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whumpinggrounds · 1 year

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Overused Disability Tropes

Woohoo here we go. I expect this one to be a bit more controversial because I am using specific media as examples. I would really prefer if, when critiquing this post, you avoid defending specific media, and focus instead on what’s actually being said/represented about disabled communities. If you feel I’ve done a really grave injustice, you can come into my askbox/DMs/replies to talk to me about it, but I might not answer.

One more time: I am not interested in getting into a debate about whether something is a good show/movie/book/whatever. I’m not telling you it’s bad, or that you shouldn’t enjoy it! People can like whatever they want; I am only here to critique messaging. Do not yell at me about this.

Newest caveat aside, let’s get into it!

Inspiration Porn

Without a doubt, our biggest category! Term coined in 2012 by badass activist Stella Young, but the trope has been around for literal centuries. There are a few different kinds that I will talk about.

Disabled character/person is automatically noble/good because of their disability. A very early example would be A Christmas Carol’s Tiny Tim, or, arguably, Quasimodo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Real life examples include the Jerry Lewis MDA telethon, or children’s hospital ads that exploit sad-eyed kids with visible illness or disability.

Having a disability does not automatically make you a kind/angelic/noble person. This many not seem harmful, and may even seem positive, but in reality, it is condescending, inaccurate, and sets bizarre standards for how disabled people should behave.

This portrayal is often intended to elicit pity from abled audiences, which is also problematic.

In these portrayals, disability is not something to be proud of or identify with, only something to be suffered through.

Disabled character person does something relatively mundane and we all need to celebrate that. This is less common in writing, but happens in the real world when people do things like post pictures of disabled people at the gym captioned “What’s your excuse?”

This is condescending, and implies that anything disabled people are capable of, abled people are automatically capable of.

Makes it seem like it’s an incredible feat for a disabled person to accomplish tasks.

Uses people’s actual lives and actual disabilities as a reminder of “how good abled life is.”

The “Supercrip” stereotype is a specific kind of inspiration porn in which disabled people are shown to be capable of amazing things, “in spite of” their disability.

The Paralympics have been criticized for this, with people saying that advertisements and understandings of the Paralympics frame the athletes as inspiring not because they are talented or accomplished, but because their talents and accomplishments are seen as “so unlikely.”

Other examples include the way we discuss famous figures like Stephen Hawking, Alan Turing, or even Beethoven. Movies like The Theory of Everything and The Imitation Game frame the subjects’ diagnoses, whether actual or posited, as limitations that they had to miraculously break through in order to accomplish what they did. Discussions of Beethoven’s deafness focus on how incredible it was that he was able to overcome it and be a musician despite what is framed as a tragic acquisition of deafness.

The pity/heroism trap is a concise way of defining inspiration porn. If the media you’re creating or consuming inspires these emotions, and only these emotions, around disability, that is a representation that is centered on the feelings and perceptions of abled people. It’s reductive, it’s ableist, and it’s massively overdone.

Disabled Villains

To be clear, disabled people can and should be villains in fiction. The problem comes when disabled people are either objects of pity/saintly heroes, or villains, and there is no complexity to those representations. When there is so little disabled rep out there (less than 3.5% of characters in current media), having a disabled villain contributes to the othering of disability, as well as the idea that disability can make someone evil. There are also a few circumstances in which particular disabilities are used to represent evil, and I’ll talk about how that’s problematic.

Mentally ill villains are colossally overdone, particularly given that mentally ill people are more likely to be the victims of violence than perpetrators of it. This is true of all mental illness, including “””scary””” things like personality disorders or disorders on the schizoaffective spectrum. Mental illness is stigmatized enough without media framing mentally ill people as inherently bad or more suspectible to evil. This prejudice is known as sanism.

Explicit fictional examples of this include the Joker, or Kevin Wendell Crumb in Split.

People can also be coded as mentally ill without it being explicitly stated, and that’s also problematic and sanist. In the Marvel movie Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, Wanda’s appearance and behavior are coded as mentally ill. This is used to make her “creepy.” Horror movies do this a lot - mental illness does not render someone creepy, and should not be used as a tool in this way.

Visible disability or difference to indicate evil is another common, incredibly offensive, and way overdone trope. This is mostly commonly done through facial difference, and the examples are endless. These portrayals equate disability or disfigurement with ugliness, and that ugliness with evil. It renders the disabled villain in question an outcast, undesirable, and uses their disability or difference to dehumanize these characters and separate them from others. This is incredibly prevalent and incredibly painful for people with visible disability or facial difference.

An example of visible disability indicating evil is Darth Vader’s prosthetics and vastly changed physical appearance that happen exactly in time with his switch to the dark side. In contrast, when Luke needs a prosthetic, it is lifelike and does not visually separate him from the rest of humanity/the light.

Dr. Who’s John Lumic is another example of the “Evil Cripple” trope.

Examples of facial difference indicating evil range from just about every James Bond movie, to Scar in the Lion King, Dr. Isabel Maru in Wonder Woman, Taskmaster in Black Widow, Captain Hook in Peter Pan, and even Doofenschmirtz-2 in Phineas and Ferb the Movie. Just because some of the portrayals are silly (looking at you, Phineas and Ferb) doesn’t make the coding of facially scarred villains any less hurtful.

A slightly different, but related phenomenon I’ll include here is the idea of the disability con. This is when a character fakes a disability for personal gain. This represents disabled people as potential fakers, and advances the idea that disabled people get special privileges that abled people can and should co-opt for their own reasons.

In The Usual Suspects, criminal mastermind Verbal Clint fakes disability to avoid suspicion and take advantage of others. In Arrested Development, a lawyer fakes blindness in order to gain the sympathy and pity of the jury.

In much more complex examples such as Sharp Objects, a mother with Munchausen by proxy fakes her daughter’s illness in order to receive attention and pity. Portrayals like this make Munchausen or MBP seem more common than it is, and introduce the idea that parents may be lying or coaching their children to lie about necessary medical treatment.

Disability as Morality

Sometimes, the disabled character themselves is a moral lesson, like Auggie in Wonder. Sheerly through existing, Auggie “teaches” his classmates about kindness, the evils of bullying, and not judging a book by its cover. This also fits well under inspiration porn. This is problematic, because the disabled character is defined in terms of how they advance the other characters’ morality and depth.

In the “Disabled for a Day” trope, an otherwise abled character experiences a temporary disability, learns a moral lesson, and is restored to full ability by the end of the episode/book/movie. Once again, disability is used as a plot device, rather than a complex experience, along with more permanent disability being rejected as impossible for heroes or main characters.

Examples include an episode of M*A*S*H where Hawkeye is temporarily blinded, an episode of Law and Order: SVU where Elliott Stabler is temporarily blinded, and an episode of Criminal Minds where Agent Hotchner experiences temporary hearing loss.

Real life examples include sensitivity trainings where participants are asked to wear a blindfold, headphones, or use a wheelchair for a given amount of time. This does not impart the lived experience of disability. It should not be used as a teaching tool.

Disabled people as inherently pure. This is related to inspiration porn and disabled people as noble, but is different in that it is usually appears in combination with developmental, cognitive, or intellectual disabilities. These characters are framed as sweet, “simple,” and a reminder to other characters to be cheerful, happy, or grateful.

Examples include Forrest Gump, Rain Man, I Am Sam, and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.

No matter what the stereotypes of a given diagnosis are (yes, I’m thinking of the automatic cheerfulness associated with Down Syndrome), disabled people have personalities. They are capable of being sad, angry, sarcastic, irritable, annoying - any number of things beyond good/sweet/pure. It is reductive to act otherwise.

Disability as Surreal

Less common than some of the others, but still worth thinking about!

Disabled characters are framed as mystical, magical, or other than human, a condition that is either created by or indicated through their disability status. This is especially common with little people.

“Disability superpower” is when a character compensates for, or is uniquely able to have a superpower because of, their disability. Common tropes include the Blind Seer, Blind Weapon Master, Genius Cripple and Super Wheel Chair.

Examples include Pam from Supernatural, Charles Xavier from X-Men, or the grandpa in Spy Kids.

Disability as Undesirable

Last and least favorite category here. Let’s go.

Disabled people as asexual or not sexually desirable. Disabled people can be asexual, obviously. When every portrayal is asexual, that’s a big problem. It frames disabled people as sexually undesirable or implies that it is impossible for people with disabilities to have rewarding, mutually satisfying sexual relationships.

Examples include The Fault in Our Stars or Artie in Glee.

Abandoned due to disability. Hate this trope. Often equates disability with weakness. Don’t want to talk about it. It’s all right there in the title. Don’t do it.

Examples: Quasimodo in Hunchback of Notre Dame, several kittens in the Warrior Cat series, several episodes of Law and Order: SVU, Bojack Horseman, and Vikings.

Discussed in 300 and Wolf of Wall Street.

Ancient cultures and animal nature are often cited as reasoning for this trope/practice. This is not founded in fact. Many ancient civilizations, including Sparta, cared for disabled people. Many animals care for disabled young. These examples should not be used to justify modern human society.

Disabled characters are ostracized for disability. Whether they act “““normal”““ or odd, characters with visible or merely detectable disabilities are treated differently.

Examples include pretty much every piece of media I’ve said so far. This is particularly prevalent for people with visible physical disabilities or neurodivergence. Also particularly prevalent for characters with albinism.

This is not necessarily an inaccurate portrayal - disabled people face a lot of discrimination and ableism. It is, however, very, very common.

Bury your disabled. What it says on the label.

Examples: Animorphs, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, American Horror Story, Criminal Minds, Dr. Who, Star Trek, The Wire.

Mercy killing is a subtrope of the above but disgusting enough that it deserves its own aside. I may make a separate post about this at some point because this post is kind of exhausting and depressing me.

Examples: Me Before You, Killing Eve, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Of Mice and Men, and Million Dollar Baby.

Disability-negating superpowers imply that disability is undesirable by solving it supernaturally instead of actually portraying it, and giving their character powers instead.

Examples include (arguably) Toph from Avatar: the Last Airbender, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Legend of Korra, Dr. Strange, and Daredevil.

Overcoming disability portrays disability as a hindrance and something that can be defeated through technology and/or willpower.

Fictional examples include WALL-E, Kill Bill, The Goonies, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Heidi, The Secret Garden, The Inheritance Cycle, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, The Big Bang Theory, Dr. Strangelove, Sherlock, The Witcher.

Real life examples include videos of wheelchair users standing from their chair to walk down the aisle at a wedding, or d/Deaf children “hearing” for the first time through cochlear implants.

What Does This Mean for Your Writing?

First of all, congratulations for making it this far!

Now, as I have said again and again, I’m not going to tell you what to write. I’ll ask some questions to hopefully help guide your process.

What tropes might you be playing into when writing disabled characters? Why do you find these tropes compelling, or worth writing about? How prevalent are these tropes? How harmful are they? What messages do they send to actual disabled people?

Just because they are common tropes does not mean they are universally awful. Cool fantasy or futuristic workarounds are not necessarily bad rep. Showing the ugly realities of ableism is not necessarily bad rep. It’s just a very, very common representation of disability, and it’s worth thinking about why it’s so common, and why you’re writing it.

As always, conduct your own research, know your own characters and story, and make your own decisions. If you have questions, concerns, or comments, please hit me up! Add your own information! This is not monolithic whatsoever.

Happy writing!

