#with a more diverse and female centric cast

[nexlikestoyap101]

Happy Pride Month 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️...check out Splatoon!!🦑🐙

Splatoon is so diverse when it comes to sexuality and gender. Don't believe me? Here's a list:

Pearl and Marina, also known as Off the Hook - the most unsubtle non-confirmed lesbian couple (but it's pretty much canon by now). Check out this post full of evidence!

Acht - the series' first major confirmed nonbinary character, using they/them pronouns, correcting mistranslations from both official sources and fan translations. (Also commonly headcanoned as aroace or other variations, based on their reactions to romantic scenes between Off the Hook)

Orion (the green one) - nonbinary character from the supporting cast, confirmed by this dialogue from their friend. (Only video I could find of the dialogue in quesiton)

The band Diss-Pair - commonly headcanoned as a gay couple based on the fact that they appear in the Valentine's Day artwork for 2019 (by extension, the giant group in the front can be a polycule, if you really want them to be)

Cipher...

And

6. Smollusk - ^ both characters who use it/its pronouns. Listed on their individual wiki pages.

7. Finn - a presumed transgender female fish if we think about real life betta fish biology.

8. Shiver - initially speculated to be nonbinary, based on their pronouns in the Japanese version. Later confirmed to be female in English.

Some of these are more canon than others, but let's just have fun regardless, yeah? And celebrate what we do have!

Some more things I can think of:

Craig Cuttlefish and DJ Octavio - popularly headcanoned as the 'textbook definition of old men yaoi lovers to enemies 🎵'

Agent 24 - popular ship between Agent 3 and Agent 8 (3x8=24, math puns!), due to promotional art + 2020's Valentines Day Artwork. (The characters often change in gender in appearence in promotional artwork)

Multiple ships between the games large cast of female characters

Removal of gendered hair/clothing options in Splatoon 3.

Various same-sex ships from the spin-off manga, Coroika.

Multiple of the above pairings listed are Inkling/Octoling ships (Squid/Octopus) - a reoccuring theme in the game is the opression of Octolings, mirroring real world issues of discrimination and 'forbidden love.'

Jumping off from that middle point, the game is female-centric (with lots of female characters + the default for the playable character being female-presenting), as the developers discuss in a 2015 Famitsu interview:

Splatoon has always been a franchise where hopefully people can see themselves represented in game, particularly young girls. As the franchise develops, more and more diverse characters are added for this exact purpose.

This is an amazing series where hopefully all sorts of people can feel represented in one way or another!

Sorry if I got any details about any of the characters/events wrong - I'm going off of my memory and observations about the fandom, mostly. I just really wanted to share these facts with everyone! You're welcome to share your own intrepratations and facts in the reblogs too! :) Let me know if I missed anything!

Happy pride! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🦑🐙

[mermaidsirennikita]

As always, I'm hesitant to discuss Bton, but I find this Variety article on toxic fandoms influencing creative decision-making so concerning on a creative level... And the fact that Michaela/Bton is name-dropped and included in the image collage attached is so...

Because it's easy to blame racist, homophobic white fanboys for most of the backlash to the inclusion of people of color and the LGBTQ+ community in conventionally cishet white-centric fiction. I think that probably, the biggest and loudest voices often are cishet white guys, right? The Acolyte comes to mind.

And I do think there's something to be said about media that targets women being treated as something you MUST alter significantly during adaptation to "appeal to a wider audience" (men), whereas there's more of a demand to be faithful to media directed towards men, or to at least incorporate highly anticipated arcs, scenes, into the final product. I grew up with the constant litany of "your girly thing that's being adapted must be changed to appeal to a wider audience". However, again... that audience... was primarily male. And we are accommodating men when we say "Maybe Galadriel shouldn't pick up a sword after all".

BUT. We aren't only accommodating men, and the Michaela storyline is a prime example.

Bton is a show that has a male audience, sure. But we've seen so many thinkpieces, which aren't incorrect, about the power of the female audience for that show. And on a related note, the power of a romance audience that is primarily driven by women.

Except... it seems that the women most often listened in both spaces are white cis women who want to watch a man and a woman OR PERHAPS TWO MEN fall in love. Because I don't think this article just pulled Michaela as an example out of thin air and angry redditors (many of whom, I must say, have been truly disgusting). The article has anonymous insiders giving information. I would not be surprised at all if at least one of those insiders was from the Bton team.

I've said before that while I don't like the show at this point, I think there's a lot of positive things this show could do with Michaela and Fran, both on a social level and a creative level. And I TRULY don't get why people are up in arms about this either way—I don't think the intro was done in a way that forecasts like... great sensitivity, but I'm also at this point so done with the show's choices that I could just be counting my critiques before they hatch. (And truly, how critical can I get if I'm too checked out, etc., I'm aware of some hypocrisy there.)

But at the end of the day, the show has never been a very faithful adaptation, and I'm not talking about the diverse casting. If Michaela had been Michael, you would have had a lot of changes to the plot anyway.

The thing is... if the show listens to a bunch of fans who hate that "Michael" is a Black woman, they're going to downplay the Fran and Michaela story. The series has one CONFIRMED season left. I would be kind of surprised if they didn't get a renewal for more? But maybe not. That season will not be out until 2026. It won't be about Michaela and Fran, at least not at the forefront. And like... what would it say if the show made this big shift to provide LGBT+ rep, in the form of a sapphic interracial relationship at that, and then... gave them a subplot romance.

And again, maybe I'm counting my critiques before they hatch. I can say that some things I saw online circulating about Michaela's casting made me think that she would have a more significant role than "supporting B-plot love interest". And when I see articles like this, I would hope that the response to fan backlash would be "fuck them" and not "oh, let's give the people some rep, but not TOO much rep".

Look—for all my misgivings about how that plot was introduced, I hope Fran and Michaela get a center stage season, and I hope it blows all the rest of them out of the water, and I hope they get to be on posters as a romantic couple and merch, and I hope they get someone to rewrite WHWW so that people who see themselves in that story onscreen can read something that ACTUALLY reflects it.

(And if the show doesn't, I hope they refer people to some of the actual sapphic historical romance novels on the market right now. I know that's pie in the sky, but I'm just putting it out there.)

Most of all, I hope the show's team protects Masali in a way they didn't protect Ruby Barker, or even Rege-Jean Page.

(Ya haven't seen much of an effort to combat the issue yet, a la the way Amazon addressed the ROP issue, and it's been LOUD already.)

I guess it's just articles like these COMBINED with what I'm seeing not only in Bton but in shows across the board that concern me. It would be horrible to think that something was or is in the works, and gets downplayed because of backlash from people who just neeeeeeded to see a fictional character.

Especially when we're in the age of Another White Heathcliff in 2024 and "Dorian and Basil are brothers, actually". It feels like we're going backwards, and it feels like that storyline is going to be a statement from Netflix whether they like it or not. What are they going to do on their Big Romance Show?

[e-b-reads]

Books of the Summer: May-Aug 2024

I'm back baby! These little blurbs at the top are usually where I put my disclaimer that these books are the ones I recommend, but not necessarily my favorites, and that particularly holds true for this summer when I consider a few that didn't make my list below: I read 20-something(!!) of the Hamish Macbeth mystery series, by M.C. Beaton, over June and July, and obviously I liked them because I just. kept going, but I also have several quibbles with them (e.g., twenty books and several years into the series, the main character is still "about 35"). I enjoyed them as something mostly brainless. Then in August, I read and very much enjoyed the Windrose Chronicles, by Barbara Hambly, a particular type of 80s portal fantasy, but in this case although my enjoyment was unalloyed, I feel like they're a rec for very specific circumstances or specific people. Anyway, thought both these series deserved some sort of honorable mention, but my official Books of the Summer are:

May

Giovanni's Room (James Baldwin): This is one of those tragedies where no one could have done anything different because of who they are as people, but even as you know what will happen from the beginning of the book, it's still worth reading to understand how. Also Baldwin is so good at writing. Not a happy book, but worth it.

June

Last Call at the Nightingale (Katharine Schellman): I'm recommending this one because it seems like I've seen (at least a few) people on the lookout for a good mystery set in the 1920s that is (queer) female-centric and not entirely trusting of cops, and this is definitely that. (Also the other book I saw being recced for that kind of thing was Dead Dead Girls, and I read it a little while ago and tbh was unimpressed with the writing.) I also read a few in another series by Schellman this summer, and I generally enjoy her mystery plots and attention to historical detail, while she also always makes sure she has a diverse cast of characters.

The Bellamy Trial (Frances Noyes Hart): A classic mystery (as in, published during the Golden Age), interesting in its trial formatting - the murder has happened, we're hearing everything in the courtroom sort of from the point of view of a pair of newspaper reporters. It's fun the way details are revealed.

July

The Ropemaker (Peter Dickinson): Did you know that Peter Dickinson was married to Robin McKinley? True power couple. I love The Ropemaker, I think I originally found my copy in a used book store with absolutely nothing to go on but the cover (it was years ago), and have read it several times. I particularly like that the main character doesn't have magic (and magic isn't entirely common in the fantasy world, though several other characters can do it), and she starts out feeling reasonably upset and left out, and then starts to realize that her own lack of magic is a particular, specific strength.

