#also this isn't even about representation (a word i am really starting to dislike)

[northern-passage]

one of the reasons why TNP is one of my favorite IFs is because the cast is trans AND Hunter can be trans too and it will be acknowledged. when it was revealed in the story that Lea and Marry are trans too I was so happy!! there are barely any trans characters in IFs and VNs, even less of them are genderlocked/always trans no matter the chosen gender.

thank you! i always found it very transparent when a game only allows the mc to be nb (very few of them have actual options for binary trans people - it's too hard to do more than just code "they/them" pronouns and be vague i guess) and in my opinion that's way more immersion breaking, because that's not how the real world works. you will see trans people, every day, at like.. target or whatever. and this isn't even just about trans people but also diversity in general.

obviously when it comes to trans characters, this is an attitude that has changed a lot very fast over the past few years, so looking back at older games i don't necessarily expect there to be trans options, nor do i expect everyone to be out here writing complex "transgender" narratives, either. most people that accuse us of that are just bad faith actors. in my experience, people are just looking for basic acknowledgement; they want to see people like them existing and going on fun adventures, too. that's what i want, and that's why me, a trans author, likes to write about trans people being trans in the genre that i like - but rarely get to see myself in.

i also think when it comes to fantasy or scifi, how boring do you have to be to allow for fantastical world-building but draw the line at societal expectations? and if you want to really be specific about world-building, then why would a gender binary exist in a world where there was never a colonial power enforcing it? why do you want sexism, racism, and homophobia to exist so bad? why does it upset you so much when it doesn't?

#obviously there are stories where those things are an important part of the narrative and im not saying it's automatically bad #to write abt societal bigotry #(i have to say that or people will misinterpret me) #but i do think it says a lot when ppl insist that those things HAVE to exist #or else it's not 'accurate' #or else it's 'breaking your immersion' #like idk how to tell you this but trans people ARE real. like for real in real life #if you can't comprehend that... i think that's a you problem #and you should go read something else lmfao #also this isn't even about representation (a word i am really starting to dislike) #it's literally just... how can you not comprehend or empathize with people that may not be exactly like you? #why does it upset you so much to see other stories being told? #i should share a writing advice video i watched recently where a writer talks abt how empathy is a huge part of writing #she's right!! and it's a huge part of reading too #ask #anonymous

[neos-schlond-poofa]

An Ode to Angie Beneviento

Okay, so this actually will be a semi-serious post. LIKE I know I don't usually post serious stuff unless its an angst edit HOWEVER it IS Angie's birthday and she actually is a very important character to me. Obviously not the most important character to me though, that's Donna, but that is another post for another birthday.

But... I really love Angie's route. And it's really important to me. And anyone who knows me knows that I'm not really an open person about serious stuff (I THINK?? sam if you read this tell me pleak) or I'm talkative, but I think this is worth putting out there. Especially because of how much it means to me.

I'm ace. Like this really isn't me coming out, like I've always kind of been out as ace?? But I never really said it either on here but like I am ace and I never tried to hide it at least. This is so odd like this is kind of like me coming out. But it isn't. BUT THAT IS NOT THE POINT. I just need to say that so this makes more sense.

Seeing Angie just straight up say she's asexual just made me feel so happy.

I can't tell you a single other ace person in media that (that isn't Todd from Bojack or also aromantic), and just seeing someone really silly like me? That made me feel so nice.

I tried to wish away me being ace before. Like, completely fine with the gay and non-binary stuff for the most part, but being ace? Hated it. Like, I don't like ess e ex (I really don't want this post to be hidden because I used the word), nor did I ever really have an interest in it. And I didn't want to have an interest in it really. Kind of? It's complicated.

I wanted to be like the others really. I've had relationships before where I hate myself for being ace, because I have never had an ace partner, and I just will never be enough for them because of that (minus the one time I did have an ace partner, but they were very disliking of physical touch which I do love). I used to try to convince myself that I can just stop being this way, I can change for them, all so they wouldn't leave me. I was ashamed of being this way, despite being so usually proud of my other parts of my identity. There was even a time when one of my exes tried to convince me that I wasn't ace too, but definitely didn't make this situation worse. I just didn't like being this way.

Although, it wasn't as strong when I started playing Resident Lover + when I got into my current relationship. Like, I am fairly fine now. Yeah, I still kind of do feel bad for being ace but like? Who cares? I mean I do but I know them and I know she would never hate me for that, it's just perfect. I love them so much.

But I still always have those thoughts. And I'm not saying Resident Lover completely eradicated those thoughts... but they did help them.

Seeing Angie just... openly say she's ace and set her boundaries and MC just accepting it? It was like. Amazing. I never really saw something like that (Todd from Bojack does NOT count, he is a guy. And I am not a girl either but I feel closer connected to girls because they're so much sillier and nice plus also like Angie more).

It was just so nice seeing representation that I hadn't really seen before, and one where I could see a character get into a happy relationship with someone they really love, and it all work out. Angie helped me accept being ace, she's helped me being proud of it, unlike any character before (okay sorry Todd). And, it's her birthday. And not that many people in this fandom appreciate her. And I know not that many people in the fandom will read this (you guys hate long posts despite being in a visual novel fandom... what is this don't you guys love reading???), but I still wanted to share it. To share MY personal story and how Angie is important to me, and just one of the many reasons why this game is so important to me too.

I love Angie Beneviento.

