#'THIS PLAYER MUST BE A TRANS WOMAN' ETC

[charaznablescanontoyota]

[ID: an excerpt from a reddit comment about the blaseball tcg development process, reading:

“All but one of the artists were chosen outside of the fanbase to ensure they had no background in Blaseball and wouldn’t accidentally pull from fanon

Artists were explicitly told not to look at fanart or do research. They were given very vague briefs to ensure generalized ideas were honored from fan history.

These are verbatim: “Chorby Short: frog that plays Blaseball, Jaylen Hotdogfingers: important she is black, has hotdogs for fingers, Nagomi Mcdaniel: as a former member of the crabs, has gained crab parts via carcinization, should be represented an Asian woman”

Every card was evaluated by sensitivity readers

Multiple designs were sent back for accidentally being too close to fan interpretations“]

on one hand i Get This from a perspective of wanting to make sure that players with names from specific cultures/who are commonly depicted as people of color don’t get whitewashed and that players who are depicted as trans/nb stay that way as well but on the other hand i think that even the vague briefs here are too specific. like i wish they’d told the artists the absolute bare minimum of “must be [x]” and just let them go ham??? why not tell them exactly what’s on the site about chorby short - name, pregame ritual, coffee, blood type - and let the imagination run wild with that. “frog that plays blaseball” is WAY too specific imo

ALSO knowing that the artists got these briefs makes it so easy to backfill in what the briefs were when you’re looking at the cards. you can absolutely take one look at the york silk card and say ‘oh the artist was told that york is a teenage boy from hawai’i’ and you can look at the howell franklin card and say ‘oh the prompt for this was humanoid wolfman’. it’s not slick, it’s actively working AGAINST the claim that “no interpretation is canon”, and it’s still taking elements of fan-created designs without proper credit, even if your artists aren’t directly looking at them as reference

[mimikyuno]

i was just talking with my wife about this over breakfast but i rly hope this whole transvestigation paranoia becomes a breaking point because it’s insane? like i hope it snaps some people out of their transmisogynystic daze bc what are you saying? where is the limit?? are you demanding any woman who looks vaguely “masculine” take a chromosome test?!

like first their credo was that “a woman must have a vagina and uterus” but that’s not enough anymore for them, now u need to be born a woman “the right way” or you’re a man. never mind that a huge argument they have used against trans women is that they were “socialized as men” (ridiculous take btw, let’s not even get there) and as such can never understand womanhood and really be a woman okay then why are u saying that even if imane was afab and raised a girl she’s still not enough of a woman?! they’re always like “misogyny is sex-based” and it doesnt matter how a woman presents bc it’s her Biology that primes her for abuse (real takes i have seen!!!) but then say that a cis woman who was assigned female at birth is not Actually a woman bc some corrupt organisation that was accused of malpractice Maybe said she might have XY chromosomes. HELLO?! like do YOU know your chromosomes? do YOU know your testosterone levels? it’s so absurd it feels like im in the twilight zone.

also can we talk about how antifeminist it is to argue that someone is just too good at a sport to be a woman. what is wrong with you. hmm i wonder why men tend to be stronger overall? is it really just their “biology”? bc actually studies have shown that parents underestimate their daughters’ strength and do stuff for them and overall dont let them play rough while little boys are expected to be stronger and tumble. which child do you think will grow up with more muscle mass. which will grow up stronger and faster. i saw some altright men and terfs argue that it is Biologically True that men are Stronger and Faster and Better than women bc “look at the football league, the men are better”. like i wonder why?? could it be that the women’s league overall gets less funding, less intense trainings, and overall there’s less athletes to choose the best from bc on average more men pursue sports than women (for social reasons) etc.????

like how are terfs out there thinking they’re feminists. when they posts a picture of a woman of color and call her too ugly to be a “real woman”. do you see how racist that is?! i also saw them transvestigate the butch-looking polish contestant (for judo iirc) like?! “her hair is short and her face looks masculine” have u ever seen a butch woman irl. you stupid ass. and what if they’re trans btw?? ultimately it does not MATTER. olympic athletes are freaks of nature. usually they’re the best at a sport because they’re literally BUILT for it. they often have a natural advantage as well as years or practice. like what even is your argument anymore?! it’s a stupid sport competition to see who’s the best at certain sports how are u gonna determine which physical/biological advantages are okay and which arent?! y’all are one step away from requesting muscle fibers exam for black people to see if they have more type 2 fibers bc that makes them more likely to be fast. put a height limit for basketball players bc being too tall is rare and therefore unfair to shorter basketball players. banning women with PCOS from competing bc they have elevated testosterone. LIKE PLEASE TELL ME WHERE THE LIMIT FOR BIOLOGICAL ADVANTAGES IS. IM WAITING.

i think the insanity of the current situation truly is the culmination of all these phrenology-adjacent trends (like mewing and the rest of the “rate me” 4chan standards, look it up), white supremacy being allowed on mainstream platforms and transphobic panic all converging into this mass hysteria. it’s genuinely fascinating from a sociological perspective but jesus christ. the fact that if imane really was trans they could have gotten her jailed or worse. WAKE UP.

terfs love to call themselves feminists yet are using racist phrenology-like standards to determine who’s a “real” woman. being hairy? big nose? strong jaw? short hair? not a real woman :). please STOP. y’all are literally one step away from saying only white women are “real women” LMAO. trans women have been saying for years that transmisogyny IS misogyny (on steroids) and it WOULD bite cis women in the ass too but y’all didnt believe them till it Actually started affecting cis women.

i am hoping this is the peak of transphobia (specifically transmisogyny) and it’s downhill from here and society progresses 🙏🏻 like let’s move ON. enough is enough

[teamloyalty]

look how football players who are for some reasons not classified as "GENDER CONFORMED" based on some toxic masculinity standards are being treated...jules koundé dares to wear boots with heels or experiment a bit with his outfits and sense of style in a somewhat more fluid way and the french call him julia. pavard gets outed by a paparazzi who said he's gay (true or not, we don't know) and because he perhaps looks slightly more elegant/soft than average he's made fun of or called the f word. those rumours of mbappe dating a trans woman as an excuse to drag him or call him freak.

if I were a queer footballer I would never ever come out. never ever.

i'm with totally with you, anon. truly i see no reason why a queer footballer should risk any semblance of peace for the rest of their lives to come out lolz it really is that dire. and its all SO wrapped up in sex like

not sure i'm going to say this well but - what makes an athlete a successful representation of the ideal man is his ability to perform hegemonic masculinity in all facets of his life; because these men are high performing athletes (the peak expression of masculinity) they're also expected to perform masculinity at an elite level in all other respects as well. these toxic norms of masculinity emphasize domination, over most other men and over ALL women (and anything perceived as feminine).

and the minute an athlete transgress the boundary into anything NOT distinctly male, they're called gay -- or at the very least treated as though they are gay. queerness indicates an inherent wrongness about the male body, something sinister in the way gay men use their male bodies for acts outside the realm of acceptability for real men.

and this is a problem because by definition elite male athletes model for the rest of society the most successful, most masculine, perfected use of the male body.

look at the way that people responded to just the SUGGESTION that declan rice would love his [white, blonde, VERY beautiful] girlfriend because she's midsized. (they'll call her fat and she's not. she's midsized at most.) she does not conform to the highest possible beauty standards so ppl think that he could do better, find some prettier, skinnier woman to fuck (because that's all he could possibly want in a partner: the hottest woman to fuck, and to demonstrate to the world that he's fucking her). i've seen people wonder if he's not attracted to women at all. why else would a famous young athlete want a fat, ugly girlfriend? (she is neither of these things). he MUST be gay.

THIS IS A STRAIGHT RELATIONSHIP.

idk man its just sooooo darksided. maybe out players wouldn't receive direct in-person harassment from fans at games, but anyone who knows anything about how homophobia actually operates in society at large and isn't a fucking idiot knows that homophobia isn't solely damaging in the form of physical in person violence. football fans online can't even handle someone wearing fucking rainbow shoe laces. FUCKING SHOE LACES.

and that's not to mention the myriad of ways that implicit bias would impact out players, negatively affecting their ability to make connections in the game, acquire brand deals, move to the right clubs, etc etc.

well-meaning people in the football world will say that for forward progress, a few brave footballers just need to come out and normalize queerness in the sport. they're too entrenched in that world to recognize that its very foundations are rooted in homophobia.

