*gen v spoilers*
I talk so much about Jordan on here for someone whose favourite character is actually Marie, so let me sing her praises.
Let me just say, it is so nice to have not only a woman but a black woman protagonist with vile violent powers. I know we've had a ton of strong female superheros with superstrength and what not. But Marie's power is viewed as "putrid" and "disgusting" (not to me I think they're cunty), its powerful but not marketable (hence Brink's rejection). There's something about that, it just feels cathartic to see someone so strong and powerful have their foil be that their powers aren't beautiful, flowery or socially acceptable. Like Marie as a person/supe innately rages against the system. It also kind of speaks to the way black women are conditioned to define their worth by the standards of white femininity through white supremacy and then are constantly denied it. Within the patriarchy, women are defined by their fragility, their delicateness, their innocence, their need for protection but when it comes to woc (Black women especially) they are considered to exist outside of those bounds, outside of those needs.
I just think a lot of care and consideration went into crafting such a dynamic layered character like more of this, actually, please, and thanks.
Diverging from the Marie praise:
Another interesting note, is that when the board is deciding what narrative they should use to cover up the Golden Boy incident, its specifically mentioned that Marie is being favoured by the public, for her beauty, mind you she was just standing there in the video, she didn't use her abilities at all. The reason she ended up in the top 10 is in spite of her powers, I wonder if the result would still be the same if she did use them (I honestly don't think so).
Diving into the top ten a little more, I don't think there's a single person on there who placed purely because of merit. I think there's a series of criteria that needs to be met regarding power, status, and popularity. We saw how quickly Andre got bodied by Sam. He's definitely top 10 because of nepotism as well as the fact that he's just attractive. Jordan Li is there because of their close relationship with Brink (albeit probably formed because of how strong Jordan is, but I digress). But their also the acceptable inoffensive kind of queer that can give God U points for diversity without offending its more conservative sponsors or benefactors. Jordan's also attractive, in both forms, so that helps as well. Golden Boy's an all-rounder, an all-American attractive white boy with an ability that's not only strong but makes for entertaining spectacle.
Andre, Golden Boy, and Jordan's powers are all powerful, but just as importantly, they're aesthetically pleasing and aspirational that, among other reasons, is why they're top 10.
Let me get into Cate and Emma another day.
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my condolences today to Neils both Gaiman and Cicierega, who will undoubtedly be asked repeatedly if they plan on banging out the tunes
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