#disability writing guide #writing disabled characters #disability #disability representation #disability justice #writing advice #disability tropes #writing tropes #ableism #sanism

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heliza24 · 3 months

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Being a physically disabled Dimension 20 fan breaks my heart sometimes

I’ve been thinking about this since last Wednesday’s episode when we finally got a real scene with Lydia, one of the few physically disabled characters in the entire canon of the show. It was nice, but it was really just a lore dump. An excuse for exposition. A moment for Kristen to look good by expending sympathy/pity. (I’m a little frustrated about how that interaction went down. Extending the help action was nice but patronizingly touching the neck of a full-ass adult without consent was not. It was weird and not something she would have done to a nondisabled character).

I have watched almost all of D20 (still missing a couple of seasons) and as far as I know here’s where our list of canon physically disabled characters stand: Lydia Barkrock, Jan de la Vega (who feels pretty problematic to me, maybe more on that in a later post), one of the Dwarven statues in the temple in The Seven (who is not given the dignity of being brought to life like Asha), and Pete’s coworker in TUC2 who is in exactly one episode and is so unimportant I have forgotten his name. I guess you could make an argument that Gunny is disabled, but I don't feel that Lou or Brennan really talk about him or play him through that lens. So in terms of canon physically disabled PCs-- that leaves us with 0.

We do a bit better with neurodivergent characters and characters with mental health problems; Ayda (my beloved) is very well developed and Adaine is a PC. There have been some openly neurodivergent players, like Omar and Surena, whose characters also read ND to me. But that isn’t labeled or discussed in canon, so it's hard for me to know where to class that. I am going to focus the rest of this post on physical disabilities, since that is my area of lived experience. If another fan wants to write about their perspective of neurodivergence rep in the show, I would love to hear that, and will happily amplify.

There has never been a character with a sensory disability or a limb difference or a chronic illness (not a fantasy one, a real one) on Dimension 20. The only NPCs we have are nondescript, similar wheelchair users. And there has never been a physically disabled player at the table. On the flagship show of Dropout, a company founded on diversity and inclusion. It feels extremely pointed to me.

In fact as far as I can tell there has only been one (1) physically disabled performer on any of Dropout’s shows. (Shout out to Brett, you were great on Dirty Laundry.) Obviously I haven’t seen every episode of everything they have produced. If I have missed someone, please do let me know in the comments/reblogs. But it’s a problem. And Sam Reich even agreed with this criticism when I asked him directly about.

I do really hope they’re working on it, as Sam says. But why has it taken so long?

Dimension 20 has had trans and nonbinary and queer players. It has had players of many different races. I’m not saying that the diversity here is perfect; there should always be more POC in the dome, more queer people. We should keep pushing for that. (And we should also push for performers at the intersections of these identities!) But we’ve seen the ways this diversity has expanded and improved the different seasons, because diverse players create sensitively drawn, diverse player characters. They add details to their PC’s experiences that make them feel rich and alive. I’m thinking about each of Ally’s PC’s incredible capital G gender and Aabria “all my characters (even the stoats) are Black” and how excellent they all are. D20 would not be the show it is without this input.

And yet. And yet.

There are 1,000 interesting and complicated themes to explore around disability. Dealing with access. Dealing with ableism. Dealing with compassion and community care. Dealing with none of it and just being a cool fantasy or sci fi character that happens to be disabled. We don’t get any of it.

I watch my favorite show and I see myself in the ace rep and the female characters. But I don’t see all of me. I see a silent but ever present message: you aren’t quite welcome here.

I have this fantasy that I play in my brain sometimes that someday I’ll get to talk to Brennan in person, like maybe if I buy a VIP ticket and risk Covid to go to a live show or we run into each other on the street or something. I am able to look him in the eye and articulate why he NEEDS to include a physically disabled player in an upcoming season. I reference the ways he’s talked about inclusion and writing diversely on Adventuring Party. Maybe I hand him a handwritten letter, or hell, a printout of this post. And because he really cares about diversity and his shows and his fans he would listen to me, and cast a physically disabled performer in the next season.

But I think that might be giving that nondisabled man (whose work I adore, who I respect so much) too much credit. Because he’s had Jennifer Kretchmer, a physically disabled actual play performer, on adventuring academy to talk about access in gaming. He’s hired disability consultants. He knows about physically disabled people, enough to give us shoutouts as inconsequential npcs. And he still hasn’t thought to include us at the table. In over 20 seasons. None of that other stuff matters if we aren't given a seat at the story telling table, and the agency to craft our own narratives equal to other participants in the game.

When Lydia was telling her story in the last episode, I kept wishing for a prequel, where she is more than a plot delivery device and a kind but unimportant parent. I want to know about her adventures with her adventuring party. I want to see a talented, wheelchair-using actor play out the scene when she decides to put the gem in her chest. I want to hear about what happened after. I want to know how she survived. I want it so badly it hurts.

I am in the process of trying to find new indie actual plays that feature more disabled talent. I am learning how to GM myself so I can tell these kinds of stories. But it’s not the same as being a fan of something. Sometimes I don’t want to have to make my own representation. Sometimes I just want to turn on my favorite tv show, the one that I have cosplayed from and written metas about and loved whole heartedly, and see myself included.

If you’re another disabled or neurodivergent fan I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. If you’re not, I’d love for you to reblog this. I would love for the absence of physical disability in this show to be a topic of fandom conversation, at the very least.

#dimension 20 #d20 #my crip media reviews #being a fan is hard sometimes #and being disabled means you get left out of “diversity” all the time #I love this show so much it hurts #I wish it could love me back a little bit more #fantasy high junior year #fantasy high #my meta #dropout #dropout tv #Sam reich

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katy-l-wood · 2 years

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Thoughts?

So, I've been thinking a lot on how to make Patreon work for me, because everything I've tried so far has failed miserably because I just can't stay interested and/or keep up with it. But I've been thinking a lot over the last year about what works for me as a creator and the conclusion I've come to is that I do best with big projects. Thus having a Patreon where I do little onesy twosy things like a sticker club or sharing random timelapses just doesn't work for me. This has had me ruminating on how to do a big project, but make it Patreon friendly, and I think I might have found the answer, but I want to see if there's any interest before I commit to it.

Here's what I'm thinking: for $5 a month subscribers get to follow along as I write my newest book project. You would get to see EVERYTHING. Outlines, discussions of why I'm making the decisions I am, rough drafts, edited drafts, discussions of why I'm making those edits, what research I'm doing, what my sources for that research are, all of it. It's also for a project I'll be self publishing, and likely running a Kickstarter for, so I'd be breaking down that whole process too.

The book I'd be doing this with is an Adult Fantasy Western that focuses very heavily on themes of family and growing beyond your roots when those roots start to strangle you. Lots of found family and identity struggles, lots of dealing with the realization that your parents may not be who you want or need them to be. Some fun weird magic. An entirely queer cast, including a nonbinary main character that uses they/them pronouns. Some various disability rep including chronic pain.

So, would anyone be interested in that sort of thing? Even if you can't afford it, is it something you WOULD subscribe to if you could afford it? If you are interested, is there anything about the process you'd particularly like to see?

#Feedback please #Patreon

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storiesandthingsofthatnature · 1 year