[gotham--fc]

I mean yes but please expand

Okay this took me a while but the cba is 350 pages and I read that thing okay like I didn't skim it (okay I skimmed a lot of the numbers part bc the numbers mean dick to me) but I read it okay? Anyways here's all my thots, buckle up it's a long one, I'll put in under a readmore so you can just scroll past if you don't care

Non inclusive language (all players must be women, referring to players as ‘she’ ‘her’ etc, at least one out non binary player in the league, also no definition on what a woman is so afab? Trans women? Unclear)

Teams can only have 6 players with protected salaries (meaning teams still have to pay them if they get hurt or ill or cut etc) only vets can have protected salaries not rooks – rosters are 11-12 which means half the team can get cut without pay for any reason and lose their salary (this isn’t something that will ever be changed and probably is standard and/or better than other sports leagues but it is worth mentioning)

By agreeing upon provisions (to be set forth in Exhibit 3 to a Standard Player Contract) limiting or eliminating the player’s right to receive her Base Salary (in accordance with Sections 6(a)(i)(y) and 6(c) of this Article) when the player’s disability or unfitness to play skilled basketball is caused by the re-injury of one or more injuries sustained prior to, or by the aggravation of one or more conditions that existed prior to, the execution of the Standard Player Contract providing for such Base Salary – players that aggravate an old injury can get cut without pay and teams that sign players hurt can cut them without pay? this isn’t a problem for established players bc teams will deal with an injury prone player if they’re good enough when healthy, but it’s not good for rookies/unestablished players who won’t get the same grace

Players with less than 6 years experience can’t get trade bonuses from the team trading for them – kinda fucked up

Players base salaries not protected if they’re injured playing overseas, fine for top players bc teams won’t cut them and will pay for their rehab to get them back for wnba but for rooks/not established vets they get kinda fucked over also the fucked over players are the ones who need to play in Europe most bc they don’t make shit, like the players that this won’t affect make enough to not need to play in Europe if they really don’t want to

Max/min salaries should be determined by percentage of revenue, while salaries are better than they were and they go up each year they’re not connected to league revenue at all so league could make shit ton more money this year but players salaries next year won’t reflect that, also unclear where tf the numbers come from? Like how did they determine this is the salary cap # and this is how much it’ll increase like are these arbitrary numbers or is there logic behind them

Low salary cap = no roster space

Players given coach airline tickets from city they reside to city they play and back, and to cities they are traded to (it literally says coach even if teams wanted to give players better seats they cannot)

No airline ticket provided if travel is less than 200 miles (but travel still paid for but like bus/train/gas money)

All air travel provided by the Team (including, but not limited to, travel between games) will be, if available on the Team-chosen flights at the time of booking, premium economy (or similar enhanced coach fare) – no chartered flights hence why nyl was fined and why mercury can’t use their own plane, this is literally written in the cba that players agreed to who are now making a big stink about cathy hating to see a bad bitch winning when the bad bitches in question did this to themselves

Players are paid 25% of league revenue and 50% of incremental value. This is where it gets confusing for some ppl because they see 50% and assume it's 50% of total revenue. It's not. nba players for example make 50% of all league revenue, so if the nba makes hypothetically 600k in revenue then players get 300k. In the wnba on the other hand, if the league expects to make 500k then actually makes 600k, the players don't get 300k, they get 25% of 500k+50% of 100k, so that would be 125k+50k. It's significantly less revenue sharing than the nba has which is what the players have been fighting for, like Kelsey Plum said we don't want to be paid the same salaries as the nba we want the same percent of revenue.

Players required to attend media things, not a max number of things a season but whenever the team/league wants, a max number of things within certain number of days, but players really have no control over their media appearances for the team/league – why angel reese and Chicago sky fined, really takes away player freedom/autonomy and you know that certain players are going to do media more often bc they’re ‘big names’ meaning they do so much extra labour than their teammates (a’ja doing what seems like every aces press conference??), and it means a player can't back out of media if they're not up for it like if they're tired, hurt, physically or mentally not at 100% they can't say sorry coach not today or they and the team gets fined

“Player Attributes” means a player’s name, nickname, Picture, portrait, image, signature, voice or other identifiable attributes and, to the extent that she has rights therein, biographical data” league has rights to license any player attributes and players are not allowed to license their attributes, players cannot permit anyone other than the league to manufacture products bearing player attributes, and not allowed to appear promos or ads for any entity that is not a wnba sponsor or affiliate (so no individual sponsors with anyone not associated with the league) – this is probably a general thing in all leagues but it just feels icky

Must have minimum of 11 and max of 12 players on roster, nba has 14-15 roster – again this is salary cap related but even with the increasing salary cap teams can only have a max 12 players so even if the salary cap gets upped that doesn’t equal to more roster spots

Players aren’t allowed to strike, but teams aren’t allowed to lockout players – no lockout is good since it can be used to essentially force players into agreements that are league/team beneficial and teams/leagues can use lockouts to turn media and fans against players (mlb lockout where teams were like the players won’t play we’re willing to play but the players won’t in an attempt to villainize them and the players being like nah bro we’re ready to play they’re not ready to come to the table), but no strike… icky

Also this is not an issue I have with the cba I actually like it but "No Team shall make any direct or indirect payment of any money, property, investments, loans, or anything else of value to: (i) any basketball team not in the WNBA, or (ii) any other entity, organization, representative, or person, for the purpose of inducing a player to enter into a Player Contract or in connection with receiving the right to enter into a Player Contract." Actual quote from the cba I just want to bring up because this is why the wnba is investigating the aces 100k sponsorship bc they're essentially questioning if that money is actually coming from marky mark himself or if that money was used to incentivize players to sign contracts below market value anyways just wanted to point that out, I'm all for bagging on commissioners when they suck but in this case cathy isn't doing this bc she hates vegas she's doing this bc the aces might be breaking the cba

Anyways, that's all my thots on the cba, it's definitely better than it was and there's some good stuff in there that does help protect players, but there's also a lot that's icky and stuff that I'm disappointed to see the players agree to and I understand that players have to make concessions and compromise on stuff, but there's stuff in there (like having to be available for media, the chartered flights debacle, the aces sponsorship debacle) which has been causing a big stink that players and fans obviously have issues with which are written into the cba that players agreed to, so I think after 2027 (when this cba expires) that there's some things the players association needs to take a hard stance on and not budge

[supersoakerfullofblood]

Great Books About Gender Identity

Seeing some posts about how new-adult romance novels popularized by BookTok don't show genuine queer experience and largely tokenize queer characters. And look, the prose of these books is ass too. One of my reading interests is how themes of gender/masculinity/femininity interact with other elements in a novel, and with the culture from which the novel was written. I've read a lot of great books on the topic!

As a disclaimer, most of these books don't have explicit queer representation. I read a lot of old books where that wasn't a thing you could openly write about, but you could write about cultural perceptions of masculinity/femininity (a lotta people still didn't like this, but like, you usually weren't stoned for it), which is where modern queer theory and identity comes from! So if you want to feel understood by a novel, here are my book recs on gender, in no particular order:

The Earthsea series by Ursula K. Le Guin: a series of children's fantasy novels that build the foundation for modern children's and YA fantasy (Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, some Neil Gaiman, Brandon Sanderson, etc.). Men and women's roles in society and relations with magic are a major theme in the series, and while no character is queer (though there's a reference late in the series about witches living together), characters are always bound or freed by the gender they express. Also, all the characters are black, which was unheard of at the time of the first book's publication (1968) and is frankly still unheard of today. And it's just a fun read!

The work of Virginia Woolf: My favorite author and one of the largest players in what we today call gender studies. Highly recommend Orlando, where the titular character changes inexplicably from a man to a woman halfway through the novel (it's tempting to call them "the first trans character," but the label feels disingenuous. Transsexuality as we know it didn't exist then, and Orlando didn't choose or want to switch genders. It just happened to them); A Room of One's Own, Woolf's essay on life as a woman author; and The Waves, a book less about gender identity and more about wholistic identity.

The work of Kate Chopin: Chopin is a huge player in starting the feminist literary movement of the 20th century, influencing the work of many authors on this list. If you can stomach Victorian prose, Chopin is for you!

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath: Plath's novel is written from an intimately feminine perspective and wrestles with questions of mental illness from such a perspective. A must-read.

The work of Oscar Wilde: Thrown in jail for a bit for likely being at least a little gay, Wilde's writing frequently riffs on and critiques gendered social customs. Highly recommend The Importance of Being Earnest, Lady Windermere's Fan, and definitely other stuff of his I haven't read yet.

The work of Madeline Miller: I think Circe is the only "BookTok book" I've read that I thought was good, and boy is it fantastic. Its ideas of gender feel a bit cliche or elementary at times (Circe sometimes reads like an "empowered girlboss" stereotype), but how it plays with this identity at the same time it plays with Circe's identity in her family and pantheon make this book special. And Miller really is a delightful prose stylist. Galatea is also pretty good, and I haven't read Song of Achilles yet.

The Hours by Michael Cunningham: based on Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, Cunningham reprises Woolf's themes for a book set in the 90s! Great read, and another master of the craft.

The poetry of Sappho: The popular conception of Sappho is that she's this girlboss prodigal lesbian in a patriarchal society, which isn't true. There's definitely some truth there, but it's much more nuanced, and certainly Sappho couldn't conceive of the labels we put on her today and those labels' connotations. In any case, her poetry is some of the first, if not the first, love poetry from a feminine perspective.

Any piece of literature about slavery/colonialism written by a woman: This is a broad category, but the intersection of femininity and race is a broad topic which many writers fall into. You really can't go wrong here. My recs are Toni Morrison, Jean Rhys, Zora Neale Hurston, Oroonoko by Aphra Bein, and Jean Toomer. I still need to read Gwendolyn Brooks, Octavia Butler, and Alice Walker.

The work of Shakespeare: You can't go wrong here. Obviously not explicitly queer, but many of his plays deal with cultural gender perceptions and, of course, crossdressing! Twelfth Night is probably his strongest play on this front, but The Winter's Tale and Measure for Measure are both great here, and most of his plays have at least a little commentary on the gender front.

Leave other recs in the comments/rts! :)

[johannestevans]

BristolCon Looms!

Good evening!

BristolCon is coming up on the 21st of October, and I've ordered all the books I'll be selling there, plus have a bunch of badges ready to sell. I won't be on any panels this year, but I will be doing a reading in the evening, and I'll of course be available to chat, answer questions, or sign books.

If you're in or around Bristol, make sure to book your ticket and come along - if not, I'll be filming answers to questions on my TikTok, which I'll also repost on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, etc. You can send questions here on this Google Form.

As far go media recs, I have a few - obviously I've been enjoying the newest season of Our Flag Means Death, and I've started a rewatch of Boston Legal, which is a classic show that I love absolutely to death.

I also have some movies to rec!