#resident lover #angie beneviento #happy birthday angie beneviento #asexual

[roxannepolice]

7 & 18 for the choose violence ask meme? :D

7. what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them? Hate is a big word and it really doesn't make me happy to complain about Chibnall Who three times a day, but unfortunately the answer is Thirteen. Of course, it all kicked off with people being extermely fragile and pearl clutchy about how the Doctor being a woman will somehow change the very core of the character, but those takes were simply a block and filter flag for me, so it is easy to ignore them. But then the canon turned out to be what it was and, extremely controversial opinion, "just poorly written" isn't an excuse for a character only best possible reason to criticise them. Still, if we are just in the canon my attitude towards Thirteen is warm rather than cold! I'm absolutely not in any "not mah doctor" club, she's likeable and has some amazing moments (much as I hate TTC, her confrontation with Tecteun is genuinely good). But making her out to be the bestest regeneration evah, and her relationship with Yaz the hottest romance in the show's history, and you just have to abandon all of the (insert long adjective from critical theory of the day) ways of assessing fiction to appreciate how subtly ingenious the writing is, and her bs moral compass is actually heading somewhere (argument persisting even after she regenerated), and she's clearly thought from the beginning to be the Doctor that abandoned all hope (fun fact: her theme is based on Luke Skywalker's, as in having A New Hope written all over it), and if I, a cis woman, can't see how brilliant a character she is, then clearly I'm a class gender traitor - yeah, fandom really wants me to dislike her. And then one day I saw a set juxtaposing Ten sweettalking the Master in Eot with Thirteen's I aM sO MuCh mORe THan yOU that had a comment about how it's good we have a representation of "softer" male characters and "tougher" female ones and I just thought Huh. So you're telling me the core of the chacter did change along with gender?...

I should add, though: in the one piece of media that has Whittaker as Thirteen but no Chibnall that got released til now, the game Edge of Reality, she's really, really good! Just to be clear, the game itself is an absolute disaster gaming-wise, but the story is really something I want to consider a valid part of EU. It just... feels like the writers wrote it for any Doctor and tweaked it to fit in Thirteen's individual quirks, rather than starting from the quirks and then making a DW story out of them. And, since it also features Ten (whose ass you chase with the sonic. yes, I believe the Master was involved in the development), it answers the biggest question of all: yes, River would be very excited about her spouse being a woman now :3

18. it's absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on... CATMASTER!!! This isn't completely slept on, but there can never be enough Catmaster! Specifically the machnics of how the cheetah virus somehow stayed in their biodata and every Master after Ainley is literally a biological cat to some extent! And I guess I should finish the Chibnall negativity by praising bringing this up in canon again! The day the Doctor figures out they just need a laser pointer in the sonic can never come soon enough

#ask game #thank you this is fun! #sorry for taking sometime to answer but as i wrote i treat this a warm up for *serious* writng

[maddy-ferguson]

since we're having ship discourse, i have to say that i disliked joyce and hopper's relationship dynamic in s3. they were so annoyingly portrayed and were always fighting, i am not sure why people are saying mlvn having fights/problems are a special thing that only exists in mlvn's relationship issues. and this sort of 'we give couples problems and then resolve them' writing is a thing that exists in duffers' writing. s3 ships are literally an example of that. and i just don't see joyce and hopper as some sort of a subversion of the trope, hopper wanted to be with her in s3 and then expectedly he was given what he wanted. and yeah yeah, it took time for them to be a truly thing in s4, but is it really some sort of a 'subversion of tropes', if anything it seems more tropy and fits the standards of a relationship. jncy like you said is also an expected relationship. like sorry but a girl breaking up with a jock and getting together with the town's outcast freak is not a subversion... it's literally a textbook from 80's relationship and couple thing. the only relationship subversion is really lumx if we're being real. and if we count dustin and suzie to account, then their relationship is pretty much expected anyway, and no, suzie being a mormon doesn't really change that.

and controversial take but i think we are sometimes going way too reach-y when we say the duffers are great at subversion when they fall to many tropes and stereotypes and expected things in their writing. just bc they sometimes subvert doesnt mean ST is a representation of subversion of tropes.

nooo don't use the d word...

i'm season 3 jpper and s3 hopper's biggest hater. in a season that has russians under a mall he's what i hate the most. and yes, i feel like if you're someone who thinks the duffers are all about subverting tropes and are aware of bsy then surely you must know that jncy is the most cliché trope-fitting relationship they could've possibly come up with?

i feel like there's evidence that they like subverting expectations and tropes (robin being a lesbian when they made you think she was gonna be with steve, the straight person getting rejected by the gay person instead of the other way around, eden and argyle's little "love at first sight" moment that makes fun of the concept, a main character who's had a female love interest for four seasons being in a love triangle where one of the option's a boy) but at the same time the reason why harmful tropes or just boring tropes become tropes over time is just that the people writing the stories...aren't aware of what they're doing necessarily? and the example i'm gonna use isn't a trope per se, but you know how in season 1 lucas is suspicious of el and doesn't like her? they had their ONE black character make the little white girl (who had a blonde wig on when he gets real mad lol) whose story we know and who we're made to empathize with sad. people (adults!) were literally racist to caleb over it. very predictable but they're also white people who didn't see it coming. things like that are why even though jncy is the most expected 80s sci-fi couple ever, i'm like...are they doing it on purpose and are gonna end the show with them broken up or are they just the men who wrote jonathan taking pictures of his future girlfriend taking her shirt off and then used it as a plot point and made us feel bad for jonathan when steve broke his camera over it because he's poor and couldn't afford a new one. like idk. i'm giving them the benefit of the doubt (not saying that if jonathan and nancy end up together i'm gonna throw a fit or anything i'll just be genuinely surprised) but i really just don't know. and jncy being too expected isn't the reason why i started thinking they were breaking them up but if you sent this to me i'm assuming you read my other answer on the subject! it's just kind of the icing on the cake. same with mlvn and bsy i don't think that's anyone's main argument but i just feel like expecting them to subvert bsy and then not expecting them to subvert whatever trope jncy is doesn't make sense. because that trope is like THE trope.

and yeah the fighting is definitely not exclusive to mlvn especially not in season 3, but i guess for joyce and hopper you could say they're fighting because they're not together? which is different from fighting because of their relationship? but yeah. it's just that with mlvn there's a million other things.

#i didn't reread this so i'm sorry if what i'm saying doesn't make sense #'​and no suzie being a mormon doesn't change that'😭 #i didn't say the magic word i better not see *********** explain why i'm wrong in five minutes #ask

[a-tale-of-legends]

Okay so I promised an analysis of Geeta's team so here we go!

