#non-creator inclusive ​tag games

[eclectic-sassycoweyes]

Hi. I go to another school (fandom). Something we do in our fandom to include non-content creators is to have a nonwriting update day. So like for instance you can share your love of gardening or crafts you are working on or just pictures of your cat. Whatever makes you happy. There are also play games that focus on head canons and song recommendations. Anyhow I think the idea is very sweet and I love my friends who read my fanfiction and reblog all the best gif sets but may not write themselves. <3

Hi there!

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences, having a non-writing update day sounds soo nice I really love that idea!! <3 🌼

It’s so important to remember that fandom are for all who are fans, not necessarily creators. I think most people in fandom feel this exact same way that you also write, creators just tend to be more visible and so I guess sometimes just being hear to scream about and love and share the interest can feel like it’s not enough and it can feel extra intimidating to enter a community and feel like you ‘don’t contribute’ (which is not the case even if you don’t create!!!!) but yeah so it’s good to have games and such that include those that might feel that way and so are hesitant to reach out and join in on the fun and let them know they have just as much a place and are appreciated in fandom !

Thank you again!! Since the week just started, I wish you a pleasant one☺️🌼

[fandomshatepeopleofcolor]

If anon is looking for western AAA games there’s like red dead redemption assassin’s creed fallout franchise mass effect tomb raider watch dogs deus ex etc. most of those are already open world RPGs of different genres. Most rpgs published by major companies go for open world nowadays.

I still suggest sailing the high seas for AAA though unless you’re supporting them for their diverse content or wait until they go like 50-70% sale. In this economy those prices are not worth it for the amount of content they give and the increase in sales doesn’t even really go to the dev teams anyway its more direct to the company. For me its just a metric to tell the companies I want more diverse content. Support Indie devs steam has its own indie tag to make it easy to find!

or if AAA isn’t a necessity open up steam and search by tag. I got 1200 results checking fantasy open world and rpgs on steam.

Some particular suggestions that I haven’t seen though I guess its because its been like 4 years since their release?:

- The Outer Worlds open world rpg scifi shooter is made by a AA company which is known for Fallout New Vegas Pillars of Eternity and SWTOR KOTOR II. The player character doesn’t get a romance but you do get a companion who is a sapphic asexual and you can help her get a girlfriend. Its has choices and relationships in a similar style to FNV

- Tell Me Why is a narrative adventure game by Dontnod who made Life is Strange. It features a trans man as one of the leads and Dontnod had this on their FAQ https://www.tellmewhygame.com/faq/ : “Trans, nonbinary and gender non-conforming staff at both DONTNOD and Xbox have made countless key creative contributions to Tell Me Why, including in character design, narrative and dialogue, building inclusive online spaces for the game, and much more. To ensure that Tyler’s character would resonate with a wide and diverse audience of trans people, the Tell Me Why team worked closely with two of GLAAD’s transgender staff: Nick Adams, Director of Transgender Representation; and Blair Durkee, Special Consultant for Gaming. For over two years, Nick offered foundational guidance on story and character, consulted on casting, and reviewed scripts at all phases of production. Importantly, August Black, Tyler’s voice actor [who is trans], also made significant contributions to Tell Me Why’s dialogue. During recording sessions, August provided edits to the script if he felt a certain line or moment did not do justice to Tyler’s story, making him an invaluable part of the creative process. August’s personal experiences also inspired key moments and lines of dialogue.”

I say why go for a game who names a trans character in the same ignorant way it named Cho and Kingsley when you could go for games that have creators who genuinely care for and listen to the perspectives and rights of the people they’re trying to represent right? In addition to all the other issues.

if magical systems in particular are a need aside from open world rpgs:

- Tiny Tina’s Wonderland – if you’re more familiar with borderlands this is a spinoff but spellcasting instead of guns

- Pillars of Eternity is fantasy from the same studio as outer worlds and is really good. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire was the latest release

the TES games have been mentioned but I wanted to reiterate that there are 5-6 magic schools and 100+ spells for those games. Worldbuilding and roleplaying is very fun and makes it quite repeatable so worth the money. They all also have quite a prolific modding community especially oblivion and skyrim and it isn’t that hard to download mods to personalize the game. But even without mods its still fun to replay and go on sale along with ESO often enough

Most JRPGs in general have magic systems and are largely open world. All of the final fantasy games have magic. Adjacent is kingdom hearts. I’ll just add the Shin Megami Tensei series which is related to Persona. The Atelier series brand is alchemical magic. The “Tales of ____” of bandai namco series allows you to main the magical casting characters if you wish. Ni No Kuni is again fantasy setting. Valkyrie Elysium was recently released. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 too was released last year.

Forspoken is a recent game published by SquareEnix so its technically jrpg but its setting is western with a black main character that was rendered based off the VA who is half black caribbean. The main character is based in New York then gets transported to a fantasy world where she gains magic and mixes that up with parkour style movement. if you can’t afford it yet wait for a sale.

Check out golden week for sales since they tend to really go low for JRPGs during that time more than any other sale

Some indie games that have witchy elements:

Flying Neko delivery – if you like studio ghibli and kiki’s delivery service why not fly around on a broom as a cat making deliviries?

Little witch nobeta – you play as a little witch to explore ancient castles. The magical system is a bit limited but at the price you’re getting it I think its a good deal

Little Witch in the woods – 2d pixel art in the style of old school rpgs you play as a witch and make potions and cast spells, help people and refurbish your house.

Potion craft – not an rpg but its an alchemy simulator

Kena: bridge of spirits – not witchy but it has magic and exploration. Not quite open world in that you tend to travel linearly but you’re free to go back to places you’ve explored before. The gaming company partnered with a vietnamese animation studio and they based the animation on the environment of SEA/East Asia so if you’re from there and find the environmental aspects familiar in a fantastical way like buildings and the way the characters were conceptualized that’s why. from where im frm Kena costs the equivalent of $15 but it seems like its still expensive on steam US though as it costs $40? it tends to get 50% off on epic stores though so you can wait for its sale there

some upcoming indie games aside from witchbrook:

kitori academy – should be coming out this year. You’re a magical apprentice going to school to learn magic.

Lawmage academy – 2d pixel art old school style where you go to an academy to learn spells and craft potions

[beastdrive]

Beast Drive is a Bloody Roar fanspace for creative contributors and casual appreciators of the series alike, welcoming discussion of existing characters and story as well as sharing various fanworks. Engagement with the series on this blog can include general appreciation and celebration of BR canon, lore analysis (meta), character headcanons, and other methods of creative expression. Everyone is encouraged to not only share already existing fanworks but to also create new original works of your own!

Blog Navigation | Meet the Mod | What is Bloody Roar?

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Bloody Roar is the intellectual property of Eighting and Hudson, now owned by Konami. Banner and icon are from BR2 & BR3.

CARAMEL MAMA Naochika Morishita is the lead artist for Bloody Roars 1, 2, and 3.

BLOODY ROAR WIKI The fandom wiki still maintains its own active community.

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[velvet-cupcake-games]

I know there is more than one way to have diversity in stories, but this is labeled as a dating game which makes one believe that it’s a self insert. I was just curious because I didn’t know if Marion was a character you made just for advertisement or not. It’s hard for us to find inclusive self insert VN that aren’t catered to the cis fem audience. If you know of any I’d really appreciate the suggestions 💖

Both here and in Japan, there are both self-insert and non-self-insert MCs in female-oriented romance/dating games (I think non-self-insert is less common in the heterocis male-oriented ones, but I’m not super familiar with that genre), so I’ve been trying to spread the word that both kinds of romance VNs are quite common! I know it’s difficult to find inclusive self-insert VNs for a non-female audience, but I do know a number of gay male and masc non-binary VN creators who are starting their development journey.  Try searching the “amare” tag on Itch.io and you might like what you find.  Also, check out the awesome bobcgames if you haven’t! In the meantime, I recently made a post with a bunch of suggestions for chooseable-pronoun romance VNs!  Check it out!

[arialerendeair]

Tumblrs tag filter should filter out posts that are tagged by the creator even if the specific reblog you’re seeing didn’t tag it.