August

The Documents in the Case (Dorothy L. Sayers with Robert Eustace): I think I found this book by poking around the "Mysteries" section in a used book store, which is always a good way to find odd anthologies and Detection Club collections. This standalone mystery is, as it suggests, a collection of documents (mostly letters) meant to illuminate a mystery: handily, the son of the murdered man is collecting them and writes a little bit of analysis for us/the official to whom he is sending them, so we eventually get gaps in the story filled in. I particularly like the way that the nature of the medium means that every character is an unreliable narrator to some extent, and it takes a little reading before you can start to figure out who to trust more. I have read this a few times and always forget that it is kind of a chilling little story, in the end, but also really good!

[the-intellectual-journal]

The Impact of Film Critics on Women in Film and Television

In film and television, the influence of film critics is instrumental in shaping the narratives that permeate our cultural landscape. The portrayal of women and their roles has been a focal point that reflects societal norms and progressive perspectives. Film critics as discerning evaluators of media play a significant role in either reinforcing traditional gender stereotypes or escaping them — contributing to the ongoing evolution of gender representations on our screens. 

Film, in a broader historical context, has been a mirror reflecting the prevailing gender norms and expectations of society. In early cinema, women were often relegated to one-dimensional archetypes such as the seductress or the damsel in distress. As British film historian Laura Mulvey points out in her groundbreaking essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,” these portrayals of women in film served to reinforce patriarchal power structures and objectify female characters for the male gaze. Mulvey argues that the construction of films oftentimes, from the camera angle to the narrative structure was inherently designed for the pleasure of a male-centric perspective. 

However, as cinema continued to evolve, so did the critical discourse and reception surrounding women’s roles. Film critics emerged as tastemakers, contributing to the discourse surrounding societal expectations and the representation of women. In turn, the critiques of film critics have been a double-edged sword, both perpetuating misogynistic principles and challenging them.

For instance, the critiques of the historical drama “Hidden Figures” (2016) directed by Theodore Melfi contributed to a positive cultural impact. Film critics praised “Hidden Figures” for its ability to shed light on the untold stories of African-American female mathematicians at NASA during the space race. The positive reception from critics not only resonated with audiences but also emphasized the importance of diverse and empowering portrayals of women in historical contexts. 

However, the 2016 reboot of “Ghostbusters” directed by Paul Feig featuring an all-female lead cast was not met with that same positive cultural impact. Unfortunately, the film faced a wave of negative reviews from critics rooted in misogyny. Several critics focused more on the gender of the protagonists, insinuating that an all-female cast could not successfully execute a comedic action film. This type of criticism perpetuates harmful stereotypes and undermines the capabilities of the actress involved in the film, showcasing film criticism’s ability to negatively impact the cultural perception of women. 

Additionally, film criticism continues to be a male-dominated industry to this day. According to a 2022 report titled ‘Thumbs Down: Film Critics and Gender, and Why It Matters,’ “Across print, radio, television and online outlets, men account for 69% of critics, women account for 31%...” These statistics demonstrate the necessity of film criticism to align with the representation of women on the screens. The statistics highlight the importance of a more inclusive critical cultural landscape beyond predominantly male perspectives.

[elfwreck]

M/M outnumbers F/F in most fandoms for very obvious reasons. (I dunno about "good" reasons, but they make sense even if you don't like them.)

How many male characters are there in most fandoms? How many female?

If people ship at random, every possible way, you're going to wind up with a ton more M/M fics than F/F. But they don't ship at random.

Now - how many fandoms that do have female characters, fail the Bechdel test: the characters never have a conversation, never have an on-screen interaction that's not about a man?

(How many of them only have one female character?) (How much screen time do the women get?)

"One canon Undertale ship"... how much of the time playing the game is spent interacting with that ship? How much is spent interacting with skeletons?

Dungeon Meshi's damn near got parity. Has anyone checked Wattpad or other fanfic archives to see if M/M is more prevalent there?

M/M may be more popular on AO3, you know, the site built by slash fans to hold the M/M fics that kept getting kicked off other archives. The first multifandom archive that went out of its way not to prioritize gen or het--that built its seed stock of fanfic by reaching out to slash fans who were upset with Livejournal, with ff.net, with Fanlib and other commercially exploitative archives. M/M has always been more prevalent on AO3; there used to be lots of people who post their M/M on AO3 and post their other fic elsewhere. (Probably less of that now, but it takes a long time for the numbers to shift.)

Want more F/F-centric fandoms? Convince showrunners to flip the normal character demographics. When they do, you get F/F fanfic, and usually it outnumbers M/M. No idea what's going on with Project Sekai.

Steven Universe:

Xena: Warrior Princess

She-Ra: Princesses of Power

Rizzoli & Isles

Shows that only have women as protagonists, get femslash. Shows that have an ensemble cast of diverse women with maybe one or two guys on the side, get femslash.

Shows that have 80% or more men as the characters that get screen time get a lot less femslash.

Sailor Moon, which has a canonical M/F pairing as its centerpiece:

The F/F outnumbers the M/M by more than 4 to 1.

There's a good discussion to be had, about which fandoms inspire which kinds of pairings in fanfic, and how that relates to societal norms of various sorts, and what can be done to create more diverse fandoms that will inspire more or different types of fanfic.

But so many of these arguments come across as "it's sexist of you to write and read the stuff you like; you should like different things, be inspired to write different things" with an unspoken hint of "…in the fandoms I care about."

Is this where I get to throw in a book rec? Sure, I guess. (Disclaimer: I worked on production for this. I had no connection to the contents.)

This is not directly related to "why is there not more F/F fanfic?" But it does go into the history of canonical F/F stories and how those connect to fandom communities.

Hey guys remind me how many properties there are on ao3 where m/m outnumbers f/f for no good reason

[nyadversary]

What's your opinion on people getting upset and claiming biphobia when others make posts about how they can't see Astarion with women? I'm bi and I don't personally see it as an issue. I've heard people claim that it's harmful stereotyping to insist that he's gay and not bi, but I also have trouble imagining him being genuinely attracted to a woman. I'm not going to go out and fight people who ship him with their female tav, but I do find it popularity of that dynamic amusing.

I guess I don't really find the entire cast of companions being bi as a #diversity win. I more so see it as a way to enable all of them to be extremely playersexual, so I don't really buy it for all the characters.

you have introduced me to an entirely new form of baldur's gate 3 discourse, i didn't know anybody was arguing about this. without knowing what exactly is being said i have trouble knowing how to respond... like, if people are seriously arguing astarion is too flamboyant to possibly be attracted to women, that's stupid, but if people are actually getting mad because some tumblr gays are joking about how seeing astarion x fem!tav gifsets looks jarring to them or whatever that's also stupid.

& yeah since the romance is entirely player-centric i don't really think of it as Bisexual Representation that you can date whoever regardless of your character's gender. i'm only on act 2, so i won't pretend to be an expert on the characters, but so far it's coming across more as "the companions are all playersexual" than "the companions are all bi." this ties into what i was saying earlier with how i think it sucks that your party members can't get with each other even if the dialogue sometimes hints that they'd like to

[holaafrica]

New Post has been published on https://holaafrica.org/what-are-you-getting-off-too-a-look-at-feminist-porn/

What are you getting off too?: A look at feminist porn

Folx are fapping, stroking, pinching and rubbing themselves and sometimes when it happens they need good content to do it. The messed up thing is porn has been made by men for men for so long that the rest of us have been left out and that is not the one. And that is where feminist porn comes into things. So to kick it off we gotta figure out what it is, ‘cause  wow not all porn is feminist.

According to Wikipedia: 

Feminist pornography refers to a genre of film developed by and/or for those dedicated to gender equality. It was created for the purposes of encouraging women and their self-beliefs of freedom through sexuality, equality and pleasure.

The thing is about feminist porn (like most other things that are gorgeously inclusive) is not super widespread and queer/female-centric content is generally produced more by indie studios who tend to operate on their own sites rather than the major ones like Porn Hu. Even though you can find some on there it can be tricky to locate and you may need to know specific producers/ studios and search for those or really define your search.

There are however platforms out there. 

Alice Vaughn, a sexpert  says that ‘OnlyFans was one such content platform — up until an announcement made on Aug. 19. In a surprising turn of events, the site stated it’s now banned porn (or “sexually explicit conduct,” as they put it in a statement). The platform later begun to rethink the proposal.  And this is surprising because, well, this sexually explicit content is the very reason OnlyFans became so popular.  The ban officially begins Oct. 1, 2021.’

‘Unlike mainstream videos, which typically focus on what guys want to see — long blowjobs, certain sex positions, etc. — Vaughn says feminist porn focuses on female pleasure. With feminist and ethical porn, there’s more talk about consent on set, safe sex is often a focus, and the actors more diverse to represent a wide array of interests.’