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Chapter 1: Let’s Begin

Hi there! I have NEVER really posted on this blog save for reposts. This is supposed to be a side blog for stories and after many years it shall become one! I am currently working on a few stories with ocs and this one is for five nights at freddy’s. Basically a young woman named Stella has been hired by Freddy’s Mega Pizzaplex and finds herself in an interesting relationship with SunnyDrop and MoonDrop. Here is the first chapter of the story. Reblogs and likes are my life blood and help me keep going! comments would be nice too! :D Thank you! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There had been many red flags from the jump, the ad itself consisting of sketchy info and a vague description of the jobs’ responsibilities. From the looks of things the money that was spent for each print seemed to have been dumped more so on the graphics and sub-categories of shameless plugging for their merchandise and other affiliated products/businesses. The fact that Stella was never called in for an official interview and was only contacted to be told she had gotten the job and they would need her account info and her basic identification with no other context should have been the deal-breaker. No background checks. No further inquiries on past jobs. Yes, many red flags lay piled near her feet. Yet she simply stepped over them and walked into a place of nightmares. However, in the beginning, she was quite relieved she hadn’t been grilled so thoroughly. She wasn’t sure what this establishment truly looked for in an employee, but she was sure that one look at her record would have been enough for an immediate no. It always was with every other job she tried to snag. Although her history was not that of crime, her rep sheet was enough to portray that she was no good. Homicidal tendencies. Manic depression. Her paranoia led her into a trove of trouble and misunderstandings that ultimately ended in her termination from the company. She meant well! She did. But, being her age she was still trying to figure out who she was. She didn’t mean to be so bleak but right now she’s grasping at straws. Being a young adult she wasn’t prepared for the responsibilities that filled her already overfilled plate of things she was unable to do on her own. It was pathetic. She relied heavily on her small group of “family”. Albeit, it only consisted of four, herself included. However, the other three did end up coming together to discuss Stella’s mental state. She had just recently been laid off for the fourth time in two months. She was fried and with no reason to go outside, she was left to slowly fall into madness surrounded by the same four walls. They agreed that she needed to get out and even went as far as to search around for suitable jobs or side errands that would accommodate Stella's “mental disabilities.” And now, here she was, an unmoving rock amongst a continuous tide of patrons and various employees. There never seemed to be a day when Freddy’s Mega PizzaPlex was ever slow, let alone barren. However, she was told that the overnight security shift would be the right fit for her; little to no human interaction and management are more lenient on “professional” etiquette. Taking in what seemed to be the umpteenth deep breath that day, she forced her legs into motion. The way to the office felt like a fever dream - as though she was on autopilot. Nothing seemed real but, at the same time, everything was surreal. No matter the workplace, her inability to function in the most basic of public spaces is cause for alarm. Before she knew it her hand wrapped around the cool metal door that led into the main office. She approached the desk, a middle-aged woman behind an arched row of monitors. Stella wondered how she could keep track of anything. Then again, she most likely didn’t have ADD. Her hands fluttered on the lip of the counter, Stella having a hard time even announcing her presence. But she couldn’t stay like this for too long. Either she was going to be met with silence from a none-the-wiser employee and labeled as a creep/idiot on the security cameras, or they were going to awkwardly meet each other’s gaze which would then add to Stella’s aura of inner tension. So, after giving a few thrums of her fingertips along the cool, colorful surface she found enough courage to give a small clear of her throat. The sound of fluid typing ceased and Stella did her best to keep her anxiety at bay. She needed to be normal. “May I help you?” Stella chewed on her lip,” I-I’m Stella? Stella Salazar. I have an appointment with an officer Steve?” She sucked in a sharp breath, a very unneeded paranoia engulfing Stella while the woman behind the counter searched up her name. “Ah, yes! Thank you for coming in. I’ll go let him know. One moment.” She gave a small smile, the woman disappearing into a backroom that was shielded by shelves adorned with various Pizzaplex merchandise. Having some time to herself, even if it may be moments, Stella took the chance to reflect. Manic Depression is one thing but to have the title “homicidal risk” is something that Stella never would have imagined weighs so much. No one needed to find out. Well, the ones that had no business in the matter whatsoever. However, she was starved - emotionally and mentally, mostly. She was given opportunities to open up to many people and amongst her confessions, her homicidal tendencies would fly right off of her loose tongue. After this, it always ends the same. They say they completely understand. But who feels the same with anyone when one finds out they have impulses to kill things with no provocation whatsoever? It’s slow. The disconnection. Their excuses became more frequent and what used to be so intricate in its design slowly turned into half-assed lies that Stella became far too tired to even acknowledge. Then, she’s on her own once more. She was wondering when her current friend group would inevitably do the same; realize how fucked up Stella is and come to the logical conclusion to distance themselves from a walking disaster. It was a matter of time, she was sure. Fingernails dug into the soft pads of her hands, Stella gnawing on her lip. No matter how long she is going to be welcomed, she needs to help out in some way. So, if they offer her this chance then she is going to take it with the utmost gratitude. She could be homeless. Why wasn’t she…“ Ms. Salazar?” Her last name ripped her away from her self-loathing, an automatic smile filling in her once tense grimace. “That is me!~” She chirped. With shaky legs, she followed the receptionist to the back. They passed through intricate hallways covered with posters of each mascot. Random plushies could be seen on the window ledge for each office. Some seemed to be more biased than others, considering a few had a plethora of Roxy merchandise. Something within her felt that perhaps that wasn’t a good sign. But she was brought out of her immersion by a rather energetic and boastful voice. “Ms. Salazar, is it?” A middle-aged male walked up to Stella and shook her hand with a firm grip. Out of habit, she looked away, eye contact a problem that she was currently working on. “H-Hello. And yes, it is.” She retracted her hand quickly, the motion not going unnoticed by the ever-vigilant Officer Steve. However, it was probably a sensitive topic considering. So. he made an internal deal to get to know Stella and find out her backstory. It was said that no one can escape the curious mind of Steve Henderson. “Pleased to meet you! I’m Steve Henderson, aka, Officer Steve. I’m the head security officer for this Megaplex location and I’ll be conducting your appointment this afternoon. Please, have a seat.” He led her into his office and motioned for her to sit on one of the chairs in front of his desk. She took a seat, Stella placing her backpack next to her on the floor. Twitchy fingers clutched around her knees while her right gently tapped from the soft children’s music that floated into the back office. “Just one moment while I get all the necessary papers.” He said with a smile, the male bowing over to search through his bottom file draw. While he mumbled to himself about organizing his papers better, Stella took the time to idly look at the overly decorated office. There wasn’t a particular theme; it seemed that whatever item he received from this place made its way to display here. There was no bias either, with an equal amount of PizzaPlex paraphernalia strewn throughout the small space. But then she noticed the two plushies of both MoonDrop and SunnyDrop. She tilted her head slightly, a fond smirk playing on her lips. She loved SunnyDrop for as long as she could remember, the mascot coming to life in her younger years. She had a lot of SunnyDrop-related merchandise, Stella having an internal battle earlier on whether it would be weird if she came in her Sunny Hoodie. But, in the end, she decided against it and came in a loose-fitting sweater. But then there was MoonDrop, a character that came a little after SunnyDrop’s debut. When she first saw him on TV, she was told that she had cried all night. Present-day he still gives her the chills but at least she doesn’t have night terrors anymore. “Spotted them didja?” She jumped in her seat, gaze returning to the officer. “Uh…Yeah.” She gave a breath of a laugh. “Sorry.” He gave a laugh of his own, “ Please, no worries! I don’t mean to show any bias but I will say that befriending them both was a real challenge.” That caught her attention, Stella wanting to ask for him to expand more on it. But was beaten to the punch by Steve. “Well then.” He smacked his hands together and rubbed his palms. “Let’s begin!” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Stella had only been exposed to a quarter of her new workplace and already she was overwhelmed. However, after years of schooled suppression, her anxiety was left to pool within her very core. Something to add to the firepower of her approaching breakdown, but now just wasn’t the time to mull over what will be. She needed to pay attention. She transitioned back to reality, her “guide’s words becoming coherent once more. “...really, no kidding. Anyways, the next place on our little tour is the daycare! Does the name SunnyDrop sound familiar to you?” The older male asked, head cocking slightly towards Stella. The smaller gave an affirmed hum. “Course! He hasn’t been around for long but I love his design.” Stella mused. “Though, I will admit.” She continued with a breath of a laugh. “His counterpart is a tad creepy.” Her confession was met with a hearty laugh. “Completely understandable! Quite a few of the other employees feel the same. But, in my opinion, he’s a shy introvert who is very misunderstood. When one thinks of the dark, one can’t help but affiliate it with bad things. But! I gotta tell ya. The daycare is a sight to see when it’s dark.” Stella eyed the other with interest, the male’s voice laced with that of fondness. “You and MoonDrop sound close.” She couldn’t help but say. Steve simply nodded coupled with a small grin. “Being a “veteran” of this place, I’ve grown very close with each animatronic. I couldn’t help but try my hand at befriending every single one of them, even if they are very apprehensive at first.” He said with a small chuckle, his face expressing that of a past, pleasant memory. Before Stella could inquire further, the sound of playful children’s music caught her attention. They stopped in front of a large set of double doors. They looked heavy and sturdy which mimicked the appearance of safety, the very thing an establishment like this wants parents to feel. To provide them enough peace of mind to spend their money freely for both themselves and their children. Steve stepped up, his hand in a fist as he knocked on the left door. He then stepped back, the large male unable to suppress an excited grin. “He is a hoot, you’ll see.” His excitement was contagious and already Stella could feel her pulse quicken beneath her olive skin. The sound of bells could be heard, each jingle growing in volume as something approached the double doors. It was then Stella heard the familiar voice of the jovial sun jester. “Oh, goodie! Friends! Who could it be, who could it be?” Their innocent quip was enough to make Stella’s heart squeeze. The left door was opened with enthusiasm, and the head of SunnyDrop immediately peeked around to see who had come to his daycare. “Officer Steve! What a pleasant surprise! You usually don’t come by until well into the night!” It felt like every sentence from Sunny ended with an exclamation point, Stella unsure of how he was not exploding from the amount of energy swirling within him. “We got a newbie tonight. I’m showing her around, introducing her to everyone.” Steve stepped aside as Stella unknowingly shuffled behind the male so Sunny wouldn’t look at her. But now she was in the limelight and the fact she was new sent Sunny into an energetic spiral. “New friend?! Goodie!!” The sun jester opened the door further, the music from the overhead speakers spilling out further into the lobby. Out of habit, her foot gently tapped to the beat of the simple song, the action not going unnoticed by the animatronic. But they said nothing as they danced around the female, sizing up his new friend. “You’re very pretty! What’s your name? Is that your natural hair color? Oh, I like your eyes!” The amount of attention she was receiving was too much and she looked at Steve for help. Picking up on her silent SOS, Steve stepped in to gently pry away Sunny who was currently staring into Stella’s icy blue eyes. “Sunny, boundaries. Remember what we talked about?” Suddenly, Sunny did a back step and elegantly landed on one foot. “Right! My apologies.” He scratched at his faceplate in a sheepish way, a blush a fitting addition for the situation if Sunny held the ability to produce one. “But those questions still stand!” He placed his hands behind his back, a feigned sense of proper etiquette encircling the ever-smiling animatronic. Stella took a moment to recall his questions,” My name’s Stella. And yes, it is.” She patted at her loose bun, the female choosing to come into her first day of work in casual attire considering she was simply receiving the grand tour for tonight. Her hair was dark but when in the right lighting you could see the gleam of dark purple within the highlights. And in the right conditions, the hue of ruby red could be seen amongst her ends. Her skin was a honey color, a great contrast to her freezing eyes. Her pupils were ghostly and to some people, it made them uncomfortable. The colors were just too sharp, it seemed. Among her small frame, she wore a large, loose-fitting sweater. She hadn’t received her shirt or security jacket yet so she improvised with her top. But as for her bottoms, she wore black jeans that, while not unique, filled the criteria for the “proper” employee dress code. The sound of jittering mechanics emanated from Sunny, the jester having a tough time refraining from invading Stella’s personal space again. Steve couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the animatronic, the so-called veteran took aback by his old friend’s behavior. “SunnyDrop, are you okay?” The concern in his voice seemed to flip a switch within the sun jester, his shaking immediately ceasing as he turned to Steve. “Yes, yes! I’m A-Okay!” He declared, his hands rubbing together from what seemed to be residual anxiety. “Too much Fizzy Fazz, perhaps.” Sunny supplied an excuse, and Steve gave a hesitant nod. He didn’t seem convinced, but for now, he was going to leave it. “Anyhow, we need to get going Sunny.” His rubbing hands slowly came to a stop, an aura of sadness contradicting his large smile. “Oh? You’re leaving so soon?! B-But, I had so many things planned!” Steve chuckled. “Sunny you didn’t even know we were coming. How did you plan anything?” Sunny gave a light laugh, the fluttering sound comforting to Stella. “It’s never hard for me to make up fun activities on the fly!” Sunny said, gently patting Steve on the head for not getting such a simple thing. “Pfft, of course! How could I forget?” Steve played along, Sunny suddenly whipping his head towards Stella who jumped noticeably from his sudden movement. “I’m sad we didn’t get to finger paint together but I hope you can stop by again real soon!” He then hopped over and proceeded to pat Stella on the head as well. But what started as playful swatting turned into gentle rubbing, as if the other could feel her strands of hair amongst his metal fingers. “Soft…Poofy.” He mused gently. Perhaps he did have the ability to feel physical material? Then his touch left her scalp, the sun jester skipping over to the still ajar door. Spinning on the tip of his shoe, he peeked around the door to give one final goodbye. “ Welcome to the Freddy Fazbear Megaplex team, Stella! Can’t wait to spend more time with you!” And with that, he slipped back into his daycare, the once bellowing music immediately muffled by the closing of the large double doors. Steve turned to Stella. “As I said, he is a hoot!” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Finally, it was the end of Stella’s shift and she was free to leave the building for the day. Expected to come back at the same time the coming night, she was given every pamphlet that outlined the infrastructure that was the pizza plex. A couple of them were employee inclusive, maps of the utilities’ tunnels and warehouses, of course, not accessible by guests. Currently, she held about 6 different pamphlets, and with each anxious sifting through the leaflets, Stella felt more and more way over her head. The job itself was easy enough - Steve had even gone as far as to give her a handwritten step-by-step instruction sheet for her to follow and, soon enough, apply to her muscle memory. But Stella had no idea just how huge the entire establishment was. She had even admitted to Steve that she has never visited this particular location. However, practice makes perfect and for now, all she could do was study what material she had and get a full eight hours of sleep. She hadn’t been sleeping well lately and now that she was working the night shift her sleeping schedule was going to get a whole new makeover. Change was something Stella found hard to adapt to, but one way or another she will find a way. Certain activities will have to be put on hold while others will be shifted around, Stella is suddenly immersed in creating a faux schedule within her mind. A soft tapping pulled her away from her thoughts, Stella’s head snapping in the direction of the sound. Right now the building’s power had been cut off, something that they did before they officially opened for the day. So, she was walking around in pitch black. Certain areas were illuminated by emergency lights which helped her find her way to the employee exit. But, two red eyes were easy enough to see in the dark, their glowing eeriness slipping her into a trance. She should be terrified right now. She wasn’t diagnosed with it but she highly believed she had a phobia of the dark. However, she walked closer with such ease, Stella realizing she was approaching the see-through shell of the daycare. “MoonDrop.” She muttered, the clicking of the moon jester’s mechanics seemingly increasing from Stella’s recognition. Her earlier conversation with Steve resurfaced to the forefront of her mind, the word “misunderstood” echoing the loudest. So she found herself placing her right hand against the cool glass, Moondrops own dominant hand mirroring hers. “I’m sad we didn’t get to talk more, but I hope to see you again real soon.” She chirped at the night animatronic, Sunny’s last words to her remade in her rendition. She didn’t know if Moon would catch on, but internally she had a feeling she shouldn’t doubt the intellect of these mascots. And her instinct seemed to be correct, Moondrop’s faceplate rotating slightly as his shoulders bounced lightly from his low chuckling. But, to her disappointment, he didn’t speak further. But Steve did mention some were apprehensive of meeting new employees and considering Moondrop’s reputation amongst the ones who have been here the longest, her interaction was something most likely unheard of. From the elusive MoonDrop, nonetheless. She gave a hum, a small grin graced her lips as she gave a few thrums with her fingers against the glass. “Good night, MoonDrop.” She then let her hand fall back to her side and proceeded to make her leave. “Nighty night~” She heard the raspy voice of MoonDrop say, Stella, turning around to see the back half of Moon disappear into the maze that was the play structures. She wasn’t expecting an answer back, but to have received a reciprocated reply she clutched her chest from the sweet ache within. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And yes, there will be spicy times huehuehue

