#unplayable lgbtqia+

[dysphoriaposting]

Super disappointed in Niantic and Pokemon GO in general. No, I'm not a transphobe or so on, I'm part of the LGBTQIA+. I'm not fully versed on the choice to make every character lose their current body types and instead choose from a largely similar pool of physical options (as far as I've experimented), but it's not a direction I was hoping for. Why couldn't they keep the current physical appearance options and then offer the sliders to further adjust your body from there?

I loved Pokemon GO as a way to imagine my OC Toria as a Pokemon Trainer, but now the character looks less like an anime character and more like an uncanny valley half-finished model for some sort of "live action" Pokemon TV show.

Pokemon GO isn't unplayable now or anything, but a huge aspect of the game I loved (dressing up Toria depending on the weather, season, any fun new cosmetics) is pretty much done now, as the character design screen doesn't even really have any facial feature options that resemble how the mainline Pokemon protagonists look like. I could forgive the awkward body types as a transitional update between two black and white choices and a more expressive character design selection like in other RPGs, but the fact that even the faces are so utterly alien just sorta makes me feel like I wasted my money and time in buying cosmetics.

I've played this game since high school, and now... Idk, it feels like Toria isn't here with me to have this journey anymore.

[chaoswillfallrpg]

SILAS CRUMP is THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS-OLD and a PETTY CRIMINAL in DIAGON ALLEY in LONDON. He looks remarkably like JOSH HARTNETT and considers himself NEUTRAL. He is currently UNPLAYABLE.

→ OVERVIEW:

tw: blood, bodily harm, death, murder 

An American werewolf roaming the streets of London, Silas has been running from himself since he was twenty-one years old though he has sadly ran into more danger than he intended to run away from. Born in Chicago, Silas was the eldest son of Muggle business owner CHRISTOPHER WHITLEY and his socialite wife MELISSA O’NEIL. As the eldest in their family and the Whitley family’s only son, Silas was heir to the Whitley Whiskey fortune and would be designated the family distillery that sat proudly on the outskirts of Chicago alongside their lavish home. The Whitley family had been Whiskey men since the 1800s when members of their family had arrived over from the North of England and brought their famous brand of drink alongside them. Silas’ early childhood was filled with long walks around their property, looking over their distilleries and being told day after day that all of this would be his. The first and smallest distillery they owned was the one next to their home, after their family brand had expanded most operations took place where they had more land leaving the Chicago distillers as mostly a tourist destination and occasional playground for Silas and his younger sister RIHANNON. When strange things began to happen to Silas, Rihannon was the first person to notice. At school children who bothered him would find themselves on the ceiling, whilst at home his mother’s pearls would vanish into thin air whilst Silas sported a knowing smirk. 

Silas’ sister liked to believe something was happening to her brother, but whilst Rhiannon panicked, Silas grinned. One day he’d woken up with the ability to do things which he’d spent time trying to perfect, then one afternoon he arrived home to a brown owl sitting on the bike rack, a letter in it’s mouth addressed to him. Taking it from the owl, he tore it open and read it there and then. Silas was a wizard and he had been accepted to begin studying a wizarding school to help him better control his magic. His parents had found assumed it was a hoax, until they made a key discovery. Whiskey was what made their family famous. But the blend hadn’t been simply alcohol, it had been mixed with an elixir that sent people crazy for the taste. Mount Greylock was unlike anything Silas could have imagined. A place where he learned to control the magic that flowed through his fingers, he fit in well amongst the house of fellow artistic thinkers and took to being a wizard as well as he could considering he had no prior knowledge when he arrived. His presence at the school was rare due to his Muggle-Born status, though he was never penalised for it as was the case in European schools. Silas enjoyed learning, particularly about the wizarding world and longed to find a place he fit amongst them. An experienced alchemist like his ancestors, Silas could brew anything he put his mind to. Becoming popular amongst the students at due to his ability to mix Muggle alcohol and potions into mind blowing elixirs. It was this talent that helped him catch the eye of Silas’ first girlfriend.

