This article contains spoilers;
Who Is Hosie?
Hosie is a ship on Legacies (Spin off of The Vampire Diaries and The Originals) between Hope Mikaelson and Josie Saltzman.
What Is Hosie?
Hosie is nothing more than what appears to be a friendship (though signs point to more) Attached below is a GIF of an alternate universe with Hope and Josie awfully close.
How Would Hosie Constitute As Queerbait And Does It Actually Constitute As Queerbait?
Yes, It does constitute as queerbait.
Hosie is not like other ships I will likely talk about in the future. When we think of queerbait, we think of two people of the same sex who are likely seen as heterosexual, despite if their sexuality is confirmed or not. Hosie, in this case, are canon queer. Hope had a crush on Josie and Josie had a crush on Hope. That’s one tick. Another tick is how they’re both confirmed to not be straight. While that plays into the last line, it’s two queer people with homoerotic behaviors towards each other, not two supposedly heterosexual characters having homoerotic behaviors towards one another.
What Is Queerbait Anyway?
Queerbaiting is a marketing technique for fiction and entertainment in which creators hint at, but then do not actually depict, same-sex romance or other LGBTQ representation.
What Makes Hosie Queerbait?
Hosie is queerbait simply because of the way the show places Hope and Josie. There’s many instances where there’s proof of queerbait. Mutual crushes, both are queer. In one instance, Lizzie (Josie’s twin) assumed Josie was having a sex dream of Hope. The lighting in which the characters are placed. The lyrics in the scenes background music is very romantic. Very lovey, heartbreak type of vibe to it. Another instance is when Hope is inside Josie’s mind, she meets a pig, a talking pig, a talking pig who tells Hope to kiss Josie. And instead of saying “no.” Hope says that “a non consensual kiss is never the answer”. So YES, It is indeed queerbait. It is also later revealed that the pig WAS JOSIE IN DISGUISE. (gasp) Another instance of it being more than romantic is Hope desperately worrying about Josie when Josie is “Dark”. She fights for her, she desperately wants good Josie back,she willingly sends two characters away who aren’t willing to take it easy on Josie. She chose Josie and her family over her own boyfriend. (that says a lot) She’s the ONLY person to bring out the real Josie, even if it’s for a few seconds.
Who Gets A Say If It’s Queerbait Or Not?
The only people who get to decide if Hosie is queerbait or not are LGBT+ fans. Because we are the audience seeking out shows without queerbait but unfortunately, sometimes we find shows WITH the queerbait.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Final thoughts, if you’re not going to make Hosie canon, despite establishing they’re both queer characters with former attraction, you might as well say it and announce that it’s never going to happen, otherwise you’re just harming your viewers.