#fnaf #fnafoc #fnaf security breach #five nights at freddy's #sunndrop #moondrop #sunnydropxoc #moondrop x oc

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dyketubbo · 2 years

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i've been thinking about the subject of characters with identities or traits that would inherently diversify a work but are also in a sort of constant state of both being canon and non-canon. whether because the author confirmed it only after the source ended, or because its only word of god even if the series was/is still going at the time of the staff member saying so, or because its only shown in some versions of the media, or because its just coding and isnt explicitly said, or because its something the author is alright with it being depicted or not depicted. and theres a big discussion about whether these traits are important to celebrate, to portray even if they dont align with headcanons or even if they dont fit with the story itself.

or even if these traits are "hard to draw". hard to write in. hard to accomodate for. hard to change for. hard to envision. hard to see as Canon.

it ranges from transfem june egbert (doesnt align with many peoples headcanons, was confirmed only after proper homestucks end and has not been shown in extended media despite the og story having strong hints), to wheelchair user c!goodtimeswithscar (author is alright with it being depicted but also alright with it not being depicted, wheelchairs are considered to be hard to draw and hard to adapt to a world like minecraft).

fat terezi (depicted only in pesterquest, fat bodies are considered to be hard to draw and to adapt to certain art styles) to, for the sake of putting an objectively kind of shitty rep here, gay dumbledore (confirmed after the series ended. also jkr is a piece of shit whose writing shouldnt be supported in any form anyways, but this is here to show a low of this behavior).

even in adaptations like with annabeth chase being played by a black actor, even if shes not necesssarily described as black in the original media.

you could argue on and on about whether its more proper or respectful to just go by the original media only. or if its actively disrespectful to just go in favor with whats easier. whats more common. whats more "relatable". to keep making transmasc egbert because june is just a fictional character and transmasc people have been relating to her for ages so why should they have to change? to keep depicting c!scar as either a different form of disabled such as a cane user or using back braces because wheelchairs are hard to draw and its hard to think about adapting minecraft to wheelchair users and besides, the cc doesnt care and its a way to keep that separation so why change the design to be more like him? annabeth wasnt meant to be black, so why bother changing the minds vision of her, its not like shes really canonically black, why not keep depicting her white anyways?

and i guess every time ive been faced with this sort of problem ive always gravitated to just.. depicting those characters like that anyways when i can. make june transfem because fuck it, its interesting and transfem fans relate to her and have been keeping up this headcanon for ages, and its just a nice thing to do. depict terezi as fat anyways because if your style cant handle fat people then thats something you should work on, diversity shouldnt be left out of a style.

depict scar with a wheelchair and oxygen tubes anyways because disability cant just be traded out for whats easier to accomodate for and thinking about disability accomodations is good worldbuilding! wheelchair users deserve to be seen in fantasy too. make annabeth black because little black girls deserve to see themselves in a character that theyd love and admire and want to be like.

people will go on and on about projecting onto the characters they like and making all the headcanons they want, but as soon as one is made canon (in a way that isnt actively disrespectful or genuinely disingenuous to the story) or even just soft canon, people pussyfoot around and stutter and mumble and make multiple reasons about why they just Cant. or, they even just ignore it. dont think about it at all.

but iunno, i think in the case of "would doing this, and thus adding more diversity to my work, make other people happy in the same way im made happy when i see people like me in media?" with the answer being yes then.. just do it. and of course, always be careful that youre not just adding diversity for brownie points, that on some level youre thinking about how you come off and whether youre being respectful or not. but in the end i think making others happy is always a good reason to do something with your creative work

#mask mews #homestuck #hs #mcyt #hermitcraft #hc #just putting those tags because im not about to bait hp fans onto my post (bc i hate them)#and i dont want to actually bother pjo fans lol #some other honorable mentions: bi sunset shimmer; whatevers going on with roxy lalonde; black pinkie pie; amd more im forgetting #because it is 8am for me #for anyone who isnt a homestuck the character at the bottom is #june egbert #who i suppose deserves her own tag bc i love her lol

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raayllum · 3 years

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I think the reason TDP is left out of queer rep discussions is because it's not as known as other shows with LGBTQ+ representation, which mainly advertize themselves as that while TDP tends to lean more towards adventure, comedy and drama. It could also be because, from my fandom deep dives, some call Duren's queens' death "bury your gays" trope or think the creators simply wanted to make a "woke" show. But these are just my quesses about the matter.

This might be a very cynical slant to take but: I actually think a lot of it has to do with race. Now, queer rep in live action vs animation is very different. M/M ships / pairings still dominate the live action landscape in terms of rep and in terms of fandom. Western animation is one of the only places - as far as I know of - where femslash is actually more represented. And I'm not going to get into why, because it's long and complex and I don't have all the answers there, but we're gonna put a pin in that point because it's relevant for later.

The fact of the matter is that, in spite of cartoon tumblr's insistences that they care about Intersectionality, they don't actually care about disabled or racial representation. And I know this, largely because of how the VLD and SPOP fandoms treat their disabled and darker skinned characters of colour. I was in the VLD fandom for 2.5 years as a Shiro (disabled, chronically & mentally ill queer man of colour) and Allura (Black woman) fan. For SPOP I dabbled in the fandom alone, but my favourites were always Bow, Scorpia, and Adora.

While I have mixed feelings regarding Sh*ra and adore TOH as a very fun and cute show, there are commonalities between them. Just a quick disclaimer: I don't like Catra/Adora (also never shipped Adora/Glimmer) and I think Luz/Amity is adorable. I am acknowledging my shipping preferences, but they actually have very little to do with the sort of analysis I'm doing here, which is on a structural narrative level. But just to get it out of the way, they're there.

Now, the most popular queer ships of the past 5 years have been Keith/Lance, Sokka/Zuko, Catra/Adora, and Luz/Amity. All four are (technically, in CA's case) interracial, with strong corresponding elements between each m/m and f/f pair.

Keith/Lance and Sokka/Zuko both feature a paler angstier boy who's a bit of a loner paired with a more flirtatiously written (whether that's canon for Sokka is debatable) darker skinned boy. CA and Lumity both feature a character who's mean or cruel at first due to their home life, but is eventually reformed. All four ships are rivals or enemies to lovers.

There's a few key differences between CA, Lumity, and Janaya. The first two both feature at least one protagonist (Catra would likely fall under deuteragonist, Amity is a main side character, same as Janai and Amaya; for the record Keith and Lance would have fallen under this as well). Another main difference is that Janai/Amaya is the only one where the rivalry / enemy status is truly reciprocal and completely impersonal. But I think the biggest differences, honestly, between why CA and Lumity are so much more popular than JA?

It's because CA and Luz/Amity offer more projection fodder for things that young teens in particular are going through in regards to Amity and Catra's characters being very easy to project onto, and that both ships hardcore protect White Femininity somewhat at the expense of their darker skinned ladies of colour.

For example: Amity and Adora are both the more feminine ladies in appearance and disposition in some ways, i.e. being in dresses whereas their ship half is in something more masculine leaning (or in Luz's case, a true mix). Again, put a pin this, cause we'll be back to it in a second.

As for projection, Catra and Amity both struggle with having very controlling mothers. They have hard outer shells as a coping mechanism, with the protagonist being someone who opens and softens them up. As such, the shipping content itself tends to hinge on how Catra and Amity feel, over how Luz and Adora feel. Canon reflects this; Amity blushing episodes before Luz does, catching feelings when they're only really just starting to be friends. We're supposed to believe that Catra has "always loved" Adora - in her own words - even though she brainwashed her in season two (which is what Horde Prime, endgame big bad, did to Catra in season five - and we got to see trauma there addressed, but what Catra did to Adora is never brought up ever again), and accepting their happily ever after means accepting that truth.

TOH does a better job at showing why Luz is interested in Amity, first as a friend and then as a love interest. Catra and Adora's relationship is more sloppily handled.

However, one key thing is still there: in season five, the show presents Catra as Adora's saviour: "It doesn't always have to be you! [...] What do you want, Adora?" Likewise, much of Luz and Amity's relationship hinges on Luz, by proxy, transforming Amity's life and helping to free her from her family. In spite of the way Catra is brutal to Adora in the past, her side of the relationship arc in the show with the final season in mind is ultimately about saving the more feminine, white woman she's fallen in love with. (This is also Netossa's entire character arc, btw; we never see her white wife have to fight for her, either.) Amity has very few arcs that aren't related to Luz / her gayness - whereas as Luz has plenty outside of it, which makes it so much better - but relationship wise, Amity hasn't wrought the big transformative changes out of Luz in the same capacity that Luz has created for Amity.

Now reading Catra as brown is complicated for a few different reasons (she's often specifically seen as Latina, and Catra is by far the most sexualized character in the show as well as being the angriest / more aggressive / literally animalistic), but that doesn’t mean it’s a disingenuous reading. Noelle Stevenson themselves has supported it, in fairly typical “I didn’t think through all the implications” fashion SP*P is riddled with.

Now, how does this relate to Janaya? Well for one, Amaya is significantly more masculine presenting in comparison to Janai. Neither deal with parental issues that can be projected onto; Khessa disapproves, but she arguably brings Janai and Amaya together instead, and Janai has her own authority as a political figure. Janaya has a very reciprocal relationship, both taking steps towards the other. The relationship doesn't hinge on one having strong feelings far sooner than the other to justify their redemption arc or their cruelty towards the other. Neither of them are mean, although if one is characterized as more angry or stand offish in a fic, it is often Janai, who is a darker skinned Black woman, because... fandom falls back on stereotypes, I suppose? But related to the projection, is that because Janai and Amaya have a lot of character background that isn't related to each other, they're more complex characters to write. Catra basically doesn't have a motivation outside of Adora and neither does Amity; they kinda exist, within text, to be love interests, even if their characters also have more than that going on personally.

But Janai does not Exist, narratively, just to be Amaya's love interest. Most of her motivations exist outside of Amaya (i.e. Amaya is an obstacle to protecting her people, whereas Catra fights Adora to spite Adora) and Amaya never overtakes them (which can't be said for Amity or Catra; although they're setting aside negative motivations like shame or expectations, those motivations aren't replaced by anything other than their love interests). She has her own interiority, and that makes her less appealing.

Janai and Amaya are going to change each other's lives, yes, but in smaller ways outside of changing things between elves and humans. The fics I've seen that try to give that "Janai doesn't have much of a life outside of Amaya" read (ie. that Janai didn't have many friends growing up) is baffling for a few reasons. The first is that, unlike Rayla or Ezran in canon, there's nothing in canon to support it, and it's a lazier less interesting route for a grown woman who would have camaraderie with her troops (and her two canonical siblings) if nothing else.