OPHELIA DELACOUR was a beautiful Half-Blood witch, Silas fell deeply in love with her very quickly. Upon graduating Mount Greylock Silas was sure of two things. He would take over his family business and extend its reach back to the wizarding world and he would marry Ophelia Delacour. Popping the question on her ninetieth birthday the pair got to work planning the wedding. Every other waking moment was spent at the factory with his father manufacturing their first blend of Whitley’s Wizard Whiskey which they would first serve to the world at the wedding. After perfecting the formula Silas visited the pub with his friends, stumbling home drunk in the dark and attempting to find a taxi. But it wasn’t a taxi that found Silas that night. A beautiful woman who he had been speaking to that evening followed him into the alleyway behind the pub and after exchanging a few short words and kisses, claimed she would be in touch before transforming into a beast before his very eyes. Biting Silas on the neck she slid away into the dark. Managing to get home Silas tried to hide what he had become. The wizarding world was not kind to werewolves and although his family accepted him as a wizard and his fiancée’s family were liberal they were not that liberal. Brewing himself wolfsbane and drinking it religiously, he hid it from them well. Locking himself in the distillery on a full moon away from the eyes and ears of his family. 

Days turned to weeks and weeks to months till his wedding was upon him. Burried in work on the night of his bachelor party he forgot to take his potion, chaining himself up in the distillery before passing out drunk. Unconscious, he hand’t noticed a pair of hands attempeting to untie him before he had shifted and it was too late. The next morning Silas awoke in the distillery to the sight of his sister torn to shreds on the floor in front of him. His whole world collapsing in a matter of seconds. Blinded by tears he buried her in her favourite field and made off into the dawn, changing his name and leaving his old life behind. Ashton Whitley could not live with what he had done, but Silas Crump might have a better life elsewhere with the past behind him. London was where he chose to drown his sorrows. Taking up a job in The White Wyvern he pulled pints before he was kicked out for draining their alcohol supply. That was when she found him. KAMALI SKENDER could smell the sorrow eating him up inside, stronger than any scent in London as he cried and wailed each full moon in the sewers below the surface of the city. The happiest Silas had been in a long while was when Le Cirque Des Rêves took him in. Though the circus was composed mostly of creatures and shady figures, Silas was grateful to find himself hired as an alchemy act, dazzling punters with his ability to mix weird and wonderful drinks they enjoyed during the show. Kamali was the mentor he needed. A werewolf who showed him that after the bite life went on.

She taught him how to love again and though his heart ached for Ophelia still, he forged a new life with Kamali, adopting a young wolf who came to need their aid and creating a family he did not think he would ever be able to have. CORIN HALE eased much of his pain, a little wolf she saw beauty in their kind and Silas began to see the world not through the dark lense he had always seen it but through her young eyes. Their life was a happy one. Until the evening BELLATRIX BLACK and RABASTAN LESTRANGE appeared at the circus. Cornering Silas the pair threatened to expose Silas to his new family and send word back to Chicago unless he joined their cause. A strong and older werewolf with pull in their community he was paramount to their cause, but shaken still by the death of his sister he refused and took off into the night with his daughter. Silas hadn’t wanted to take Corin, but he knew she would follow him to the ends of the earth even if it meant putting her at risk to find him. They had gotten as far as Nottingham before they had found them again. A fight ensued and seeing her strength and control despite the full moon, Rabastan and Bellatrix kidnapped Corin, casting a memory charm on Silas and staging the scene to appear as though she had been killed. When Silas came round again his daughter was gone. Shreds of her clothing remained and enough blood to suggest a massacre where she had stood. At first he thought he had lost control and murdered her, but something deep within him told him otherwise. 