SO the big money question: What makes porn feminist? According to The JuiceBox:

1) Real Pleasure. One of the key features to feminist porn is genuine pleasure. This

means the performers use plenty of lube, choose the positions that work for them, and they aren’t faking all those orgasms, they are genuinely enjoying themselves. Some companies are committed to only real orgasms, every time. So what you see is the realest of real deals

2) The best porn for women/Gender Non-Conforming folx focuses on an ethical workplace. This means the cast and crew are paid fairly for their labour, no one is required to do anything (or anyone) they don’t want to do. And no one checks their bodily autonomy at the door and body shaming is not a real thing on set. 

3) Challenging stereotypes, instead of reinforcing them. In feminist porn, performers aren’t tokenized based on their race, body type, or gender.

Instead, the performers are given the option to have sex in a way that is organic to them as people, and engage in the kinds of sexual play that feel good to them. 

In a HOLAA article the writer says: ‘Porn that shows men and women as sexual collaborators rather than men as conquerors could do a great deal to change people’s perceptions about themselves and their sex lives. As one connoisseur of the coitus arts.’ This is part of the work that feminist porn tries to do, pushing back on the power imbalances between the genders. 

In their article Russell O’Connor, says, it would have the ability to promote “positive, healthy attitudes about sexuality and, indeed, about gender itself”. Porn legend Nina Hartley echoed this when she said that this kind of porn could “change men’s and women’s attitudes at their deepest neurobiological level”. Folx are working hard to make proper flicks in these streets so respect sex workers who are making great content and pay for your porn.

Pay. For. Your. Porn. (respect their hustle) for example check out this CrashPad Episode.

Happy fappin’.

Links to check out:

7 places to watch Feminist Porn  from Bustle

The 11 Best Feminist Friendly Websites – Juiceboxit

Porn for Women: 21 Feminist Porn Sites You’ll Really, Really Enjoy

– Glamour

Why Tumblr’s Ban On Adult Content Is A Huge Step Back For Sex Positivity – Feminist In India

Feminist porn: Giving the world a little something different when it comes to online sex –  HOLAAfrica 

Tumblr’s ‘porn ban’ will leave its marginalised users with no safe haven – The Guardian

Sexual Rights – APC

***

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[rotzaprachim]

Solo: Thoughts

I have emotions and there will be spoilers. 

- This film reminded me why I love the warring stars in the first place!

- I really liked it! It’s not a perfect film, by any means, and there’s plenty of places I wanted to burn down Lucasfilm, but it is an emotional one about ordinary people scraping their way through a hellhole of a galaxy, and that’s what I’m here for. 

- The visuals??? GREAT! FANTASTIC! Soooo much better than TLJ, in between the industrial hellhole of Corellia, the mountainous snow planet, or the sweeping sand and sea of the Canaries (I think?) at the end! The CGI’d parts were intricate and epic, the parts aboard Dryden Vos’s ship and in Lando’s casino actually felt atmospheric and club-isa. (Unlike Canto Bight *cough cough*) The very Scylla-and-Carybdys scene with the black hole and the massive Eldritch abomination (that apparently eats vacuum????) was fantastic.

- I actually really like Alden as Han. I really, really liked that they didn’t make him a misogynist, a womaniser, or someone who just can’t listen to women. He was charming and cocky without being smarmy or condescending, which can be a difficult line to walk. His Han is very different to Harrison Ford’s, certainly a less jaded and more pure soul with his own, if slightly warped, moral compass. He certainly doesn’t think twice about giving the mineral stuff to Enfys.

If anything, one of my main issues with the film was the need to tie things up neatly and have Han go to Tatooine. The direct connection worked for Rogue One, with the big dramatic finale, but it doesn’t really work here. Alden’s Han just feels a lot younger and less jaded than Harrison’s did, and it feels like there should be a few more years and botched jobs and scars before he’s hanging around a cantina in Mos Eisley.

- Holy shit Han studied at Carrida? And then go demoted from pilot to foot soldier for. . ..  some reason that probably has something to do with mouthing off too much for the Empire’s liking. I’m hesitant to compare him with Finn because Finn left for extremely heroic reasons (not wanting to kill anymore) and Han just kind of left because he didn’t want to die and the opportunity presented itself, but it certainly DOES add another level to Finn and Han’s relationship in TFA, particularly when Han encourages Finn the truth, and when Finn and Han break back into Starkiller base. (Underrated adopted father-son duo right there!)

- This movie established a TON of parallels between Rey and Han. A TON! Han was essentially in the urban version of the shitty situation Rey was in at the beginning of TFA, they both repeatedly pull the trick of having to fly through a narrow slot, there’s even some verbal cues with how they both have to go back to Corellia/Jakku to wait for loved ones, and they both love someone who isn’t telling them the full truth about their pasts.

(Excuse me while I cry about all of this. “You think of him as the father you never had.” Yes, but in some ways Rey and Finn are the heroes that this version of Han wasn’t. There’s a lot of talk about Kyl0 carrying on the Skywalker legacy, but this film really establishes that it’s an ex-stormtrooper and a desert junker who carry on the Solo legacy.)

- I’m VERY much on board with the idea that Qi’ra should have been Han’s sister, or his best mate who’s become his only adopted family by the laws Corellia’s streets. If there was anything that felt slightly off here, it was their romantic relationship, which felt shoehorned and expected rather than natural. Star Wars has always been about family, yet there hasn’t yet been a movie that really explored a sibling relationship, and I think it would have fit better with the plot and tone of Solo anyway.

- Other things I loved: LANDO. Donal Glover is goddamn PERFECT. He’s charming and lively and adds a jolt of . . . something like sunshine which this movie badly needs! HIS WARDROBE IS ON POINT! The movie still leaves me feeling like we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg of Nando’s backstory, though. He’s already a successful entrepreneur with a droid fight club, a very (*ahem*) successful hand at sabacc, and a closetful of expensive tailored capes. And he loves his mother! AND HE’S WRITING HIS BIOGRAPHY, and is already somehow on chapter 5.

-HANLANDO. Damn. Both of the scenes with Han and Land playing sabacc had a wonderfully flirtatious energy, and the beach scene and shootout at the mines were just painfully good. This was defiantly where the romantic tension of the film lay, with the smirks and the “buckle up, baby” and that final scene in the tropical casino place? If Lucasfilm isn’t going to make another film with Han and Lando I will gladly take, like, a fluffy workplace romcom with Donald and Alden. Please.

- L3-37! Another absolute favourite, though I am deeply sad that she died before getting a chance to meet Enfys. They would have hit it off. L3 followed in K2′s steps of being snarky, and terrifyingly human, but she’s definetely her own bizarre, wonderful . . . droid. I loved her and Nando’s camaraderie, and that final reveal that she’s in the Falcon .. . . I did cry a little.

- This movie’s greatest sin is probably it’s tragic wasting of Thandie Newton. I’m still angry.

- The final showdown between Beckett and Han? AMAZING. It felt so full circle- Han shooting Beckett right were the holes in the amor he stole off the dead man at the beginning of the film were, and in a similar place to where Kyl0 will eventually kill him. (The scene certainly DOES establish exactly how Han and Kyl0 are different, though, considering the way that Han sits with Beckett as he dies, and that Han shot Beckett so that the mineral stuff could go to Enfys rather than Crimson Dawn.)

- ENFYS! She’s in 3 scenes, but I smiled non-stop for 2 of them. No joking, those two scenes made the entire cost of the ticket worth it. The reveal was freaking amazing, as well as the fact that no one made a dumb comment about the fact that she’s a girl. Erin Kellyman absolutely killed her limited screen time, and I loved the fact that she talked about inheriting the mask from her mother. “The war is just beginning.” Shivers. Brilliant, fantastic, show stopping, incredible. Her costume and weapons were fantastic as well, with a slight Boudicca vibe to her hair/spear/that yellow tartan cape-y thing at the end?

I really hope she’s in more stuff.

HMU to chat about all of this, I am more full of emotions than I ever thought I’d be over Han Solo.

[the-voltage-diaries]

THIS! Exactly.

The problem with not just Voltage Inc games, but a LOT of romance-centric media we consume such as popular rom-com novels, movies, Wattpad stories, and even Choice and Episode games. The commonalities include the main characters (both FMC and MMC) looking a certain way, acting a certain way [FMC is 'shy', 'not like other girls', 'gets embarrassed easily', is a klutz/falls in problems and the MMC saves her, the MMC is 'tall', 'built', 'dominant', 'rude' etc etc], and their attributes in general.

Unfortunately with voltage, there is also a certain strain of conservative beliefs that reinforce gender and sex roles in a relationship. With the (rare) appearance of any diverse caste, such as homosexual characters, or persons of colour, their personality is also highly stereotyped.