Talk To Me (2022, dir. Michael & Danny Philippou) - This movie has everything. Utterly fucked up miserable possession horror, scary jumps and slowly building dread, great character writing, incredible editing, TikTok trends, a pair of side characters made up of an extremely hot Samoan guy built like a rugby player and an extremely hot transmasc person who absolutely fucks shit up, good jokes, good banter, utterly fucked up gore and violence! It's so well-written, it's so well-paced, it fucking rocks!

Swallowed (2022, dir. Carter Smith) - Is this movie good? No. But must a movie be good? Can't a movie effectively be a bugfuck tortureporn flick where a straight guy with a huge dick secretly in love with his gay best friend who's about to leave for Los Angeles to be a pornstar is erect for most of the movie because he ate a magical bug that has an aphrodisiac effect on him whilst trying to traffic those bugs for money, and the gay best friend has to fist him to pull some of the bugs out of his guts? And also Mark Patton is in it and dressed gorgeously and fruiting it up the entire time?

Layer Cake (2004, dir. Matthew Vaughn) - This wasn't a groundbreaking flick or anything, but it was fun and it was pretty gay and sexy. It's got a great cast, really good pacing and choreography - as you'd expect from Mr Vaughn - and a really fun, tightly-written script. Lots of room for male objectification in this one, and that's honestly why I'm reccing it.

We also watched No One Will Save You (2023, dir. Brian Duffield) - I recommend this with a caveat, in that like... So Swallowed is obviously a bit of a shit flick, but has a lot of great stuff going on despite that - No One Will Save You is incredible... for the first two acts. The aliens are haunting in their movements and design, the world feels so real and rich, we get a deep insight into someone utterly consumed with agony and regret at the worst thing they'd done in their childhood. The third act is a complete fumble, and the last ten minutes particularly had me fucking raging. I still think that the rest of the film is so good the movie is worth watching - Kaitlyn Dever really carries it beautifully whilst having no dialogue at all - but just. Be prepared for a shit ending, that's all.

New Works Published

Our Flag Means Death Fanfiction Update: Repentance & Forgiveness

Rated E. Izzy/Frenchie. 49k+, WIP. On the Queen Anne, Frenchie can't sleep.

Desperate to just get whatever he can away from Blackbeard's crew, he knocks on Izzy's door and invites himself in.

Chapter 13 on Ao3 / Chapter 14 on Ao3

Romance Short: Workplace Connections

A junior secretary makes a friend at work, and some more besides. 

10k, rated M, F/F. A young woman makes friends with one of the only male secretaries in her workplace. 1960s Manhattan, featuring lavender marriages, period queerness, misogyny, etc. Light-hearted age gap cheeriness. Adapted from a TweetFic.

Read on Patreon / / Read on Medium

Erotic Short: Yes, Sir

A criminal accountant’s goon obeys his orders, then takes them a bit further.

3.6k, cis M/trans M, rated E. A criminal accountant has his big bear muscle guy fuck him, and the bear does so until the accountant is a whimpering mess. Vaginal sex, size difference, rough sex, objectification, implied overstim, power dynamics and role reversal, age difference.

Read on Patreon / / Read on Medium

Erotic Short: A Gift for the Wolfmen

A young man in a brothel is invited to join a quartet of hulking wolf-like warriors.

6.4k, rated E. Two trans men, both being gangbanged by four cis wolfmen with huge cocks.

Fantasy universe with adventurers and so forth. Featuring stuck-through-wall and grope boxes, body writing, vaginal, oral, and anal play, huge come inflation, size difference, knotting, power dynamics, virginity kink, objectification and dehumanisation, degradation, humiliation, breeding kink, body modification, mentions of lactation and pregnancy, and enthusiastic consent throughout.

Read on Patreon / / Read on Medium

[hecho-a-mano]

So apparently right wingers are saying that WNBA player Brittney Griner is a trans woman due to her appereance, voice etc...gross. They did the same to Caster Semenya last year, I hate this.

(to be clear, trans women in sports are a great thing and must be supported, I’m saying this type of transphobia is bad)

[mermaidsirennikita]

Caro's Best Reads of 2022

2022 was an interesting year for me in general, and that did not let up re: my reading life. I continued to read almost exclusively romance, with a few exceptions. Most of that was historical romance--but that's not the only subgenre I love. I'm also trying to make more of a concentrated effort to explore other subgenres, for a couple reasons.

A) Very bluntly, to avoid burnout. Variety is the spice of life, etc.

B) Historical romance can be amazing. However, it can also be very white and heteronormative. To me, it's easier to be aware of the pitfalls of some historical romance novels when you read from subgenres that offer greater variety.

I also finally really got into Immortals After Dark and... By God, my life was changed. I don't think I've ever read a romance series that really thrilled me quite as much (newbs get a cheat sheet). I'm going to list my favorite IAD books here, (separately) but know that I do advocate for reading that series in order due to its mythos and series-long arc.

I'm not ranking these books, because I can't. And this list is about what I read this year, not what was released this year. I will, however, be holding 2023 ARCs that would have made off the list, because I feel like it's a bit unfair.

With that said--here's what I loved the most this year.

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall.

A gorgeous historical romance that is, in fact, one of the few friends to lovers novels that works for me. It's true that A Lady for a Duke breaks new ground in historical romance--and it's an inherently queer story. Even beyond Viola's identity as a trans woman, much of this novel surrounds the concept of the found family--the Duke of Gracewood is saved not only by Viola, but his family. The story takes turns that I didn't expect, especially regarding the physical nature of Viola and Gracewood's relationship; this one doesn't take any kind of expected, heteronormative beats. But at the end of the day, what struck me most was how truly I felt like Viola and Gracewood knew each other deeply. And as their knowing shifted to a romantic and sexual relationship... It was just really, really moving. And, it must be said, super passionate.

Run, Run, Rabbit by C.M. Nascosta.

Listen, while everyone else was loving the minotaur book--and look, I get it, the minotaur book is very well-done, I'm not saying y'all are wrong--THIS was my Nascosta of choice. Run, Run, Rabbit is a quick, very dirty read that toes some lines with romance and gives us a deliciously toxic couple in Grayson and Vanessa. They are coworkers (really, he's kind of her boss), they're lawyers, they hate each other, and they are werewolves. This one is primal on every level--much of it is told in flashbacks around the framing device of a Lupercalia in which Vanessa is just dying for an alpha male to chase her, catch her, and fuck her in front of a million other werewolves. But it's also primal in that, while Grayson and Vanessa want to keep their relationship surface level... As the deeply competitive, naturally wolfish, and frankly erotic people they are, the time they spend together fucking and talking after they fuck and revealing casual truths to each other is true intimacy. They fall in love without realizing it, and he does! Remain! An asshole! There aren't easy fixes in this book, and I can't say I'm confident Vanessa and Grayson have like, healthy relationship at the end... but I am confident that they're under each other's skin in every way. (Also: there is shifted sex in this. You've been warned.)

Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid.

The "closeted gay hockey player" is kind of a subgenre of a subgenre in romance--if you like sports romance and you like m/m romance, maybe you'll like... And as someone who does find hockey to be the sexiest sport, but also a sport I don't know about and don't care to watch, I wasn't that into the concept. Then I read Heated Rivalry. And then I read Heated Rivalry again. And then I read The Long Game. And then I read Heated Rivalry again-- There's something addict and charged and just like, achingly romantic and hot about this book. Ilya and Shane feel like real people to me. Their romance feels real. I buy that they would be in and out of each other's lives for like, a decade, unable to fully let their thing go while also being unable to commit. Shane's internalized homophobia contrasted with Ilya's seemingly carefree bisexuality (I say seemingly because... Ilya is Russian) adds stakes to a story that is really mostly about two people having to come to terms with the fact that they are in love. The Long Game is also a worthy sequel, delving further into Ilya's sense of humor and extroverted charm as a coping device for his trauma and depression--and giving them real challenges as a couple, while preserving the romance and happy ending. Fucking LOVE.

Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley.

If you want a marriage in trouble book--this is a marriage in trouble book. What I love about this novel is that it really examines like... what happens after that sweeping romance. Mac and Isabella are instantly smitten, and he is the classic rogue and she's the classic virgin, and he sweeps her away and they marry and it should be happily ever after... But the little things pile on, until the two of them can't withstand a BIG THING together. You feel the sense that he's given her space, and you feel the gravity of their situation, which is why she needs that space so badly. This is basically a book-long grovel--with paint sex, because Mac is one of the few artist heroes that actually works. And it's also deeply, intensely, painfully hot in a way that can only be found in a book about two people who know each other emotionally and physically, and know exactly how to push each other's buttons. This is what I want out of a good, angsty historical romance.

The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton

I also read The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels this year, and that was another five-star read. But The League of Gentlewomen Witches took it all up to another notch for me. The magic was even more whimsical. The heroine was even more lovable (in this case, a proper lady who desperately wanted to walk on the wild side, my favorite). The sexual tension was hotter, the romance swoonier, the pirate even sluttier. I frankly had a great time with it, and it only got me more invested in the quirky, wacky world India Holton has created. Escapism at its finest.

Indigo by Beverly Jenkins.

Yes, obviously Indigo is a classic. But I had never read it, okay? And God, I'm glad I did. Indigo is beautifully written and romantic as fuck, with one of my favorite grand gestures I've ever read in a book. (Really, two of them.) It's also an older book, and there is like, a wacky kind of villain that I imagine you could pick apart critically... However, I loved the drama of it all. And there's just something really classic and beautifully sweeping about Galen and Hester's love story. He's a rake who's smitten. She's a smart, sensible woman who's innocent in many ways, but experienced enough in life to be skeptical about his devotion. He chases her, literally and metaphorically, throughout the novel--and why wouldn't he? Hester is awesome, and Galen knows she's awesome. There's journeying, there's action, and there's the embedded history that Beverly Jenkins fucking aces. She knows how to tell a story authentically, and Indigo is just.... Both incredibly romantic and ready to bring you to tears.