Espathra dex entry:

Both Espathra and it's pre evo, Flittle, are both seem to be pretty violent? Flittle is said to enact revenge on those who steals from it and now we see that Espathra has nasty temper. This, 1) makes me wonder how much Geeta is concealing underneath that poise nature of hers. This is not me saying Geeta is "eViL" since I rather not have a poc woman who is presented with flaws to become the villain of the dlc or something. If it does end up being the case then WELP. Anyway, going back on topic, this also makes me think 2) of how ruthless Geeta can be in the work space. It's no secret that she's disliked for how she operates things. Just going off how she talked to Penny during the post game ( which I haven't finished so I don't know what she says there), she doesn't exactly take no for an answer. She intimidates you with a smile.

Next up, Gogoat!

I'm putting both dex entries up here because both definitely apply to Geeta in such an interesting way. Let's start with Violet. It's basically restating stuff from old entries, I believe. But even then , I feel like this does give some insight to Geeta as a character. We know that Geeta's goal is to cultivate strong trainers across Paldea. Despite her less than great work ethics, she ultimately is trying to help others. Gogoat is a great representation of that, who has said to have helped humans for 5,000 years. Side tangent: if I'm being honest, I really think Geeta is carrying the whole league on her back with how messy it is. Kinda similar to how Gogoat carries its rider! .......yeah, okay, anyway.

Going onto the Violet Dex entry goes into this hierarchy structure of Gogoat( I....I don't think that's the right word but I'm rolling with it). There isn't much for me to say here, other than Geeta pretty much asserting her dominance as Top Champion. She's the leader, and probably has beaten the elite 4 at some point? I dunno, but Gogoat represents that.

Moving on! Veluza!

Admittedly an odd choice. Also very disappointed by it's stats, why is it so slow. Anyway.

This is going to be a case of me looking far into too it and trying to make up something that isn't there but I don't care. Let's talk about Veluza shedding spare flesh. Both its Dex entries mention how doing so causes its psychic abilities and agility to hone and increase. Spare flesh, in the context of Geeta, would apply to how her pokemon team should have worked. I don't think she disregards her pokemon, not at all, but for her Kingambit to work, she needs death foder. The spare flesh helps one of her pokemon become even stronger,which could equate to honing one's skill.

In terms of personality/ backstory, and this is where I really go off the walls, it makes me if Geeta has ever discarded some things in her old life pre league, to get to where she is now? That isn't exactly uncommon, so to speak. Giving up some things to better another is something I feel some people relate to. It's still interesting to think about however.

We aren't exactly getting into Kingambit juuuuust yet. Before then we have Avalugg!

What I take away from this dec entry is how kind and peaceful Avalugg is. I say kind, mostly in regards to how the Dex entries always mentions how it carries Bergmite on its back ( lmao, Geeta carrying the league on her back), and going out of it's way to avoid conflict. I choose to see this as another example of Geeta's good nature, her wanting to better the Paldean league, even if she isn't a great boss. While she is demanding, and doesn't always take no for an answer, she isn't cruel. At the point of where I am in the post game, Geeta has given strict orders that Larry doesn't work overtime and takes a break. This is the same person who is said to dox his pay if he stays idle( or is that another boss? He is working 3 jobs...). Geeta doesn't like Larry, but that doesn't mean she doesn't care for his well being( imo). I think Avalugg is a good pokemon to showcase this kindness and dependency ( as people who can depend on Geeta to get things done).

Now we get into Kingambit

This follows the trend that Gogoat and kinda Espathra set up. Ruthless pokemon( okay Gogoat isn't ruthless per say) that are said to have a distinct dominance over their kind through brute force,again alluding to Geeta being the top champion of Paldea. I like how this pokemon is said to not be a good strategist, which is funny since I think Geeta's team could have been great if the composition was better. But another way of looking at it is Geeta being able to command a King herself, being the one to strategize for him and ultimately make the king her knight. And another way of looking at it is Geeta trying to handle so much at once. Her best strategy towards keeping the league in shape is being a bit nosey, demanding etc. And it works, yes, but there's always room for improvement, which I think she knows.

There's also Kingambit's ability Supreme Overlord. The ability honestly works similarly to how the elite 4 is structured in a way. The challenger defeats the 4 members, going up to the strongest that is Geeta.

And finally.... Glimmora

Glimmora strays away from the theme (imo) of Geeta's team ( half are ruthless while the other half is kind) completely. The dex entries all relate to it's petals and how it relates to tera jewels. Glimmora is only found in Area Zero. Glimmlet can be found outside of area zero. So this begs the question: did Geeta get her ace as a Glimmora or raised it from a glimmlet. I've always thought Geeta has some connection to Area Zero, personally. Her theme just reminds me of the place, it doesn't have the same twinkle that the E4 or Nemona has. Again, it sounds similar to Area Zero to me more than anything. I think she has some sort of connection to it, especially since ( if I'm getting the timeline right) Geeta would have been the one to give the yes on the tera balls. If not her, then someone else. I don't remember if this was stated in the game.

And that's all I have! There's one other thing that I noticed about Geeta compared to other champions but that's for another post ( hopefully). If you read this far, thank you for indulging in my silly overanalysis of this character! I genuinely think Geeta is cool and interesting, and I'm really hoping she isn't a villain. If she is one.....well I just hope they do her well.

#r rambles #top champion geeta #champion geeta #i hope this was enjoyable!

[captainkurosolaire]

~ Mass Update ~

Mainly going into future plans and intents alongside ideas below cut.