THAT ASIDE, you're absolutely correct! As of now, most of the rom-com content out there (not all) focuses on romance and just unconditional romance while pushing aside very real opinions, as if they don't matter to the story. Which is kind of ironic, since this media DOES itself inherently contain a lot of political beliefs just by the sheer way the characters behave (for example, Voltage has this trend of glorifying/heroifying the MMC's deeds and over-romanticising the bare minimum. You'll also notice that women dress a certain way, are almost always of a particular weight range - unless they have a plus-size FMC or MMC. In cases of harassment, a male figure is the one stepping in to have a conversation with the harasser; basically the idea of men only willing to listen/see what the problem is if a MAN is the one telling it to them, and so much more).

Every story, if read critically enough, will show such problematic behaviour on both FMC and MMC's end, which is concerning because so many young adults consume this media without realising how it influences them. I've read a lot of their titles and I notice some of these common trends in MCs (both male and female) across the stories. Even Kings of Paradise (one of my would-be favourite titles), where these rich men indirectly, subtly use their monetary power to make an emotionally and financially vulnerable MC do their bidding. More or less. LOL. But yeah i've got so many opinions and this post is already longass enough, so maybe I'll save them for the future.

Thank you for reposting/commenting! I loved hearing your thoughts. Feel free to add more if you feel like! This convo is super fun. <3

3am thoughts but imagine if any of the voltage games had an mc who was really passionate about any issue in a really in-depth way, i'd love to sit and have convos with them no but a feminist mc who was well read and addressed very-real wage gaps, invisible labour, traditional roles, consent (or its problematic lack thereof), problematic depiction and reinforcement of stereotypes in novels/other media, intersectionalities, etc (before anyone tells me these games are for "fun" and "lighthearted" - these are the bare minimum conversations that CAN be made lighter and that can be normalised - in fact, they need to be)

[thatspookyagent]

I wish people knew just how isolating colorism is. There’s just so much dehumanization and fetishization involved in colorism. And more often than not, colorism goes hand in hand with other forms of discrimination such as featurism (the discrimination of ethnic features) and texturism (the discrimination of certain natural hair types.)

It’s really weird seeing Black families on TV nowadays because most shows with Black families are casted so that the female members of the family are light skin and the male members of the family are darker. Tropes like this further reinforce that having darker skin is masculine and that having light skin is feminine (perfect examples being Blackish and Bridgeton).

This can seriously fuck with darker skin woman who want and or like to be feminine but can only see their skin tone represented on males. Meanwhile, light skin men who want to be masculine are torn down or feminized. Either way, even if a darker skin woman wants to be masculine and a light skin man wants to be feminine, neither groups should be told to stop simply because the media perpetuates colorist/racist stereotypes.

Not only does colorism tie into gender roles and expectations. But also stereotypes that are linked to race. Pose is a perfect example of how dark skin women are treated as aggressive and below their light skinned counterparts.

On top of that, seeing light skin people uplifted for being light is extremely ostracizing. Something I need light skin people to understand is that being fetishized is NOT good. Being told that you’re desirable just because of your skin tone or “good hair” is not a compliment. Someone should be loving you for you and not because if you were to have kids with them, your children would come out with “pretty light eyes” and “pretty light skin”. Don’t feed into things that automatically tear down and degrade darker skin people. Just because we’re mad about light skin people getting uplifted for being light skinned, does not mean that we’re jealous and out to get you.

Personally, I’m tired of the trope that light skin people are deserving of love over darker people. Bridgeton is a huge example of this and countless other shows such as Blackish and American Horror Story. Constantly putting only light skin people in the roles of love interests is a huge fucking issue and I’m tired of seeing it. More often than not, the light skin people being casted have loose curly hair and features that would be considered more Eurocentric.

As someone who doesn’t fit any of those descriptions, I want to see more folks who look like me being loved on screen. I wanna see more brown skin and dark skin Black people of all gender identities being loved. I wanna Black folks with aggressive Afro centric features that people watching can’t ignore. Diversity is so much more than just skin tone, race, and ethnicity and I wish that more people knew that.

There's just so many issues that colorism brings and I haven't even gotten into things like light skin privilege.

tl;dr: Colorism is a rampant issue as well as an intracommunity problem. It ties into a lot of different forms of oppression and needs to be talked about. Addressing colorism and the issues that come with it could really help change media representation for the better as well as help those being excluded. Hopefully darker skin people can eventually see ourselves in a positive and healthy light in all forms of media.

Note: I am VERY much aware that colorism isn't exclusive to the Black community. However as a Black individual, I can only speak on my experiences with as a Black person. Here is a post that discusses colorism issues in other communities of color. As well as another. Here as well. ( <<< These links also address the colorism within Shadow and Bone and the erasure of dark skin characters like Jesper Fahey and Inej Ghafa.)

Also if you're light skinned, I ask that you simply reblog this post and leave adding on to it for darker skin people. Light skinned people can only experience featurism and texturism but not colorism. White folks don't experience any of these, so white folks don't add shit to this. Feel free to boost this however (which is very much encouraged.)

[izzyinarchive]

discussing the final season of carmen sandiego

*spoilers* umm....so yeah, i finished watching carmen sandiego, and i’m left in a state of perpetual sadness and despair. i feel like the ending of the show wrapped up wayyy too fast, and kind of left off on a bit of an unsatisfactory note for some of the characters. although i love the large and diverse cast of carmen sandiego, one of the drawbacks of having all those characters and arcs and storylines makes it harder to cram in a satisfying conclusion for everyone in a twenty-minute episode. so here’s what i would do if there was more time. 

let’s start off with the threads that i think were tied off pretty well: 

julia & chase devineaux: i wasn’t really a shipper of julia and devineaux but i actually really enjoyed their relationship throughout season 4. we see a lot of character growth from devineaux in the way that he interacts with julia and the world. julia pushes devineaux to become a better person, to see things with a broader perspective and from other people’s points of view. and he does really change a lot into an understanding person instead of the overconfident, arrogant detective we first saw him as in season 1. in addition, he also grows to respect julia as a person and partner, and it’s completely adorable how he looks at her while zari tells julia that they’ll follow her lead. also i love how he keeps wearing his lucky cat jacket from san francisco in season 4.  

el topo & le chevre: okay, i was pretty much shipping these two the minute they showed up on the screen together. you can tell how much they care about each other throughout the series. whenever one of them gets hurt, you can really see how they prioritize each other over whatever thing vile is planning. when things are good, they’re so sweet and they have so much fun together. and they take dumb cute selfies. they’re so, so adorable, and this season definitely brings the shipping fodder. and they end the season moving on from vile and running a food truck together. the only thing i’m mad about is that we definitely needed more screen time from them. 

shadowsan: i didn’t like shadowsan in season 1 but over the course of the series he really went through a lot of major character development and i love how he’s now basically a grumpy dad figure to carmen. the season ends with him finally reuniting for good with his brother in japan, and it’s a satisfying conclusion for his arc. i also love how he was the one to help carmen in the finale when she’s struggling with the brainwashing thing. which is way better than the brainwashing being resolved by some bs like true love’s kiss. (also carmen and gray are way too hurt and they’re super not ready for a relationship.)  carmen sandiego is a show that emphasizes the importance of family with this father-daughter duo, and i think that’s something really valuable. also i’m interpreting that shadowsan isn’t permanently moving to japan, but rather just visiting his brother. he’s still definitely going to be there for carmen going forward when she needs him. 

player & carmen’s friendship: i love this show for having a male/female friendship with absolutely no romantic feelings going on. it’s a solid friendship, and depicts a wholesome, supportive relationship. absolutely no qualms here.

and here’s all the stuff that needs expanding/fixing: 

tigress: i actually really love tigress as a character, and i personally think that there should have been more of her in the series. i would have liked to see more depth and motivation to her, since she has a lot of character potential. i don’t really know how i would rewrite tigress’s arc, because it’s virtually nonexistent and there’s not too much to go off of. i don’t think she needs a redemption arc, but i would give her more of a spotlight. (also low key fictional-crushing on her.) i would like to include sort of a tigress-centric episode, which can also generally be more expansion on the inner workings of vile.

cleo & saira: villain couple. villain couple. they need to be a villain couple, enough said. i would rewrite season 4 to have include an emotional downbeat moment in which saira struggles with being able to fit in with society and humans and being completely awkward at it while cleo, in all her regal and ettiquite-esque manners, tries to help. this wouldn’t really help with the main plot, but it would be humanizing and provide character depth. i feel like this could be the b-plot in the tigress episode somehow. 

coach brunt: you don’t betray family. at this point, coach brunt has lost the daughter she raised, who, in her mind, has basically backstabbed her entirely. coach brunt was also betrayed by shadowsan and left for the police to find, and in season 4, malestrom basically abandons her to drown. and it’s highly likely that somewhere in her backstory she’s been betrayed many times, likely by her own blood family, which would provide context for why she’s such a loyal person to vile, who she thinks of as her found family. in rewriting season four, i’m adding one extra episode that’s solely on the backstory of coach brunt. in this episode, we would explore brunt’s upbringing and the first time she is betrayed by someone she considers family. in my opinion, coach brunt was likely pushed to fall by another influence, but she also makes the conscious choice to choose revenge over moving on. potentially, we could also explore brunt’s budding friendship with the mechanic, who we never see again after that one episode, as well as a reflection upon this from her adult self. 