Lead by Kylie Scott.

I just really enjoyed Kylie Scott's Stage Dive series in general, and the final book, Deep, was also a five-star read for me. But I decided to single out the third book, Lead, because it just felt so different from the rest. We're introduced to Jimmy in the first book at its lowest--in many ways, he was the villain. The hero's promiscuous brother who was high (once to the point of overdose) for most of his page time, essentially harassing his brother's new wife... While we find out that he also slept with his brother's ex-girlfriend. What this book does is show us the work that Jimmy has done and is doing, pairing him with the only kind of heroine that could work for him--a no-nonsense broad who doesn't take his shit and is a friend to him far before things get romantic. Lena and Jimmy's romance is full of tension and unsaid feelings, and when feelings are said--and acted upon--God, does he fuck up. A couple of times. It's the kind of push-pull angsty romance that's great to read, coupled with great sex scenes (even if Jimmy is very bad at after care) and Kylie Scott's signature sense of humor. A fabulous celebrity romance.

Forbidden by Elizabeth Lowell.

Elizabeth Lowell's medieval trilogy is a fabulous shot of pure 90s drama, with everything from horrible heroes who can't love to.... horrible heroes who can't love, even more! Forbidden really took me aback, though. It's got everything: a kind of wacky premise full of medieval borders I didn't fully understand, a rich sense of the world and atmosphere, a bit of mysticism, and a CURSE. Oh, also, amnesia! This is one of those books that hinges on something being revealed... and once that thing is revealed? Oh, shit. Is the fallout fantastic. And that's what really got me about this one. The emotional reactions, the way everyone had to withstand the drama between Duncan and Amber? Oh yes, she is Amber--Amber the Untouched. Incredible. And he, of course, is the sub-villain of the previous book, which makes all of this even more intense. Old school excellence.

The Bride Goes Rogue by Joanna Shupe.

If you want to get emotionally invested and on the edge of your seat for a romance novel.... You need to read Joanna Shupe. The Bride Goes Rogue has all the beats of a great Shupe book--the hero is a ruthless tycoon, the heroine has zero time for his bullshit, and there is much illicit sex, partying, and secrets. Oh, and the hero absolutely hates the heroine's father and wants to destroy him. What I think takes The Bride Goes Rogue to another level is the interplay between Preston and Katherine, the way they can't help but needle each other at every moment. It goes beyond enemies to lovers--it's how they're physically wired. It's a dom/sub book, straight up; Katherine loves pushing his buttons, and she gets off on teasing him. The power she wields over this man while playing submissive is great to see--and the grovel? Please. All of this wrapped up in Joanna Shupe's Gilded Age, which is my favorite iteration of the era. Addictive, and leads into an even better book... which isn't out until next month, hence why it's not on this list.

How to Steal A Scoundrel's Heart by Vivienne Lorret.

One thing I really appreciate out Vivienne Lorret's last few books is that they seem really preoccupied with playing with older tropes of historical romance. This one is no different, taking on the idea of the fallen woman, the mistress, and making her our heroine. As innocent a mistress as Prue is, she's nonetheless a woman so desperate that she's willing to sell her reputation--and her body--to a hero who's more than willing to take her up on it. All of that sounds kind of dirty... but while Prue and the Marquess of Savage definitely get down and dirty, the love story itself is sweet and tender and romantic, and FUNNY. This was my first Vivienne Lorret, and I'm so glad to have discovered her. And this is another one that leads right into a fabulous early 2023 release...

Between the Devil and Desire by Lorraine Heath.

There were... several... Lorraine Heath books on my favorite 2022 reads shelf, so I decided to pick one and run with it. Of all of them, I think Between the Devil and Desire stuck with me the most this year... for now. That could always change. Much like The Bride Goes Rogue is a classic Shupe, Between the Devil and Desire is a classic Heath. There's a zany plot, a woman with a queenly resolve who's rattled by the hero, a great supporting cast (some of whom have or will get their own books), and a wacky twist that is so chaotic it absolutely works. Also, lots of angst. This one is a classic Lady and the Tramp setup, but with the added stakes of the lady being a single mother who can't afford to let go... unless she can. And yes, reader, she does pass out after seeing his dick at one point. TW: discussions of childhood sexual abuse.

Heartbreaker by Sarah MacLean

In many ways, Henry, the Duke of Clayborn, is a hero I think Sarah MacLean has been waiting to write and I've been waiting to read from her. He's stern, he's bossy, he's actually a sweetheart, he has an absolutely filthy mouth. But to be honest, I wasn't sure about how Adelaide would shake out as his heroine at first... And then I got to know her. This is classic MacLean: you have a woman who's really good at what she does, and a man who just adores everything to do with her. But what I loved most about Heartbreaker is how it emphasizes what makes Adelaide and Henry's relationship so beautiful. She thinks her greatest asset is her ability to go unseen... Yet he has always seen her.

Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare

I had two Tessa Dare five-star reads this year, and everyone knows the other one is amazing and I love it and recommend it (A Week to Be Wicked). But I want to call Any Duchess Will Do out, because it is just as funny and hot and zany as any great Tessa Dare book... with a reveal that had my heart breaking. This is the best kind of interclass romance--complete with a scene I have mentioned many times that features the hero fucking her while making her repeat his courtesy titles (it's.... very fun). And our heroine--not a virgin, a bit jaded yet still quite innocent, swept away yet imminently practical--is the perfect juxtaposition to a hero that was introduced in A Week to Be Wicked as... kind of a total jackass! Come for the laughs, stay for the tears.

The Duke I Tempted by Scarlett Peckham

We need more kink in historical romance!!! People of the Regency and the Victorian eras were kind of inherently kinky--the culture is like, social edging. What I loved so much about this book was not just its explicit handling of kink, but the sensitive exploration of how that kink helps the hero, how he's been shamed into hiding it, and how healthy and beneficial it is not only to him but his heroine. While I totally respect and love erotic romance and erotica, I do feel like many historical explorations of kink do veer into those zones, to the point that at times the meaning behind the kink feels tangential. And while that's totally valid (after all, not everyone has a deep reason for indulging in kink!) I just liked how much Scarlett Peckham clearly researched and thought about d/s in this book.

The Special IAD Corner:

Look man, I was consumed by Immortals After Dark, and those books had a strong presence on my Favorites shelf. In order to keep them from dominating the list, I'm going to allow them they own corner... ahead of the guide. Although I do generally recommend reading these books in order, some claim you can... not do that. Either way, I'm listing them in order of their place in the series.

Dark Needs at Night's Edge by Kresley Cole.

The first IAD book to feature a virgin hero, and by God did this have me on my knees. It still does. This is one of the most weirdly romantic books I've ever read, and it's arguably at that earlier point in the series where it's easier to jump into. Though of course, you might miss out on Wroth Brothers drama--which is part of the appeal of this book. Conrad Wroth is broken not just because he's an insane centuries-old vampire who existed in his mortal life to kill what he was forced to become... but because the people who forced that transformation on him are his brothers. The pent up desire of Conrad, someone who not only could not have sex, but wasn't even interested in it due to his preoccupation with his thirst and insanity... Is delicious. And Neomi is a magical heroine, so it's easy to see why he's so enraptured with her. She had me from the moment that she, a ghost, tried to determine if Conrad could see her by doing a sexy striptease (it worked). He's a crazy virgin vampire who in many ways is quite innocent and in other ways totally corrupted, trying his best; she's a determined, flirty, funny, and yes, angry ghost who just deserves a break. They are magic.

Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole.

For all that Conrad and Naomi are romantic sweetness, Rydstrom and Sabine are the... exact opposite of that. While also having some pretty sweet moments. Sabine is an understandably controversial heroine, wicked and proud of it, kicking off the book by taking her hero hostage and beginning a campaign of edging in an attempt to become his wife and the mother of his child. For politics! But I'll be real--nothing that Sabine does is beyond what certain heroes in this series do... And it works, for me, because Rydstrom absolutely revels in her. Their love story is perhaps the definition of a love/hate story, full of one-upmanship and "parity" and Rydstrom just desperately trying to claim Sabine and make her realize that she loves him... Even if it's kind of insane that he wants her love. It's a twisted romance, but it's one that I found thoroughly enthralling, hot, and darkly funny. (The first time he grins at her is when she flips him off... how am I supposed to fight that?) And the kink in this book? Is fabulous.

Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole.

This one... This one.... It speaks to something.... deeply cavewoman within me. The line "she was born to be found by me"? Listen. LISTEN. There's just something about Kresley's werewolves, and Garreth is kind of definitively wolfy--erotic, protective, extremely devoted, hedonistic, and very alpha. But in an incredibly charming way. The idea of pairing such a carnal hero with a heroine whose abilities and identity are tied up in her vow of chastity? Fabulous tension. Garreth's very literal pursuit of Lucia is fraught and tense, but also funny and sexy and eventually, incredibly tender and romantic. You get the adventure of them traveling by river on a quest--and the heat of them... working around that vow of chastity. But all of this hinges on self-denial--Lucia denying her desires, and Garreth very literally denying what he is in order to be with her. You know that the thread between them is stretching thinner and thinner with every page, and when it finally snaps? It's absolutely delicious. The scene where Garreth chases Lucia through the jungle? Etched. Into. My Brain.

Lothaire by Kresley Cole.