The moon had been full when she had disappeared, but he had been taking his potion. Travelling back to London, Silas sought the help of defence lawyer RODOLPHUS LESTRANGE, knowing that as soon as Corin was reported missing the finger would be pointed his way. Silas doesn’t remember a lot from that night. Just the two figures and a bright light before everything went dark. Fragments came back to him, but as they did another body showed up. BOOKER BAGNOLD, torn to pieces and floating in a fountain. Just like his sister had been. With his name attached to the murder. Frightened, Silas thought on his feet and kidnapped fellow werewolf JONATHAN REEVES, taking locks of his hair and using it to masquerade as him with poly juice potion to allow him to search for his daughter without being taken by the Ministry. His plan was going smoothly until the evening of The Yule Ball, Booker’s older brother HARRISON BAGNOLD targeted him, attempting to strike him with the killing curse. In a final declaration of love, Jonathan’s girlfriend ROSALIE FLINT sacrificed herself and dived in front of the curse killing her instantly. After laying her to rest in the forest, Silas paid his respects, dropped his disguise and moved on, scared of being seen again as Jonathan. Currently on the run and uncertain of who to trust, Silas is leaning on the support of those closest to him. Though he is not sure of many things he is certain of one thing. He did not kill Booker Bagnold, Corin is still out there needing to be saved and there is something much larger going on in wizarding London which he must help stop.

→ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Blood Status → Muggle-Born (Werewolf)

Pronouns → He/Him

Identification → Cis Male 

Sexuality  → Pansexual 

Relationship Status → Single 

Previous Education → Mount Greylock School for Magic (Walmsini)  

Societies → N/A

Family → Kamali Skender (partner), Corin Hale (adoptive daughter)

Connections  → Rodolphus Lestrange (lawyer), Andromeda Black (legal aid), Regulus Black (legal aid), Bellatrix Black (unknown adversary), Rabastan Lestrange (unknown adversary), Booker Bagnold (alleged victim), Harrison Bagnold (adversary), Ophelia Delacour (ex-fiancée), Jonathan Reeves (victim/adversary), Rosalie Flint (former girlfriend under polyjuice potion), Fenrir Greyback (former alpha under polyjuice potion)

Future Information → N/A

SILAS CRUMP IS A LEVEL 8 WIZARD/WEREWOLF.

[gay-nidoking]

Sims 4 Mods

The Sims 4 is basically unplayable without mods so here we go lmao

I don’t download anything Patreon exclusive, anything with adfly, or anything you have to pay for. I am also working on removing all curseforge links. There are a few simsresource links in the Eyes section.

Strikethrough means the mod is not updated for the most recent patch and is broken, but is expected to update.

I moved my sims folder to an SSD using this tutorial, and it helped a lot.

Mods updated as of: 5/31/2024

Mod Management

TwistedMexi Better Exceptions

UI Mods

TwistedMexi Better BuildBuy

TwistedMexi Smarter Pie Menu

Zerbu More Club and Holiday Icons

AmiCurl’s Catalog Overhaul

Script/Behavior Mods

MC Command Center

Sacrificial Life Tragedies

Sacrificial Extreme Violence

Basemental Drugs

Andrew Pose Player

MizoreYuuki Functional Broom

Robin’s No Spicy Food Reaction

Robin’s Free Hire NPC (On Community Lots)

LittleMsSam Better Nanny

LittleMsSams Auto Employees

LittleMsSams Choose Your Roommate

LittleMsSams Go for a Walk with Dogs will fill up Needs

LittleMsSams Auto Check Toddler and Infants Tweak

ClaudiaSharon No Lifestyle Loss Tense Moodlet

ClaudiaSharon Stop Those Annoying Festival Notifications!

ClaudiaSharon More Laundry in Hamper

ClaudiaSharon No Whistling

lotharihoe Phone Call Overhaul

lotharihoe Sim Spawn Overhaul

lotharihoe No Lot Trait Visual Effects

lotharihoe Small Mods ( Collect Dishes and Trash Faster, No Autonomous Set Laundry Down, No Spoiling Fizzy Drinks and Water, Repair Tweaks)

adeepindgo’s Tweaks and Modifications

Vicky sims (chingyu1023) Functional Lot Traits / Challenges

lazarusinashes Better Autonomy

lazurusinashes No Constant Phone

Lumpinou’s Relationship and Pregnancy Overhaul

EP1CxEMAN08 Make Hidden Holiday Traditions Selectable

Ivka energy failure animation override

ChippedsCreationCorner’s Happy Haunts Graveyard Mod (requires XML Injector, Frankk’s Pack Tests, and Zerbu’s Venue Changes)

Flea Market Refresh (requires XML Injector)