There's a lot of interesting think pieces on what gets popular for m/f ships and why that you can read here, but one of those overlaps is the emphasis on dynastic power and - usually the male - 'liberating' the female character from a life she's trapped in. Again: sound familiar at all? And again, is also extremely common for enemies/rivals to lovers ships.

Which is to say: TDP's ship that would've fit the format would've been Rayla/Claudia. Not only are they both white, which definitely helps shipping popularity, but Rayla is the more masculine leaning between the two, and Claudia can't be evil, because she's a quirky feminine white girl! She just needs someone to save her from her father - or, in one oneshot I stumbled upon, a very aggressive Corvus who's attacking Rayla, because making out a Black man as aggressive and violent when he's not that in canon whatsoever so your white lesbians can get together is Progressive, right? Who cares if Rayla is someone she dehumanizes in canon? They can be a power couple together.

But TDP canon didn't give a single damn thing to Rayla/Claudia, and so the ship died out.

Janaya has the dynastic power, but it is privileged to a Black woman, and so is her emotional arc. Amaya will be her queen, not the other way around. Nor are they liberating each other from anything. They are two people who already have most of their shit figured out, figuring out the rest together. It is refreshingly mature, and honestly common with a lot of TDP’s couples, even Rayllum (who has the reciprocal transformative side of things done perfectly).

So I guess the TLDR version is;

A combination of age demographic of tumblr's animation community; the tropes that Janaya don't fall into that leads to less interrelated projection; and race.

Because let's be honest, a lot of queer rep in fandom is predicated entirely on shipping, which is why bi characters in m/f relationships or interracial representation is given a backseat to Gold Star Gays.

The second thing is that TDP has a Lot going on besides shipping. Any of the main five are pretty equally popular among general fans, everyone gets multiple arcs a season. There's intensive worldbuilding, lore, and history. There's a lot of over arcing plot and platonic foundations / relationships are prioritized (i.e. friends, siblings, etc).

TOH tries to balance between a school show (both familiar) and has actual worldbuilding here and there, which I'm very grateful for. Sh*ra does worldbuilding whenever it feels like it, which is very rare, and dismantles it's emphasis on friendship by having almost literally everyone get into romantic relationships within the last two episodes. The main draws of each of the shows are shipping; TOH privileges Amity's relationship with Luz in terms of emphasized screentime over Gus and Willow, which is strange because Luz never had Friends before, and because it's only started to feel recently (i.e. s2) like she and Amity have a strong friendship outside of crush feelings. Which yeah, as an aro-spec person, is Important to me to get Invested, lmao. Shera has completely stagnant characters, sometimes for entire 6-13 episode long seasons, and the war only matters when the show wants it to, resulting in multiple, very odd and jarring tonal shifts. Both shows struggle with highlighting their men of colour and giving them individual arcs, although again, TOH does significantly better.

But fandom - especially young, queer fandom - doesn't know how to exist in fandom without shipping, and without an extreme emphasis on same sex presenting couples, and are unlearning a lot of their own western imposed whiteness and... Yeah. (That's not to say I'm not unlearning my own, but I'm probably further along than a 16 year old, and I Know I was further along at 16 than a lot of teens on twitter these days, unfortunately.)

TDP just says, "Here are our characters and the world they inhabit, and you just get to observe them." It's complete and utter normalization, for any of the intersections of representation involved. TDP makes their representation Clear and Obvious without making it Important, as an interview, marketing, or in story factor. These characters just get to Be. They get to live and die and love like anyone else. There's no attention drawn to it in the first place, it just is.

But you know, as frustrating as it can be sometimes that TDP doesn't get the credit it deserves, as it is undeniably the show that has made me and a lot of other people along different intersections than me feel the Most Seen, I'd take just getting to Be - even if it's just in a fictional universe for now - over Distinction, any day.

#i really said: i'm gonna end mainstream femslash's whole career #shipping #but like none of these things are Bad #but noticing patterns and giving more variety?? are Good. please do them #thanks for asking #anonymous #fandoms #non tdp #like i'm in a same sex presenting interracial relationship #i have personal stakes in this game lmao #tdp has my favourite rep thank u very much #esp as someone who also writes high fantasy and GASP kills off queer characters sometimes #bc literally almost my entire cast is queer #i will defend the queens of duren always & forever thank u #tag ramble #spop critical #JUST IN CASE?#representation #race in fandom

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mcustorm · 3 years

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In Defense of a Black Cyclops

In case my username didn’t make it clear, the single most anticipated visual project for me is the MCU’s interpretation of the X-Men, which hasn’t even been announced yet [officially]. And ladies and gents, I have found your Cyclops:

Good ol’ Alfred Enoch, who we all know from Harry Potter and How to Get Away With Murder. If you’re not familiar with HTGAWM, know that his character goes from the de facto leader of the ragtag (murderers) and most cherished protege of Viola Davis’ Professor X to taking more of a grimdark turn after his girlfriend’s death. Sound at least somewhat familiar?

Enoch also embodies the physicality of the character well, seeing as to how he’s “slim”, 6′4(!!), black, and notoriously lanky. Wait, one of these isn’t like the others.

In general I hate fancasting. Everyone generally picks from the same pool of about 30 actors (Peeps, neither Taron nor Daniel is a good Wolverine choice. Argue with your mother!), and most all of it is based on physicality, except when it absolutely should be (like say, choosing a ~5′10 dark-skinned black woman for Storm).

And I think there’s some malarkey afoot. I think there needs to be some serious consideration on part of fancasters and actual casting agents alike to rethink race when it comes to the [white] X-Men, especially since they’re the X-Men of all teams. So I’ll make the case for a black Cyclops:

1. There is no quota on Black X-Men: There’s a bug in your ear that’s been whispering lies to you for years, it says something to the effect of “We need a black person on the team for diversity. How bout Storm?” And you’ve gotten complacent. Storm does not have to be the only black person on your X-Men roster.

2. The X-Men represent diversity: Iceman is gay, Cyclops and Prof. X are disabled (sorta), there are plenty of women, oh and everybody except Storm is white. Of the A-List X-Men, there is only *one* POC character. I’d argue that an MCU X-Men needs to champion diversity like never before.

3. The X-Men represent minority struggle while being mostly white: There’s a cognitive dissonance in the metaphor that has always been there, and for the most part, nobody cares. To appeal to the white readers of the 60′s, the X-Men were all initially white. That way, the message of the mutants could be related to the audience with a familiar face. We don’t need to approach the problem that way in 202?

4. Just because that’s the way it’s always been, doesn’t mean that’s the way it should be: The first line of defense. Sorry, that will never be a good justification for literally any idea. It’s time for some more critical thinking.

5. We don’t all want to be Bishop: So say you’re white and you have a kid who for his birthday having a costume party. You’ve bought some X-Men costumes and you want each kid to pick one. 9 white kids and one black kid show up to your house. As the kids deliberate who gets what costume, be it Cyke or Wolvie or whatever, you yell at everybody to “STOP!”, point to the one black kid and tell him “You’re gonna be Bishop. That’s it, end of story!”

We don’t all want to be Bishop. The black child could have the best Cyclops interpretation within him, but you’ll never know if you don’t let him try. And that’s no different from the Black actors of Hollywood. There’s no reason why all of the black talent should *have* to compete for the role of Bishop or Storm, which I’ve discussed, while Joe Schmo can walk up and audition for literally anybody he wants.

Jharrel Jerome is 23 and has an Emmy to his name. He needs to be in the MCU in some capacity, period. Stephan James is another. How bout Damson Idris. Ashton Sanders. But no, no, let’s fancast Dacre Montgomery or Ansel or Joe Keery again as [Human Torch, Wolverine, Iceman, Angel, I’ve literally seen it all.]

6. Nobody wants to see the B-team if it comes down to it. The next line of defense from your racebending naysayers after “That’s the way it’s always been!” is “Well, what about Psylocke, Bishop, Forge and Jubilee?” who are otherwise known as B-tier X-Men. The problem is, we’ve got limited time and limited spots.

So since the X-Men is all about wonky metaphors that make half sense, let me give you another: Let’s say somebody approaches you and says “Hey buddy, I got two free concert tickets for ya! You can either see Michael Jackson Sings the Blues, or you can go see Justin Timberlake. Free of charge!”

Now, are you used to MJ singing the blues? No! Do you have a problem with going to see Justin Timberlake? No, he’s fine on a Wednesday! He had that one little diddy we liked that one time. We’d love to see him eventually! But are you gonna say, “fuck that, I’m going to see MJ Sings the Blues” regardless? Hell yes, because that’s still Michael Jackson. He’s gonna give the same amazing performance he always does, it’s just gonna be the blues. And speaking of blues...

7. Black is not Blue, Brown is not Blue: Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard this one: “I don’t care if you’re black, white, purple, or green, I’m going to treat you all the same!” I will not say all have this intention, but some fancasters have noticed that the racial diversity is kinda low within the A-List X-Men, so they oh-so-generously give the following roles to a black or brown person: Iceman, Nightcrawler, Beast.

Notice the pattern? It’s a microaggression, and it’s bullshit. What these fancasters are implicitly telling you is that, yes the actors will be black or brown, but when the action starts we can ignore that. They’ll be blue by then. In other words, you in fact do care if they’re purple or green. Nobody will cry foul if Dev Patel gets to play Nightcrawler (because that’s a common one I see), but should Anna Diop be Starfire or Michael B. Jordan be Human Torch, I bet there’d be backlash. Oh wait. If that’s you, please stop acting like you actually value diversity. You don’t want to see black or brown skin, period. Unless of course, it’s Storm (refer to point #1).

But wait, there’s more! When brown characters get whitewashed in these movies, it’s crickets! So eventually it’s revealed implicitly that proclaimers of point #4 only care about it one way.

8. Professor X should not be black if you’re not willing to change anyone else: The next line of defense is that some people say the professor should be black, if anybody HAS to be racebent. Something something MLK Jr., Civil Rights or some shit. Number one, I’m not reducing Professor X to being a magical negro for 9 white people (and Storm!) who for all intents and purposes get to have all the action. Number 2, the Professor X/MLK/Magneto/Malcolm X comparison is an oversimplifying disservice to ALL FOUR of those people. I hate that line whenever I see it, please watch a documentary my friends.

9. The Candidates for Racebending: For me, the A-List X-Men are Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Angel, Beast, Wolverine, Storm, Gambit, Rogue, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Kitty Pryde. Now, who should be exempt from the racebending? Storm, she’s our designated minority. Gambit, he’s Cajun and they’re white (generally speaking, that’s a fun bit of research). Wolverine, Colossus, and Nightcrawler, because their nationality/ethnicity was the whole point of the Giant-Size premise in the first place. Angel, because his character embodies a privileged white male. Beast and Iceman, I don’t care one way or another (Point #7).

That leaves Cyclops, Rogue, Jean Grey, and Kitty Pryde. Now Jean Grey is a redhead, and we all know that every time a redhead is racebent people sharpen their pitchforks (Mary Jane, Wally West, Iris West), so I will cede the ground on Jean if only so that my ginger friends can get their rep. Kitty Pryde is Jewish, but Jews of color exist. Rogue is from the South. And Cyclops is, well, just Cyclops. That makes those three characters good options for more diversity. But allow me to make the case for Cyclops, specifically.

10. It’s not just diversity for diversity’s sake: If you had to pick who the main character of the X-Men is supposed to be, most would say Cyclops. And so in a series that highlights racial discrimination in society, it makes sense that our main character be black. While changing Cyclops’ skin color should not change who he is as a character, it *should* recontextualize it. Now, as an eventual increasingly radical leader of the X-Men, Cyclops would evoke real life figures such as Colin Kaepernick or, shall I say, Martin Luther King, Jr.