I tend to have a lot of blocked tags just cuz I block any fandom I find mildly annoying, if ur still seeing posts u don’t want to, best bet is to go to the original post (u can still do this on mobile by tapping the space next to the creators url rather than the url itself) and add the creators specific tags to ur block list. If one creator is continuously not tagging, it may be time to block the whole creator.

I understand what you’re saying, Nonny, but asking the people to purely play a defensive game on tumblr just to interact with a fandom is exhausting and we can help! And that’s what I’m trying to do!

Ultimately, the people having the issue don’t WANT to block the creators - just certain posts. (And sometimes creators aren’t tagging things that they want to block.) Those posts are often tagged by the creators, but they’re human and some tags get missed - in the event that happens, other reblogs having it tagged will prevent them from running into it.

While I’ve suggested it, some of the folks having the issue don’t want to unfollow people, because in many cases they’d be unfollowing most of the fandom, which is a large reason for this post.

Often, now (and this is my personal experience, because while I’m not triggered by this stuff, I HAVE run into it) some posts end up insufficiently tagged, and I run into stuff I’d prefer to avoid. If that’s a trigger - that’s a bigger problem. Putting out a blanket PSA to make sure we’re all tagging this stuff isn’t a demand - it’s asking people to use good fandom etiquette to account for the fact that we’re all human and sometimes stuff might get missed!

I know I personally don’t want to see fics with pregnancy. Or I want a heads up if the characters are gender bent (or have different equipment than the usual assumption). Happy to read, happy to enjoy, but want a heads up.

Encouraging the fandom on Tumblr to be better about tagging is (ultimately) to make this a safer and more inclusive space for everyone. The folks getting triggered shouldn’t have to play a non-stop defensive game of “is this safe for me to read” and a lot of us (myself very much included) can do a better job of letting folks know what is in the stuff we reblog.

Anyways, thanks for the suggestions, keep on keeping on!

[peer2peerlive]

Heya, Steph here (FerociouslySteph) – I’m writing this email to announce the return of Peer2Peer, some life updates, and my new relationship with Trans Lifeline! Peer2Peer.live has returned! And has been re-written from the ground up. The site looks mostly the same, but the backend had to be completely overhauled to move past a proof of concept.

For the developers among us, the old site was not able to keep up with API changes, which made maintenance a constant issue. We’ve also added some new tags – Most notably, “Plus-size” has been added as a misc tag, and with it I’d like to sincerely apologize for it taking this long. Also, a recent and popular sexuality tag “omnisexual” has been added. We’ll be more responsive to adding tags in the future. If you are willing to prominently represent a tag that is not yet on the site, let me know and we’ll get it added.

Over 40% of you have not yet listed yourself on Peer2Peer! Meaning you need to click the checkbox “Channel Listed in home page” to be discoverable! This is to make opting in and out easy. Find that here: https://peer2peer.live/account

On a personal note – I have returned! The last two years have been rough for me since the coordinated harassment campaign that made my online and physical life unsafe.

Fortunately, in my absence from Twitch I've become healthier and safer than ever – much more prepared to take on whatever the internet has for me. Before, my Twitch community was my support system, which meant when it’s safety was compromised, I didn’t have many places to turn to. I think the main takeaway to me is that the peer support that communities like yours provide are invaluable, and how we scale safe spaces online is not by having large hubs and channels, but by having as many thriving spaces as possible. There is no ubiquitous safe space online, as a creator you can only make a safe space for yourself, and aspire to be as inclusive as possible.

All of these changes have been possible thanks to my new position at Trans Lifeline, who’ve hired me as their Gaming and Streaming Partnerships Coordinator, a new position to facilitate projects like this as well as coordinate fundraisers for Trans Lifeline.

It’s been a privilege to have an inside look at a non-profit I've had so much reverence for, and I can say that they live up to the hype. They’ve been more quiet than I would’ve liked on socials, but I can assure you that behind the scenes, it’s an active group full of talented and passionate people doing their best to meet the overwhelming needs of the trans community. Trans Lifeline is truly one of a kind, without it, there would be no alternative.

There is no other hotline that only staffs transgender operators, and no other hotline near our scope and size that refuses to engage in non-consensual active rescue.

That is to say, Trans Lifeline will never call the police or paramedics on a caller without explicit expressed consent. You’d be surprised how few could say the same. And while trying to rebuild and restructure, Trans Lifeline has received 30% more callers during this period of legislative strife and coordinated attacks on our communities’ safety. Trans Lifeline also is an all-star when it comes to managing and reporting our finances, the IRS frequently audits us and we consistently impress.

Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe

[alwaysahiccupandastrid]

Hi,

I saw your post about what not to do during autism awareness month and not supporting autism speaks. I was wondering if you had any recommendations for websites/sources that are good to support and get information from, for people like me who aren't autistic but want to learn more whilst not upsetting anyone from the autistic community.

Hi! Sorry it took me a while to get back to you, I’m notoriously bad at replying sometimes, especially since this week I’ve been all over the place 😭

The problem is that a lot of autism groups/charities are often run by allistic (non-autistic) people and that they don’t include the input or opinions of actual autistic people whatsoever. This is obviously a huge problem!

For example, I wanted to say the National Autistic Society - but in my recent research, it turns out that they have a bit of a problematic past by not having autistic people’s input etc. It’s unfortunate, because their website was used by DechartGames, aka Bryan and Amelia Dechart (popular twitch streamers and also actors who were in the Detroit: Become Human game), during one of their CuriosityChill streams where they look into certain topics and learn along with their followers - having said that, I would still recommend checking out their stream about autism because they did make an effort to make sure the stream was as autistic friendly as possible by getting rid of background music, not having the background video running etc., so that can be found HERE. It’s a bit long (41 minutes) but is still super informative I think!

There is also ASAN (Autistic Self Advocacy Network) but last year it was discovered that they steal from BIPOC creators, and when they were called out on it they were very dismissive, so I know quite a few autistic people are no longer comfortable with that organisation. I don’t know the full story of it quite honestly, but… yeah. I just thought it might be worth a mention!

I’ve linked this blog post below that I found that has a list of good and bad autism groups/charities - it’s a couple of years old though so things may have changed since (like it being discovered that ASAN was stealing form BIPOC autistic creators).

Ultimately, I would just recommend doing stuff like checking out the “actually autistic” tag on this site and following actually autistic creators; lift up autistic creators/people by sharing their posts/work, for example, and just listen to them. When I was first looking into a diagnosis, I spoke with autistic people (especially autistic women) and got advice and information from them. If you have any questions or anything you’d like to know, you can always just ask - I’m personally more than happy to talk about my own experiences, but obviously there’s no one size fits all when it comes to autism, and so I don’t speak for all autistic people!

Also, it’s Acceptance Month and not Awareness Month! Awareness month makes it sound like it’s something dangerous or ill or whatever (eg. Cancer awareness, Stillbirth awareness). We don’t want awareness, we need acceptance!

[elgaberino-mcoc]

MCOC Wishlist Blog Character Spotlight KNULL

by Marco “Prophet of Knull” Garcia ed. Other Gabe

BACKGROUND

Knull is an ancient malevolent deity whose existence predates the universe itself, and was originally content to drift through the endless abyss that existed before time.

He used his weapon, the Necrosword, to combat the Celestials who disturbed his darkness. With this sword Knull severed the head of a Celestial. That head is now Knowhere, a popularly-known Marvel location and a battle zone in the Marvel Contest of Champions Battlerealm.

Wanting an army, Knull then constructed the aliens we all know, love, and sometimes hate, the Klyntar race of gooey symbiotic aliens.¹ Later, after a debacle with the Mighty Thor, the symbiotes rebelled against their “God” and trapped him on a desolate planet, later known as Klyntar. There the God of Symbiotes waits and plans his escape, hoping to one day lay waste and bring Darkness to the universe.

“The End is near. God is coming….”  

Editor’s note: the next several sections are designed to familiarize the reader with Knull’s worthiness to be featured in a video game, compared with the myriad other Marvel characters from whom Kabam could choose.