Improved Market Stalls

PandaSama High Chair Lock

AWingedLlama Functional Wall Phone

Frankk No Discovery Quests

Career Mods

Kuttoe’s Career Overhaul Suite (no add-on) (need to remove CareerReqs_Education, CareerReqs_Entertainer, and CareerReqs_Writer from BG Career Goals in order for adeepindigo career overhauls to work)

adeepindigo Writing and Writer Career Overhaul

adeepindigo’s Education Overhaul

KiaraSims Medical Field Career (requires Work Interactions Pie Menu and XML Injector)

Education Mods

ClaudiaSharon Skilled Homework (requires Lot 51 Core Library)

ClaudiaSharon Skilled PC (requires Lot 51 Core Library)

adeepindigo’s University Application Overhaul

Peridot Sims’s Shorter University Degrees (8 credits)

Social Mods

Lazarusinashes Easy Sentiment Cheats (requires XML Injector) 

Lumpinou Road to Romance (requires The Mood Pack Mod)

Lumpinou Contextual Social Interactions

Lumpinou No Strings Attached (requires Lumpinou’s Toolbox, download included in link)

Limpinou Open Love Life

Lumpinou LGBTQIA+ Mod

Helaene Preferences Plus (requires Frankk’s Pack Tests, Helaene’s Pack Tests, and XML Injector)

adeepindigo’s Custom Nuptials (only put in my game when I need it)

adeepindigo’s Family and Youth Activities (requires Shared Library Script and General Pie Menu)

adeepindigo’s Holiday Traditions - More Premade Holidays

adeepindigo’s More Resolutions

adeepindigo’s Dynamic Teen Life

adeepindigo’s Delinquent Teens

adeepindigo’s Small Rabbithole Activities

thepancake1 and MizoreYukii Remove Sims from Conversations

Skills Mods

Srsly’s Complete Cooking Overhaul (soft requires Srsly’s EA Adjustments)

Srsly’s Custom Recipes

Custom Food Interactions

Custom Drinks Interactions

icemunmun Custom Food

icemunmun Custom Drink

Grannie’s Cookbook and Recipes

PiedPiper Dairy Production

PiedPiper Honey Production

Robin’s Stitch Quickly

Robin’s Knit Quickly

Ravasheen Photographic Memory 2.0

Menaceman44 Functional Library Skill Encyclopedias

Occult Mods

Misc

SpinningPlumbobs Occult Preferences Mods

Vampires

MizoreYuuki Bloody Vampire Bites/Wounds

Werewolves

chippedcreationcorners Werewolf Club Activities

SpinningPlumbobs Werewolf Walkstyle Override

NocturneAlley Wolf Eyeliner Begone!

sychik bigger werewolf teeth (default replacement)

shandir Werewolf Legs and Tail

CAS Mods

Misc.

MizoreYuuki Stand Still in CAS 

SimplyAnjuta No Make-Up & No Accessories on Randomized Sims 

simthing clever’s No More Bad Townies

qwertysims Prosthetic Legs Accessory

Sliders

VibrantPixels Arm Thickness/Pronounced Hip Sliders (for arms, move up/down in profile and front view; for hips, move up/down in back view; both sliders on lower arms)

VibrantPixels Ankle Thickness Slider (creator is no longer active)

VibrantPixels Cleft Chin Slider (located on left profile chin in zoomed in view)

gzckrg’s Extended Butt Slider

Teanmoon’s Expanded Nose Width Slider (not updated for werewolves, but seems to still be working)

obscurus-sims Unlocked Sliders for Kids

hi-land Shoulders Slider

hi-land Whatcha Packin Bulge Slider

Luumia Ear Slider Up/Down Slider

Ssspringroll Werewolf Sliders

Eyes

Pralinesims Oxygen Eyes (Human Default)

Rheallsim Whorl Vamp Eyes (Vampire Default)

Averia Felicity Eyes (All Non Default) (Updated by TheEnchantedFirefly except Heterochromia)

Averia Starry Night Eyes (Black Sclera) (Alien Non Default) (Updated by TheEnchantedFirefly)

Averia Submerged Eyes (All Non Default) (Updated by TheEnchantedFirefly)