Ton's of things I've in store this will prove difficult to vent it all out. But here we go... First off rehashing and appropriately learning to tag and organize things better on my blog. Each category will have their own corresponding content, I seek to bring or share. [Tales of Goldbrand] -- I intend this to carry a Compendium of all my writes soon that'll have everything neatly in-order including a glossary, so it'll have highlights of stories that even matter or the best stuff. I've written here for a very, long time, there's been many shifts. I want to make it more accessible. While coloring what matters for people who want to learn Captain or his Crew with less chapters. While also giving choice to find it all easily. This is essentially a step-above master-lists. I'll be doing that after the Saga I have going on, right now is done. [Captain] -- Will provide you strictly with Captain screenshots, gifs, photo-sets. This is still his blog despite the Crew thing's will sort of make this a scuffed Multi-Muse blog. I've few more things to edit and tag fix to get all his stuff though. [The Wild Crew] -- Afterwards this story is done Immortal Age Saga, It's something that I mainly wrote as a passion project within three days to get my warm-up process fixed. It's to allow me to get a feel for all his Crewmates and casts, in combat, in-general, to feel their presences. While also giving a bit of their backstories. At any point, I can go back and polish or tweak things in. They're NPC's but... not entirely. All will have their own 'Dreams' and their own 'Disapproval's' they have their own missions even. These things will factor eventually, they might set seeds, to betray or disagree with something, but that's all angst and more stories to be created, but overall, they'll probably always be Crew, eventually. -- I plan on making character-profile sheets of them and putting them in this Tab, it'll have their screenshots, their likes/dislikes. Some RP partners or people can also be shipped with them, but they'll all be monogamous and originally start off probably Pan. This allows them to figure out what they like on their own stories. I've always been someone who likes organic-flow. Although this one story contain all 16 characters or more, the rest will probably be shortened to a Squad of 4 and dispersed when on adventuring missions. Until I do a War Arc, that's my main goal to build too. [Roster] -- Will contain this Crew in just screen-sets dedicated to them, I'll probably randomly produce those. I've PC players among this Crew too. I may not be done either adding more, but this Crew is mainly built around Quality. Most pirate crew's mainly, have hundreds, thousands. Even Fleets. This Crew has personalities, monsters, people who are living life's that exist with piracy. He's an particular leader that had PC players the same way, he's had split-personality serial killers aboard, tribal chieftains, succubus, all sorts of various people once on a Crew. It's often an outcast style, pirates default are chaotic in nature, so this really isn't any different, it's a Fantasy version of it. There's humanization characters aboard too though, so this cast is really decked, everything and person is vital, they matter because they remind or covet something that others can draw upon. If ever played (Three Houses or Mass Effect / Dragon Age Origins) A lot of things like that are relatable too this structure and format. Which, Is something I want to be able to give when RPing. I want a genuine feel of this new world someone else's muse will be the main-character too. Depending on what's interacting everything they'll be scale appropriately to follow the genre they're in and environment even. [Aesthetics] -- Already explainable what you'll find here. [Asks] -- Same thing. [Prompts] -- Trivial things I was tagged too, I plan on compiling later. [Writing] -- Another alternatively to randomly go-down and it works right now. [Logs] -- Will have more individualistic master-lists and posts there, my poems from Sheik Sphere the Bard, etc.

Things of that nature, I'll probably add still. It's where a lot of my creative writing is summed. [Gems of Hydaelyn] -- My main #tag for other characters and artists, creationist. Lot of amazing people easily to find their zones or follow them optionally if you like. Ton's I intend to support and bolster, be a lot less unspoken. I'm never the type who's been strictly inclusive. But I'll do that when I've time to even explore the dash, I'm always still planning ahead with things and projects. [CKS] My original character-sheet it's outdated on something's but not too terrible. I'll give him polishing someday, I swear? [21+F-List] -- Just purely degenerate stuff of Captain. I'm a pirate blog. I will represent that with openness and furthermore. I'm never projecting you some false-image. I started off a smut-writer by stripping that, I no-longer represent the same aura and identity. But those are strictly his stuff and kinks, I'm effective in executing them but they're not all relatable to me OOC. This blog will always be 18+ containing crude or dark material sometimes, romantic things, this Captain is blunt, will literally put his cock on the table in conversations. Swearing and being censored would be too uncommon and displace most of him, but there's more about him then all this. [Other] -- I pay homage to a lot of characters, I originally am a Concept Designer. Which mean's I make characters and ideas like my addiction. Bad characters / villains or other little things I like to share in designs, I'll put there. Some villains might get little photo-sets, even if they died. Just cause I like their design, or maybe I'll give them an AU, where they won. When I've wrapped up things. [Collabs + Ships] -- Is a new project idea. This isn't going to be something limited too romantic only ships. It'll contain, platonic, romantic, friendships, rivals, frenemies, family, PC Crew, all ships. I am desperately working on improving my gif, screenshot, posing game so I can supply 'Screen Stories' this is not only a way to RP that's accessible with even people who are upon time-crunches from work, It gives visual-representation. To impactful stories shared with others and establish bonds. That are all-valid and impactful matter. Lot of people take a lot of their characters attributes into them and are them dialed up, I work with that and bit more, differently. I'm disconnected from my characters and they'll get hurt and injured and killed by me, that's my duty as their Author to give them conflicts and struggles. I'm their major antagonist, but that doesn't mean at-all, it's always SET that way. The characters I like to make have their own life, they live in this setting and are abide by it, they're often nothing, nobodies, and by the interacting with others, they slowly gradually building, more... Through emotional impacts, they alter, these are REAL people by all their beliefs. Each person they come in-contact with are legitimate and treated like that too. They've always impacted or given them insights to grow, or represent more. Otherwise it'd be criminally disrespectful if I allowed any emotional I felt OOC be the grudge to something IC. Captain in-particular is set on defying me. I cannot have that. ...But I can't stop him. He's met and encountered so many people and lived so many scenarios based on the actions of others, he's giving a chance right now to actually do things a lot further than impossible. The more people he meets and encounters, experiences, the more I lose. These stories are emotionally interactive where everything is a factor and adds to the dice, where the other people are the one who get to roll the dice for him, not me. That's something I want to color in. People range in emotions, they have their down's, ups, their own wholesome-grounding people, spending time with your favorite people, there's nothing more cherishing than that, being in your own comfort-zone or 'safe-space' these are all treasures that we live under, today. Contrary if what people assume of me, I'm not another 'blogger' that's came