POPULARITY

Technically, Knull has been around since 2013, and appeared in Thor: God of Thunder Vol.1 #6 by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic, as he was a shadowed figure from whom Gorr the God Butcher steals All-Black the Necrosword.

He was then revealed by name by his creators in Venom Vol. 4 #3 by Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman in 2018. 

Knull has had huge fan buzz around him since his inception and his name is only getting bigger. Despite fewer than a dozen appearances initially, Knull headlined the King in Black line-wide event that began in December 2020, from the minds of Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman. 

Editor’s note: Arguably named after Knull, the King in Black initial release was considered critically to be a high-stakes situation, due to the perceived hype. Its comics made regular appearances in bestseller lists after the event launched, suggesting the Knull name and story, in conjunction with the strength of his creators’ reputations, was strong enough to sell books. Overall the King in Black arc has also gotten good critical reviews. 

KNULL AS MATERIAL FOR OUR MARVEL GAME

Editor’s note: these character spotlights usually explore several factors to determine whether it is reasonable to expect Kabam to seriously consider the character as a candidate for addition to Marvel Contest of Champions. Among these factors are inclusion in other similarly-marketed games, mainstreaming in comics and other media, mentions in MCOC lore, Kabam conversation, or community rumors, and pure hype among summoners.

OTHER MARVEL GAMES

Knull has been featured in other games already: first in the Spider-Man Unlimited mobile app,² then in Marvel Future Fight. In Marvel Puzzle Quest, Knull was originally only part of the backstory description of the playable Prophet Carnage character, but was eventually released in his own right in May 2021.

KNULL AND THE BATTLEREALM

Arguably no direct mention of Knull has happened in either [Marvel Contest of Champions or Marvel Realm of Champions], but it can be said he was alluded to in the motion comic that accompanied the release of Cosmic Ghost Rider and Red Goblin in October 2020.

Then, when story mode Act 7 was released in December 2020, this dialogue was revealed, which has been strongly speculated to be a reference to Knull.

CLAIM TO FAME: KNULL IN OTHER MEDIA

Knull has not enjoyed a reference in any Marvel Cinematic Universe content to date. Hel has only been mentioned in the Disney XD cartoon Spider-Man: Maximum Venom with a retelling loosely based on his comic book origins. 

UNIQUE WAYS KNULL COULD FIT INTO THE MCOC META

Knull could be a massive boost (editor’s note: synergy hub) to many Symbiote champions or champions in general. I see him as a Cosmic [based on what I was told by co-creator Ryan Stegman], with massive damage. Being the creator of symbiotes, Knull could outfit any [non-#Symbiote] champ with a “Klyntar symbiote” of their own to enhance their kit or base numbers. He could also operate with #Symbiote champs similarly to the way Apocalypse enhances Mutant champs. He could also work as a counter to Symbiotes or anyone who would have ever been bonded to a Klyntar before in canon, which would include most of the Spider-Fam!

Knull’s kit could alternately introduce a #Codex tag to add to certain non-#Spiderverse Hero champs who have famously bonded to symbiotes (paging Red Hulk or even Deadpool).³

A PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN?

No mention of Knull ever came out of the Kabam team or anyone related to MCOC. Then again, Kabam never likes to tease big-name additions like Knull would be. Mid-September 2021, one data miner claimed that Knull is forthcoming.

WHAT DO SUMMONERS THINK?

Summoners seem to dig Knull. He was the winner of the first Tournament  of Battlerealm Future, March Addness 2020, which was co-hosted by MCOC Wishlist creator Other MCOC Gabe and Unofficial MCOC Podcast veteran UMCOC Deacon on Twitter. The tournament pitted hundreds of characters against one another for votes from Summoners expressing who they would prefer to enter Marvel Contest of Champions. He cleaned house throughout most of the tournament, earning his addition to the MCOC Wishlist, where he has risen into the top 50 most wanted champions.

Due to recent ramblings by the author, and the introduction of Red Goblin to Marvel Contest of Champions, people have warmed up to the idea that Knull might actually be coming to the contest. (Even community-renowned comics expert CTMCOC agrees!)

Once below rank 250 on the MCOC Wishlist, Knull now stands as the #31 most-wanted champ, with over 550 Summoner upvotes as of this writing. 

KNULL: CHAMPION BUILD IDEAS

PROBABLE CLASS

As mentioned above, Knull is a canonically cosmic entity or deity who purports to predate the universe itself. This forms a strong case for the MCOC Cosmic class of champions.

POSSIBLE ABILITIES

Like many Cosmic champs’ builds, I can see his relying on many Active Buffs with massive damage and defensive potential due to Symbiotic Armor. Perhaps as Knull collects Codices, he gets stronger and this mechanic could be used in game as persistent charges. The more Codices he gathers, the more potent his Buffs could become. He could utilize Fury, Aptitude, Armor, Cruelty, Precision, and other critical-damage-enhancing Buffs. Bleed and Armor Break Debuffs are likely as Knull breaks down his enemies with bloodthirsty ferocity.

POSSIBLE SYNERGIES

Knull's status as the God of the Klyntar could enhance all #Symbiote champions just as Apocalypse does for Mutants.

Venom could get a unique synergy called “Daddy Issues,” allowing Venom a 2% attack boost for every Buff converted on his sp2 but as passive Fury stacks. I imagine Carnage with something like a “Prophet of Knull” Synergy allowing 95% resistance to incinerate effects, allowing him to heal from Incinerates, since Carnage has no weakness to fire when he is operating as Knull’s prophet in the comics.

Knull could also be built to spend Persistent Charges to enhance #Symbiote champions in order to increase their stats and enhance their buffs.

It would also be clever to have a Synergy with Void called “Knull and Void” allowing Void access to a non-stacking Armor Break Debuff, such as on his Heavy Attack. More debuffs for Void would be devastating. 

Knull could also enjoy a basic “Enemies” synergy with Thor and Silver Surfer. A great champ to release in conjunction with Knull would be Gorr the God-Butcher, a notable Thor villain, played by Christian Bale in Thor: Love and Thunder, and the other best-known wielder of All-Black the Necrosword.

•.•.•

Editor’s note: this concludes Marco’s commentary and notes on Knull as a potential champion. Anyone tracking the conversation about future champs knows that the name of Knull comes up frequently among Summoners, and his rise in every voting event in the community tends to support the notion he is greatly demanded by Summoners and would make an excellent addition to the game.

This article was originally drafted almost entirely in late 2020, and has been dug up and completed in September 2021 after MCOC Trucos released a purportedly datamined leak suggesting Knull “is Coming” to Marvel Contest of Champions in October 2021. -OG

________

NOTES 1. The Klyntar alien race is most popularly represented by Venom, and his fellow Klyntar aliens Carnage, Scream, and the other names associated with their stories of superhuman symbiosis and “Venomization.”  2. Spider-Man Unlimited was well ahead of the curve announcing Knull for a video game in 2018. It got there by virtue of attempting to release almost every noteworthy Spider- and symbiote character as playable video game characters. Knull was not yet a character most people would consider important for gaming. 3. A codex (pl. codices) is the term for the biological traces a Klyntar symbiote leaves in its host’s system after separating from that host.

[kouhaiofcolor]

2020's finally over. Can we not go into 2021 pacifying texturism w "It's just hair" tho?