Saruin Bakeneko Eyes (simsresource) (face paint)

Saruin Galaxy Eyes (simsresource) (faint paint)

Saruin Wyvern Eyes (simsresource) (fact paint)

alhajerio Gems Eye Contacts (face paint)

roiskelappa’s Collision Eyes + Infants (face paint/skin details)

yooniesims Serendipity Eye Set (All Non Default)

Presets

LutessaSims Male Nose Presets

Narci_cism Thick Male Body Presets

FZS Nose Preset #2 (can’t find the link)

TwistedCat Lush eyebrows

TwistedCat Eyebrow Set N2

hi-land Jaw Preset Pack

StretchSkeleton Female Nose Presets

Simulation Cowboy Honey Body Preset

VibrantPixels More to Love Body Presets

SqueamishSims Greek and Roman Nose Presets

JariSimsCC Strabismus Pack 1

Luumia’s Height Sliders + Extras (just the presets)  

Traits

Kuttoe New Emotional Traits

Kuttoe New Hobby Traits

maplebell More Traits

YourFalseHope Fibromyalgia Trait (requires XML Injector)

Vicky Sims (chingyu1023) Season Traits Pack

Vicky Sims (chingyu1023) Toddler Traits Pack

Vicky Sims (chingyu1023) 100 Base Game Traits Pack V1 and V2

Vicky Sims (chingyu1023) Supernatural Traits V2

Vicky Sims (chingyu1023) Unhidden Traits and In Store

Robin’s Small Lactose Intolerant Overhaul

Robin’s Small Vegetarian Overhaul

Aspirations

KiaraSims Family Aspirations

KiaraSims Child Aspirations

[rnbwrv]

“The Sims 4″ Gamer Review 6/10

Hello everyone! This is Rainbow Raven Jezell (he/him) with the initial major post of this tumblr, the intro & 1st gamer review. I hope you enjoy!

Welcome to the Rainbow Rave, home of the Rainbow Raven streaming community based from my twitch, twitch.tv/rnbwrvnjezell. Here I will be doing amateur game reviews. I am by no means an expert or even an experienced gamer. All of these are my own opinions. I am writing with the primary audience of new or non-gamers in mind, those who are interested in getting started gaming in-general or in different game genres / platforms than they are used to. Ultimately my goal is to get you thinking about what you enjoy about games and whether the games I review are worth your time and money.  

“The Sims 4” - 7 years after release, is the simmer dream still alive? …Eh yeah, if you believe in it enough- 6 out of 10 stars  

[Disclaimer: I play and stream on the PS4. I have multiple packs and kits of different varieties, but I do not own them all. I have owned “The Sims 4” since 2018, and it is the primary sims game that I have played as well as my primary game overall. I stream Sims 4 on Twitch through console 2-3 times a week.]

Gameplay- I’ll be putting my reviews into 3 categories that mean the most to me. The 1st of which is “gameplay,” and I say “gameplay” for lack of a better word. What I mean is the overall experience of the game, such as the main activities, side quests, actions, and diversity of things to do in the game. Is it complex or simple? But most importantly, does its content engage with the player to pull them in? “The Sims 4” is a “sandbox game.” There are aspirations, worlds, careers, and families to engage with / build up. However, there is no “story mode.” And it might be controversial to say, but I give “The Sims 4” 3 out of 3 stars for gameplay. I never lack for activities or things to do in this game. You are only limited by your imagination. There are so many player-created challenges that can keep one occupied for years. I don’t see this as lack of gameplay in the sims. I see the open nature of the sims as it’s strongest point. For me, it is a storytelling device, and I keep coming back to the sims to create unique sims and narratives. I return to many other simmers / content creators on twitch + youtube to watch their stories / series as well.    

