screwed up but was so pleasantly surprised by karen wanting another date with her
i love fetchen so much it’s ridiculous
spare fetchen maybe ?
(what do u think their first kiss/confession was like…i love yearning)
!!!MORE FETCHEN HEADCANONS
note : this might not exactly be what you wanted it to be but I hope I understood the assignment well enough !!
⋆𐙚₊ the confession happened on a random day at school, Karen just very casually said she’d be willing to date Gretchen in a reference to a conversation they had about Jason
₊𐙚⋆Gretchen couldn’t even comprehend the words, asked Karen like three times if she means it in a friend-ish way or not
⋆𐙚₊Karen just said that she would like that if Gretchen was willing, then Gretchen went on with a 10 minutes long confession, she was SO cute about it
₊𐙚⋆it was a bunch of statements like how she liked Karen since she can remember, how much she adores her and all that, she’s very good with her words when she wants to be!!!
⋆𐙚₊they just decided to give the relationship a try since they both liked each other, and it worked out (obviously)! ₊𐙚⋆they went on a date the same day, just for a coffee, since they didn’t really need to get to know each other or anything it went really well, Gretchen was SO NERVOUS the whole time, Karen wasn’t stressed at all
⋆𐙚₊Gretchen payed for everything and refused to let Karen even consider any other scenario, they were NOT splitting the bill
₊𐙚⋆also it was Karen who initiated their first kiss! when their date was coming to an end and she was walking Gretchen home she just leaned in for a kiss, literally was nothing crazy, she did it like they kissed 30 times before
⋆𐙚₊they actually kissed once at the beginning of high school because Gretchen “didn’t want to start school inexperienced”, aka her smart-ass plan to get a kiss from Karen who really didn’t think much about it
₊𐙚⋆after the kiss she just went on with talking, Gretchen didn’t speak till the end of the date, she just said a tiny “bye” and shut the door super fast
⋆𐙚₊cried for literally two hours because of how stupid it must’ve looked, thought Karen will NEVER go out with her again
₊𐙚⋆to her surprise, Karen called her the same evening to say how fun it was and that they should go on more dates, she made A LOT of plans at once
⋆𐙚₊didn’t even mention Gretchen’s “strange behavior”, because she was the only one who considered it strange, Karen just thought she’s enjoying the silence as one does
₊𐙚⋆Gretchen kissed Karen the next day as soon as she saw her to “be even”
karen shetty’s love language canonically being physical touch is very special to me <3
★˙ ̟ karen x gretchen/fetchen fluff in which gretchen drives a tired and slightly drunk karen home after the halloween party <3
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as the commotion of halloween night fizzled out and the people began to drain out the front door, karen couldn’t help but cling to gretchen, her energy draining by the minute. she felt herself stumble over her heels with every step, her eyelids fighting the urge to droop.
when the party is ostensibly over, gretchen takes her hand out of instinct, leading her out the door, down the steps, and to her car.
“are you okay to get home?” gretchen asked just a moment before karen nodded while taking a dizzied step forward, her body betraying her pride. gretchen steadied her with gentle hands on her shoulders and a quiet chuckle. “i can drive you.”
with a sigh, karen just mutters, “yes, please.”
gretchen led karen around each dimly lit space to the bathroom, knowing the taller girl’s home like the back of her hand. in front of the room’s rectangular mirror, gretchen reached for the mouse-eared headband atop karen’s head, slowly pulling it up and off of her. after resting it on the marble countertop beside them, she brushed a stray curl from karen’s eyes, giving her a look so soft that it made her exhausted heart flutter.
she couldn’t help but smile as karen resisted sleep, running a cloth underneath warm water. karen squeezed her eyes shut as gretchen dragged the cloth along her face, slowly removing her makeup.
before karen knew it, it’s over and she’s able to flop into her bed, about to close her eyes when-
“you’re not just gonna sleep in your costume, are you?” gretchen asked, placing a hand on karen’s waist. “why not?” karen mumbled into plush blankets.
“c’mon, mama. change really quick.” karen rolled over to face gretchen, pouting before reaching up to be pulled toward her closet.
“gretch,” karen whispered, slowly combing through oversized t-shirts as if her parents were home, “can you stay the night? my family’s gone.” while changing her clothes, she glanced over her shoulder to monitor gretchen’s reaction.
“huh? why?” gretchen asked as karen laid down beside her, draping an arm over her thighs. “i dunno. i just…don’t wanna be by myself,” karen muttered, looking up at gretchen with a sparkle in her eyes that she can’t help but say yes to.
placing a gentle hand atop karen’s head, she just whispered “okay,” as she combed her fingers through the taller’s hair.
gretchen continued to look back at karen tucked under the covers and checking her nails as she fished through various items in karen’s closet.