It was "just hair" until Black Women started exercising the freedom to discover the unique needs & maintenance beneficial to our hair. Then as soon as non black women got wind of it & the nerve to lurk on platforms the natural hair community was uprising thru, nowadays you've got all these non black women bandwagoning & hashtagging literally everything under the sun w/ this fake ass inclusiveness, advocacy, relatability & support for textured hair. Like all women have suffered oppression around wearing their real hair 😒. Like all races of women have been socially targeted in blatant discriminations against their hair texture, complexion, & how acceptable they are or are not together. I hate the "All Hair (Matters/Is Beautiful/Is 'Good Hair')" clout bc it talks over & totally overwrites the foundational issue around hair & toxic femininity that, at its misogynoir core, has always been that textured hair is unprofessional, unkempt, unmanageable, & ugly. Colorism also erases the initial creators of the movement — which were Monoracial Brown & Dark Skinned Black Women; put some respek onnat, period. Straight hair is not oppressed; wavy hair is not oppressed; all hair is not oppressed. Black hair is. This "all hair is good hair" bullshit is so monotonous & inconsiderate bc its almost like a passive aggressive refusal to acknowledge what antiblackness imposed on Black Women alone. None of you non black know what it's like in depth to be the descendants of a race of ppl who's features, traits & harmless existence have always been insulted, hated & envied by the whole world. Esp not all at once. That is something totally unique to us inflicted & imposed by everyone else since the beginning of time. So why be out here chasing clout under tags & movements & in spaces you are no real part of? Why wanna be a part of the Black Girl Experience that bad? Yall have identities in everything outside of us. Why vulture off of this like you even have reasons to be there? We were investing in ourselves & trying to teach generations of Monoracial Black People how to manage their hair texture & develop cathartic habits thru self care. Nb ppl ruined that.

Looser hair textures have omnipresent representation & acceptance all, over, the, world. There is no lack of being seen, romanticized or exemplified for having texture 1a-3b hair; esp on the prevalent basis around colorism we see regularly on social media & on tv. Yet what remains of the community as it stands is today the furthest thing from textured or Black at all. At this point we owe the decline (if not death) of the natural hair community to the parasitic latching of non black women, the infiltration of "pick me's" & antiblackness generally — but I still be feeling like even that's not direct enough. We're talking ab something authentic & wholesome for Monoracial Black Women created by us for us being straight up sabotaged by races of women the cause was totally irrelevant to & in regard of. Bc that's how cosmetic industries have been towards us for centuries. Bc we were always excluded & thought of least & last. By other women. By all other women; don't get it twisted. So we set out on figuring ourselves out. Doing research on our own. Incorporating self care & beneficial habits in our lives to nourish & feel better ab ourselves & disprove the racist shit non black cultures & ppl either ignorantly surmise, make up or project ab Black Girls. That includes Black Men too in case yall thought yall were safe. Yall are some of the most toxic & prevalent faces behind colorism, antiblackness & misogynoir among black ppl specifically.

But anyhow. At first a lot of the initiation of the vulturing in the nhc light skinned women were the face of. Esp w the clout around having 4c hair amongst the beige-est, most ambiguously or straight up non black individuals, good lord. Then it went mainstream for huwight ppl, whom enevitably invited themselves, & following were the masses of non black women looking to pillage for themselves while the community was being swallowed by the crowdedness & irrelevant content being put out there (specifically on YouTube, Twitter & Instagram) by "hair gurus" of the light skinned, biracial or non black texture 1a-3b variety. Hair gurus who literally may as well've fallen from the sky & met social media stardom overnight based on their hair texture & complexion alone they're so brand new. Hair gurus who aren't even in the community for legitimately informative reasons or purposes unionized in Blackness. They're whole natural hair niche be — as a favorite natural of mine put it — manipulating textured hair into a sort of submission to appear or behave like looser textures do. They'll swear by 'game changer' products they both mention & only use like once & insist you should invest in a $30 8oz. bottle of clarifying shampoo or a $35 cowash if you want your hair to behave & look like theirs. Again, mind you, these types of individuals casually claim having texture 4 hair when they're anything but, just for the attention it brings from both ppl who will gullibly follow their every word & who know what kind of scamming to look for & won't.

If it's "just hair", how come so many of you that are non black are riding the wave? If it's just hair, why have so many of you found refuge in using the hashtags & participating/contributing uninvited? How come so many ran to get a seat at the table w Black Women only to kick them to the side the more popular it became if its just hair? How come nobody was calling it natural hair before Black Women created the nhc & started growing their own? Why was there no natural hair community before Black Women coined it, reminder, for ourselves? If it's just hair, how come so many ran to youtube to begin w to start channels for their own non-textured journeys? If its just hair, why is the nhc so damn obsessed w defining curls & length than overall health & gradual growth? If its just hair, why are white girls anywhere near this? Yall are the most out of place of anyone, honestly. Even if you're curly. Why do light skinned girls get to both represent textured hair & "good hair"? How does that even make sense? Thats just putting monoracial black girls in isolated boxes they're not even allowed to be symbols of or in. If its just hair, why's it so unheard of to see the roles of Black female characters in just ab anything played by actual Black Women? If its just hair, why have so many non or partially Black women worked in ignorant succession to water down & essentially wash out the Monoracial Black Women vital to the community's relevance at all? I really do not get the involvement of non black women in this movement at all — esp when culturally you have no reason to call your hair natural. There are no & have never been prejudice notions around having or growing texture 1a-3b hair. There's nothing oppressive ab it, either. Yall have gotta stop w that. You've already made a mockery of something that was supposed to be beautiful by making yourselves comfortable in & hijacking our space itfp. Theres far too much misrepresentation of textured hair to keep up w now. This is why i say the nhc (as well as culture vulturing generally) has just become nbwoc copying white women copying light skinned women copying Black Women, bc the audacity is unreal.

Its not just hair tho. To those it applies to, yall proved that the minute Black Women started going public w their growth journeys. The minute conversations ab "shrinkage this & 4c that" broadened & went mainstream. Yall couldn't move all at once fast enough when you realized you weren't as special as you thought & had always been told — esp w melanin at its modern value. Now all yall either "natural", seeking black men for either casual sex or cultural infiltration via fetishised reproduction, certain you have texture 4 hair or know the best tips for a DIY silk press 🤭😂 yall can't sit w us. You don't belong here. I'm calling yall out on allll the bs around this "All Hair Matters" garbage, cus yall are now sputtering the same shit while literally wearing your own non black hair in black styles. Be consistent. Make some fucking sense. I don't wanna be part of this fake ass girl squad propaganda that says every other woman never looked at Black Women's hair like it was bottomest of the barrel, foh. We're not on the same team & yall know it.

[floraone]

So, September is coming up, and with it smutember, and we’re doing it again! (At least I hope you’re with me, lol).

Just like last year, it runs alongside to the official daily word prompts on the official smutember blog: Smutember is an event that runs all throughout September for all fandoms. The following is meant as an addition, not a replacement. If you want to do daily prompts, please use the official words prompts (linked above). However, since daily prompts can be a bit intimidating (especially for a fandom corner that’s 25+ years old like ours and people in it have busy lives), as the resident smut advocate in our fandom, I again customized an alternative that can still incorporate the official themes.

Just like last year, down below you have a list of TROPE AND THEME PROMPTS. They’re a remix of sorts of last year’s tropes, with some you’ve seen before and some new ones, meant to spark a variety of ideas. The idea is that with these you can post once (or twice) per week instead of daily.

Be it for fanart or fanfic or any other sort of fanwork, tropes can be combined, (and they can be combined with the daily themes too), whatever floats your boat. Also, specifically: This event isn’t Usamamo-centric only. I will reblog any Sailor Moon content of any pairing as long as it follows the rules! (See below)

The aim of this event is to create sex-positive content together that celebrates a healthy depiction of consentual sexuality. Erotic fanfiction is a beautiful art, especially in a fandom of ours so largely cultivated by women and for women, as well as a strong inclusive focus on queer and gender-queer content and their creators!

What’s new: I’m taking a page out of the mini-bang’s impressive book, and when smutember is over, I will compile all entries that followed the rules into an online-only e-zine! This also means that art that may be too explicit for tumblr can still be included in the e-zine!

Here are the weekly trope challenges:

Reinvent a trope!