Look. This is a classic. It's plain and simple. It's a romance classic in general, it's a paranormal romance classic specifically, and it is a perfectly done villain romance. I cannot imagine the anticipation for this book back in the day, because it's like--literally, how the fuck can Lothaire be a viable romance hero without losing what makes him... Lothaire? His truly evil impulses and deeds, his ambitions, his incredibly dark sense of humor? His insanity? And for that matter, how could you possibly give him a heroine to match him? Kresley's inspired choice was in giving Lothaire Ellie--not just a mortal woman, but a poor, seemingly ignorant mortal woman he'd find totally beneath him... Only to discover that as much as Lothaire is a master manipulator, Ellie isn't bad at mind games either. The twisted game between them, the cat and mouse that just every so often revealed their true feelings, is just... captivating. Is he going to kiss or kill her? Does she love him--can she love him, after everything he's done to her? Somehow, Lothaire never loses his bite (haha) and Ellie rises to the challenge of fucking with his head until he is so incredibly unhinged for her that it's easily one of the most satisfying reading experiences of my life. And the blood blowjob? Lives up to the hype.

MacRieve by Kresley Cole.

Look, man. There's weaponized sadness, and then there's this book. Never have I read more heartbreaking prologue--and MacRieve is just an absolutely broken hero at the beginning of this book. The brilliance of the novel, however, is in seducing you into believing that MacRieve and Chloe can just magically fall in love and now that they've met, all his issues are cured. Time to move on! And then--wham. They're confronted with their real, unavoidable problems, and they (largely MacRieve) have to fucking deal with them if they want a chance at lasting love. This is a challenging book--but I found it incredibly powerful, without losing the sense of adventure and sex and even humor (MACRIEVE BRAIN) that makes IAD so good.

Special Shoutout for 2023 ARCs!

Two of my favorite books of 2022 were actually... 2023 ARCs. So while I can't necessarily recommend them as 2022 novels in good conscience, I will recommend pre-ordering them.

The Duke Gets Even by Joanna Shupe (out 1/24/2023)

The culmination of three books of buildup (though it does stand alone), The Duke Gets Even is so incredibly satisfying that I was basically just clutching my face throughout my first read. You want enemies to lovers done right? You want two people who try so desperately to avoid one another while also being ridiculously attracted to each other? You want a woman who believes in abortion rights and a duke who believes in a bit of pain with his pleasure? Read it. I'm still not over this one.

Never Seduce A Duke by Vivienne Lorret (out 2/21/2023)

This book has the kind of zany daring and boldness that I've been looking for in recent historical romance releases. It's funny, it's hot, it's angsty, and its completely fearless. You never get the sense that Vivienne Lorret is thinking about what people will think of her next move with the plot. She just goes for what she thinks is right, and it totally sells the (admittedly wild) story.

[brittapcrrys]

admins, u really gotta stop putting shit like “for every [x number of] white muse/s you play, your next must be a person of colour [i usually see it as a 1:1 ratio but have seen 2:1 and worse before].............. OR otherwise diverse in some way”

so we’re still acting like various “types” of diversity, representation & inclusion are ALL interchangeable? as though the idea that ‘for every one (1) cis, abled, thin, white fc/muse under 40.................... the next one’s just gotta tick ONE of those ~ID diversity~ boxes’ is somehow fair and balanced and reasonable???

like ??!!? really? a faceclaim of colour can be ignored in this situation if ur gonna play.....a 60yo white fc, a fat OR disabled OR trans white fc? just so long as they are diverse in ONE way, that balances everything out fairly, yeah? [/sarcastic slant, and pointed rhetorical questions. for now]

for every 1 white muse, your next MUST be a muse of colour. always. it should be at least 2 muses of colour for every 1 white muse imo but im just trying to dig away at the bare minimum of respect and inclusion, here. and an admin team’s responsibility cannot just be to passively encourage it, sort of, maybe ‘we can’t force anyone to do anything hehe sorry’. if you can demand certain fc/oc age rules, activity limits, muse numbers per person, members in the group, post formatting etc........................ expecting and enforcing ‘stricter’ rules to ENSURE greater diversity in characters / from your members is a MUST.

and that’s the obvious one to start with and the easiest one to define a minimum ratio for, because, like, if we’re going on real global demographic statistics (even in our silly little made up idealistic fantasy writing worlds), then characters of colour SHOULD be the majority by a significant margin! asking for 1:1 is letting ppl off pretty damn easily!! (this is without even going into how some ppl with Tick That Box, every single time it’s required, with a fc who is mixed, white-passing or has lighter skin... im white, im repeating ideas i’ve read from muns of colour over the last few years, and im not digging further into this here but there’s a pattern of it that needs to be acknowledged and improved - but not at the expense of the experiences and inclusion of those fcs and muns of similar backgrounds. i am not saying it is only 1 or the other bc apparently ppl take it that way smfh)

the ~ratios~ and expectations you said for gender, body diversity, disability, & sometimes age (though like.... groups that set age diversity at 35&up are reaaalllly testing my patience) are sort of.....a grey area, im not equipped to say ‘this is the Correct and Precise number u need to enforce’. personally? i think if you have a player with 2 characters, 1 of them should (as well as, obviously, at least 1 of the 2 being a muse of colour) fit into one of these ~additional diversity categories~ which feels very fucking “ugh corporate mandates spreading the political correctness extremes down the chain now” gross to name it that but it’s 2:40am and this is mostly a vent / rant, likely to be deleted within 24-28hrs. again imo, 3 muses should be a 2:1 FCoC:whitefc ratio, and you need to be including at least 2 of the other lines of diversity in ur fc and character choices (how that’s done -, separately i.e. 1 is an amputee and another is genderfluid; or ‘combined’ i.e. a fat disabled muse & a 50yo trans woman - im v flexible on but like the more u up ur character count the more im gonna expect myself & others to be looking at fcs and muses with overlapping ‘diversity criteria’). but maybe ur a 1 in 3 kinda person, 1 in 4 is probably pushing it, and frankly anything more ‘lenient’ than that is just the admin team not caring enough abt these groups of people or prioritizing their visibility and inclusion in their group.

there’s more but this is already longer than i wanted it to be, and im getting more unsettled abt the clumsy wording by the second, & ALSO wanting to re-/over-explain every single point again to justify myself to all possible reader interpretations so. that is a sign to Quit.

[temporoom]

Theory time: Vanitas’ early childhood

Contains manga spoilers, proceed with caution. (To simplify my writing, I’ll refer to our current human Vanitas as Vanitas, and the Vampire of the Blue Moon, the original Vanitas, as Luna with they/them pronouns)

So lately I’ve been obsessed with reading VnC analysis, and I think we can all conclude that Vanitas misogyny is due to the death of his mother when he was born, and his father giving signs of not loving him (though we know it’s not true) during his childhood. Which ended up in him assuming what we traditionally consider “feminine” chores (such as cooking, cleaning, and overall taking care of others), all the while being told he looked like his mother.

What I find interesting with this description of his life is that our young Vanitas here is explaining things objectively, or from an external point of view, and when it comes to feelings, he is making assumptions (he still does btw). 

It’s not to make a psychological analysis on a fictional character (which is nearly impossible to be honest), but rather an assumption about how he ended up in this situation of being in a feminine position. So my take is more on a narrative standpoint, to make a parallel with Mikhail, and make it link to Luna:

Unlike Mikhail, who was forced by his mother to be like just like her during his younger years, I think Vanitas put that burden on himself on his volition, or at least indirectly.

Now, when we look back at the dialogue above, I mentioned Vanitas was making a lot of assumptions about other people’s feelings... And he still does. I believe he could have always done that since a young age. It could be for a simple reason, like his father having trouble showing his emotions after his wife’s death, and so he had no other choices but to guess what he was thinking.

Then we have another factor to take in account: He grew up amongst people who knew his mother. Of course, we have the explicit statement that people told him he looked like her. But it usually does not stop at that. There must still be some lingering traces of her in everything: in the instruments, in the clothes, in the type of meals they would eat, in the way people would talk and what they would talk about...etc. Basically, the members of the travelling players could have indirectly reminded to Vanitas that his mother died, and (children put things together easily) he thought he was the reason for it.

So then, what if the idea emerged in his head at some point to simply and surely replace his mother? Or at least the idea of her? To replace the ghost she left in the group, making the overbearing presence of her death go away by becoming what she used to represent. Maybe he could have think it as a way to obtain his father’s attention, or at least a reaction.  Hence why the long hair, and his ability to manage house chores. And I’m maybe overthinking... But we never see his legs in the panels during which he talks about his childhood, maybe to hide a skirt? It wouldn’t be the first time MochiJun hides things through clever paneling (I’m still angry at that damn black rabbt from PH).

Then the reason for why he thought his father disliked him would be simple: Just like how Dominique tried to replace Louis, Vanitas tried to replace his mother, and like Noé who couldn’t bear to not only lose Dominique that way but also be constantly reminded of Louis’ death, Vanitas’ father would see the same ghost of his dead wife in his son, and couldn’t bear it. If my supposition is true, and Vanitas’ father was a secretive person, then unlike Noé who directly told it to Dominique, he maybe couldn’t and simply endured seeing his son disappear as the death of his wife was constantly reminded to him. It did not mean that he loved him less, but he wouldn’t know how to act around him anymore.

So now you wonder: how does that link to Luna? Well Mikhail see Luna as a man, we mostly assume it’s because they represent the father figure he never had because that’s what Mikhail said himself. While Vanitas sees them as a woman, and again, because of Mikhail’s claim, we assume it’s because they represent the mother he never had. All of the conversations leads up to that conclusion... But after going through all of Pandora Hearts, I know MochiJun just loves those kinds of misleading texts.