“hey, kare,” gretchen hesitated for a moment, “can i wear one of your shirts to bed?” karen nodded, mumbling a confirmation. “i dunno why you’re saying that like you don’t wear my stuff already.”
gretchen chuckled to herself, struggling not to make her awkwardness audible.
right. why’d i do that?
a strangely empty silence falls over the two as gretchen begins to undress, removing her black jumpsuit and replacing it with bare legs and a white t-shirt that reeks of karen, her sweet perfume permeating gretchen’s senses.
gretchen walked toward karen’s bed, part of her expecting, hoping that karen would have fallen asleep by the time she arrived. but she hadn’t. somehow, she seemed even wider awake than she was when they first got back.
she took care to attempt to slide underneath the velvet covers with some degree of finesse so as not to disturb karen’s fidgeting. it doesn’t work as well as gretchen hopes, karen craning her head to face her and giving her a heavy smile before squeezing her weakly.
with a sigh, karen’s face became burrowed into gretchen’s clavicle, softly nipping at her skin and bringing gretchen’s heart rate up so high she becomes scared that karen can hear it. she tangled her legs between gretchen’s, a wave of calm rushing over them both, gretchen shifting her focus onto the candle she’d bought for the taller girl a few months before.
“hold my hand, gretch.”
and of course, gretchen concedes.
she can’t help the way their hands fit together so perfectly. she can’t help the way karen’s teeth feel against her neck. she just can’t help that she loves her best friend so much. because god, how could she not?
as karen drifts to sleep, gretchen giggles under her breath, twirling thin strands of her dark hair between her fingers.
“your costume was really cute tonight, kare. we…kinda matched.” gretchen muttered, stringing her thumb along karen’s knuckles. “we did?” gretchen feels karen’s warm breath against her as she asks. “yeah. cat and mouse.” karen takes gretchen in, just for a second.
“hm. that’s so cool,” karen mumbles. “it’s probably, like, meant to be.” she continues, before returning to nibbling at gretchen’s neck.
karen presses gentle kisses to each spot she bit, forcing gretchen to take in deep breaths. and then her eyes widen at the sudden memory that she’d forgotten to buy regina anything for the holiday. and then she remembers, too, that karen is right there next to her- drunk and tired, but still there.
karen’s bed is so comfortable, her body so warm that it pulls gretchen right back to where she is. there with karen, she feels everything melt away.
karen soon falls into sleep, the rhythm of gretchen’s pulse lulling her to rest as she lays on her chest. when gretchen sees karen’s eyes fluttering shut after the long hours she’d spent awake, she allows hers to do the same.
for a few hours in the night, everything will be perfect. everything will be okay. karen is huddled into gretchen’s arms and, god, she looks so beautiful even while she’s struggling to stay awake.
“you should go to bed, gretch,” karen yawns. “you’re so tired.”
karen’s right and gretchen knows it. she never has to chase karen for her to pay attention.
everything’s fine, at least for tonight. and gretchen revels in karen’s warmth, leans into her touch as if she’d been stuck at sea and karen was the one who brought her to shore.
karen was sweeter than the candy they’d collected every halloween for years. for the first time, gretchen thinks that if every halloween can be like this, she loves the holiday just as much as karen does.
fetchen club we need to talk about this more.
canon fetchen kiss,,, so cute and silly. i feel like i just got hit by a semi truck
their friendship is so cute they always get me tweakin out i’m just sayin. the physical touch is actually everything
avantika grabbing bebe's hand is so cute to me🫠
more fetchen headcanons ^___^ bcuz i’m bored
(could be dating or pre-dating. frankly it works either way.)
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-karen absolutely loves physical touch . this is semi canon but physical touch is her love language
-yk what else is her love language? biting. karen is a biter through and through . it took a while for gretchen to get used to it but now she thinks it’s the cutest thing in the world
-karen is so gentle with her bites tho . it never hurts gretchen and she absolutely adores it because it means karen genuinely really likes her
-karen loves the most random parts of gretchen’s body . her shoulders and her eyebrows come to mind
-if gretchen’s wearing a tank top, trust her shoulders will be covered in faint lipstick marks by the end of the day
-karen sometimes struggles to focus in class because she’s wondering what gretchen’s doing
-gretchen buys literally anything and everything that reminds her of karen . she later gives her those things as gifts
-karen always sends gretchen songs that remind her of her. this results in gretchen listening to the same song on repeat for days on end
-sometimes karen gets distracted while doing her homework and draws little stick figure versions of her and gretchen in the margins getting up to various shenanigans
-karen lowkey thinks gretchen is the hottest person she’s ever met but like she couldn’t explain how even if she tried
-gretchen sometimes pulls karen in by her belt loops if she needs her attention
-karen loves gretchen’s singing voice . she sometimes asks gretch to sing her random songs when she’s over at her place
-they share food and drinks to the point where neither even have to ask . like if karen gets a snack after school, the first thing she’ll do is offer gretchen a bite before even taking a bite herself
-karen remembers literally everything that’s ever happened as long as she’s known gretchen . despite this, she does not remember off the top of her head how long she and gretchen have been friends
-half of gretchen’s closet is just clothes karen’s left at her house . gretchen sometimes wears karen’s clothes absentmindedly
-that said, gretchen starts dressing very differently during senior year. karen is very attracted to this change. (i’m just a futch gretchen liker)
-between eighth grade and freshman year, karen and gretchen got matching promise rings. after regina commented negatively on them, one continued to wear hers longer than the other.