before, who's wanting to force a harem, then constantly is bewildered when that falls to pieces cause of selfishness or a lack of communication, or the skeletons they have in their closets and beliefs they hid behind and swindled fooled everyone. I'm not looking to be popular or anything really, I just create stories and want to share in those, and I want to also boost others included, upward with me, especially those who make me. There's no ego in anything I do, this is purely love. I've never cared about being replicated or duplicated, I've had stalkers, I've gone through more then anyone would imagine, I've been used OOC and abused, just for my writing and cold-harshly told, i'd never amount to anything other then that or vice-versa. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Passion. That's all I got and am anymore. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Passion is the hardest thing to keep. It's something that can be stolen, quite effortlessly. Few words of discouragement, a bad negative representation, a lack of confidence, or small amount of time, there's many thing's that can put that flame out. Once you lose it. The difficulty to reattain is hundred-times harder than climbing any mountain for real. I've watched the greatest creators crumble from under the pressure, from beaten down by others. I watched many of them do it to themselves because they put a grand vision of needing validation of another and once lost, felt uncompelling to press onward. But passion also can be given BACK and drawn. It can be shown and encourage others, with a soft-triggering, that pushes them. That motivates, that constantly sticks to it. There are many that fuel me. If I ever quit, I let them down, I spit in the faces of people who're better than me in every-way. Or people who've came and given me their precious Time. That have given their character's or dedication to the abundant stories and community-driven things I've done. There's ONLY things you can do, create, give and provide. It cannot ever come to life without YOU. This is a fact. ...I swear, If you let your creativity soar, you'll be amazed by the heights you get. Constantly polish and learn and hone the best you, challenge yourself day after painstaking day, to draw better improvement on something, no matter how trivial or unfamiliar you are. You'll find a confidence only you can give yourself. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Future Plans --------------------------------------------------------------------- For me, I've got so much more stories to give and also explore, I might be taking up soon some other artists and more skilled people from community and hire them for some of my future writes, to up my game or cause something thing's can't be done in-game cause no background carries it. I also got a lot of-set up things and more angst stuff I want to practice, plus I'm adamantly on that grind to produce screen-sets with the intent's to some sort of improving daily. Additionally more people I'll be reaching out too soon for these collab's ideas and things. I look forward to shaking your hands, giving some hugs, show you my respect and admiration, then creating some enchanting stories and giving plots light. Feel free to reach out to me, I get scattered-brain but I'm working on getting better about it. Eventually will get to you though, my goals, if uninterested just say so when I poke, no bites, unless you kinky. Anyways, cheers hearties.

#ooc #update #future plans stuffz #ToG #Work on thinking of daily practice now

[kisilinramblings]

What does it means when someone said "white protagonist" like is there any different from other protagonist type? Tbh whenever I watch movies or anything I never really think about the skin colour or who the protagonist so this is the first time I hear the terms like this and also "Black best friend".

Before I start, here's my usual disclaimer because I am setting foot in something I don't personally live, but gains from it as a White French Québécoise living in Québec, Canada. What I will be saying is the result of what I have read on the subjects and my observations.

And as always, if you are a PoC, feel free to correct me or add your voice to the discussion. Thank you!

---

White usually refers to caucasian people. It englobes a lot of people from European descent while excluding anyone who doesn't fit the standards imposed by some group of people who consider themselves to be the dominant class even when their number doesn't represent them as the majority inside a nation.

Also while it mostly look at the skin color, the term can also be employ to discrimate someone who look white while they have a different religion or language than the dominant class. We can think of the Jews or the Irish people for example who were or are still discriminated. In my own province, in Quebec, before the Quiet Revolution (1960-1970), French Canadians working in the English workshops and factory would often time be ordered to "Speak White". In other words, speak English which was the only official language allowed by the English bosses.

In Media and Fictions, the term "White" refers to the biais that -- unless specify otherwise -- the character has caucasian skin and features. Basically, White is considered the default and you have to bold and highlight when a character is actually supposed to be a PoC (People of Color) or biracial.

If you hear the term "Whitewash", it means that a character who was originally designed to be a PoC or inspired by a real historical PoC figure is either : a) Played by a White actor b) Has their racial features tone down to make them appear "White" and thus more appealing to White people financing or consommuning the adaptation product. c) Has their cultural background only be akin to be White. Stuff like clothes, food, language, values and traditions.

Another problem that seems to be caused by this White/PoC divide is that, due to the lack of POCs narratives to begin with in American and European fictions and History, when there are main characters who are supposed to represent Black or Indigenous or Middle Easter or Asian or Latin@s or even biracial people, they get scrutinize to meet a standard... even though you cannot expect one character to meet all the narratives people in lack of representation are looking for.

Funny thing is a lot of vehement defenders of "diversity" often are the ones to shut down any voice from said diversity. People who are White, but want diversity often time end up being racist by the standard they impose a non-white character to meet and pretend to be experts on genetic while reality and actual genetic experts would tell you : "it's more nuance and complex than that". (But it's human nature to dislike nuance and complexity, especially on social media).

As for the Black Best Friend, it's a stereotype or cliche. TV trope called it the Token Black Friend. And I'm really not the best to explain it, but basically, it can occur if you are not careful when your main character is White while their best friend is Black.

On itself, there is nothing wrong in showing diversity and inclusivity inside a group of friends. Though you could ask yourself why you don't as often see the other way around in media. Most of the times, the intent of the author isn't harmful or just didn't consider it that much. But you have to keep in mind there is an actual imbalance between the number of stories of White MC with Black BFF and Black MC with White BFF. (Spoilers alert, the White MC Black BFF is the most common).

Where the trope is harmful is when it comes down to how the MC and BFF interacting with one another.

The trope becomes harmful when said Black friend has no agency or has one, but it became irrelevant as soon as the MC is concerned. It depicts the Black Friend as loyal to their White friend to the point they serve and follow them Friend everywhere, always ready to help them, but when the situation is reversed, the White MC doesn't get themselves involve or talk or get their Black BFF out of the situation. There are some roots behind that trope (even if they are subconscious) that comes out from slavery.

The harmful trope is basically the Black Character who serves to elevate the White MC.

Of course, if it just so happen that MC is White while their Best Friend is Black but both are relevant to the story, have their own interest and agenda and do help each other or call each other out (basically, if the relationship do show them as equal and the narrative support it) then that duo doesn't fall into that trope.

[stina-is-a-punk-rocker]

'birds of prey': a cinematic masterpiece

It's been a little over a year since Birds of Prey came out, a couple of months since I watched in on a whim, and I'm still not over this film.

Too many men people get pressed whenever you say you like this movie. "It's objectively bad," they say. "It's campy. It's too divergent from the canon. It's SJW propaganda."