What if Vanitas and Mikhail aren’t projecting the parental figure they wished they had on Luna, but rather the person they wished to be? Mikhail has been stripped away from his masculinity by his mother and forced to act as a girl, hence why he sees a man in Luna, but if Vanitas decided to imitate his mother on his own will... Then Luna would become the woman he couldn’t be (do not see any trans subtext in this, it’s purely on gender roles basis). It would add to his anger against them, since they are genderless, they could be anything they wanted to, unlike him.

To Mikhail and Vanitas, Luna would then be the representation of the gender roles they couldn’t fit in.

The conclusion of this theory is that Vanitas’ overall misogyny doesn’t actually come from being forced into a “feminine” role during his childhood, but rather because he wasn’t able to fullfill that role. 

Well. Thank you for reading, I hope you all enjoy tomorrow’s episode. 

And credits to @/bemused_writer for her incredible analysis on each manga chapters, this is what helped me come up with this small theory.

[arielsojourner]

A realization

The other day my 80+ year old father was making a comment about the trans community and his big concern about how if “we let them” transition that would just be so devastating for sports. (He’d seen some “news” program -- and I use the term “news” here extremely loosely, more like propaganda garbage --bemoaning the fact that trans women could not be permitted to box cis women because it would mean that the trans woman would have some sort of unfair advantage and harm the cis woman by being a strong “man” merely “pretending” to be woman, and therefore we can’t possibly ever recognize and treat a trans woman as a woman! It would be a disaster for organized sports! Best stop this whole thing right now. No rights and recognition. So sorry. Sports must be protected! That’s the most important thing!) 

At the time I responded unthinkingly with arguments about how gender segregation of sports is such bullshit anyway (just google the testosterone tests given to cis women to ensure they are female enough to compete with other women “fairly” and those who have been banned from international sport as a result of their hormone levels), are totally arbitrary, and in many instances only still exist because men can’t bear the thought that women (or even people with disabilities) could compete and/or beat them in sports and athletics at all levels! (I’m thinking of the woman who struck out Babe Ruth, Billie Jean King kicking ass in tennis, and basically any woman soccer player ever). Remember people Title IX only became Federal law in 1972. Many a politician still in power today in 2022 in the US was in politics and/or alive in 1972. It was NOT that long ago.

It dawns on me now, days later, that in arguing with him at his level, in his area of complaint, I got sucked into his absurd garbage thinking. Why the fuck am I arguing about sports? Why do sports even matter when a trans person is struggling to be legally recognized and seen and treated as who they are? (The same holds true for those people who identify as agendered or gender fluid). Why should I even begin to consider or bother to weigh the alleged “harm” caused to athletics at all against the mental and physical struggle of a trans person who simply wants to be who they really are and be treated as equal in the eyes of the law? 

There is no comparison here! In this case, who the fuck cares about organized sports?  A group of fellow human beings is systemically and legally in danger and/or harmed every day simply by being who they are and you are worried about gender segregation keeping sports “fair”?

I am sure there is some fancy rhetorical word or phrase (probably in Greek) that explains the absurdity of the argument I got sucked into but I don’t know what it is.  

Knowing the word isn’t important though. 

Realizing the inanity of what I did in response to my father’s comment is important.

So I share this with you so that you may avoid what I did.

The next time someone spouts of some garbage, stupid reason why a trans person cannot be legally recognized, legally protected, and seen or some similar absurd shit about why any other minority or marginalized group (anyone in the queer community, people of color, neuro-divergent, people with disabilities, etc.) should not be afforded the same opportunities and consideration and right to exist as any white, abled, neuro-typical, hetero cis gendered, WEIRD (western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic) person, take a moment. 

Breathe before you strike back. 

Think.

Is their point really the point you should be arguing?

There are many idiotic opinions in the world. We do no have the ability to slap the stupid out of people (as of yet, though my sister still prays for a miracle), so we must conserve our energy to fight the most important fights and not get sucked into stupid ones.

[ashsreads]

live reaction: check, please! (webcomic by ngozi ukazu)

(as a figure skater, i just had to make my first post about an ice sports webcomic :) so here we go!!) (also, to clarify: these are notes i take in real-time while i read whatever i'm reading. i take the notes in my notion bookshelf, then copy/paste them over to here once i'm done!)

i’ve never enjoyed reading about hockey players before

they’re all such himbos, i love them

the way they talk about substance abuse in this is actually?? very nice?? like it’s not romanticized, they call it like it is, and it’s shown to have real consequences on the characters and their lives

i also enjoy that the Haus is shown to have baggies of condoms on their message board alsdkdjl safe sex ed at its finest

hockey shit with ransom and holster works better than my zoloft

the way the teams foster environments of inclusivity is so important to me; many queer athletes really worry about what their teams are going to say, and seeing these fictional teams be so warm and accepting makes me so so so happy :,)

only con: i would’ve liked a more developed ending! it felt very sudden, and a lot of strings left untied.

like what happened with bitty’s parents? how’d the press conference go? how was bitty’s senior year? i have QUESTIONS

edit NEVERMIND I SKIPPED 20 CHAPTERS ON ACCIDENT ALKSDJFLS BRB

edit edit: the ending is incredibly well developed when you actually finish it!! it’s such a sweet, adorable, happy ending that celebrates queer joy.

i would also like a copy of bitty's cookbook please, his pie recipes must be phenomenal

just found out the author doesn’t skate herself??!! i’m ASTOUNDED, her research must have been insanely extensive. i will say the figure skating knowledge isn’t quite up to par with the hockey knowledge, but overall bravo!! bravo indeed

i do wish this story had was some trans/nonbinary rep. we get approximately zero of that in ice sports.

however, when considering that this comic launched in 2013, the representation for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ people in hockey (and ice sports overall) was absolutely a step in the right direction.

like is this another piece of queer media focused on two cis white men?? yeah. is it also a webcomic that includes representation for many marginalized groups, was created by a black woman, and started when gay people couldn't even get married in the US, much less be out in pro sports?? YEAH! this comic tackled so many topics that were seen as fairly radical/controversial in the early 2010s, and i've gotta give kudos for that.

also would've loved to see some more exploration into the figure skating part of bitty’s past!! like how that helped in his journey w/ hockey, why he switched, etc.

i will also say that at some points the panels were kind of hard to read in webcomic format. especially some of the ones that take up like longer/narrower rectangles(??), the text gets super tiny and hard to read. most of it's perfectly readable though!

overall an incredibly enjoyable read!! it's cute, it's hilarious, and took my mind off all the horrible things in the world for a moment.

and if we could possibly get a live action tv show of this one day... the world would know peace 😌😌

[merrock]

SOME DIVERSITY NOTES!

Good morning, guys! As I mentioned last week, we went over our taken list this week, making notes of what we are seeing, what improvements need to be made, and what we can do as mods to encourage more diversity on dash. After making a little flow chart for us to be able to keep track more closely, we have made a few changes we want to make you aware of.

Although things like sexuality, age range, gender (in terms of cis man vs. cis woman) and social status are all great things to still keep in mind, we are seeing good representation in those areas! Right now, we are asking players to put a focus into bringing in characters that exhibit body or gender diversity, and face claims of color (especially BIPOC). This can mean plus sized face claims, people with disabilities, trans characters, nonbinary characters, etc. We are very strongly encouraging players to consider bringing in BIPOC, especially dark-skinned face claims. Every other character you bring in must be a face claim of color (unless you already play more than half with this representation). We are trusting players to bring in six characters without consulting us first, with the knowledge that at least three of those will be portrayed by face claims of color, but are asking that if you plan on bringing in more characters afterwards, you just come to drop a bug in our ear so we can be sure diversity is being kept in mind.

A small side note: in both cases of face claims of color and characters who identify as a part of the LGBTQ+ community, remember to handle their storylines respectfully, and to avoid any stereotypes or anything that could make the very real people who are in those communities feel uncomfortable.

Other than that, let’s kick off a new week! As usual, if you would like to bring in roles this week, you may do so as long as it is one week out from your last character becoming active, you are replying to new starters, and all of your blogs have been active in the last 24 hours. You may bring in two face claims of color at once, but please do consider playing a BIPOC. As always, remember -- there is no rush to bring in new characters. It’s exciting, it’s fun, but if you need time to develop, or want to take your time, that’s important, too. We are not going anywhere, I promise!

p.s. keep an eye out this week for our first task/activity!

[gigslist]

46 Online Roles and Open Casting Calls - Work From Home - Paid

Company Video Voiceover

PAID WORK FROM HOME NONUNION

Brooklyn SolarWorks Francesca Ricotta, Digital Marketing Manager

1.5-2 minute audio recording. 450-word script. Looking for a welcoming, neighborly tone for a voiceover. We serve a Brooklyn audience, so hoping for someone with a little New York flair. This will be used for an internal video that will be shared with customers who have recently gone solar. The voiceover will outline what to expect during the solar process.

Voice Actor (Voiceover): All Genders, 30-58 voice actor for short informational voiceoverLanguages:

English

Accents:

Standard American

New York

Voice Styles:

Neighborly

Trustworthy

Cool

Friendly

Talent must have access to their own recording space and equipment and submit the final recording as WAV audio file. Ideal completion by Friday, September 10th.

Professional Pay: $70 - $200audio to be used as voiceover for an educational video

Seeking talent: Nationwide (United States)

Attention FRANCESCA RICOTTA - info@brooklynsolarworks.com

DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER

====================

Event Sizzle Reel, Bold Inspiring Voiceover

PAID WORK FROM HOME NON UNION

Flightless Bird Creative Stephen Kipp, casting dir.

Casting a sizzle reel for a business event. Production states: "The event is focused on the theme of being 'bold.' To match that energy, we're looking for a bold voiceover read for this video. Kanye West is a good reference for the energy-level and style of delivery."