gray & the freaking mind control thing & his moral struggles: *sighs* i can see what the show is going for, but i really just don’t see it in the execution. the way that gray struggles with morality is like it’s an on and off switch. he’s either graham, basic civilian, or crackle, basically evil. in that one episode, he flip flops between being overly heroic, even taking out time from his day to specifically track down a random kid to return his wallet instead of just dropping it off at the police station or leaving it where he found it. and then the flip side is like he’s just robotically relapsing into stealing mode, where he just suddenly has to impluse to steal literally anything. i feel like this flip flop wasn’t really a good portrayal of his struggle and didn’t really demonstrate many active choices made by him. and the way that he’s just like “i’m actually just evil” when he confronts carmen at the lab is just super one-dimensional. i just don’t buy it that he flips to vile so quickly in the span of a few episodes. i feel like there should have been more active reflecting and the decision should have been dragged out longer. 

also it’s revealed in the finale that gray also changed his crackle rod to not go beyond a stun, and i think this was a nice touch, because it demonstrates his aversion to murder, which calls back to the first caper, in which he’s confronted with killing the archeologist at the excavation site. but he doesn’t end up having to make that choice, because carmen stops him. but this time, it’s his own choice to take that step away from vile ideals. i don’t think gray is ever going to be a “hero” of the traditional sense or have a complete redemption arc, because it just doesn’t fit him. to be honest, i don’t know what the future will hold for gray, but i definitely think of he will fall somewhere along the lines of red x (teen titans) or catwoman’s (in certain comic runs) gray morality. (and i think the way gray returns to vile kind of screws this up.) he’s still going to steal stuff sometimes probably, but he’s not going to straight up murder people. he would probably be the type to work for himself alone mostly, but be okay teaming up with the good guys sometimes. definitely no joining evil organizations tho. 

gray & carmen & the “i know you’re in there somewhere fight:” i definitely ship these two, but i think they’ve got a long way to go before they’re really ready to admit their feelings for each other. i’m happy that the “i know you’re in there somewhere fight” didn’t culminate in a kiss scene being the thing that snapped carmen out of the trance. because that is just so cliche and not the message of the show. instead, it’s shadowsan who does. and that makes sense going along with the themes of family. i think the issue with this i dislike how there is no more elaboration after carmen supposedly kills gray. this is her best friend. i would imagine that the reaction would be greater, since he was also her friend and teammate during the months they were both working under vile. and then when carmen’s brainwashing wears off, she agonizes that she killed her best friend. but that’s it. the “i know you’re in there somewhere fight” is the last screen appearance of both of them together. then it’s directly cutting to taking down vile. there should have been a hospital scene where carmen rides with him in the ambulance and talks to him as he’s unconscious, and leaves behind a note for him to read when he’s awake. 

i just really think there should be a “heart to heart” scene somewhere in this finale where they confront their feelings (not romantic stuff, but more about like shared trauma at the hands of vile and their broken apart friendship). this could happen at that sydney cafe. both times carmen and gray go on a “date” she leaves him sitting there alone, bewlildered. i think the finale should include a scene of them leaving the cafe together and then walking away and waving to each other. this shows development in their relationship, and that they are now closer, but it also visually shows that they still have differences as they walk away with a sort of two toned kind of environment angle that shows the different paths they have chosen. (and carmen calls him gray. and he doesn’t correct her.) it’s more of a see you later, than a goodbye though. we’re also getting rid of that part of when gray says he doesn’t want to complicate carmen’s life in the hospital scene. instead, he’s going to ask for a sheet of paper on which he will write an indiscernible letter to carmen. (the same letter will be seen in at the carmen brand outerwear hq a few scenes later for continuity, but unopened at the time, as if carmen’s not yet ready to read it. i feel like both of them need to heal a bit on their own before they’re ready to reconnect. gray knows he has hurt carmen in the past but he also knows it will hurt her if he disappears without a trace, so he’s leaving her with the choice if she wants to see him again instead of making the choice for her.)

ivy & zach & found family: carmen leaves a note behind for ivy and zach and leaves to find her mother. i feel like this did not handle team red’s found family very well. basically, the whole show is setting up this importance of family, especially found family not blood family kind of narrative. vile blood runs in carmen’s veins but she chooses to do good and find her own family. ivy and zach both choose carmen, their found family, over their racing career. i think that they should have stuck together, and when carmen goes to find her mom, they would have been totally onboard dropping her off at the airport and saying a “see you soon” or actually driving her to carlotta valdez’s house in lydia (the car). i just don’t think that splitting them up via a note is really a satisfying conclusion to the whole found family aspect. and in that time skip carmen really should have stopped by to say hi to the zach and ivy and the acme squad instead of maintaining the air of mystery. that would have definitely pushed the family feel, instead of the mysterious loner archetype. 

that time skip thing: yeah, no. this part was completely not needed and unhelpful. instead, we’re going to have carmen hug her mother at the airport, and go to visit all of her friends and found family, especially shadowsan in japan and ivy and zach in presumably boston. and the time skip will be a few onths not two effing years. i think it’s natural for them to grow apart a bit and pursue their own personal goals in life after vile’s gone, but they’ll definitely be staying in touch and reconnecting and seeing each other pretty often. and lastly of all, carmen will meet gray at the cafe in sydney.

basically, this is how i would redo the episodes for season 4. 

episode 1: the beijing bullion caper. (this episode remains as is for the most part, i would like more expansion on lady doksu and shadowsan's past since it seems like their pasts are more tied together than is revealed)

episode 2: the big bad ivy caper. (this episode remains as is for the most part.)

episode 3: the robo caper. (the scenes in which carmen first meets the robot and ivy runs it over with a truck can stay the same. where we start to deviate is with gray’s story with a revised, more complex, and in depth view of his moral struggles. instead of being unaware largely as gray flops between graham/crackle, he’s going to be a lot more aware. he’s still going to rob the house, but instead it’s because he feels hopeless that since he was previously a criminal, that’s all he’s ever going to be. gray doesn’t want to be a civilian, and feels like the only thing that he can do instead is be a part of vile. however, when he sees carmen again, he’s going to realize that if she got out of vile, then that means he has a chance to get out of it too. gray comes to a crossroads of deciding between carmen and vile, good and evil. 

episode 4: this will be the episode that concentrates on tigress, with a cleo/saira b-plot. most of this episode will take place within vile, and give more insights on the workings of the organization. 

episode 5: the himalayan rescue caper. (this episode is going to get a real makeover. with the insertion of episode 4, this creates more actual space between the last time we see gray grappling with his big choices, which makes it feel like more time has passed. so it actually feels like he had more time to think. carmen’s still going to try to rescue gray, and the part with player can stay the same. as gray is manipulated by malestrom, i think this episode should further emphasize how vile manipulates their recruits and amp up the shittiness of how malestrom is acting. i think malestrom should say something along the lines indicating that vile is gray’s only family left, this is what he was born to do, he belongs with them, and make up a bunch of bullshit lies about carmen. malestrom will portray this stuff as the “truth” and then say something like “we told you to the full truth, while carmen was hiding your past from you. didn’t you say you wanted to piece together more of your past?” (which gray did express interest in a previous episode.) since more time has passed, malestrom will play the “if carmen wanted to rescue you, she would have done so already. she abandoned you.” card. of course, it’s not easy to get into a super advanced vile facility, so instead carmen’s going to be having more struggles with getting in, which is the real reason she’s taking a while.) i want to keep the scene where he says that his name is crackle, not gray and not graham. i think this scene is particularly painful because graham/crackle is kind representative of the two sides of good and evil that gray thinks he has to choose between. gray will accuse carmen of abandoning him, both in the present but demonstrating that he’s still hurt by the time when she first left vile, and all those times when she kept secrets from him and disappearing in sydney. carmen asks him to leave with her, but instead of him being like “i’m bad, and i was always a villain,” he’s just going to be hurt and feel manipulated and be so conflicted. i feel like gray would choose vile, but not because it’s where he belongs but because he’s afraid of being brainwashed again if he doesn’t agree and because he just wants to know the truth, which vile happened to tell him first (and carmen had been hiding it from him for a while). why would it make sense for gray to willingly side with vile because he’s “throughly bad?” actions speak louder than words, and it’s clear that he’s definitely not evil enough for vile. 

episode 6: the vile history caper. (we’re just going to keep this episode as is for the most part. but like more el topo and le chevre moments.) 

episode 7: this will be the coach brunt backstory episode, piggybacking off of her hurt feelings about maelstrom’s intended betrayal. 

episode 8: the egyptian decryption caper. (this one is just going to be as is for the most part. the cleaners kidnap carmen, but we’re going insert one more painstaking scene of gray learning of vile’s plan to kidnap carmen. he’s not going to know they are planning to brainwash her. he’s going to feel conflicted and try to protest, but then realizes that now that he’s stuck with vile, if he goes against them he’s probably going to get brainwashed himself. and the brainwashing was really traumatizing, so it’s understandable he’s really afraid of it happening to him again.)