Who gives a fuck, Richard? Who gives a single flying fuck?

I'll preface this by saying, my knowledge of the DCU is flimsy, at best. I've watched a couple of movies. My mum used to watch Smallville. I watched the pilot episode of Gotham. And I know enough about it to get the few references sprinkled in other media. But I draw a complete blank when it comes to the comics. So the canon of the comics had no effect on my enjoyment of the movie. Which I did. A lot.

I walked in blind when I watched Birds of Prey for the first time. I was unaware of the controversy surrounding it, and the only reason I even gave it the time of day was because I was bored.

I watched Suicide Squad circa 2016, and positively abhorred it- the only good thing about it was the soundtrack (the best songs are always wasted on the worst movies. Case in point: Twilight). And the not-so-casual misogyny was just... Yikes.

And then, we got Birds of Prey.

Since watching the film, I did a bit of research (see: Googling 'birds of prey movie reviews' and clicking on the first few results that popped up). The response was mixed- which honestly came as a surprise, since I thought it was great, and mine is the only opinion that holds weight.

I've read and watched a lot of those reviews. I watched the CinemaSins video. I watched the CinemaWins video, because CinemaSins has taken a major nosedive since I first started watching them.

Were all the negative reviews not-so-subtly indicative of the (predominantly male) critics' misogyny? I dunno; how did they talk about similar male-centered action films? I don't think it's fair to scream, "SEXIST!" just because someone didn't like the movie. Critics hated Venom (which was admittedly pretty meh. I still enjoyed it, though), but it was still pretty well-received by viewers.

I saw one review say that Birds of Prey was 'for the birds'... I'll let you unpack that yourself.

And yet, though I try to keep an open mind, I find it unfathomable how anyone can dislike Birds of Prey.

One of my favorite parts about the movie was the female gaze present throughout its entirety. I've seen people bring up the obvious change in Harley's costume- which I'm a bit iffy about, to be honest. Don't get me wrong- I love her choppy bangs and fun pigtails and the whole fluffy top thing she's got going on, but a whole lot of the critique towards her getup in Suicide Squad comes off a tad too slut-shamey (that isn't a word? Well, it is now).

Her outfit wasn't the issue. It's how she was framed.

In Suicide Squad, we get loads of shots of men leering at Harley, and a little too much emphasis on her breasts and arse in almost every scene she's in. As opposed to Birds of Prey, where Harley's still sexy (I'm seriously concerned for the straight men who found Harley unattractive in this film... You good, Pete?), but we focus on her face instead.

That part where Harley gives Canary a hair tie in the middle of a fight scene? Brilliant.

The characters have depth (a lot of reviews disagree with me. Well, what do I know? I am but a lowly STEM student). One of my favorites was Canary (and not just because I found her insanely attractive)- I love, love, love her arc in the film.

I've seen people complain that the villain didn't really get all villainy until towards the end of the film; which, if Sionis had to put on the mask for you to finally see him as the bad guy, then you've clearly missed most of the film. He's literally introduced while he's peeling the skin off of someone's face. Not to mention that one particular scene at the club- I won't go into too much detail, because it could be triggering to a lot of people- but it chilled me to the bone.

Following up with the villains: "All the men are bad guys," they say. "The whole film is feminist propaganda," they say.

And me posting this on International Women's Day is a bit on-the-nose, I'll admit, but this particular critique bothers me. Because those men aren't unrealistic. They aren't caricatures of men in the real world. We all know men just like them. A lot of them hit a little too close to home for me.

I've seen people complain that women touting the film as feminist turned them off from it- which, I dunno about you, but seems problematic to me on so many levels. Sure, not everything has to have a political agenda, but it's hardly like Harley & Co. scream, "GIRL POWER!" every three minutes.

(Also: it's funny how way more people get mad about poorly executed feminism than actual issues a lot of women in the world face, but that's a topic for another day.)

The diversity was just- wow. Getting not only one but FOUR Asian characters with lines? Hollywood, am I dreaming? The LGBTQ+ representation (not going into Sionis and Zsasz being queer coded)? Holy shit, yes! Maybe I'm getting too excited about this- Hollywood's a lot kinder to us minorities as of late- but it still fills me with joy whenever I see people like me onscreen.

Another complaint that springs up with regards to Birds of Prey is the skewed order in which Harley narrates the events. Which is kind of one of her defining traits- she's an unreliable narrator. And she makes it pretty obvious (this video explains it better than I can). The cartooned beginning was engaging, as corny as some of it was (loved the style, too).

The fight scenes were thrilling to watch. Not a single minute passed by where I was bored (my eyes usually glaze over during prolonged action scenes in films, which did not happen in this case). The comedy was well-timed and bold; the cartoonishness added to its charm.

And this is probably not even significant, but I adored the color scheme. I loved the bright, shocking colors; the emphasis on the pinks, reds and blacks.

And, finally, how could I go without mentioning the soundtrack? It was divine- I listen to the Birds of Prey album on Spotify almost every day; Lonely Gun and Experiment On Me are among my most-played songs, and the rest of the music is just as delightful.

In conclusion: go watch Birds of Prey if you haven't already. It's the closest thing to a spiritual experience I had last year.

#birds of prey #harley quinn #suicide squad #movie #movie review #dc comics #dcu #feminism #international womens day #women #action #margot robbie #joker #canary #huntress #feminist

[sammysdewysensitiveeyes]

You said it better than me but i'm not very good in english sooo 😂

The thing is whatever if people like them or not, the others books are more balanced between the characters while Marauders is just about Emma and Kate doing all the stuff. Clearly, this book isn't a team book, something we all expect it to be. So of course, we still want to see development for all of the characters instead of just two of them.

I agree with what you say but again i don't have yet the right words to express clearly what i think about Marauders. I am a feminist since so many years and love studying shows and books. But here, with this book, i just see an intend of being feminist without understanding it as if they just read what twitter was saying about it without making proper research. As much as i love Emma, i just lost interest in this book because it's clearly some white feminism which i dislike since it excludes, like you said, others representations and females characters who aren't whites.