WEEK 1 (September 1st - 7th): Pick 1 or 2

🍋 Reunion Sex 🍋 Sex Fails 🍋 Second Chance Sex 🍋 You Talk In Your Sleep 🍋 Unresolved Sexual Tension 🍋 New Old Flame 🍋 Go Seduce My Archnemesis 🍋 Bedsharing 🍋 Sex with the Ex/Break-Up Sex 🍋 In Public 

WEEK 2 (September 8th - 14th): Pick 1 or 2

🍋 Make-Up Sex 🍋 Battle Couple 🍋 Mission Sex 🍋 Work-Out Sex 🍋 Accidental Pervert 🍋 Bathing/Shower 🍋 Pool/Onsen 🍋 Sexual Fantasies 🍋 Blind Date 🍋 Aroused By Your____ (pick a feature) 

WEEK 3 (September 15th - 21st): Pick 1 or 2

🍋 Established Relationship 🍋 “Thank God We’re Alive” 🍋 Caught In The Act 🍋 First Times 🍋 Introduction By Hook-Up 🍋 Pining 🍋 Locked In Together In A Small Space/ Trapped Together 🍋 Huddling For Warmth 🍋 Socially Distanced Sex 🍋 Stupid Sexy Friend 🍋 Caught In The Rain 🍋 Living Food Platter/Eating Off You 🍋 Shunga

WEEK 4 (September 22nd - 30th): Pick 1 or 2

🍋 Mutual Masturbation 🍋 Awkward/Clumsy Sex 🍋 Oh Crap There’s Fanfic Of Us 🍋 Talking In Bed 🍋 Fidelity Test 🍋 Fake-NOT-Dating 🍋 Mindlink 🍋 Sex Games 🍋 Tinder 🍋 Blackout/Quarantine/Disaster Warning/Weathering The Storm

RULES

1. Rating: These fics don’t necessarily need to be M or, in the case of Ao3, E- rated. Obviously, they are very, very welcome to be explicit for this event, but you can also go T-rated and stay in lime or ‘blacked out’-territory if you’re uncomfortable with writing explicit scenes! Both is perfectly and absolutely welcome! This of course also goes for fanart - your fanart may depict sexy scenes, but does NOT have to be explicit! (It can, though! Be aware that for tumblr’s guidelines, when sharing your art first, you may have to clip your images as a sort of preview. The original can then be sent to me privately to include into the e-zine!) 2. Minimum Age of Characters: Since this is a community event, if you do go explicit M rated material: age them up where necessary! So that everyone can be comfortable writing and reading these, let them be 18 at the minimum if they’re going to openly and explicitly wohoo. (16-17 is the global average age of consent worldwide, and also the average age for first sex among girls in many western countries. However, since most fanfic readers are located in the US, where the age of consent is 18, we’re going with 18 so that everyone can be comfortable reading!) If you go for canon fics at a time they are below this age, where you do not want to age up (say you’re going for an episode fix!) please stay in T territory for this event. 3. Off limits: Depictions of sexual acts that contain harmful, violent and non-consenting behaviour with non-consenting individuals (or those that aren’t able to consent, for instance because of their age, or state of mind among else!). If it doesn’t fly by law or the ICD in real life, please refrain from depicting it in the context of this event. This means that dubcon and noncon will not be reblogged for the event, so that people can be safely consuming the content without being triggered. All content will be screened in this regard, and I may contact you regarding trigger warnings. This is not at all to censor content, or that this content is in any form less valid (as long as it is properly tagged and not including characters that aren’t of age), but simply to ensure a safe environment for everyone reading. 4. Tag your triggers. Except the aforementioned limitation of harmful content, nothing is off limits. Explore your kinks! But if you write something that might be offensive to your readers, please tag it. This is ALSO a good way for your readers to find exactly what they ARE looking for! On Ao3 this can be done directly on the fic tags, for FF fics and fic links you can do it here on Tumblr via the fic post tags or in ANs. This is in consideration of your readers. 5. You can obviously post art for this event too. All previous rules apply here, as well. Unfortunately, Tumblr is now against tasteful nudity. That doesn’t mean you can’t link to a deviant art or similar account though, should you want to. And, since this year will include an e-zine at the end of it, all art will still be included fully in it. Here too, please tag your triggers. If you still want to post art on Tumblr, choose a T rated image - clip them where needed, or keep them (semi-)clothed, show us a heated kiss, etc! (Obviously we would love ALL the art and the nude body is a beautiful, wonderful thing, but obviously Tumblr doesn’t agree with us anymore!) 6. Have fun! Celebrate sexuality in an open, sex-positive way with us, try to be unapologetic about your likes while you write this, and appreciate the beauty that comes in the form of content with a largely female-gazing creator-base and audience! Smut in fanfiction has been beautifully put as the subjectification of sexuality (as opposed to  objectification). So let’s celebrate this art form together! 7. Reviews: No one is forced to review. It can be uncomfortable to review a fic that contains sexual acts for any number of always valid reasons. Keep in mind, however, that much like a Burlesque dancer on stage, putting out sexual content can also be very intimidating to an author, and nothing is more discouraging than silence when baring yourself to an audience like this. That being said: Both Ao3 and FF have the option to review in anon mode. That means you have the option to remain anonymous while cheering the author on all the same. Just like the Burlesque dancer, your resident smut authors prefer to go on stage to loud cheering - it makes it all less awkward for them, and feels a little more like a big celebration!

If you’re unsure what sex positivity entails and want to read up, I wrote a post about it here.

This event is not supposed to cause harm. This means that I will screen all content before I reblog it here, and include it in the e-zine. So that everyone of age can feel safe reading the fanworks in the event, dubcon and noncon will not be reblogged and included in the e-zine, and accurate tagging and content warning will be watched. This does NOT MEAN that you cannot post this material: your own desire to write it and someone else’s desire to explicitly read this material are valid. I do not entitle myself to censor. It just means it will not be reblogged and shared through the event so that everyone may feel safe to read to the best of my ability. (But, of course, remember that I, too, might be biased, and not discover subtle forms of it, either. We’re all, in the end, a product of our upbringing and society, and I cannot be completely unbiased.)

During the event, I will be posting all Sailor Moon Smutember contributions in this format on my blog if you @ me to the post.

The official hashtag for the event is #smutember2020 hosted by the official smutember blog. Using it helps people find the content who search for it as well as those who wish to block it!

[sat-soft]

How you, as a cis girl can help make the Obey Me! fandom more welcoming to your male, trans, and nonbinary friends:

I want to preface with a big fat: I DO NOT SPEAK FOR ALL MEN OR TRANS PEOPLE IN THE FANDOM. I am in a trans/NB group for the fandom on discord and am mentioning things that we, in the group, believe is supportive. There will always be some people who won't feel dysphoric reading things addressed at a different gender or seeing MC being assumed as female but a lot of us do feel dysphoric at that, don't want to block half the fandom's creators, and often feel unheard in our plights.

1. If you're a writer, consider gender neutral the "default" for MC.(If you're writing smut and want to specify genitals, you don't have to address MC as he or she. But please still mark if you do specify genitals!)

2. Reblog and show your love for your favorite GN MC writers(everyone loves @prideful-sins right? Show him love) Tell the writers making an effort to be inclusive that you appreciate them!

3. Point out exclusivity where you see it: speak up when you hear people in a group invalidating non-female fans, if you see people saying things that you'd feel gross if you were a male/NB fan reading them, point it out.

4. When talking about MC(not someone's specific OC but MC in general) or making a writing request, refer to MC with they/them pronouns as is done in game.

5. Put in the tags and title of your writing whether the MC in your work is GN, female, or male.

We appreciate you!

[minettestan]

Do you have a tag for games you recommend? I'm always looking for new games and my experience with point and click or 90s computer games is sorely lacking.

💕My favorite question💕 I took one of my old posts and updated it, so here!

💕 Personal Favorite

💀 Scary Content

👧 Female Protagonist

✨ Important to the genre’s history

📚 Tricky for new players, look up controls or a walkthrough to get started

❕  Difficult

👿 Potential insensitive content

The Colonel’s Bequest (1989) $5.99 💕✨👧💀❕📚

“It is the year 1925, and the roaring '20s are well underway. As Laura Bow, young college student, you've been invited to visit the Colonel's isolated estate. Watch as the Colonel announces his intention to bequeath his millions to all present!”

The classic Sierra murder mystery game, developed by the mother of the genre Roberta Williams. Laura Bow is a sorely overlooked female protagonist. The game works by navigating Laura and typing in commands, kinda of tricky at first. Tons of game overs are a hallmark of a Sierra adventure game so save often! If you play the GOG.com version you get the benefit of autosaves. This game runs a timer, the events of the night will unfold with or without you so stay on your toes and keep moving! The game can be found for free here, but imo the $5.99 is worth it for the easy of access.