Aesthetics- As all of these are subjective, aesthetics really are a personal preference. For me, I give “The Sims 4” 1.5 out of 3 stars for aesthetics. I like more realistic looking games personally. Overall, “The Sims 4” has a good look; the quirky nature and styles of the sims are realistic enough but campy in the right ways. However, it was knocked down in points due to the visuals not working often because of glitches and crashing. Top simmer news sites, other content creators, and myself can name multiple visual glitches that happen every time the game is played, breaking the emersion too much to avoid deceasing the quality of the game. Also, players with strong PCs can get custom content to make their sims look more realistic or more cartoon-like. Build and buy objects can also be downloaded, often for free or much less than EA sells “The Sims 4” DLCs. Custom content allows the game to become more personalized in gameplay and aesthetics. Sadly, a lot of PC high quality tech is needed to use this content plus console players, like myself, cannot get custom content at all. With a franchise as old and well-supported by a huge fan-base as the sims, the game should be fully playable and customizable for players of all ages (teen and up) on all platforms to enjoy the whole experience, running relatively-well.    

Enjoyment- This is the hardest one to rate for me. “The Sims 4” offers a sandbox experience like no other out right out. I constantly play the sims and, for the most part, enjoy the experience. However, the experience is by no means smooth. I give “The Sims 4” 1.5 out of 3 for enjoyment. “The Sims 4” has a huge fanbase with tons of content creators + storytellers + modders that are constantly inventing new ways to play and improve the game. The blank slate of no story mode with the backdrop of the sims worlds allows a wonderful individual playground on your platform while connecting you to a community of lovely simmers. If you love the idea of creating your own sims and growing their grandkids up for generations, “The Sims 4” is for you. If you like the idea of being left alone to provide care or inflict chaos on your sims while also having a huge base of fan ideas for gameplay, give this game a shot! However, to the other side, if the past two sentences don’t intrigue you, there might not be much for you in the sims. There is no direction for how to play from the game itself and sims can feel generic on console without a lot of imagination. From a larger view, the enjoyment of the game is largely knocked down by the constant crashing and game-breaking bugs that frequently prevent the storytelling that players are tying to portray. The lack of response from the sims team is concerning. Some apologies and explanations have been posted, but it’s unrealistic to expect the average player to constantly be turning in save files for bug inspection when everyday gameplay is prevented due to those issues. Larger social justice issues like bad skin tones and hair textures for sims of color still linger while pronouns have finally made the “laundry list” too little too late in 2021. With DLC such as “The Sims 4: Knifty Knitting” less than a year old (July 2020) excluding non-binary sims + they/them pronouns, featuring “Lord and/or Lady of the Knits,” I fail to see the sims team living up to their proclamation of being super progressive in their support of the LGBTQIA+ community. Supporting a few LGBTQIA+ content creators and adding a trans flag to new trailers (Dream Home Decorator Game Pack, 2021) does not de-construct the gender binary in the game (language such as “boyfriend/girlfriend, male/female bodies, he/she” only pronouns). The sims team listens to some of the sims community, but whether it is EA or Maxis or something else that is blocking a deeper social justice dialogue is still unclear. Only time will tell if “The Sims 4” addresses the issues with an overhaul, but with leaders discussing 10-15 years of sims 4 while sims 5 is in process, I am not hopeful.        

Overall -  6 out of 10 stars. “The Sims 4” is worth buying, especially if you’re new to the game and if the game is on sale. With 3 points for each above category (9 total), I leave a single point for myself to award games if I definitely recommend them. However, I stand by 6/10 for “The Sims 4.” The game offers an experience like no other main simulation title out there right now, but the lack of forward planning and game-improvement focus leaves many with unfulfilled dreams 7 years after release. Some of the packs are worth the time and money, but sims content for the sake of content is becoming unplayable due to bugs. I recommend buying the packs that intrigue if they go on sale while leaving out the rest. Spend your money on other games to experience, “The Sims 4” will likely be here for you to come back to with us simmers trekking along (hopefully not) decades later.  

[darlingxdarkling]

I can’t believe my first Medium article is a pop culture piece criticizing Sindel’s depiction in MK11 Aftermath, but you know what? It’s totally worth it.

Full text under the cut in case the article is inaccessible because of Medium’s paywall. I want my pieces to be as accessible to the public as possible.

Warning: Heavy spoilers for Mortal Kombat 11 and its expansion, Aftermath.