Since so many years, we see all of these strong females characters like Alice in Resident Evil or, like you said, Captain Marvel, having the same badass side than the males characters of the 90's. The women are the new terminator, the new rambo, the new Chuck Norris. I'm joking but clearly these characters were a very sexy version of masculinity women were supposed to love and men dream to be. And you know, it's how i see Emma and Kate as the Alice of the new books of Xmen. The thing is clearly, like in these movies, they don't give a frak of the others characters who are all reacting in depend of the main characters. So we're lucky if they focus on them, if they give them the spotlight, if they give them the same interest than the favorites or the main characters.

You said it soooo many times. Marauders was a chance for them to explore Pyro, his sexuality (i always thought he was bi but it's just an opinion), the abuse everyone can experience and not just females characters. To me, Marauders use the cliches we know about the women experiences, cliches who are unfortunatly true like being abused. But it doesn't even do a good job to explore it. Idk how to say it, to me, they are just used to say "look we are modern, read us" especially because, again in my opinion, they don't explore it, they just use it.

I love the others books, i love mystique and will continue to read these others books but marauders lost me because duggan doesn't seems to love all of its characters. It's a great elogy for Emma and Kate, sure..but in my opinion, being badass doesn't mean being violent and being proud of it, see? To me, being badass is being determinated,to learn from our mistakes and to do better while being cool.

Again, you explain it better than me!! Really so i let you ranting about Marauders. Just want to say i agree with you. I wish to see Iceman grieving Kate, having a scene with Pyro where he would talk about her, i wish we would had a scene between Shinobi and Christian (with a new haircut, please) where they would talked about their past and see they can be happy and that they have the right to be happy. I wish to see Emma failing to come back stronger, i wish to see a scene when Kate talks with Bishop about the way humans treat them and the way they still want to help whatever happens. Of course, i would had love to see more of Storm and Pyro working together.

I'm now in a point when i'm waiting for pyro and iceman to leave the marauders and to get their own adventures. But well, i can dream.

Thank you for your answer and thank you for putting words where i can't 🙈

Thank you for the kind words, friend, and I'm glad I'm not alone in my frustration.

Honestly, they should have been honest from the start and called this "The Adventures of Emma and Kate on the High Seas." I'd actually be less annoyed because at least I wouldn't be expecting a "team book," and I'd just be grateful to see Pyro (or Storm, Iceman, Bishop, Shinobi, etc.) as a special guest star. But it was marketed as a team book, so some of us would like it to be written as....you know, a team.

I would absolutely read "The Adventures of Iceman and Pyro," if they just broke off into their own book. With Bishop, Shinobi, Christian, Storm, and everyone else that's been neglected in the current book.

Also, the way Duggan is writing Pyro right now, I could absolutely imagine him as a kind of confused, somewhat in-denial bisexual who thinks it's totally normal for guys to occasionally hook up with other guys, because guys have needs, right? And Bobby is just like, "My sweet summer child....."

[optimisticme]

I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions.

Whatever I see I swallow immediately

Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike.

I am not cruel, only truthful ‚

The eye of a little god, four-cornered.

Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall.

It is pink, with speckles. I have looked at it so long

I think it is part of my heart. But it flickers.

Faces and darkness separate us over and over.

Now I am a lake. A woman bends over me,

Searching my reaches for what she really is.

Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.

I see her back, and reflect it faithfully.

She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands.

I am important to her. She comes and goes.

Each morning it is her face that replaces the darkness.

In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman

Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish.

Sylvia Plath wrote "Mirror" in 1961, shortly after having given birth to her first child. Written from the point of view of a personified mirror, the poem explores Plath's own fears regarding aging and death. The mirror insists that it objectively reflects the truth—a truth that greets the woman who looks in the mirror each day as a "terrible" reminder of her own mortality. She searches the mirror for an image that reflects the way she sees herself and feels inside, yet finds only an increasingly older woman staring back. "Mirror" was first published in The New Yorker in 1963 and later appeared in Crossing the Water, which was published posthumously.

The poem is told from the perspective of a mirror, who starts by describing itself physically as silver-colored and precise. The mirror insists it has no predetermined notions or assumptions about anything, and instead simply takes in whatever stands in front of it right away, exactly the way it is, unclouded by any feelings. The mirror isn't mean or harsh, but simply honest. It's like a small god's eye, only with four corners. For the most part, the mirror focuses on the pink, speckled wall that stands across from it. The mirror has been staring at this wall for so long that it thinks the wall is in fact an essential part of itself. At the same time, that wall goes in and out of focus as people and darkness pass in front of it—and into the mirror's line of sight—again and again.

The mirror becomes the reflective surface of a lake over which a woman leans, looking intently into the water's depths for some hint of who she is inside. Not finding it, she directs her attention to the candle she holds or the moon—sources of light that she thinks must be lying to her by not showing her who she really is. The mirror watches the woman's back as she walks away, and reflects it accurately. The woman thanks the mirror by crying and wringing her hands in distress. The mirror knows that it matters a lot to this woman, who comes back to look into it time and again. Every day starts with the woman's face taking the place of the darkness that the mirror reflected all night. The young girl she once was will never look back at her again, having been metaphorically drowned in the mirror. Instead, as the days go by she sees only the old woman she has become approaching her like an awful fish.

Time, Aging, and Mortality

The poem describes a woman seeing herself growing older and older in a mirror each day—or, more accurately, it describes a personified mirror looking on as the women’s youth fades. The woman clearly resents getting older and losing her beauty and youth—two important social currencies for women living in a male-dominated society, especially in Plath’s day. The poem thus illustrates the anguish of aging, as the woman confronts her mortality in the mirror each morning.

The first stanza illustrates the objectivity of the mirror, which is only capable of reflecting what it sees. The mirror describes itself as “the eye of a little god.” Like a god, the mirror sees things exactly as they are. The mirror has no intentions of its own; it has no desire to make the woman feel bad about herself. It doesn’t exist to flatter or insult, but only to reflect appearances truthfully.