The Dagger of Amon-Ra (1992) $5.99 👧✨❕📚👿💀

“Laura Bow, intrepid heroine of The Colonel's Bequest, is back! This time she's trapped in a huge, imposing museum in the dead of night, surrounded by socialites, miscreants, thieves...and a cold, relentless murderer.“

Roberta Williams is back! Iconic game, iconic heroine. It’s still a Sierra game so like TCB there are tons of (iconic) game overs, so save often. Solving puzzles in this one gives me a great serotonin rush. Unfortunately, this game has some racism issues, particularly with the characters Lo Fat and Ramses. While an important game in the genre take it with a huge grain of salt and maybe turn of the (kind of awful) voice acting and enable text-only mode and you’ll avoid some awful accents.

Sam & Max: Hit the Road (1993) $5.99 💕✨

“Sam (a canine shamus) and Max (a hyperkinetic rabbity thing) are hot on the trail of a runaway carnival bigfoot across America’s quirky underbelly in this deranged animated adventure!“

Sam & Max are truly my favorite characters in all of fiction. I have the box art to this game as my phone case. I have Sam & Max action figures, a plush Max on my bed, a print edition of Sam & Max Freeland Police Special #1 framed on my wall. From comics, to games, to cartoons I love these guys. Sam & Max: Hit the Road is a classic of the Lucasarts adventure games. That being said, it’s the least user-friendly of the Sam & Max adventure games and the slowest. I still love it to bits and it’s important to the genre’s history imo.  

Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers (1993) $5.99 💕💀👿

“The adventure of Gabriel Knight starts with gathering materials for his new book, and ends up becoming a fight for his very soul. He must now face countless dangers in New Orleans, Africa and Germany, each bringing him ever closer to unraveling the mystery behind suspicious voodoo murders. Haunted by nightmares, he won't give up until he reveals the truth. “

Another Sierra game directed by a woman, Jane Jenson. Gabriel Knight, voiced by Tim Curry, is one of my favorite adventure game protagonists of all time. This game is scary and gory so enter at your own risk! I love the gameplay in this one, I love the narrator, I love the puzzles. But it seems Sierra games have some problems with the representation of minorities. The game is set in New Orleans and focuses on a voodoo cult. Which means consequently the game's major antagonists are all black. Unlike the Dagger of Amon Ra, Sins of the Fathers actually employed black actors to play black characters. There’s a lot to be said about the ways in which white media demonizes voodoo and those who practice it. If you play this one, remain critical. And for the love of god, don’t play the 20th anniversary version.

Day of the Tentacle: Remastered (1993/2016) $14.99 ✨👧❕

“Originally released by LucasArts in 1993 as a sequel to Ron Gilbert’s ground breaking Maniac Mansion, Day of the Tentacle is a mind-bending, time travel, cartoon puzzle adventure game in which three unlikely friends work together to prevent an evil mutated purple tentacle from taking over the world!“

Another classic LucasArts game! This was the first game co-headed by Tim Schaffer who would go on to make the outstanding Grim Fandango! This one is exceedingly wacky and the remastered version has made it more user-friendly than ever.

Toonstruck (1996) $9.99 💕

“Drew Blanc is a cartoon animator and the original creator of the Fluffy Fluffy Bun Bun Show.. Drew's boss, Sam Schmaltz, sets him the task of designing more bunnies to co-star in the Fluffy Fluffy Bun Bun Show by the next morning. However, the depressed animator soon nods off, suffering from acute artist's block. He wakes early the next morning to inexplicably find his television switched on, announcing the Fluffy Fluffy Bun Bun Show. Suddenly, Drew is mysteriously drawn into the television screen and transported to an idyllic two-dimensional cartoon world populated by his own creations, among many other cartoon characters.“

If you’re a fan of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? you’ll love this. Christopher Lloyd is Drew Blanc (ha) trying to save a cartoon world through inventory item puzzles. Truly wacky, zany, and ani-mainy. I played Toontown as a kid so I’m predisposed to like this one. This is also the only game with Full Motion Video I’m putting on the list because FMV games can be an acquired taste.

Grim Fandango (1996/2015) $14.99 💕✨

“Something's rotten in the land of the dead, and you're being played for a sucker. Meet Manny Calavera, travel agent at the Department of Death. He sells luxury packages to souls on their four-year journey to eternal rest. But there's trouble in paradise. Help Manny untangle himself from a conspiracy that threatens his very salvation.“

Yesssssssss! I LOVE Grim Fandango! The iconic game directed by Tim Schaffer has received the best remaster I’ve seen a point n’ click receive. I cannot recommend Grim Fandango enough! Stick with it through the forest section, trust me.

The Last Express (1997) $5.99 ❕ 📚

“Paris, 1914. The world is on the brink of war and this train could push it over the edge. You are Robert Cath, a young American urgently summoned by your old friend Tyler Whitney to join him aboard the Paris-Constantinople express, departing from the Gare de l'Est on July 24th. Arriving late, you discover something has gone terribly wrong. Now you must untangle a complex web of political intrigue, suspense, romance, and betrayal. Every move you make could bring you closer to the truth or your own demise. Bon voyage! “

Ooooh I love a murder on a train! This game features rotoscope animation, which I love. Like The Colonel’s Bequest this game runs in real time, meaning the events of the game will unfold with or without you, depending on where you are at what time you’ll receive different information or see/miss different events. Very replayable with several different outcomes.

Sam & Max Save the World (Remastered) $19.99 💕

“ Sam is a six-foot canine detective with a love of justice. Max is a hyperkinetic rabbity-thing with a taste for mayhem. Together, they're the Freelance Police. And they're about to save the world.”

Sam & Max Save the World, originally released in episodes from 2006-2008 has been remastered and looks AMAZING! After LucasArts was shut down their game devs formed Tell Tale Games and produced three seasons of Sam & Max sequel games, all of which are great. But TellTale was shut down (and screwed over their employees) in 2018. Since then some of their devs have formed Skunkape Games and are currently remastering all of Tell Tale’s Sam & Max series (I’m thrilled). They’ve also adjusted some aspects of the game to make the game more inclusive and less **offensive. So imo it’s worth it to wait for the release of the other seasons to experience Sam & Max in pristine condition. Save the World is the only season out now, but you can get the non-remastered versions of Beyond Time and Space, and In The Devil’s Playhouse, here and here.

 **I should note the “offensive” material in the original is not as egregious as say, The Dagger of Amon-Ra, but it’s just a nice change to see especially in a game I hold dear.

Emerald City Confidential (2009) $9.99 👧

“Explore the underbelly of Oz as Emerald City's most cunning detective! As Petra, you'll be lured deep into mysteries involving new foes and familiar faces; Scarecrow, Lion, and Toto included! This is Oz as you've never seen it before! Solve the mystery and unravel a conspiracy of magic and intrigue! Follow a case through five chapters full of puzzles, witnesses, suspects, and allies in this twist on a timeless classic! “

We’re moving out of the 1990s now. Emerald City Confidential is the Wizard of Oz meets film noir. I played this as 13 year old and have revisited it as an adult and I still eat it up. Wadjet Eye makes consistently good adventure games so check this one out!

The Blackwell Series (2006) $14.99 💕👧

“Meet Rosangela Blackwell, an embittered writer who just found out that she is a medium and that it’s her mission, whether she likes it or not, to assist tormented spirits and investigate other supernatural goings-on. She is assisted by the sardonic Joey Mallone, a ghost from the 1930s.”

Another Wadjet Eye game! I’ve seen these games recommended amoungst the Clue Crew before and I’ll just throw my own endorsement on the pile. Yeah I’m in love with Joey Mallone. What about it?

The Charnel House Trilogy (2015) $5.99 👧💀

“Witness The Charnel House Trilogy, the chronicle of one fateful night aboard a train bound for Augur Peak. Three thrilling, horrifying adventure games in one, from the depths of the Sepulchre.”