Not that most X-Men fans and writers truly think about what it means to be black anyways. Storm’s minority status is almost always put through the lens of her being a mutant and not her being a black woman. In other words, you can’t argue that making a character black will fundamentally change his or her character when you haven’t even analyzed the racial context of the black character(s) you already have. Another concept that the MCU X-Men should tackle: intersectionality.

11. Representation matters: I have to say it: Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther hit different. And now he is tragically gone. At the end of the day, the MCU moving forward is down its most prominent black male superhero. Which has implications beyond just the movies themselves.

The women are in good hands. Shuri, Okoye, and Nakia are badasses in Wakanda, Valkyrie is ruling Asgard, Storm is almost assuredly on the way, RiRi Williams has already been cast, and Monica Rambeau is here and she’s not even at her most glorious yet. That doesn’t even include variable Δ, or the number of characters who can and will be racebent. And I’ll note again that to me, Gamora doesn’t count, because she’s green (#7 really pisses me off because it’s so blatant. I hate it). Of course from a behind the camera perspective we love black women getting work.

The men are a completely different story. Imma just go out and say it, I can’t stand Falcon and War Machine [in the MCU] because they’re not characters, they’re just two of a slew of MCU minority sidekicks who have essentially been at the beck and call of Captain America and Iron Man, respectively. You cannot tell Falcon’s story without mentioning Cap. The reverse is not true. There’s a whole essay that could be and have been written on “Minorities in the MCU, pre-Black Panther”. Remember, there’s a reason BP made so much noise in the first place.

So excluding those two we have, let’s see, M’Baku, Blade, and Fury who aren’t exactly the most superheroic superheroes, Eli Bradley is proooobably coming, I doubt Miles Morales is coming (because he’s just Peter Parker in the MCU), Luke Cage(?) Bishop(??), Sunspot(???), Blue Marvel(????). Not only are they not A-List, I would not put money on any of them being in the MCU any time soon.

Cyclops is thee Captain America of the X-Men. He’s the frontman. He’s the poster boy. He’s the “boy scout”, which in other words means he’s the hero, if there has to be one. It would mean a lot right now, and specifically *right now*, if he were to be black. The MCU needs it. It NEEDS it.

12. The X-Men is the Summers Story: I’ll even make the case that if just one character needs to racebent, then it should be Cyclops, because that of course implies that other related characters need to be black because half of the X-Men universe is in fact a part of the Summers family.

So now Cable is black. Corsair is black. Havok is black. And one of the most central stories in the X-Men mythos, the Summers family drama, is now a black family drama set in space or the future or where the fuck ever. The concept is boundary pushing. When white families have drama in the media, it gets to be Game of Thrones or Star Wars, while when black families have drama in the media, it has to be black people arguing in a kitchen or living room about their various earthly traumas (I’m @’ing you, Mr. Perry). I mean, that’s all fine and good often times, but I want my black family drama in space, dammit.

And again, this is the X-Men, the series that’s all about *minorities* and their struggle, so again, why not?

Oh, and I’ll even throw out a Havok fancast for you: How bout Jharrel Jerome?

#cyclops #scott summers #the mutants #monica rambeau #X-men #xmen #marvel #MCU #fancast #jharrel would actually be a better sunspot #but you get the point #my man would have OPTIONS

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lee-scribbles-and-doodles · 3 years

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My Top Ten Overlooked Movies With Female Leads In No Particular Order

Note: When you see this emoji (⚠️) I will be talking about things people may find triggering, which are spoilery more often then not. I mention things that I think may count as triggers so that people with them will be aware before going in to watch any of these.

Edited: 3/16/21

Hanna (2011)

So, before I get into why you should watch this movie, I just want to take a moment to say why it's near and dear to my heart. Growing up as a queer kid in the early 2000s, seeing portrayals of people like or similar to myself on anything was rare at best. It was mostly in more "adult" movies or shows that my parents would occasionally let me watch with them that I'd see any lgbtq+ rep at all. Often times they were either walking stereotypes, designed to be buried, evil, or all three.

Then here comes this PG-13 action thriller with a wonderfully written main female lead who, at the time, was close to my age, and who got to kiss another girl (her very first friend, Sophie) on screen in an extremely tender and heartwarming scene. To say the least, it was a life changing moment for me personally.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, Hanna is a suspenseful movie about a child super-soldier named, you guessed it, Hanna (played by Saoirse Ronan) and her adoptive (?) father Erik Heller (played by Eric Bana) exiting the snowy and isolated wilderness of their home and taking on the shadowy CIA operative, Marissa Wiegler (played by Cate Blanchette) who wants Erik dead and Hanna for herself for mysterious reasons.

It also has an amazing soundtrack by the Chemical Brothers, great action scenes, and it has an over arching fairytale motif, which I'm always a sucker for.

⚠️ Mild blood effects, some painful looking strikes, various character deaths, and child endangerment all feature in this film. However, given its PG-13 rating, a majority of viewers are presumably able to handle this one. Still, be aware of these going in.

Sidenote: It's recently gotten a TV adaptation on Amazon TV, although I have not watched it, and do not know if Hanna and Sophie's romantic/semi-romantic relationship has transferred over.

A Simple Favor

A Simple Favor is a "black-comedy mystery thriller" centered entirely around the relationship between two mothers, the reclusive, rich, mysterious, and regal Emily (played by Blake Lively), and the local recently widowed but plucky mommy blogger, Stephanie (played by Anna Kendrick). When Emily suddenly goes missing, Stephanie takes it upon herself to find out what happened to her new best friend.

It's a fantastic and entertaining movie throughout, with fun, flawed and interesting characters. The relationship between the two female leads is also implied to be at least somewhat romantic in nature, and they even share a kiss.

⚠️ The only major warnings I can think of is that the movie contains an instance of incest and one of the main plotlines revolves around child abuse, although both of these potentially triggering topics are not connected to each other, so there is thankfully no csa going on.

Edit: I legitimately forgot there was drug use in this movie until now. So, yeah, if that's a trigger, be careful of that.

I Am Mother

I became mildly obsessed with this movie when it came out. I Am Mother is a sci-fi film that centers entirely around a cast of two woman, and a female-adjacent robot who is brought to life on screen with absolutely amazing practical effects.

The plot is such, after an extinction-level event, a lone robot known only as Mother tasks herself with replenishing the human race via artifical means. She begins with the film's main protagonist, Daughter. Years go by as Mother raises her human child and the two prepare for Daughter's first sibling (a brother) to be born. However, on Daughter's 16th birthday, the arrival of an outsider known only as Woman shakes Daughter's entire world view. She begins to question Mother's very nature, as well as what's really going on outside the bunker she and her caretaker call home.

⚠️ This movie features child endangerment and reference to child death.

Lilo and Stitch

When I decided to add a single Disney film to this list I initially thought it was going to be hard but almost immediately my brain went to Lilo and Stitch, and specifically about the relationship between Lilo and Nani.

On the surface, this film is about a lonely little girl accidentally adopting a fugitive alien creature as a "dog," but underneath that the story is also about two orphaned sisters and the older sister's attempts to not let social services tear them apart by stepping up as the younger sister's primary guardian. Despite its seemingly goofy premise, Lilo and Stitch has a very emotional and thoughtful center. It's little wonder how this movie managed to spawn an entire franchise.

Despite the franchise it spawned (or possibly because of it), I often find that Lilo and Stitch is overlooked and many people only remember it for the "little girl adopts an alien as a pet" portion of its plot, and I very rarely see it on people's top 10 Disney lists.

⚠️ This movie could be potentially triggering to people who were separated from their siblings or other family members due to social service intervention. There's also a bit of child endangerment, including a scene where Lilo and Stitch both almost drown.

Nausicaä and the Valley of the Wind

Unlike the above entry, I did struggle a little bit with picking a single Studio Ghibli film. Most media of the Ghibli catalogue have strong, well-written, unique, and interesting female leads so selecting just one seemed like quite the task.

However, I eventually settled on this particular film. In recent months, Princess Nausicaä has become my absolute favorite Ghibli protagonist and I'm absolutely enchanted by the world she lives in.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world overun by giant insects and under threat of a toxic forest and its poisoness spores, Nausicaä must try to protect the Valley of the Wind from invaders as she also tries to understand the science behind the toxic forest and attempts to bridge the gap between the insects and the humans.

For those who have never seen the film, I think Nausicaä's personality can best be described as being similar to OT Luke Skywalker. Both are caring, compassionate, and gentle souls who are able to see the best in nearly anyone or anything. She's an absolutely enthralling protagonist and after rewatching the film again for the first time in well over a decade she has easily become one of my all time favorite protagonists.

Whenever I see people talk about Ghibli films, they rarely mention this one, and when they do mention it, it's often in passing. In my opinion it's a must watch.

⚠️ This movie contains some blood, and the folks who either don't like insects or who have entomophobia may not appreciate the giant bugs running about throughout the movie. (Although most insects do not directly relate to real life bugs, and are fantasy creatures).

A Silent Voice

A Silent Voice is an animated movie adaptation of a manga of the same name. While I've never had the pleasure to read the manga, the movie is phenomenal. It covers topics such a bullying, living in the world with a disability, the desire for atonement, social anxiety, and depression in a well thought out manner that ties itself together through the progression of the relationship between its two leads, Shoya and Shouko. It's also beautifully animated. Although very popular among anime viewers, I've noticed that it's often overlooked by people who watch little to no anime. So I suppose this is me urging non-anime viewers to give this film a chance.

⚠️ As mentioned above, the movie deals with bullying, anxiety, and depression (with this last one including suicidal thoughts and behaviour). If discussion of those topics are triggering to you, than you may want to proceed with caution or skip this movie all together.

In This Corner of The World

Another manga adaptation, this one taking place during WWII-era Japan. In This Corner of The World follows the life of a civilian Japanese woman, Suzu Urano, as she navigates simply living and her new marriage as the wartime invades nearly all aspects of everyday life. I think this movie is a good representation of what it must be like to be living as civilian in a country at war where the fight is sometimes fought on one's own soil. It was also an interesting look into pre-50s Japanese culture in my opinion. It's also beautifully animated featuring an art style I don't see often.

Despite it being well known among anime fans, I never really see it be brought up, even among said anime fans themselves.

Side note: I've seen many WWII dramas centering around civilians but they've almost always been about American or UK civilians. This was the first movie I'd seen that features the perspective of a Japanese civilain.

⚠️ Features the death of a child and limb loss. There's also a disturbing scene featuring a victim of one of the atomic bombs near the end.

Wolf Children: Ame and Yuki

This film follows Hana, a Japan-native woman who fell in love with a magical shape-shifting wolf-man, and her trials with raising their children, who can also magically shape-shift into wolves, on her own. It's a very heartfelt movie about a mother's love and the struggles of doing right by your children when you have limited resources to actively guide and care for them. All the characters feel unique and alive in my opinion. Also, the animation is so good that my sister and I initially mistook it for a Ghibli film.

Again, like the previous two anime entries, I don't see it ever brought up outside of anime circles.

⚠️ There's some child endangerment present in the film, although none of it is the fault of Hana as far as I can remember.