The woman, on the other hand, experiences the mirror’s objectivity as a pointed reminder of her own mortality. As time passes, she ages and becomes further removed from her youth while getting ever closer to death. The mirror is “important” to the woman, perhaps because women in particular are so often expected to conform to rigid standards of beauty and youth. Unfortunately, then, the very parts of the woman that patriarchal society deems most valuable are also the parts of her that have a time stamp; they are quickly fading.

Even more upsetting is the question of who she is when these parts of herself fade away. On the inside, the woman is the same person she’s always been, yet as she gazes into her reflection each morning, she sees “an old woman / Ris[ing] toward her, day after day, like a terrible fish.” This description suggests that the woman's reflection is disconcerting, as if the aging process has made her unrecognizable; her changing face feels shocking and unreal. And yet, the mirror insists that it is indeed real. This disconnect between how she feels inside and the harsh reality of the mirror highlights the horror and difficulty of confronting aging and—because aging inevitably leads to death—the idea of mortality.

While the poem is told from a personified mirror’s point of view, it’s really about the woman who sees herself in that mirror. This woman is preoccupied with her reflection, hoping to find in it “what she really is.” Even though the mirror itself is objective—in other words, it reflects exactly what stands before it—the woman looking at her reflection still cannot see herself in its image. This, the poem implies, is because people are so much more than what they look like on the surface; the mirror only reflects how things appear, not what they are.

The mirror at first presents itself as being totally neutral when it comes to bouncing images back to its subjects. It is “silver and exact," and doesn’t offer up distorted reflections that are “misted by love or dislike”—that is, reflections that are influenced by feelings. Instead, it presents clear and precise images and has “no preconceptions," meaning that it doesn't have an agenda. It’s not bending its image to tell a certain story, but simply reflects whatever stands before it.

The mirror, then, is trustworthy; one can count on it to tell the truth. The poem suggests that the mirror is “not cruel, only truthful.” This speaks to the fact that although people might not like what they see reflected in the mirror, this isn’t because the mirror is actively trying to hurt them. After all, it is only capable of reflecting what stands in front of it.

But the poem goes on to show the ways that the mirror’s objectivity is only skin-deep, reflecting just the surface of things. The poem metaphorically compares the woman looking in the mirror to a woman bending over a lake to see her own reflection. When she searches for this image, she can’t find “what she really is"—that is, she doesn't gain a true sense of self-understanding. The fact that she isn’t just looking at her reflection in the lake, but “searching [its] reaches” speaks to her longing to find out something important about herself—something the poem implies cannot be found in the mirror, no matter how carefully she looks.

Although the woman searches the "reaches" of the lake-like mirror, the fact remains that all she can see is a surface-level reflection of herself. This implies that, though the woman wants to discover something deeper about herself, appearances can only reveal so much. The mirror might present a seemingly objective representation of how the speaker looks (even reflecting her image "faithfully" when she turns her back), but it will never be able to reveal the whole truth about who she is as a person. There is, after all, much more to people than what meets the eye.

The poem's speaker is a personified mirror. This becomes clear in the first line, when the speaker says, "I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions." This description immediately lets readers know that the speaker is a literal mirror while also establishing the voice of this mirror, which is direct and straightforward.

This straightforward tone makes sense, as the mirror goes on to say that it "swallow[s] immediately" whatever stands in front of it, consuming it "just as it is." In other words, the mirror isn't capable of embellishment or misdirection—to exaggerate or conceal certain details would go against its very nature. This is because the mirror has no feelings of its own. It is able to provide an "exact" reflection that is untainted by "love or dislike." Unlike a person, the mirror doesn't project feelings onto what it sees. It has no purpose other than to show what is there.

The Mirror

The mirror in the poem symbolizes a few things at once. Most broadly, it represents the unavoidable reality of aging and mortality. The mirror's repeated insistence that it has no agenda or "preconceptions" emphasizes the fact that it is objective, forcing people to face the insistent, painful truth of growing older and dying.

That the woman doesn't recognize, or doesn't want to recognize, her own reflection in the mirror thus represents her own inability or refusal to accept that truth—to face her own mortality. Though the woman can see herself reflected "exactly" in the mirror, it's clear that something is missing: she can't find "what she really is," no matter how long she looks or how often she returns to the mirror. Her aging appearance doesn't reflect her inner sense of self. Part of the pain of aging, the poem thus implies, is that people may feel that their bodies no longer match up with their true selves.

On a slightly different level, the mirror subtly evokes the unrealistic and unfair expectations forced upon women by a patriarchal society. In Plath's day, women were expected to appear immaculate while also somehow running a household, caring for their husbands, and serving as full-time caretakers for their children. Since the mirror allows the woman to carefully scrutinize herself, it perhaps comes to represent the pressure she feels to look a certain way.

Unfortunately, it seems this pressure has led to a kind of obsession, as the woman returns "each morning" to pour over her own image. And yet, studying herself like this does nothing but frustrate her. The mirror thus represents the dangers of fixating on one's own image and the harmful nature of society's mysogynistic view.

The poem is told from the point of view of a mirror, so the whole poem is an example of personification. The mirror is made to think and speak like a person, giving voice to an objective account of the woman standing before her own reflection. Through this use of personification, the poem allows the mirror to comment on the woman's discomfort with her own image. This highlights the way women in male-dominated societies often end up objectifying themselves by ruthlessly scrutinizing their own appearances.

The use of personification also draws attention to the limitations of the mirror. While the mirror is indeed "truthful," it is not the whole truth—it can only see, and reflect, whatever's visible. The mirror compares itself to the "eye of a little god," perhaps because of the importance the woman places on it—she returns to it day after day, almost worshiping its ability to reflect her image. Yet, unlike a god, the mirror isn't actually omniscient. In other words, all-seeing isn't the same as all-knowing. The mirror can reflect the woman's outer beauty or her signs of aging, but it cannot reflect or know what makes her valuable; it cannot see her thoughts, beliefs, or feelings.

By personifying the mirror, then, the poem tricks readers (at least at first) into giving an inanimate object more power and agency than it actually deserves. The fact that the mirror speaks directly to readers creates the impression that it is capable of meaningful observation. This illustrates the misplaced faith the women places in the mirror to show her something meaningful about herself. In the end, though, it is nothing but a reflective piece of glass

#literature #vintage #feminism #poetry