Plays like Blackwell, has a Blackwell reference at the beginning, okay you got me. This is a good, if kinda short, game. It’s very creepy, involves murder and has some gore/violence so watch out! I’m still waiting on the sequel Owl Cave!

Thimbleweed Park (2017) $19.99 👧

“A haunted hotel, an abandoned circus, a burnt-out pillow factory, a dead body pixelating under the bridge, toilets that run on vacuum tubes... you’ve never visited a place like this before.“

Made by Ron Gilbert and  Gary Winnick the creators of the classic games Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island Thimbleweed Park is a love letter to the classics of the point and click adventure genre. Features 5 different playable characters, ala Maniac Mansion, who and how many you play is up to you! This one also has stand alone DLCs!

Unavowed (2018) $14.99 👧

“ A demon possessed you one year ago. Since that day, you unwillingly tore a trail of bloodshed through New York City. Your salvation comes in the form of the Unavowed – an ancient society dedicated to stopping evil.”

Okay I haven’t actually played this one, but I want to. Its a Wadjet Eye so you know it’s good. From the reviews I’ve seen this is the Blackwell Series meets Dragon Age. A point and click that incorporates RPG elements, I love that.

I also have a love of the more, strange, and unusual adventure games that I can't necessarily recommend with good conscience. So if you want bizarre 90s and early 2000s games of dubious quality hit me up.

[plague-of-insomnia]

All the events look like a lot of work. Just want to say appreciate it. My shippy heart, also wants to welcome non shippers, or people with ships different to mine in a safe space. I think we all need a hand just for existing in 2021, with world situation, never mind worrying about producing anything. I am in awe of you all. Want to put good vibes out there.

This ask is about @kuro-morale-events.

Hi, anon! Thanks so much for the ask! 🤗

Ah well, we’re doing our best to plan ahead and create a kind of “regular” schedule that will appear each month (with ofc diff featured creators, characters, and themes) so that it’s a little less work for @gabedemon and I and also will create a sense of familiarity for the fandom, so you know more or less what to expect each month, while still ofc having the freshness of new things.

Additionally, we hope to also do some fun, unscheduled activities throughout the month as well, as much as possible. (Like tag questions to get to know one another better or “tag yourself” games and picrews.)

We definitely feel you on wanting to include as many people as possible and offer things that don’t require creating for those who can’t or are burnt out (or who aren’t creators). I know I’ve missed out on a lot of events bc of my health or bc I’m more of a non-SC shipper, and that’s partly why we wanted to create activities like these.

I actually just finished scheduling the monthly schedule for October, which goes into more detail than the preview post we sent out the other day, and that will publish the week before the monthly events begin. This will enable people to see all the activities in one place, more or less, to start planning which ones you might wanna join/create for, and also to use as a reference since it can be easy to get lost in all the activities otherwise.

I’m especially excited for the “Trick or Treating ‘Round the Fandom” in week 3. I think it’ll be a lot of fun without needing a lot of spoons/energy/time, and is inclusive to everyone who may want to participate.

Thank you for the support and the ask and I hope you’ll join us next month!!

[snapextherapy]

since I do get tagged in picrews a lot, im just gonna say it now.

please do not tag me if there isn't any dark skin options, natural hair, or protective hairstyles. please do not tag me if there isn't a hijab option. please do not tag me if there's no visible monolids.

please do not tag me if the picrew is not inclusive.

this isn't a "you're forcing western standards onto Japanese creators. blah blah blah blah blah"

first of all that's no true, and I have a post about that exact statement, so

this is me asking for people to be considerate of mutuals with non-european facial features, mutuals with dark skin, mutuals with hijabs, and mutuals with any sort of disability or non-aesthetic face and body.

and I still love making picrews. so I made @poc-picrew

a blog where I choose picrews based on a wide array of requirements, show examples of the diversity, and leave a link so you can do them as well.

tag games are supposed to be fun.

its not as fun if you don't see your features anywhere on the picrew.

[beyondthecourts]

WGST 320: Week 6 Discussion Post

#1. How is Donna Haraway’s “cyborg feminism” an example of “white feminism?”

For the purposes of this discussion, “white feminism” refers to the pillars of first and second wave feminism, before intersectionality carved out how one’s overlapping identifies will produce very different experiences and opportunities. The central critique of white feminism is the lack of recognition of race or privilege, as well as the absence of women from developing nations in these discussions. Similarly, the cyborgian existence aims to erase varying identities from the alter egos online, and the oppression that might come with it. While the intent of the cyborg’s politics is one of inclusivity (Nakamura, 8), it completely leaves out the huge population of women who have no access to the internet. Additionally, the assumption that individuals can log in and forget the “knowledge, experiences and values” (Nakamura, 5), that make them who they are is clearly catered to a very privileged crowd. It is nearly impossible to move to an online forum and just forget about the everyday acts of injustice that are being cast upon an individual, whose very existence is proscribable by the institutions that govern us (for example, people who identify as transgender).

#2. Is the gaming industry’s “color-blind” approach harmful?

Absolutely! Jeffery A. Ow’s “Revenge of the Yellowfaced Cyborg Terminator” exposes a horrifying side to the white-male dominated video game industry, where political correctness seemingly goes out the door. When asked about why the Shadow Warrior is inconsistent in terms of cultural representation, George Broussard was quoted responding with “who cares?” Alarmingly, the video game was made purposely with blended Japanese and Chinese references – “not out of ignorance, but because we knew it would generate mass amounts of flames and email debates online” (Ow, 5). Fundamentally, video game creators are blatantly in it for a profit, not to preserve or celebrate a particular non-Western culture. Instead, the characters, environments, and scenarios are wildly exaggerated, and based off of racial and ethnic stereotypes. Facially, the idea that “are all one race – the human race! Distinctions don’t matter!” seems progressive... yet it erases power structures and dynamics that are imperative in understanding systems of oppression.

#3. Does the aura of anonymity on the internet encourage white supremacy?

Cyberspace encourages white supremacy in serval different ways: the representation of non-white minority groups in sexualized, brutalized video games has created a sort of social hierarchy. The white race is immune from these exaggerated depictions, while the users are able to immerse themselves in a world where the objective of the video game is to “rape, pillage, and claim the Asian continent” (Ow, 10). In a more literal way, the easy access to information on the internet encourages associations and communities that are rooted in hate. While empirical evidence suggests that the incidents of assault against minorities by these online white supremacy groups are isolated incidents (Daniels, 5), the globalized nature of these groups points to a worldwide assumption that whiteness is the standard to aspire to, thus maintaining the status quo. 

#4. Should we be concerned about the violent essence of video games overall, or race relations specifically?

We should be concerned about the combination of both, in my opinion. This week’s readings highlighted both the specificity of first-person video games that have increasingly been getting more and more terrorizing, as well as the element of race within this. I do think there is something to be said about the fact that the United States military has adopted certain war games to use as actual training simulations for their officers. The realism portrayed in these themes of imperialism, war, and conquest are alarming - a supplemental reading or study that underscores a positive relationship between actualized violence or assault against others, and the individual’s usage of violent video games would be helpful in this discussion.

Daniels, J. (2009). White Supremacy in the Digital Era. Cyber Racism: White Supremacy Online and the New Attack on Civil Rights (pp. 3-16). Rowman & Littlefield.

Kolko, B. E., Nakamura, L., & Rodman, G. B. (2000). Race in Cyberspace: An Introduction. Race in Cyberspace (pp. 1-13). Routledge.

Nakamura, L. (Director). (n.d.). TEDxUIllinois - Dr. Lisa Nakamura - 5 Types of Online Racism and Why You Should Care [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT-G0FlOo7g&ab_channel=TEDxTalks

Ow, J. A. (2000). The Revenge of the Yellowfaced Cyborg Terminator: The Rape of Digital Geishas and the Colonization of Cyber-Coolies in 3D Realms’ Shadow Warrior. Race in Cyberspace (pp. 51-68). Routledge.