Roman Holiday

Roman Holiday is about the fictional Princess Ann (played by Audrey Hepburn), who while on a whirlwind tour of Europe, finally reaches her breaking point over having her entire life be one big schedule and all her words and actions being rehearsed. In the spur of the moment, she runs away in hopes of experiencing what life is like for other women. Unfortunately, she was previously given a sedative, meaning she doesn't get too far before it takes effect. Fortunately, she is found by the kind reporter Joe Bradley (played by Gregory Peck). Believing her to be drunk and unable to get an address from her (because she has none) he ends up taking her home for safety's sake and allows her to sleep off her suppose drunken stupor. The next day, he realizes who she is, and decides to take her on a fun sight seeing trip across Rome in hopes of getting the big scoop. Along the way, they begin to fall for each other.

This is my favorite black and white, old romance film. I think the relationship between the main characters is absolutely beautiful and I have a lot of fun watching it.

⚠️ I'm not entirely sure what kind of warning this film would need. However, it was released in 1953, so values dissonance will probably be at play for many viewers to at least some extent. For example, early in the film Ann is given sedation drugs by her doctor for her behavior, something that is very unlikely to happen today. Also, Mr Bradley deciding to take Ann home to keep her safe rather than call the police or an ambulance is a very pre-90s decision in my opinion.

#hanna 2011 #a simple favor #i am mother #lilo and stitch #nausicaä of the valley of the wind #a silent voice #in this corner of the world #wolf chilren ame and yuki #wolf children #roman holiday #black and white film #anime #disney #studio ghibli #movie recs #top 10

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c-is-for-circinate · 4 years

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So here’s the thing: I really, honestly do not get the appeal in Widojest. I don’t entirely see the appeal in Caleb Widogast. And I’m okay with that; I have other faves who I pay more attention to; I get to do that, because my show is 3-5 hours long every goddamn week that it airs and there is plenty of time for literally everyone. And I do not have to be a Caleb stan to understand at a really fundamental level that, hey, even if he isn’t important to me? He is very clearly very important to a lot of actual real-live people.

There will always, always be stories that aren’t for you. Maybe they just don’t speak to you at all. Maybe they hit buttons in your brain that remind you of real hurts. It’s always going to happen. In a perfect world, with perfect representation where there are stories for you everywhere, there will still be stories that aren’t.

And it hurts, I know it does, when you feel like the story you want for you doesn’t exist anywhere, but here’s one more story that isn’t it. It hurts when there’s a story that you thought was for you and then it turns out not to care about you at all. There should be more stories for all of us, especially the stories that feel like they’re not getting told.

That is a real, valid pain. We all clear on that?

Good. Because this next part is also absolutely true:

The story that is not for you is very important to someone else. And particularly in fandom spaces, there is a very good chance that the someone else in question has experienced marginalization on the basis of gender, sexuality, race, disability, mental illness, or general trauma.

The story that is not for you has worth.

People who find worth in stories that are not for you--even if your story is underrepresented and their story really has been told one hundred billion times before, even then--ARE NOT INHERENTLY BAD PEOPLE for finding worth in those stories.

There’s this extra dimension to this particular ship war, where I think a lot of Beaujester shippers are so angry not because of what’s actually happened, but because of what years of pattern recognition has taught them (taught us?) must inevitably be coming next. When a leading man in a fantasy series, on an arc of learning to better himself and maybe even value or forgive himself, repeatedly expresses unrequited love for a girl who he believes is too good for him, the narrative will give her to him in the end. This is a pattern and it’s real and its existence hurts, outside of Widojest, just in general in the world.

And on one hand: that has not happened yet with Widojest, and there is a very good chance, for a million reasons, that it won’t! And on the other hand: even if it did happen, that would not be an excuse for violent or abusive behavior, or to dismiss the worth that story might have to other people! And on the third hand: yes, I totally see why it feels like that’s the trope being invoked here, and why that is scary, and why it hurts!

We know about Caleb’s feelings in this one specific way and we don’t know about Jester’s. In theory that means that Jester’s feelings could be ANYTHING, and this could go ANYWHERE, and of course Caleb and Liam would respect Jester and Laura’s ‘no’, and there is plenty of agency all around and that’s great. In practice, it can feel like another reminder of that old trope, where the male lead character’s emotions are given to the audience like something important, and the female lead character’s feelings are generally passed off as vague platonic affection until the final romantic reveal, and we have to extrapolate what was going through her head the whole time.

We know that Critical Role cares about representation and queer visibility, and without a network to fight, they get to make the show as gay as they want. In theory this means that we can trust them to give us the rep we’re craving. In practice, we worry, because in an ad-libbed show where you don’t have to plan ahead or deliberately fight for representation, it’s easy to accidentally slip into old familiar patterns and biases without even noticing they’re there.

We know that Laura’s agency and Jester’s agency matter here, that of course it’s not just about Caleb, and in theory that should make ANY romantic ending better and good and right and fine, but in practice--well, what does it mean, when you’ve got agency over a story, and use it to choose to tell what feels like the same old story all over again?

And right, let me say it again: none of this has happened yet. QUITE LIKELY NONE OF IT EVER WILL. We don’t know!!! Not even the players know!!!

Which, maybe that’s the scariest thing of all. When I’m watching a scripted show, I usually know what to expect out of the formula. I know when a show is going to be queerbaity and then quit gay chicken at the last second. I expect it. I can feel out how trustworthy the showrunners are in a few episodes, and while sometimes there’s a long slow decline or a short sharp surprise, after 20-30 years of media engagement, I know what I’m going to get.

I suspect that CR feels like it should be more “trustworthy,” to many Beaujester shippers, in terms of providing the kind of story they’re craving--but it’s so hard to know for sure. It’s so hard to know whether to brace for disappointment, or be resigned, or ragequit and be done with it, or most terrifyingly at all, to be hopeful.

It’s hard. I do get that it’s hard.

And it’s really easy, isn’t it, to go on twitter and tumblr and into the comments sections on critrole.com and fuck knows where else, I’m assuming there’s a Discord somewhere that I’m not cool enough to know about, and be furious. To be mean. To blame the fear of not getting the story that will mean something to me, again, on anyone else. To make fucking death threats, I don’t even know why that seems acceptable or easy to anyone, but it’s just words typed on a keyboard, so yeah, I guess it’s easy.

Do not fucking do that! Don’t do it! Whether you identify with everything I’ve said here or you have a completely different reason to be full of rage and fury, don’t do the furious threats thing! Just don’t! That, also, is easy!!! And doing absolutely nothing is at least as effective as being violently angry at strangers on the internet, so it has that going for it as well.

There are a lot of feelings to be had here, and I’m sure not going to sum them all up or solve the problem of representation in fiction in one tumblr post, but maybe we can change this discussion a little. Maybe we can redirect.

I started this post by saying that I’m not the world’s biggest Caleb fan. I don’t mind him, but his story doesn’t particularly speak to me. I don’t love the amount of space he takes up in the ongoing fandom discussion. I particularly don’t love that every single time he comes up, the volume of discussion doubles because of people vociferously objecting to every single thing about him.

So I find the parts of the story that are for me. I let the people who want to have Caleb discussions have their Caleb discussions, because they are enjoying a thing they like and I’m glad for him, and then I host a discussion about Beau or Fjord or Caduceus or whoever, because I WANT TO HAVE FUN TOO. I am watching this show because it is full to the brim with things I like and have thoughts about. There is SO MUCH OF THAT TO GO AROUND.

#critical role #fuck it I'm maintagging this #beaujester #discourse #go hog wild in the reblogs y'all #as always abusive asks/replies get ignored #genuine asks/replies get answered as the executive function allows #which is to say probably not but I'll give it a go

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musical-chick-13 · 3 years

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I think what really Bugs Me™ about all this D*stiel discourse™ is that y’all refuse to go this hard for...literally any other demographic.

Every single fandom I have ever been in has involved a wide range of ugly misogynistic comments about at least 90% of the female characters and widespread harassment of people who call that out or even just...don’t share that opinion. I am asked to keep up support for what are considered “bad” or “mediocre” shows just because they have white queer (male) rep in them, but never for imperfect/less-than-stellar shows that have other types of rep such as neurodivergence, disabled characters, trans characters, or people of color. I am consistently told that the only part of me that deserves representation is the part of me that is “visibly” queer. If I end up with a man, I’m not “really” bisexual. If I end up with no one, I don’t deserve to be represented at all. Yeah, having neurodivergent characters is great, I guess, but shouldn’t we be focusing on (cis) queer characters first, isn’t that more important, why are you getting so upset about this neurodivergent character’s treatment, it’s not like they were gay.

When I saw an overwhelming amount of characters who were mentally ill get killed off (usually by committing suicide) in the space of the same year and a half, I saw little to no discussions about it. (The only exception to this was Quentin on The Magicians, and I really have to wonder if that would have gotten the backlash it did if he hadn’t been explicitly confirmed as queer.) I didn’t hear “boycott Netflix” when they cancelled a slate of shows focusing on wlw and people of color. I didn’t hear “boycott the CW” when Black Lightning was cancelled VIA TWITTER. TWITTER, Y’ALL. (Especially since that one was achoice explicitly made solely by the actual network and not the writers and...you know, also had canon queer rep in it...but it focused on people of color so it doesn’t matter, right.) With all of the terrible treatment John Boyega and Loan Tran faced, I never saw anyone say, “Boycott the sequel trilogy” or the writers involved in it.

People are out here acting like D*estiel single-handedly invented slash pairings or is the last bastion of canon queerness and Important Representation™ on TV. When your show had canon queer female characters (who, surprise, surprise, were killed off), and a canon deaf love interest (who, surprise, surprise, was also killed off). Yet every discussion that wasn’t exclusively about D*stiel I saw about this show until the final season were takes about Just How Inexplicably Unlikable all the female characters were.

I understand that seeing a queer character confess their queerness and then get sucked into the lowest level of hell for doing so is incredibly distressing. I absolutely understand the outrage and would have a similar level of outrage at any work that pulled this shit. As a fellow queer woman, I am appalled that anyone decided this was a valid attempt at “representation,” and I am appalled that anyone would look at this and go, “Yeah, that seems like a good idea, let’s write that.”

That doesn’t change the fact that I see this EVERY. TIME. I have yet to see the same backlash against the trope of Bury Your Disabled that I have around Bury Your Gays. I have yet to see the same discussions regarding pervasive racism and whitewashing in fandom as I do about homophobia. The overwhelming majority of widespread discussion I see of misogyny in fandom is almost solely related to people who ship popular m/m pairings (maybe, occasionally, a popular m/f one), or whether or not certain pockets of the Internet deserve to criticize people who like Twilight. Other than discussions about Stephanie Meyer and Bella Swan, very little of it actually involves female creators and characters. The amount of hypocrisy I have seen in the last few months in regard to how we talk about representation is a level of astounding I never thought I would see.

You wanna talk about representation? Then you include every marginalized group in that discussion. You can’t just pick one underrepresented group and say, “That’s it, there are no other discussions we need to have, that’s the only one that matters!”

If you aren’t willing to be this outraged about other poor forms of representation and the way minorities are treated in fandom, then your feelings aren’t actually about representation, you’re just upset the creators didn’t do a better job with a ship you like. If you don’t care about fighting this hard for queer female characters or queer characters of color, your feelings aren’t actually about queer representation, you just want to be able to gush over the prospect of hot cis white dudes kissing. If you only care about seeing yourself in media without being willing to go to bat for other marginalized people, you don’t care about representation, you care about yourself.