episode 9: the viennese waltz caper. (mostly just keeping this episode as is, but more worrying gray scenes. i feel like he should have had a bigger reaction to seeing carmen so unlike her personality. carmen’s lack of empathy should have pushed himself to question if vile is really a healthy place for anyone if they’re so willing to brainwash his best friend in a greater capacity. i think gray should recognize how bad the situation is but he still won’t act upon it since he’s trapped in the nostalgia of their old squad and since he’s been abandoned by carmen before, he’s too afraid that reversing the brainwashing will result in a repeat of her leaving him again. and he’s still afraid of the brainwashing.) 

episode 10 + 11 + 12. the dark red caper. (yeah, this episode is kind of just way too quickly wrapped up. i’m going to expand this into a three parter so we have more time to focus on everyone. basically, we’re going to expand this for the angst. and because this is the last season and i need more content. i feel like we can follow the general plot trajectory but with more nuance and include the improvements i wrote above about the finale. absolutely pushing the found family trope to its limits, and less vagueness since there’s not going to be another season. oh yeah, and the scene when carmen fights shadowsan, i feel like they could have amped up the emotional stuff and make it as much as about him being her dad figure as the doll because #foundfamily. and also the extra time gives more space for all of that other stuff like endings for all the characters, and more team red found family, and a bit about the non-jailed vile operatives, and the acme team, and also maybe a little infrastructure rebuilding montage, and also that carmen and gray moment.)  

basically i just want a satisfying ending for gray, and i love him, and he can’t just stare out of the hospital bedroom and agree to stay out of her life while melancholy music plays. 

[complexhaystack]

Thoughts after watching Shang-Chi:

- Marvel does not disappoint! A very fun and enjoyable show :)

- Loved that it's a primarily Asian cast, the beautiful costumes and sets, and that they used the Mandarin language so frequently

- I'm a bit chagrined that Asian (particularly East Asian) centric movies always involve some mystical legends, kungfu and a dragon though. But my friend rightly pointed out that the Shang Chi comics have existed in an era where probably more stereotypes were rampant.

- The action scenes were great! Can see some taichi and wing chun moves in there. Very well choreographed! Simu Liu's and Meng'er Zhang's (and their stunt doubles) fighting were fantastic!

- TONY FRIGGING LEUNG!!! Nuff said

- Some really delightful cameos!! Yuen Wah was such a wonderful surprise! And is his character a... a tsundere?! Ronny Chieng LOL! And Wong! Hehehe. From the very secular disciple of the Ancient One to now a dude wise of the world ways eh HAHA. Loved the after credits scene too!

- Awkwafina was hilarious and I'm so glad we get two goofballs (Shang-Chi and Katie) joining the MCU main cast - don't leave other goofballs like Antman hanging hehehe

- OK more on Tony Leung - how has he managed to retain such charisma over all these years is beyond me

- My only grouse I think is that Shang Chi is not the first Asian superhero in the MCU (but has been marketed as such) - imho Nico Minoru is - she was a kickass Asian female superhero at that.

- I would also love to see diversity movies from MCU who put up females as the lead as a first move rather than always starting off with males (and look how late Black Widow got hers)

- Very exciting link to the Avengers at the end. And what happened to Bruce?! Didn't we see him some other way the last time we saw him...

- Just watched an interview and it's the sad truth that Simu Liu also had to only dream of becoming 'a stuntman being beaten by white characters' due to the ceiling at the time. Very glad that he and the rest of the cast have come this far! You go guys!!

- Very excited to see what comes next for Shang Chi, Katie, their friends and family. And of course The Ten Rings *wiggles brows*

[musette22]

Hello minnie, i (gigantic feminist) came to say my very bitter opinion on fresh, its supposed to be a feminist movie but people are already referring to it as "sebastians movie", and they keep congratulating him for taking up the role knowing it was going to be a woman centric movie. Im sorry but whats the big deal about that, im not going to praise him for being a decent human being. Acting like its a huge achievement to work with women doesn't sit well with me. Sorry for going off in ur asks

Hi love! Thanks for your message, I appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us! I agree that solely referring to it as ‘Sebastian’s movie’ and disregarding its importance as a feminist movie or the message it’s going to be conveying (whatever that’s going to turn out to be) would be unfair and silly. But if it’s happening in Sebastian’s own fandom, in the content of people talking about ‘Sebastian’s new movie’ for instance, then I think it makes sense? The alternative would be to refer to it as ‘Fresh, the movie about women made by women that Sebastian also has a part in’ which would be more accurate, but also a bit cumbersome. 

As for patting Sebastian on the back for being a part of this project: I agree that we shouldn’t overdo it, because it is something that should be normal. However, since Hollywood still has a long way to go when it comes to producing female-directed movies about the female experience, it is still a noteworthy project, and a noteworthy decision on Sebastian’s part to be a part of it, in my opinion. He’s spoken about wanting to work with more female directors and has praised his female co-stars and expressed his admiration for women in general on multiple occasions, so it’s good to see him putting his money where his mouth is. That, I think, is something that we can recognise and appreciate. It’s not a showstopping achievement in itself, but it’s a positive development for a male actor to actively seek to work with female directors etc, right? If we acknowledge that (and don’t go overboard with it, I agree with you on that), it might help a tiny bit towards bring about a long term positive change in the situation in Hollywood. The power of positive affirmation and all that! 

I personally love praising people for being decent human beings, even if it should be the standard, because I believe positivity breeds positivity! That’s not to say we shouldn’t use our critical thinking skills and recognise that we could and should all be doing better all the time (Sebastian could absolutely be doing more too, for instance in terms of choosing projects with more ethnically diverse casts and teams and stories, to name just one thing), but this particular thing he’s doing I think is good, and as such I think there’s nothing wrong with acknowledging that (within reason, of course). Does that make sense? 🤔 Anyway, thanks again for sharing your thoughts, this is definitely interesting to think about and a conversation we should be having, I think! 

[gaytransbimbo]

i def get that hating the boys on the wilds just for being guys is wrong but i think what it rly comes down to is still being allowed to dislike this like seemingly less unique concept. there’s ppl out there thinking if the wilds as an exclusively gay/girl show and that’s not right but at the heat it is supposed to be different and diverse stories so it just comes down to whether they (the writers/actors) can make it interesting enough in spite of being all men.

like season 1 was inherently “groundbreaking” on an identity level but u gotta put a lot more work into being groundbreaking w an all male cast not that that’s impossible but i know i def have some skepticism that any group of writers would walk the tightrope of masculine characters in perfect alignment w any of our personal values that’s just not how tv works- some ppl are always disappointed

i mean yeah sure but it’s not an all male cast, the 8 girls and their stories will still be in the show and they will be (i have no reason to believe otherwise) what continues to run the overall plot. so it’s not about changing from an all-female to an all male cast is more adding extra information to what’s already there. and yeah there tend to be more male narrations in media but even those still tend to be very white/straight/cis centric. there’s a lot of topics that concern men that haven’t been explored in media at all especially for men in marginalized groups. an example would be eating disorders in men which isn’t talked about enough especially in sports culture. the writers could also use the new characters as an opportunity to talk about how men can combat toxic masculinity and the patriarchy in general. like irl a lot of men can point out what seems sexist and use all the right “woke” words but few of them actually know how to make safer spaces for nonmen. i don’t disagree with you but i think there’s definitely a lot of ground to break with male characters and i believe sarah and amy are talented enough to make a great season 2

[lastsonlost]

It’s finally happened. After what feels like eons of anticipation, the next mainline game in the Final Fantasy franchise has been announced to much fanfare.

Yesterday’s PS5 Live Showcase revealed a FOUR MINUTE TRAILER for Final Fantasy XVI, and it’s got just about everything you’d expect from an announcement for a next-gen FF title: stunning graphics, incredible redesigns of series staples, exciting sneak-peeks into the battle system, and a bland-looking protagonist that will inevitably be fleshed out into another beloved main character

However, there was one thing it didn’t include: women.

A Good Track Record

Let’s specify; the trailer lacked any mention or implication of playable female characters, or even female characters that would be central to the story in any shape or form. This comes as disappointing news for many Final Fantasy fans who were hoping for a return to diversity after the all-male focus of Final Fantasy XV.

This disappointment mostly stems from the fact that, historically, Final Fantasy has been one of the most female-friendly JRPGs in its genre. While far from perfect, the series has a better track record than, say, its rival titan JRPG franchise Dragon Quest, which often has a rather lackluster approach to female characters as strictly secondary to the male protagonist.

Ever since the beginning of its Playstation era, Final Fantasy has introduced some of the most iconic female characters to the world, often redefining what it means to be a “strong female protagonist.” From FFVII to FFXIII, each mainline game has had at least one female character with a deeply human and compelling narrative arc that was central to the plot and themes of the game itself. Sometimes relatable, sometimes fantastical, each of these characters had their own story to tell that was integral to the hero’s journey that the games took players through

Admittedly, character design-wise, Final Fantasy hasn’t always been equally female-friendly as its storytelling. The franchise has committed some incredibly cringe-worthy boob-window crimes— but never worse than the depravity many other JRPGs have indulged in. And, let’s be real— a lot of these sexualized designs are balanced out by equally ridiculous male character design.