Ever since its first release in 1992, the Mortal Kombat franchise is known for its extreme, action-packed violence and gore that led to the creation of the ESRB. It’s also know for its controversial depictions of scantily-clad women; however, did this not deter female gamers from becoming fans of the franchise, myself included. Admittedly I am one of the fans of Mortal Kombat who was late to the party, partly due to my age and inaccessibility of gaming platforms, only discovering Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 in 2010 while playing with my older cousins, who were mostly boys.

Eyes fixated on the pixelated, motion-captured sprites on the screen in wonder, I remember being a fan of characters such as Raiden, Nightwolf, and Sindel. Especially Sindel, whom I grew to adore because of her regal, gothic appearance. Due to the stereotype that gaming is a masculine interest prevalent during those times, I felt alienated at times, having no other female playmate aside from my younger sister. However, seeing female characters such as Sindel gave me characters to identify with in my formative years.

A decade later, I still am a fan of the franchise, and of those characters. With the years that passed, there had been significant changes in the video game industry, and the clamor for better depictions of women, people of color, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and other minorities. Mortal Kombat is one of the franchises that changed with the times, even introducing their first confirmed gay character Kung Jin in Mortal Kombat X, and depicting classic character Mileena and 3D era character Tanya as lovers in the same game, confirming that Mileena is indeed canonically bisexual.

Mortal Kombat X’s female character designs were diverse and realistic too; there were some female characters whose designs didn’t show too much skin, like Sonya Blade’s main costume, befitting her role and demeanor as a tough-as-nails general, and there were female characters like Mileena who had more skin in her costumes, justified by her character’s desire to compensate for her monstrous Tarkatan genes. It’s not perfect, but overall, Mortal Kombat X is a breath of fresh air to the franchise. As a bisexual, an Asian, and a woman, I felt seen. I felt good, because minorities like me are respectfully represented.

As for its sequel, Mortal Kombat 11, there are some noteworthy depictions of real-life social issues in the game, such as colonization, which is explored with Nightwolf’s revamped lore. In the rewrite, Nightwolf is depicted as someone who used to be angry that his people, a fictional Native American tribe called the Matoka, resigned themselves to colonizers in his youth, but was blessed by his tribe’s deity, the Great Spirit, with power to help his tribe move forward after he defended the Matoka’s honor against Kano. The subject of race is also explored with Jax’s ending, where he uses the power he obtains from the hourglass to create a world where Black people were never enslaved, which garnered manufactured outrage despite the lack of any real controversy. Another example is Fujin’s ending, where he uses his power to experience the lives of mortals of different races, realms, genders, and faiths, putting emphasis on the value of integrating with the masses in order to understand and serve them better.

However, there are some aspects of the game that left a bad taste in my mouth. No, that would be an understatement. It left me furiously disappointed.

John Vogel is the lead writer for the franchise since John Tobias’ departure, writing the bulk of the story until he left around after Mortal Kombat X. Dominic Cianciolo becomes co-writer, alongside Shawn Kittelsen. Cianciolo is credited as the Story Director for Mortal Kombat 11, and thus responsible for the bulk of the plot.

After being unplayable in MKX, Sindel returns to the MK11 roster in a Kombat Pack, expansions featuring characters who aren’t present in the main story or are guest fighters from another franchise, such as Nightwolf and the Joker from the DC Universe. At the announcement of their return, I was ecstatic. The way Nightwolf’s character is handled and the added lore left me positive and hopeful for Sindel’s return.

But then, the retcon happened.

Originally, Sindel is the deceased mother of Kitana whose husband was killed by Shao Kahn. She then sacrificed herself through a suicide pact in order to protect the realms, and was brought back to life as an evil queen by Shao Kahn milennia later, but then escapes his hold. Here, she is made to be evil all along, responsible for her husband’s death and willingly coming with Shao Kahn to rule alongside him. Sindel becomes a character from her society’s ruling class who is obsessed with preserving her privileged position. Some fans claim that this new depiction is “empowering”, but is it really progressive?

Today, the terms “empowerment” and “women’s empowerment” are becoming buzzwords used by advertisers and big industry writers in an attempt to sell their product to a growing number of women who takes part in geek culture or play video games, and a society with values that are getting more and more progressive. Some people call this phenomena “woke capitalism”, where a corporation adopts progressive political causes. The gaming industry is not exempt from that; people pay for games, downloadable content, and microtransactions after all.