​#tags

[noxstellacaelum]

Filtering Female Characters Through the Male Gaze

Female characters filtered through the male gaze:  A (way) too long post about why we need a more diverse and inclusive approach to staffing showrunners, writers, directors, crew – heck, all roles -- in TV and movies.  

Yes, I know I am not the first person here on this.  

And note that while I have included a few tags b/c I talk about my frustration with Shadowhunters, Veronica Mars, the Irishman, Richard Jewell, and a few other recent shows/movies, I don’t get to this stuff until the very end,  I appreciate that fans may not want to wade through the entire essay, which (again), is a bit of personal catharsis.

I recently had a random one-off exchange with a TV writer on twitter.  The writer said that she had enjoyed the movie Bombshell much more than its Rotten Tomatoes rating would have suggested.  She wondered if the disconnect between her experience/perception of the movie and that of mainstream reviewers might have been shaped by gender: Specifically, she observed that Bombshell is a movie about women, but most reviewers are male.  

I have complicated feelings about Bombshell.  On one hand, yes, there was and is a toxic culture at Fox News.  Yes, Gretchen Carlson and Megyn Kelly were victims of that toxic culture.  But no, these women were not mere bystanders:  They traded in the racism, misogyny, and xenophobia (for starters) that still characterize Fox News today.  Why should these wealthy, privileged white women – both of whom spent many years as willing foot soldiers in the Fox News army -- get a glossy, Hollywood-approved redemption/vindication arc?  On the other hand, I am glad that the movie makers made a film about sexual harassment, and that the movie presented Kelly, in particular, as an at least somewhat complicated character.  This would not be the first time that a movie about women – especially complicated, and not always likeable women – has proven to be polarizing.

My ambivalence about Bombshell notwithstanding, the writer with whom I exchanged tweets is (not surprisingly, since she is in the industry and I am not) on to something when it comes to gender, character development and critical reception. It’s not just that Bombshell was about women, but reviewed largely by men; it’s that stories about female characters (real or fictional) often are filtered through the male gaze in Hollywood:  On many projects – even those focused on female characters – creators/ head writers are male, directors are male, showrunners are male, and producers are male.  This matters, because preferencing the male gaze impacts what stories about women get told, who gets to tell them, and how these stories are received inside and outside Hollywood.  

First, though, the caveats. I do not mean to suggest that men can never tell great stories about women.  Of course they can.   I also don’t mean to suggest that being female exempts creators, writers, directors, showrunners, etc. from sexism or misogyny (or any other forms of bigotry, as my discussion of Bombshell suggests).   There are plenty of women who prop up the patriarchy.  Rebecca Traister’s work speaks to this issue, as does the work of Cornell philosopher Kate Manne.  There is an important literature on the concept of misogynoir (misogyny directed at black women, involving both gender and race), a term coined by black queer feminist Moya Bailey, as well.  Intersectionality matters in understanding what stories are told, who gets to speak, and how stories are received in and outside Hollywood.  I also don’t mean to suggest that there are no powerful women in Hollywood.   Shonda Rhimes; Ava DuVernay, Reese Witherspoon (increasingly, given her role as a producer of projects like Big Little Lies), Greta Gerwig’s work in Lady Bird and Little Women, and others come to mind.  As I am not in the entertainment industry, I am sure others could put together a far more complete and accurate list of female Hollywood power brokers.  And, finally, I appreciate that Hollywood is a business, and people fund and make movies that they think their target audiences want to see.  So long as young, male viewers are a coveted demographic, we are going to see projects with women who appeal to this demographic onscreen.

Given these caveats, why do I think that the filtering of female characters through the male gaze is an issue? For me, it has to do with a project’s “center of gravity” -- that place, at the core of the project’s storytelling, where the characters’ agency and autonomy comes from.  It’s where I look to understand the characters’ choices and their narrative arcs.  When a character’s center of gravity is missing or unstable or unreliable, the character’s choices don’t make sense, and their narrative arc lacks emotional logic. Center of gravity is not about whether a character is likeable.  It’s about whether a character – and the project’s overall storytelling and narrative voice – make sense.  

When female characters are filtered through a male gaze, a project’s center of gravity can shift, even if unintentionally, away from the characters’ agency and point of view:  So, instead of charting her own course through a story, a female character starts to become defined by her proximity to other characters and stories.  She becomes half of a “ship” . . . or a driver of other characters’ growth (often through victimization, suffering, or self-sacrifice) . . . or mostly an object of sexual desire (whether requited or not).   Eventually, she can lose her voice entirely.  When that happens, instead of a “living, breathing” (yes, fictional, I know) character, we are left with a mirror/ mouthpiece who advances the plot, and the stories, of everyone else.

What are some recent examples of this? The two that I have mentioned recently here are Shadowhunters and Veronica Mars S4.  

- With SHTV, I will always wonder what might have been if the show – which is based on books written by a woman, intentionally as a “girl power” story – had female showrunners. Would an empowered female showrunner have left Clary, THE PROTAGONIST OF A 6 BOOK SERIES – alone on an NYC street in a skimpy party dress, in November, with no money, no ID, no mother, no father figure and no love of her life, stripped of her memories, her magic, and chosen vocation, as punishment, after she saved the world?  Would a female showrunner have sidelined Clary’s love Jace, and left him grieving and suicidal, while his family lived their best lives and told him to move on?  Would a female showrunner have said, in press coverage of the series finale, that the future of the Clary and Jace characters was a matter for fan fiction?  After spending precious time in the series finale wrapping up narrative arcs for non-canon and/or ancillary characters.  And to my twitter correspondent’s point, I guess I am not surprised that mainstream entertainment media outlets didn’t call out the showrunners’ mistreatment of Clary, and by extension, Jace, and the obliteration of their narrative arcs -- and yes, I am looking at you, Andy Swift of TV line (who called the above-mentioned memory wipe “actually perfect”).

- Likewise, with Veronica Mars, would a more diverse and inclusive writers room have made S4 Veronica less insightful and less competent than her high school self, or quite so riven with self-loathing, or quite so careless and cruel with the people in her life who love her?  Would a more inclusive creative team have made S4 Veronica less aware of the class and race dynamics of Neptune, yet more casually racist, in her mid-30s, than she was in high school?

- There are so many other examples from 2019.  Clint Eastwood falsely suggesting that a female reporter (who is now deceased and thus unable to defend herself) traded sex for tips from an FBI agent in Richard Jewell. Game of Thrones treatment/resolution of the Ceresi and Daenerys characters – where to even start.  Martin Scorsese’s decision to give Oscar winner Anna Paquin’s character a total of 7 lines in the 3-plus hour movie the Irishman.

- And, in real life, I wonder whether a Hollywood that empowered and supported female creators would make sure that people like Mira Sorvino and Annabella Sciorra got a bunch of work while also making sure that Harvey Weinstein never again is in a position of power or influence.   Same with female comics targeted by Louis C.K. Matt Lauer, Charlie Rose … the list is long, and Kate Manne’s work on what she calls “himpathy” is useful here.

To be clear, I am not saying that stories involving “ships” of whatever flavor, stories of suffering and self-sacrifice, and stories of finding (or losing) intimate relationships are “bad” or “wrong” or inherently exploitive of female characters.  I don’t think that at all.  I also don’t think that female characters have to be perfectly well-adjusted, virtuous, or free from bias, or that they should never be make bad choices or mistakes.  I want female characters who are flawed, nuanced.  I don’t mind lives that are messy, or romantic entanglements that are complicated.  Finally, I don’t think that that faulty, reductive, or unfair portrayals of female characters is a new thing.  Mary Magdalene was almost certainly not a prostitute, after all.  And classicist Emily Wilson – the first woman to translate the Odyssey into English – has brought a hugely important perspective (including an awareness of how gender matters in translation) and voice to the translation and study of canonical characters and works.

At the end of the day, I just want female characters to be able to speak with their own voices, from their perspectives.  I want them to have their own, chosen, narrative arcs.  I want them to speak, act, see, and feel as autonomous individuals, with agency, and not just in reference to others.  And, I think that more a more diverse and inclusive approach to staffing writers rooms and in choosing show runners, directors, and key positions in storytelling would help.