Roles

Voiceover (Voiceover): 21-35 WORK FROM HOME

Records Sept. 9 remotely.

Professional Pay: $100 - $150Pay TBD.

Seeking talent: Nationwide (United States)

Attention: Stephen Kipp, casting dir. https://flightlessbird.tv/about-us/

Flightless Bird Creative

=============

Razor and Shave Care Product Promo

PAID WORK FROM HOME NON UNION

TubeScience

Hilal Narin, talent prod.

Casting outgoing Australian and British men and women willing to shave on camera, for demos and testimonials with a razor and shave care product. "The product is a popular razor and shave care products that are delivered right to your door. This is an on going project. We shoot a lot of these projects."

Roles

British or Australian Male Willing To Shave With Shirt Off Near Or In The Shower (Lead): Male, 18-54WORK FROM HOMEproduction states: "This project is remote and can be done anywhere in the world; this would be a director assisted remote shoot which you could shoot on a smart phone; male talent will be shaving on camera; we will send you a quick selfie audition; in the audition you can say what you feel comfortable shaving; it could be your beard, your head, your chest, or just cleaning up your beard."Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Video Reel

British or Australian Female Willing To Shave In A Bathing Suit In A Bathroom Or Shower Setting (Lead): Female, 18-40WORK FROM HOME "This project is remote and can be done anywhere in the world; this would be a director assisted remote shoot which you could shoot on a smart phone; female talent will be shaving on camera. We will send you a quick selfie audition; in the audition you can say what you feel comfortable shaving; it could be your legs, armpits, head, or toes; whatever you normally shave or feel comfortable shaving."Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Video Reel

Talent shoots remotely.

Professional Pay: $250/DailyPays $250 for day/all media buyout/non union.

Seeking talent: Nationwide (United States)

casting@tubescience.com

============

Open Call

ACTOR / TALENT

Please submit via this link 

https://airtable.com/shrwe67h1SstvX8mV

if you would like to be cast in a commercial.

For any other questions about casting, you may email us at casting@tubescience.com

==================

DTC T-Shirt Brand Casting for series of UGC videos - Remote Production

Open Call

Common Thread Co. Ari Hayes, Lead Creative Producer

Casting a series of UGC videos for a high-growth T-Shirt brand in the DTC ecosystem. Looking for “everyday guys” - who are on the taller side (6’2”+). Ideal talent is someone who fits in both a regular and a tall tee.

 Preferably someone who "skinny-fit" who can express high energy and raw / honest testimonials about their experience with the products. Historically, UGC content from the client has performed best outdoors in good looking environments because the shirts feel grounded in reality and not just a studio or upscale apartment setting. So, if possible - please try to shoot outdoors in an appealing setting with good light that brings out the value propositions of the shirts and doesn’t hide or distort them with harsh light or shadows. iPhone 8 or Newer will be required for this shoot (for camera / audio purposes). Ring Light or Personal Lighting is required for this shoot. This will be a remote production to be shot at talents home or nearby exterior area (park, backyard, etc.) Looking to shoot ASAP based on talent availability!

Male Talent (Day Player): Male, 25-45WORK FROM HOME"Everyday Guy" Average guy who is "skinny-fit" or as close to that description as can.Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Headshot/PhotoApply

Remote Production - Shoots Nationwide Must submit before 9/17

Professional Pay: $200/DailyPays $200 / day minus any pickups due to technical or human error. Paperwork will be completed through Wrapbook.

Seeking talent: Nationwide (United States)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/arihayes

https://www.linkedin.com/company/common-thread-collective

https://commonthreadco.com/

==========================

'Talking It Out,' Virtual Arts Festival

THEATER: PLAYS

PAID WORK FROM HOME NON UNION

Piccione Arts A. Piccione, coord.

Casting roles in the Nov. 20 performance of "Talking It Out," a virtual play festival in support of mental health awareness.

Roles

Jane (Lead): Female, 25-45from the short play "Something Stupid." Young woman in her 30s being treated for cervical cancer.Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Headshot/Photo, Video Reel

Brie (Lead): Female, 25-45 from the short play "Something Stupid." Jane's close friend.Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Headshot/Photo, Video Reel

Thomas Brown (Lead): Male, 25-45WORK FROM HOMEfrom the short play "Warriors." An Iraq-war veteran in his 30s, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Headshot/Photo, Video Reel

Dr. Gozlin (Lead): Female, 30-50WORK FROM HOMEfrom the short play "Warriors." A Veterans’ Hospital doctor, she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from her own time in the military.Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Headshot/Photo, Video Reel

Matt (Lead): Male, 16-25WORK FROM HOMEfrom the short play "The Teenagers Aware of Death." Proud of his wrestling achievements.Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Headshot/Photo, Video Reel

Piper (Lead): Female, 16-25WORK FROM HOMEfrom the short play "The Teenagers Aware of Death." Loves to be comforted every moment.Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Media: Headshot/Photo, Video Reel

Geraldo (Lead): Male, 16-25WORK FROM HOME

Killer (Lead): Male, 30-70WORK FROM HOME

Police Officer (Lead): All Genders, 25-70WORK FROM HOME

Hope (Lead): Female, 16-25WORK FROM HOME

Dr. Morgan (Lead): Female, 30-70WORK FROM HOME

Dad (Lead): Male, 30-60WORK FROM HOME

Protestor(s) (Lead): All Genders, 18+WORK FROM HOME

Mister (Lead): Male, 25-45WORK FROM HOME

Jude (Lead): Male, 16-25WORK FROM HOME

Ruthie (Lead): Female, 18-35WORK FROM HOME

Vera (Lead): Female, 18-35WORK FROM HOME

Ellis D. (Lead): Female, Trans Female, 18-35WORK FROM HOME

Rehearsal dates subject to actor and director availability. Tech rehearsals from Nov. 15-19 (each day from 6 p.m. EST onward0. Performance Nov. 20 (7 p.m. EST).

StipendStipend TBD. Production states: "Half of all donations go toward the National Alliance on Mental Illness, while the other half will be distributed evenly among the participating artists."

Seeking talent: Worldwide

piccionearts@gmail.com

https://anthonyjpiccione.com/

======================

Hiring Actors to Play Customers in Chicago

Open Call

PAID WORK FROM HOME NON UNION

The Center for Civil Rights/NCRC

Jake Lilien, Compliance Program Manager

Seeking actors to go "undercover" to determine whether businesses in the Chicago metro area are observing civil rights laws, as part of a civil rights enforcement program. This work will all be remote, and can be done from home. Company states: "To give an example of our work, we'll hire a white actor to contact a bank about a loan, then hire an actor of color to contact the same bank about the same type of loan, to see if the bank treats them the same way. We file complaints against businesses that show patterns of discrimination." "Assignments typically require about an hour of work, and participants will be paid $45 for each completed assignment. Hours are very flexible, but the work must be done during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.) "This is a great opportunity for actors looking for some extra income, and participants will have a direct impact on increasing fair and equal access to housing throughout the nation."

Roles

Civil Rights Tester: All Genders, 18+WORK FROM HOMEActors of all races and genders needed to serve as civil rights "testers." Actors must be 18 or older to participate. Company states: "Because of grant restrictions, we are unable to work with anyone who has ever been convicted of a felony, or any crime of dishonesty (such as perjury, fraud, or writing bad checks). We are also unable to work with anyone who has worked for a bank or a real estate agency within the past 12 months."Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesApply

Mandatory training session on Sept. 13 (6:00 PM -9:00 PM CST) via Zoom.

Stipend: $45Pays $75 for completing the three-hour training session, then $45 per assignment. Each assignment requires about an hour of work.

jlilien@ncrc.org

https://ncrc.org/

===================

Home Depot Design Center VO

PAID WORK FROM HOME NONUNION

Trade School Ben Tischler, sr. prod.

Casting voiceover for video showcasing the Home Depot Design Center.

Roles

Voiceover (Voiceover): 25-40WORK FROM HOMEFemale voice, clear, conversational, refined, positive/energized tone and attitude.Apply

Recording date TBD in the Old Fourth Ward area.

Professional Pay: $1,000One year - Broadcast, BTS, Social , Internet, New Media, OTT, Industrial, Historical for PR purposes

Seeking talent from: Atlanta, GA

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-tischler-0319829

============================

'By Mouth' Podplay

PAID WORK FROM HOME NONUNION

By Mouth -Martin Garrison, prod.-dramatist

Casting podplay "By Mouth," a podplay based on a classic novel. Production states: "Before auditioning, please listen to selections of our first two podplays at: bymouth.org/podplays."

Roles

Kira (Voiceover): Female, 20-30WORK FROM HOME20, British RP light, feminine with rare indomitable will more often found in a man. Doesn’t care what others think—tunnel-visioned—in her own world--certain about what she wants. Kind but not nice or phony. Sister to Lydia and daughter to Kira’s Mother.Accents:British

Andrei (Voiceover): Male, 25-40WORK FROM HOME 20’s, British or Scottish/Irish lower-class light, controlled intensity, highly intelligent, masculine. In love with Kira. Accents: Scottish

Uncle Vasili (Voiceover): Male, 45-60WORK FROM HOMEcountry British sialect, 45-60, from where folks in 1800’s hunted, fished and trapped animals. Self-made furrier to former czar. Salt of the earth type. No artifice. Up from bootstrap’s authority/confidence. Revolution has made him bitter but is naturally optimistic and still vital when excited. Father to Victor and Irina and husband to Kira’s Mother.Accents:British

Timo (Voiceover): Male, 45-60Scottish or Country British. Gruff, booming-voiced Scottish or Irish sea dog—a Blutto with a heart of gold. Accents: Scottish

Karp (Voiceover): Male, 45-6040-50’s, heavy British cockney, short, fat, ugly, pushed up pig nose, obsequious, ingratiating. Accents: English - Cockney

Kira's Mother (Voiceover): Female, 45-60WORK FROM HOME Accents:British

Required Media: Voice Reel

Irina (Voiceover): Female, 20-30WORK FROM HOME

Victor (Voiceover): Male, 20-35WORK FROM HOME

Sonia (Voiceover): Female, 20-30WORK FROM HOME

Marisha (Voiceover): Female, 20-30WORK FROM HOME

Lydia (Voiceover): Female, 25-35WORK FROM HOME

Kira's Aunt (Voiceover): Female, 40-55WORK FROM HOME

Tonia (Voiceover): All Genders, 35-55WORK FROM HOME

Vava (Voiceover): Female, 20-35WORK FROM HOME

Sasha (Voiceover): Male, 20-35WORK FROM HOME

Talent records voice-over remotely at home studio.