(This is, incidentally, part of the reason why Final Fantasy XIV has one of the biggest female player bases among its competitors: unlike most other MMOs, female characters aren’t restricted to revealing clothing, and male characters are given the opportunity to show off their assets, if you know what we mean.)

This all changed with Final Fantasy XV, of course, which featured an all-male cast and a story revolving around brotherhood. Which is all good and well, mind you— there’s nothing about a story about fraternity that’s inherently hostile to female audiences. However, that would require that the story respect the female characters that are present in the narrative, and FFXV has spectacularly failed at doing so.

Let’s put aside the fact that the four main boys were clothed in extremely practical and normal clothes while nearly every female character had ridiculously revealing and/or sexualizing designs. Let’s put aside the fact that nearly every female character occupied a subservient role revolving around Noctis instead of having their own narratives and autonomy. Final Fantasy’s greatest flaw in its approach to female characters lies in the fact that it commits the cardinal sin of fridging a central female character for the sake of plot progression.

FFXV did not need to kill off Lunafreya, the main character’s love interest, to tell a compelling story about brotherhood. Hell, it didn’t need to design the female characters like that or strip them of their autonomy to build a good male-centric narrative, but they went out of their way to do so anyway. This is a level of disrespect and hostility from the story that female fans have never felt from the franchise, and most likely the reason that many of them didn’t bother to pick up the game.

But many more hoped that it was a one-off— an ill-executed attempt at balancing out the huge focus they had placed on Lightning of Final Fantasy XIII fame for so long. Unfortunately, that trailer doesn’t inspire a lot of optimism in that regard.

One would think that after all the criticism FFXV received, Square Enix would have been smart enough to feature at least one female character of importance in its announcement trailer to reassure fans. However, it is only the first trailer to be released, and a lot could change between now and the release of the game. With Naoki Yoshida taking up the role of executive producer, there’s no doubt that FFXVI will be a spectacular game— he is, after all, the man who took the biggest flop of 2010 and turned it into the biggest MMO of 2020.

However, his involvement— and that of many devs who worked with him on FFXIV: Heavensward— doesn’t guarantee a return to the more or less gender-balanced approach to storytelling that Final Fantasy is known for. FFXIV has its own host of problems in that regard, having fridged not one, not two, but a whopping three female characters for the sake of plot progression to date. So far, the prospects that we won’t just be getting FFXV: Medieval Edition aren’t looking too good, but only time will tell. Let’s hope that the 2021 announcement will have some more encouraging info.

[nothingisliteral]

Literary Agents Accepting Queries 2020

A note; these agents are according to my research as of June 12, 2020. To find more information on these agents, just look up their name and agency. How to query to these agents differ, so it would be wise to look into them more. Bolded is the categories, genres, and/or tropes that said agent is interested in. This list was put together by me, and it was only the agents who’s name start with A. Even though this is labeled as YA, many of these agents are interested in other genres.

* Adria Goetz (Martin Literary Management), Mill Creek, WA General fiction Suspense/thriller Fantasy/science fiction Juvenile fiction Religious

* Adriann Ranta Zurhellen (Foundry Literary + Media), New York, NY all genres and for all age groups, but has a penchant for edgy, dark, unusual voices, unique settings, and everyman stories told with a new spin. She loves gritty, realistic, true-to-life narratives with conflicts based in the real world; women’s fiction and nonfiction; accessible, pop nonfiction in science, history, and craft; and smart, fresh, genre-bending works for children.

* Adrienne Rosado (Stonesong Literary Agency), New York, NY adult and children’s fiction, as well as select non-fiction in the areas of pop-science, business, memoir, and humor. In both adult and children’s fiction, she is looking for contemporary, mystery, historical, thriller, fantasy, and anything with a wickedly dark sense of humor. She’s especially drawn to multicultural fiction, lgbtq+ works, and stories about people from atypical walks of life. She is not currently looking for poetry or children’s picture books.

* Agnes Carlowicz (Carol Mann Agency), New York, NY both fiction and non-fiction, with a special passion for literature that amplifies underrepresented voices and subverts the status quo. Among others, she enjoys: intersectional feminism, millennial self-care, female-driven memoir, true-crime, and humorous pop culture.

* Aimee Ashcraft (Brower Literary & Management), New York, NY busy seeking out stories that feature all-encompassing worlds and compelling female characters. She loves books that are told from an original point of view and are more addictive than a good Netflix binge

* Albert Longden (Albert T. Longden Agency), Bloomfield, NJ (AAR Member) General fiction, Mystery, Romance, Suspense/thriller, Fantasy/science fiction, Biography, Business/investing/finance, Sports, Paranormal (want writers that are preferably experienced and are willing to listen to productive critiques of their work)

* Albert Zuckerman (Writers House), New York, NY books in all adult categories, fiction and non-fiction. And lately I’ve been enjoying working with some YA and Middle Grade authors. I'm interested in working with a few more novelists, literary and commercial

* Alec Shane (Writers House), New York, NY mystery, thrillers (though he’s experiencing terrorist fatigue at the moment), suspense, horror, historical fiction, literary fiction, and middle grade and young adult fiction. He DOESNT want Romance, straight sci-fi, high fantasy, picture books, self-help, women’s fiction, food, or travel memoir.

* Alex Glass (Glass Literary Management), New York, NY General fiction, Mystery, Suspense/thriller, Juvenile fiction, Biography, History, Mind/body/spirit, Health, Lifestyle, Cookbooks, Sports, Literary fiction, Memoir, Narrative nonfiction, Pop culture

* Alexa Stark (Trident Media Group), New York, NY drawn to literary debuts with a unique voice and perspective, stories about dysfunctional friendships and families, edgy coming-of-age tales, character-driven suspense and thrillers, and fiction that delves into the surreal

* Alexandra Levick (Writers House), New York, NY Picture book author-illustrators, a wide range of middle grade and YA, and more speculative-leaning or genre-bent upmarket adult works. I’m committed to working with writers from diverse backgrounds and am looking to put forth a list of outstanding creators who will be able to provide windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors (thank you, Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop) into all kinds of experiences. I’m particularly looking for own-voices stories about historically underrepresented characters, identities, and cultures.

* Alexandra Machinist (International Creative Management), New York, NY Commercial fiction Literary fiction Upmarket women's fiction Historical fiction Suspense Fantasy Young adult Middle grade

* Alexandra Penfold (Upstart Crow Literary), New York, NY specializes in young picture books, middle-grade fiction, and young adult

* Alexandra Weiss (Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency), New York, NY contemporary, magical realism, and light SFF. I’d also like to see more rom-coms that make my heart feel warm. dedicated to representing marginalized creators and diverse books, including #ownvoices. I’m actively seeking LGBTQIA+, POC, gender fluid, neurodiverse, and disabled voices for all age ranges and across all genres.

* Alexis Hurley (InkWell Management), New York, NY domestic works in the areas of literary and commercial fiction, memoir, narrative non-fiction and more

* Ali Herring (Spencerhill Associates), Lakewood Ranch, FL I’m open to all YA: Contemporary, fantasy, sci-fi, speculative, horror, romance, issue books (though I have a few already on my list so not my top choice), etc. All the contemporary fantasy right now. Contemporary with a speculative element YA suspense/thrillers All the horror right now, or horror-bordering Anything with an edge Fun teen romance like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before Vibrant Teen rom-coms Dystopian or failing Utopia/Utopian worlds (fresh government or control system in place or none at all) Near-future dystopian where the world is not cleaned up and pretty. I want a sense of the horror but without tons of gore. Bold unexplored settings

* Alice Martell (The Martell Agency), New York, NY Open to all/most Genres Excluding: Fantasy, Science Fiction.

* Alice Speilburg (Speilburg Literary Agency), Louisville, KY In YA Fiction, I'm looking for diverse retellings of classic stories, stories rooted in mythology, contemporary fantasy with magical/supernatural worlds alongside our own (but not necessarily "urban," rural & suburban magical systems could be nice). Across the board, I'm looking for an inclusive cast of characters, across gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, and mental health spectrums.

* Alice Tasman (Jean Naggar Literary Agency), New York, NY Alice's fiction tastes, for young adult and adult books, ranging from commercial, literary fiction and history to thrillers and suspense, and women's fiction.

* Alicia Brooks (Jean Naggar Literary Agency), New York, NY she is looking for Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help, Pop Culture, Literary Fiction, Commercial Fiction, YA Fiction, Mystery/Crime, and Historical Fiction

* Alison Picard (Alison J. Picard Agency), Cotuit, MA Adult fiction and non-fiction, children's and young adult NO: short stories, poetry, plays, screenplays or sci-fi/fantasy.

