For fans of The Magicians, it’s been a difficult week following the shocking death of Quentin Coldwater in the show’s Season 4 finale, and the departure of (former) lead actor Jason Ralph. In honor of this beloved character, heartbroken fans have launched the “Thank Q” charity campaign for The Trevor Project, and have raised $5,115 in less than a week!
Quentin Coldwater and Julia Wicker take the Brakebills entrance exam, episode 1×01. (SYFY)
Founded in 1998, The Trevor Project is the leading national organization saving young lives every day through its accredited, free and confidential phone, instant message, and text messaging crisis intervention services. A leader and innovator in suicide prevention, the Trevor Project offers the largest safe social networking community for LGBTQ youth, best practice suicide prevention educational training, resources for youth and adults, and advocacy initiatives.
“Quentin Coldwater’s on-screen struggles with suicidal ideation and depression represented an unflinching and stereotype-defying portrait of mental illness. He stood apart as one of the precious few representations of unapologetic, destigmatized, and celebrated male bisexuality.”
– The ThankQ Trevor Project Fundraising page
Quentin Coldwater’s death – in the same season they earned some resounding praise in the media for furthering the development with his occasional on-screen love interest, Eliot Waugh – also served as a sad reminder that queer stories often end tragically in (the phenomena is so prevalent, it has even earned its own trope term: Bury Your Gays).
Eliot Waugh, Alice Quinn, and Quentin Coldwater in Fillory. (SYFY)
On The Magicians, it is said that magic comes from pain and how you use it, and we can see that reflected in how the fans have reacted to this loss. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), this isn’t the first time fandom has turned their pain into something positive. From Clexa fans, who started an entire convention to celebrate queer women’s representation after The 100 killed off yet another queer woman on TV, to fans of Shadowhunters, who in light of the show’s untimely cancelation raised over $24,000 for the Trevor Project, fans have found solace in joining together to make the world a better place.
Eliot Waugh and Quentin Coldwater remembering their life together, episode 3×05. (SYFY)
Some of our favorite messages left by fans on the “Thank Q” charity campaign:
S.T.: This kindness amidst chaos is beautiful, and nothing says ‘you belong in this world, you are loved’ more than that. <3
L.B.: Grateful to be able to participate in this act of cooperative magic, grateful to this community for being so supportive of each other.
C: Thank you, Q, for making me feel seen, for loving Eliot, for fighting for your friends, for fighting for yourself. Maybe I will be brave for you.
A.N.: This is for everyone whose brain ever broke. You are precious and unique, and the world needs you.
G.W.: […] because we are all Quentin. And we have to do what we can to pull each other up out of the dark. Keep fighting. You are more than your depression. You are more than your anxiety. You are more than your emptiness, more than your bone-deep exhaustion. You are more than your desire to die. You are stardust, the building blocks of the universe, a supernova waiting to explode light into the lives of everyone you love. Keep living, keep striving, and shine bright, my loves. <3
C.D.: For Quentin Coldwater, who meant so much to all of us, and who deserved so much better. Thank you, Q. Thank you for your story. Thank you for showing us what to means to struggle and to heal and to hurt and to have hope through it all.
Anonymous: For Q, who deserved better and who will live on in this mentally ill lesbian’s heart forever. For my bi partner who struggles with depression every day and who was devastated by this loss. For my own damn recovery.
D.D.: Q meant a lot to me and his end is a tremendous loss that I truly have difficulty putting into words. He was brave and honest and while not perfect, he showed vulnerability and compassion when he was at his lowest and had nothing else to give. At his core, Q cared and loved so much that he not only touched his friends’ lives but ours too. He deserved better and I’m really going to miss him. Remember that you are not alone and to fight on always.
C.C.: I have struggled with my depression all my life. Constantly trying to grasp at anything that might help me feel some sort of happiness. Watching The Magicians was a way for me to escape from all of the pressure of real life. Of also struggling with figuring out my own sexuality. Struggling with just getting through day by day. Watching Quentin go through his struggles was devastating but also inspiring. He got through the hardest times by leaning on his friends. And I know I can do the same. I really wish I could offer more. At this time, this is all I have. Thank you for doing this.
S.M.: Q was fictional but real to so many of us queer depressed nerds who needed someone to help us feel less alone. He deserved better, and so do we. Long live the queer depressed nerds. <3
Anonymous: Q was an inspirational character for so many reasons. He openly struggled with mental health, he was comfortable with his sexual fluidity, he bravely fought for his friends, he was unafraid to be himself. I think we can all learn and grow from his character traits. I’m disappointed in the way this season ended, but I’m thankful that something good is coming from it. I’m glad that we can celebrate Q’s legacy here.
S.C.: We deserve happy endings. We deserve hopeful endings. Hope is radical and far more difficult to sustain than tragedy, or apathy. Thank you, Q, and to all the queer kids, to all who struggle with mental illness, to all the weird nerds who feel they don’t fit in this world – you do, and you’re beautiful.
The Magicians returns to SYFY next year with Season 5. Seasons 1-3 are available now to stream on Netflix.