Stipend: $125 - $1,000Pay TBD.

Seeking talent: Nationwide (United States)

Additional Materials

Website:http://www.bymouth.org/podplays

CHARACTER LIST_By Mouth podplay.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/69a0e328-26c3-43ed-9b52-0a7b38161c7d.pdf

KIRA_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/f4026011-df2b-4d5f-9aeb-102c58f06daf.pdf

ANDREI_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/6dfbb1f4-534b-4839-b3ac-6b2072f2b5b2.pdf

UNCLE VASILI_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/9dd1f37b-8e09-4220-bc05-1417f50d77ea.pdf

TIMO_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/79f43f5a-782f-4334-b765-f3cc478aa5fc.pdf

KARP_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/518a744a-5066-43c5-9f7c-f30188fcd81e.pdf

KIRA’S MOTHER_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/f77be1a1-5afb-4497-81a3-df38fbf2b65b.pdf

IRINA_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/f0cbae30-426c-4493-abc2-82ab26df1e73.pdf

VICTOR_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/6b50c51f-a069-4603-8c05-27d281150a10.pdf

SONIA_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/05d21440-6fa4-40e3-ab19-3094b6102837.pdf

MARISHA_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/fb422d34-a9dd-4bce-97ec-92232d802f74.pdf

LYDIA_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/1ffa4b29-c822-4bc6-a974-8506f452f126.pdf

KIRA’S AUNT_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/4a493ce0-d001-432a-9234-4b3c8cbde213.pdf

TONIA_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/c08abaa1-0956-456e-905b-6ccaf98652bc.pdf

VAVA_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/9b8b5927-0ab3-4e25-9204-70f9aa00c892.pdf

SASHA_Lines_By Mouth.pdf https://d26oc3sg82pgk3.cloudfront.net/files/media/uploads/casting_call/d29ddfe8-ce97-4710-9387-b48d163d1096.pdf

https://bymouth.org/contact

=================

Covet Fashion, Models

MediaNug.com Matt, producer

Casting seven females to model fashion outfits to create digital ads. The company is not a clothing brand, but a fashion app called Covet Fashion. Models will select three-five outfits from your wardrobe to showcase.

REMOTE UGC - - FEMALE FASHION STYLING (Lead): Female, 18-30Ethnicity: All EthnicitiesRequired Skills:

Voice Style: Happy

Voice Style: Attractive

ON LOCATION (LOS ANGELES) - - FEMALE FASHION STYLING: Female, 18-30

Ethnicity: All Ethnicities

Required Skills:

Voice Style: Happy

Voice Style: Attractive

Some roles are remote UGC, others will be on location in Los Angeles., CA.

Professional Pay: $400 - $500/DailyRate: $400-$500 (depending on role)

Seeking talent: Nationwide (United States)

https://www.medianug.com/contact

==========

[possibilistfanfiction]

thank u for being p much the only sane person in the olys discourse lmao and yeah i do agree this looks like ideological differences within the team bc tbh they seemed a bit off even before the olympics especially with some players speaking up more on issues these days. i cant even imagine how horrible it must be for poc players to play with ppl like c*rli and on top of that have ppl tell them anything less than gold is a failure. no wonder the whole team played like this

yah 100% !! even if no one ever says anything it’s absolutely clear from interviews, social, etc that there’s deep divides. & those probably existed in 2019 but discussions of Everything in 2019 were different; the world was different. ofc in 2020 too we saw a pretty stark difference in yt ppl who wanted to learn vs yt ppl who didn’t. personally i would not be able to have anywhere near even the partial cohesion the players seem to have, i guarantee i’d lose it on abt half of them every day lmao. & that’s not to say that players who politically suck played terribly & players that i generally align with played well; it affected everyone.

& yes i can’t imagine what it would feel like to be a Black woman essentially forced to fuck w carl* et al & also be told that you’ve disappointed an entire nation (that, systemically, already doesn’t think your life is worthwhile) & still just … perform? especially w tactical choices that don’t help or give u a chance to show the skill u have (which has never Not been a problem but is just becoming more & more clear).

i think the lack of cohesion also has to do with the clear split among white players as well. like on the one hand u have carl* & kelley, on the other hand u have tobin & pinoe. if they’ve rly had convos they’ve definitely disagreed; if they haven’t, that’s another problem. it’s funny in a way bc the uswnt is just a job ? & they’re colleagues ? lol

on a personal note (& not in a weird ‘i’m not racist bc i have [x] relationship w a poc thing) but my wife is a brown Muslim immigrant & i cannot IMAGINE having to pretend to vibe with abt half or more of that team, i would absolutely not be able to do it, esp if she was Right There with me?? there’s no way. even if i tried to it would affect me negatively, there’s rly no way it couldn’t. i don’t even vibe w neoliberal teachers at work who are not fully engaging in a radical politic lol so i truly just …. yah cannot imagine lol

& ofc tactics & overall player performance affected our results (it’s sport lol) but i think that just generally there’s an underlying uneasiness bc of The World that has to be affecting at least some players who have definitely shown through actions to have pretty strong beliefs one way or the other. i don’t think anyone playing currently is rly going to name it (maybe when someone retires — write the book cp!) but yah at the end of the day being in a system of harm/loving someone Right There who is blatantly being harmed has got to take its toll. in a different context of course it does for me but yah … idk. lol

which is also why i’m like hey if cp & tobin wanna retire we just gotta be happy for them. it doesn’t seem like the uswnt has been good for mental health for a while; we can see that sport in general isn’t good for mental health (& a) health is a made up concept; b) physical health too?! tobin has been chronically injured for like 5 years), especially for Black women & femmes (+ trans ppl in general). so if ppl are like u know i’m out… love that for them, truly & deeply

[storyofaginger]

Last of Us 2

Spoilers under cut

I need to rant about the Last of Us 2 spoilers. 

There have been a few instances in the past years where I heard something about a game and asked myself, “what were they thinking?”. It felt like devs were completely disconnected from their player base and the gaming community. I feel this disconnect is becoming more common, something I don’t understand because- don’t they have people whose job is to do market research? Community managers who interact with their fan communities? It’s easier now more than ever for gaming dev companies to interact with their fans. 

Yet we keep getting these tone deaf choices. That’s what the Last of Us 2 screams. Tone deaf. Tone deaf and arrogant, honestly. 

I can’t fathom how they thought taking a deeply loved, queer character, who we protected and watched grow up, who is in an interracial wlw relationship, whose character arc in the last game was largely based on survival and what it means to be a survivor. Take this character and have us, the player, gruesomely kill everyone they love, hunt them down, brutally beat them and then likely kill them (and their preganent girlfriend)?! While playing as a presumably straight, white woman?! 

Many fans were able to immediately see what is wrong with this. Why couldn’t Naughty Dog. HOW?!

There’s rumors that Abby is actually trans (mostly because she’s buff as fuck...because you know, that makes sense). If this rumor is true, then that’s even worse! 

Without knowing ANYTHING about this Abby character, I already thought that Naughty Dog needed to pull off a narrative miracle to make me feel emphathetic towards Abby enough that I would feel justified in attacking Ellie. (That or they had to ruin Ellie’s character by making her consumed by blood lust). I mean, already had 40+ hours with Ellie in the last game where I got to know her, relate to her and protect her. We only get half a game, at most with Abby- snipets. 

It they are able to make Abby a likable character, more than Ellie, in the time that they have, they are narrative gods. That’s why it comes across as arrogant. They must think they’re narrative gods in order to pull this off. 

Most likely, Abby will be deeply hated. So, if she is trans, this will undoubtedly bring even more unpresedented hatred towards the trans community. Because she’s an evil, awful character consumed by vengance from the start! The hate is ALREADY starting! I have SEEN derogatory remarks already. 

Okay. Its obvious that Naughty Dog’s angle was to enoke this visceral reaction in the player to killing/beating within an inch of their life a character you care deeply about. I respect that in a way. Art doesn’t always have to make you feel good and sometimes it can be used to make an impactful message. But what message does this give?! They went about it completely the wrong way! If people’s reaction’s to the leaks are any indication, then they completely missed their mark. And quite frankly, who wanted this?! Nobody did. ND intended for players to go into this blind. It feels a bit like its being forced down your throat. 

EDIT: Something else I wanted to mention, though unrelated- Part of what made TLOU ending so memorable and impactful was that it was left up to interpretation. Did Ellie believe Joel? Or did she know he was lying? Was she accepting survival, choosing to live with her survivor’s guilt, or was she being manipulated by Joel and one day it will tear them apart? Personally, I liked to think Ellie knew Joel was lying. Ellie is pretty smart and I think that makes a more interesting story. But according to the leaks, that’s not the case. Ellie actually believed Joel when he said there were “dozens” of other immunes, etc...I can’t help but feel like it cheapens the ending to the first game. It cheapens it for me.