More often than not, when male writers write “strong” female characters, they tend to focus solely on enhancing traditionally masculine values, such as fighting ability, ignoring what other values female characters have that make them strong, or they tend to be horribly, horribly tone-deaf, which I will explain in detail later. These representations of “women’s empowerment” should force us to reexamine the media we consume, and discern whether these are genuine depictions of social issues or woke capitalism disguised as such.

In the first place, why are so many writers obsessed with “empowering” female characters, instead of writing them as characters capable of fighting for their emancipation?

Empowerment is passive; it’s something granted by those who hold power, not earned nor fought for. In the rewritten Sindel’s case, she is empowered by Shao Kahn when he took her as his wife and gave her the privileges he enjoys. Sindel’s empowerment is selfish; her rise to power did not empower, emancipate, nor liberate her daughter Kitana, nor Jade, nor Mileena, nor the women of Outworld. On the contrary, it made life worse and oppressive for all of Outworld’s denizens, including its women, who now have to serve not one, but two privilege-drunk monarchs who rule with an iron fist. If that’s the values the writers want to impart on their audience, I have serious doubts on the sincerity of their “wokeness”.

The release of Aftermath takes things up to eleven, where Sindel betrays her own daughter to be with Shao Kahn, who, originally, enslaves her and forces her into marriage, which holds so much unfortunate implications for those in abusive relationships. It doesn’t help that Cianciolo liked a tweet from a fan that said the original Sindel, an abuse survivor, was never an empowered female character and a was bad mother for killing herself and leaving her child behind, bringing even more unfortunate implications not just for women in abusive relationships, but also for people who struggle with suicide. Somehow, Cianciolo and the fans that agree with him ignore these implications altogether and believes that the new haughty, tyrannical Sindel is an example of a strong female character. This isn’t the first time male writers tried their hand at feminist writing and ended up with tone-deaf plot decisions.

Cianciolo took a nuanced and well-written character and turned her into Shao Kahn 2.0. What happened is essentially the creative butchering of Sindel’s character; she went from being a survivor to an oppressor. Shao Kahn already fills the role of a cruel tyrant who refuses to relinquish his privilege for the good of the masses, and rewriting Sindel to become his distaff counterpart is not necessary at all. This treatment of her character isn’t feminist or progressive at all; it’s poorly-disguised misogyny. It’s implying that a woman can only be powerful if she submits to her husband so that he may grant her a taste of privilege reserved for powerful men, an antiquated sentiment best left to the feudal ages. Granted, the fictional realm of Outworld is ruled by a monarchy, but Sindel’s previous characterization is proof that writers can refuse or avoid using that trope.

Emancipation, on the other hand, is an active role; according to Ruane and Todd, it is “a process by which the participants in a system which determines, distorts and limits their potentialities come together actively to transform it, and in the process transform themselves.” This concept can be applied more appropriately to pre-retcon Sindel.

Going back to my days as a highly impressionable teenager, though I grew interested in her for her benevolent demeanor despite her intimidating appearance, Sindel’s roles as a survivor and a leader are what cemented my love for the character. Shao Kahn murdered her husband, usurped the throne, conquered her kingdom, and coerced her to be his wife. Later, she sacrificed herself for the greater good of a realm, and after being resurrected as an evil brainwashed puppet, she finally broke free from her abuser. With her newfound agency, she became a queen of Outworld who recognized her privilege and used it to stand with its masses against tyrants, and she also becomes a doting mother to Kitana, demonstrating great love for her family. When finally removed from her abuser’s influence, Sindel chose to be free, she chose to lead her people benevolently, and she chose to be with her true family. This Sindel broke free from the traditional Outworld power structure that Shao Kahn perpetrated for thousands of years, no longer a bride to be forcefully taken, nor a pawn to be manipulated by its emperor.

If you can look past the scanty costume design standard for video games of that era, the original Sindel could be a female character ahead of her time. Original Sindel not only can kick ass, she also has agency, willpower, and a heart; a strong female character with good writing. For those reasons, Cianciolo’s Sindel is #NotMySindel.