* Allison Hunter (Janklow & Nesbit Associates), New York, NY literary and commercial fiction, especially women's fiction, as well as memoir, narrative nonfiction, cultural studies and pop culture. She is always looking for funny female writers, great love stories, campus novels, family epics, smart beach reads and for non-fiction projects that speak to the current cultural climate

* Alyssa Jennette (Stonesong Literary Agency), New York, NY children’s and adult fiction and picture books, graphic novels, and select pop culture nonfiction. She values diversity and inclusion; in fiction she enjoys ensemble casts with distinct voices, stories about poor characters and communities, and formats that are specific to a story and give it its own context. Alyssa is particularly interested in art/art history/art conservation, archaeology, mythology, language/translation, and criminal justice reform

* Alyssa Reuben (Paradigm Literary and Talent Agency), New York, NY adult, young adult, and the occasional middle grade fiction as well as smart, platform driven, nonfiction ranging from pop-culture, lifestyle, cookbooks, and narrative to memoir. She gravitates toward voice-driven non-fiction presenting a fresh point of view and particularly loves novels with an edge or a great romance arc.

* Amanda Leuck (Spencerhill Associates), Lakewood Ranch, FL contemporary and speculative fiction that explore social issues, YA fantasy based in mythology across cultures, historical novels that spark my need to know more, characters with disability, chronic illness or mental illness - that doesn't necessarily drive the plot, #ownvoices, women and girls in STEM, romantic plots and subplots that surprise me, LGBTQIA+ characters, the intersection of science and religion, or magic and convention, where what is real is not clear, animal and ecological themes

* Amanda Rutter (Red Sofa Literary), St. Paul, MN Open to a broad Audience, including: Adults, Middle grades, Young adults. Fantasy. Science fiction.

* Amelia Appel (Triada U.S. Literary Agency), Sewickley, PA For YA, she is particularly interested in stories with a savvy protagonist and a slightly dark tone that deal with serious coming-of-age issues well.

* Amy Elizabeth Bishop (Dystel, Goderich & Bourret, LLC), New York, NY Fiction-wise, I'm interested in both upmarket and literary women’s fiction, mysteries, and fiction from diverse and underrepresented authors. I'd love more literary fiction from women of color. I'm choosy about my historical fiction, preferring it voice-driven and female-centric, focusing on the stories of those that history has largely chosen to not tell. [[A bit tuckered out from American Revolution, Civil War, WWII, and Vietnam War, so I'm not really looking in that space.]] I'm always interested in stories that are not set in Western Europe or the East/West Coast. I'd love to see more speculative fiction/light horror, though I'm not as interested in science fiction or fantasy in the adult space at this time. I'm also looking for a literary thriller/literary suspense a la THE TWELVE LIVES OF SAMUEL HAWLEY or BARBED WIRE HEART. In YA: would love a smart contemporary rom-com that isn't just boy meets girl in high school (or if it is, it has to be a seriously new story), a fascinating, creepy retelling in the vein of Carmen Maria Machado, and light horror. I'd love to find a multi-generational story and am particularly interested in the intricacies of family (and sister!!) relationships. I'm a sucker for stories that take place in closed environments (like boarding schools) and though I appreciate romantic elements, I'm also eager to see narratives where a happy ending for women isn't necessarily a relationship. #ownvoices, always, please. Anything with some serious creep to it!

* Amy Brewer (Metamorphosis Literary Agency), Kansas City, MO She’s seeking: Romances of all kinds; if your plot revolves around love or angst or both, send it to her. She is also looking for general fiction, LGBTQ+, women’s fiction, book club reads, and quirky humor.

* Amy Jameson (A+B Works), New York, NY loves children’s literature, and is actively seeking Middle Grade and Young Adult projects.

* Amy Rennert (The Amy Rennert Agency), Tiburon, CA General fiction Mystery Biography Business/investing/finance History Mind/body/spirit Health Lifestyle Sports Literary fiction Narrative non-fiction especially memoir and reportage

* Amy Stapp (Wolfson Literary Agency), New York, NY Mystery/suspense Contemporary romance Contemporary coming-of-age Historical fiction Southern Gothic

* Amy Stern (Sheldon Fogelman Agency), New York, NY Summer camps, boarding schools, reality television, kids who are in some way extraordinary, puzzles, puns. I really love stories that involve close family relationships that both enhance and complicate the protagonists' lives. I want to see more mental illness stories that aren't just about diagnosis and LGBTQIA+ stories that aren't just about coming out.

* Andrea Barzvi (Empire Literary), New York, NY General fiction Romance Suspense/thriller Juvenile fiction Biography Business/investing/finance Mind/body/spirit

* Andrea Somberg (Harvey Klinger), New York, NY Upmarket fiction (i.e., bookclub fiction) that has a twist or sheds light on an intriguing issue Novels that explore cultural heritage YA or Adult novels that are based on a true story from the 20th century YA contemporary love stories/romantic comedies Epic fantasy, especially ones set in a non-Western culture, military sf or space opera Magical realism for the adult, YA or MG market. YA and MG novels that feature diverse protagonists YA psychological thrillers MG mystery novels MG novels that are funny and are illustrated MG or YA novels that'll make me cry Nonfiction for MG or YA audiences Any novel with great characters and a compelling storyline Unique nonfiction

* Andy Ross (Andy Ross Literary Agency), Oakland, CA (AAR Member) narrative non-fiction, history, politics and current events, science, journalism, cultural subjects. We also work with literary and young adult fiction

* Angela Rinaldi (The Angela Rinaldi Literary Agency), Los Angeles, CA (AAR Member) I am actively looking for fiction commercial, literary, mainstream women’s fiction, multicultural, suspense, book club fiction – novels where the story lends itself to discussion.

* Anjali Singh (Ayesha Pande Literary), New York, NY Her interests are wide-ranging and include literary as well as popular fiction, young adult, women’s, African-American and international fiction. She is also seeking authors of nonfiction, including biography, history, popular culture, cultural commentary, and memoir. She is particularly drawn to distinctive, original voices.

* Ann Behar (Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency), New York, NY searching for wonderful children's books, from picture books to YA, ever since. I am looking for anything that is beautifully written, with a strong, distinct voice and characters that come alive on the page. Ideally, a book should grab my attention from the very beginning and hold it there, and leave me thinking about it for a few days after I am finished.

* Ann Rose (Prospect Agency), Upper Montclair, NJ YA of all genres: But especially stories that have heart and humor. I want you to transport me to new worlds--even if those "worlds" are in the middle of Iowa. But especially if its fantasy, I really want you to take me there and show me something I haven't seen before. I'd love some fantasy that's based on something other than western cultures. I'm always looking for strong character who are willing to stand up for their convictions--whether it be with their brains or their brawn. Give me fabulous friendship stories (and some no so fabulous ones). LGBTQIA+ stories!!! I'd still really love a story where two girls are running against each other for class president and then they fall in love. In both YA and MG I don't shy away from stories that deal with issues kids are dealing with today. I will say, if you are going to discuss topics like suicide make sure you've done your homework--proper language matters. I'd love to see more YA thriller--not necessarily gore but a story that keeps me on the edge of my seat, guessing until the very end. I'm still looking for my YA version of CLUE (and if it has three different endings, even better.) Which means mystery is a go for me, too. I'd love some YA that deals with toxic masculinity. A funny how to survive high school book with tips and tricks how to make the most out of your four years would be good. Show me characters who are beautifully flawed doing the wrong things for all the right reasons. Give me body positive MC's. Unique sports books--crossfit, ultimate Frisbee, rock climbing, mountain biking, roller derby, and even speed walkers. Oh, and twins - good twins, evil twins, twins that get along, twins that don't, rom-coms where twins switch places and hijinks happen... anything goes. Historicals that tackle things other than WW2--bonus points if there are badass women in in history.

* Anne Bohner (Pen and Ink Literary), New York, NY commercial women's fiction, romance, YA and popular nonfiction.

* Anne Hawkins (John Hawkins & Associates), New York, NY (AAR Member) Fiction of all sorts, non-fiction (contemporary journalism, history, biography, etc.), juveniles (although primarily young adult and middle grades, since we don´t specialize in illustrators, but having said that I should add that we represent several of the best), science-fiction and fantasy.

* Anne Tibbets (Red Sofa Literary), St. Paul, MN Right now, she's acquiring YA and Adult: Thrillers, Mysteries, Horror, Romance, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Historicals.

* Annelise Robey (Jane Rotrosen Agency), New York, NY women’s fiction, romance, historical fiction, YA, fantasy, mystery, and suspense, and is always looking for exciting new voices in fiction

* Arielle Datz (Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary Agency), New York, NY (AAR Member) She is looking for literary and commercial fiction (mostly adult, some YA), featuring unusual stories and voices.

* Ashley Lopez (Waxman Literary Agency), New York, NY Ashley is looking for literary and young adult fiction, narrative nonfiction, memoir, and cultural criticism. Most importantly she seeks authors with a strong point of view and an eye for language.

This is the end of my fist alphabetical list of agents accepting queries in 2020. I hope this list was helpful to you, and wish you good luck in your querying!