sorry for leaving you with fangst (fetchen angst) at the end .
avantika and bebe’s height difference is so. someone put me down.
while i’m writing i just want to share my opinion. i know you guys love that
i find it so unfortunate that fetchen wasn’t made canon </3 avantika and bebe are both queer actresses who are willing to play queer characters so it’s such a missed opportunity in my opinion. maybe it’s just the massive fetchen shipper in me but i feel like it seriously would’ve been really really cool if there was a canon sapphic ship in the movie between two named characters. this is a thing i will think about for a really long time.
i didnt know avantika is queer too?? omg
yeahhhh neither her nor bebe talk about it very much or anything but it’s very cool !!!! ^___^
★˙ ̟ fetchen: love drunk
stupid little fetchen drabble while i work on something else that’s also fetchen related!!! i keep thinking about pre-dating drunk fetchen dynamic at a party so here u guys go!!!
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gretchen can’t help but feel a little disoriented, what with the bass pumping all around her and the alcohol in her system practically coursing through her veins. the chatter of her classmates that surround her drill into her head as she takes another shot.
i miss karen. where’d she go?
and then she feels someone take her by her shoulders, leading her into a half-empty room. well, as empty as a room could be in the midst of a houseparty. she’s met with karen’s stupidly pretty, smiling face. it almost looks like she’s glowing.
“gretch!” karen yells over the music. “i needa tell you a secret!” karen’s smoothing her hair before she’s cupping gretchen’s face in her hands, her touch warmer than ever. she’s already giggling before she can say another word.
what’s she trying to say?
“gretch…i love you so much.” gretchen feels karen’s touch become just a little lighter. “like, i love you more than i love halloween; and-and butterflies; and fluffy, little dogs.” gretchen finds herself lost for words.
she loves me.
the second part of karen’s statement spills out of her, “and guess what! sometimes, i really, really wanna kiss you. like, on the lips.” karen seems to be unable to stop tittering. it takes a second for gretchen’s brain to catch up.
she wants to kiss me. wait, what?
“and y’know what else?” karen adds, “i wish i could date you. like, i love you but as way, way more than friends! like…i love you like how a boyfriend loves a girlfriend! but you don’t-” she’s tripping over her words as gretchen remains silent. “you don’t love me like that! and it kinda sucks really hard!”
gretchen opens her mouth to speak faster than she can think of a response but karen unknowingly cuts her off. “anyway! i’m gonna get another drink!” karen’s still smiling almost dreamily, her tongue between her teeth as she begins to walk away.
she wants to kiss me.
everything karen had just said hits gretchen like a truck. she takes karen’s hand before she can go any further.
i think i wanna kiss her.
so gretchen does. she’s unsure of where to put her hands or if she should even adjust them at all, terrified to make the wrong move. for once, she forces herself to make another bold choice, one that serves herself and nobody else. nobody else but karen.
she cups karen’s cheeks in her hands and steps a little bit closer- it’s all so much. the room is spinning around them both, although gretchen can’t tell if it’s the dizzying sensation of kissing her best friend after she’d basically told her she was in love with her or if it’s just the booze. maybe it’s because karen tastes so strongly of vodka.
they kiss until the need for air stabs at their chests and then they do it again and again and again. karen’s lips are soft and her arms are wrapped gently around gretchen in such a way that drives her insane. her own arms have moved down, now hooked around karen’s neck, wanting her even closer.
for the first time, gretchen’s stopped caring about the people around her and what they might think- what jason thinks. she’s kissing a girl who just so happens to be karen. karen just so happens to love her. this is the feeling she’s been needing, she’s sure of it.
when gretchen pulls away, struggling to catch her breath, she’s again met with karen’s stupidly pretty, smiling face.
god, she’s so pretty.
i think i love her too.
~ me when i remember i’m an artist and can draw fetchen making out if i want to :3