#I'm going to log off for awhile before I get certifiably angry because me being angry helps no one least of all myself #but I needed to put this out here because...guys I'm so tired #antidestiel #destihell #I am trying to tag this in a way that people can hide it but where it doesn't show up in the ship tags because tagging your hate is bullshi #racism in fandom #ableism in fandom #misogyny in fandom #if I get murdered this will be why lmao #tw: suicide mention

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neongreengummiebears · 4 years

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Thoughts on Isaac and Representation

I don’t have a point- let me just say that now. This also stands to be perhaps my most controversial post, but that’s a risk I’m willing to take in order to get my thoughts out. This will be long and rambling. You have been warned.

With the release of Sex Education Season 2, fans have been introduced to a character named Isaac, to mixed response. He is Maeve’s new neighbor, a barrier to her relationship with Otis and potentially a new love interest.

It’s not unusual to introduce a new love interest into a show to prolong the drama and keep the tension will-they-won’t-they romance alive. In season one we Otis in love with Maeve, thwarted by the fact that Maeve was dating Jackson, and that Otis never really believed that Maeve could like him anyway. Resigned with this fact, Otis attempted to move on with Ola who had appeared conviniently around the time that Maeve had realized her feelings for Otis and ended her own relationship. It was all very ships in the night.

In season two we get a sort of role reversal: This time it’s Otis in the relationship and Maeve left pining, thinking that he could never love her. It makes sense that this would be the time to introduce a new love interest for Maeve, sort of HER Ola, if you will. The difference here is that Ola is sweet and wonderful and Isaac is sketchy AF.

I hate him, and I’ve made no secret of hating him, because personally I find him sketchy and manipulative. There are other fans who like them though and ship the two of them. That’s fine; it’s a perfectly valid opinion, and shipping wars have been around as long as fandom. That’s nothing new. There is another issue though...

Isaac is in a wheelchair.

While that isn’t necessarily a problem in GENERAL, it is something that effects the way his character is handeled, as well as viewer interpretation. It’s my experience that in media, certain characters are usually gifted a sort of “plot armor.” While that term is most commonly directed towards characters who play too pivotal a role in the story to be written off, I find it often also applies to characters who fit into the role of “representation.”

But wait, you might say, that doesn’t sound right. POC and queer characters get killed off all the time. It’s practically a horror movie trope, and “Kill your gays” didn’t come from nowhere. To which I would reply: Exactly. We have all seen it a million times, have raised it as an issue, and I would like to think that as a society we are attempting to move past it. That gay characters are less likely to die because of the attention brought to the “kill your gays” trope.

It’s my understanding that these common minority tropes originally stem from their initial introduction into media. At first they didn’t have any representation at all, and then gradually they were allowed to be incorporated in media in small ways that didn’t offend anyone’s delicate sensibilities. A very famous example would be the inclusion of African Americans: At first they weren’t in movies at all. Then they were(sort of?) but they were represented by white actors in blackface. Then when black actors were allowed to play their own roles, those roles were harmful stereotypes; You wouldn’t get a black actor playing a heroic lead, but he would be the brutish savage, or the “mammy” character. They were either relegated to minor side charactes, comic relief, or the villain- roles that didn’t challange the views of society.

There was a similar experience in regards to homosexuality in films, where once gay characters started appearing they were portrayed as sexless comic relief or villinous. The general idea behind it seemed to be that there could be homosexuality in films, but it had to be shows as wrong and corrupt, or destined to end in tragedy. After all, how could anybody in such a relationship possibly be happy? Ridiculous.

While media (and society) are still making strides towards diversity and inclusivity, you can’t say that media isn’t in a better place now than it was even ten or twenty years ago. I was born in the 90′s and the amount of difference I see even in the twenty-seven years I’ve been alive is actually a little astounding. I can’t even imagine the difference for people who are older than I. Even just since I graduated highschool (2010) I’ve seen such a huge difference in regards to representation across the board and while we still have a ways to go we are certainly far from where we started.

But what does any of this have to do with Isaac? He isn’t a POC, he isn’t in any way queer. No, but he is disabled which is another sort of representation and one that doesn’t get as much publicity. As such it is admittedly one that I don’t know as much about, but If I had to guess it’s probably because theres never (to my knowledge) been a big court case about whether or not disabled people deserve rights. It’s never been a hot button issue in a political debate the way that race politics or gay rights have and so I feel like it hasn’t gotten as much attention. Still disability representation is still a topic that comes up in conversation when discussing media.

So what does that have to do with anything? Why was I talking about plot armor? I had a reason, I promise. I’ve found that due to the problematic history of representation, shows (at least the socially aware ones) have been taking strides to try to avoid falling into the same harmful patterns as their predecessors. Since there was a long history of POC characters being cast as villains, evil characters to be defeated by the white protagonists, there was a stretch of time there where you wouldn’t see a single POC villain at all. It wasn’t quite true equality, but it was an effort to combat the harmful stereotypes that the media had perpetuated for so long.

Eventually we got to a place where it was generally acknowledged that you could have a POC villain as long as they weren’t the ONLY POC in your entire movie. The same goes for people of various gender and sexual identies. You can have a gay antagonist, but it’s impportant to include other gay people who ARENT evil to show that it’s the character that is evil, indepent of his sexuality. This isn’t seen as often however, probably due to the relative novelty of the inclusion of queer characters, which is why my examples for these points are POC characters who have a comparitively longer history of inclusion. That’s not to say that the history has always been positive, just that queer inclusion is a newer development and active disability rep seems even more recent.

I apologize if I’m phrsasing any of this poorly, but I’m hoping that you’re tracking the main points. Now. I repeat: What does ANY of this have to do with Isaac?

Isaac is, as of now, the only disabled character in Sex Education. As such, I feel like it’s kind of expected for him to be given “plot armor”, not in regards to being killed off but in his depiction. As the show’s only example of disabled representation, as well as his introduction as a love interest for Maeve, I feel like the expectation is that he would be a protagonist. At the very least he would be a good guy. And maybe some people think he is? I don’t know, he has his fans, but I’m not one of them.

This is the part of my post where I stop having a point and just start listing my thoughts.

When I met Isaac I expected to like him and I wonder how much of that stemmed from the fact that he was in a wheelchair and as such I expected that the show wouldn’t possibly portray him in a negative light. Even when he was rude to Maeve in the beginning I was willing to forgive it- I don’t mind my characters being prickly and Lord knows no other character on this show is perfect. And he was handsome, and snarky, which are usually traits that I love and I really REALLY expected to love him. However as the show progressed he just gave me bad vibes. I find him manipulative and untrustworthy.

I’m not going to go into my feelings about Isaac because I’ve already made one very long post duscussing his character, but instead I’d like to discuss his role in the show and how his disability factors into that role.

As I said before, it makes sense that this season would introduce a new love interest for Maeve. It’s not a terribly uncommon formula in shows like these. Considering that Maeve is considered the “bad girl” (even though we all know she’s a cinnamon role that just deserves ALL the love) who has self esteem issues and an inaccurate view of herself, I was honestly surprised that the show gave her such a cute, healthy relationship with Jackson. Were they perfect for each other? I don’t personally think so, but there wasn’t anything inherently problematic in their relationship. Jackson is a legitimately nice guy, I wish him the best and he was a pretty good boyfriend.

It wouldn’t be unheard of though to see her fall into a more toxic relationship, and while that’s a very strong term that even I am hesitant to use toward Isaac at this point, it does look as if the groundwork might be there for that kind of subplot. It could really go either way at this point- maybe Isaac’s actions are influenced by his own personal insecurity and he would be much nicer once they were in a relationship. Or maybe he would be scared of losing her and things would get worse. It’s not just the fact that he deleted her message in the last episode, but that he’s seemed very manipulative throughout the entire season.

It seems to me that Isaac fits the stereotype of the abusive boyfriend- He’s handsome and charming, but also very skilled at manipulation. If you watch their relationship, it also falls into a lot of the same patterns as romantic comedies. That’s not meant as a compliment however, a lot of romantic comedy relationships are built on very questionable foundations. The leading men do a variety of unethical things, but are forgiven on behalf of being handsome and funny and those actions are forgiven and even romanticized for the sake of the love story. This also reminds me of Maeve and Isaac. How often does he push himself uninvited into her life? How often does he managed to get out of facing the consequences of his actions?

It’s a fairly common trope tbh, and the only thing that isn’t common is that he’s also physically disabled. Which honestly lead me to doubt whether or not he was being sketchy or not. Like, could I be wrong? I eventually concluded that I don’t think I was, but it leads me to consider the fact of his disability on viewer perception.

Are viewers more likely to forgive his behavior because his wheelchair paints him in a more sympathetic light? That isn’t to say that everyone who likes him only does so because of the wheelchair - I’m sure some people just legitimately like him- but I wonder how many do? And why? Is it because you feel bad for the character? Or is it because, as our only disabled character, we are programmed to view him as a protagonist? Is his disability part of an effort to be more inclusive, or to subtly subvert our expectations regarding his character? Neither? Both?

If he is indeed going to be an antagonist then that raises further questions in regards to Isaac as disability representation. On the one hand, it’s not like being in a wheelchair automatically makes someone a good person- as with any other demographic of people there are going to be nice guys and assholes.

Is it better that they’re treating him like they would anyone else? Like, he’s just a regular guy who happens to be in a wheelchair, and the guy that he is, is prone to questionable behavior. Is it better that they’re treating him the same as they would any other able bodied character in this role? Or, as their only depiction of a disabled character, should they be portraying him in a more positive light? I personally find him to be very manipulative, and often he uses his disability as a part of his manipulation. Is that just an example of Isaac being opportunistic and using the resources available to him, or is it indicitive of a larger problem with his depiction?

Have physically disabled people faced the same issues in media as other groups, in that their depictions were historically negative? I’m going to be honest with you here, that’s not a question I know the answer to. I haven’t seen them largely portrayed as villains, but that doesn’t mean that it hasn’t happened.

I don’t know the answer to any of these questions, and I won’t until I see where season 3 plans on taking this, but these are the thoughts that have been circling my mind since I finished season 2. Do you agree? Disagree? Did any of this even make sense?

#sex education #isaac #maeve #sex education season 2 #sex education spoilers

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dwarrowdams · 5 years

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Happy Pride, friends!

For those of you who want to read queer books this month, here’s a rec list.

As always, please feel free to message me for more info on these books or for additional recs! There are few things I love more than telling people about great books.

M/M

Fortitude Smashed by Taylor Brooke - Art thief/detective soulmates book with some amazing chemistry and great mental illness rep

Overexposed by Megan Erickson - Two guys meet on the Appalachian Trail and fall for each other. I have a tattoo of a line from this book, which I think is the best endorsement I could give it.

What Remains by Garrett Leigh - One partner has a traumatic accident that causes him to forget the past few years...including his realization that he’s bisexual and his relationship with his current partner. Super emotional, but worth it. TW for a traumatic injury.

Invitation to the Blues by Roan Parrish - A really beautiful romance between a clinically depressed musician and a tattoo artist. Some of the best and most thoughtful depression rep I’ve ever read. TW for fairly detailed discussions of depression.

The Soldier’s Scoundrel by Cat Sebastian - Honestly, anything Cat writes is amazing, but this was my first book by her and it’s just so touching. It’s a historical with a class gap and a physically disabled MC that has one of the best endings of any book I’ve ever read.

F/F

Ash by Malinda Lo - Lesbian Cinderella that addresses the trauma undergone by the titular character. TW for an emotionally abusive parent

How to Make a Wish by Ashley Herring Blake - a summer romance between two girls in a small town: one’s a pianist and the other is a dancer. TW for a neglectful parent and parentification (where the kid parents their parent).

Star-Crossed by Barbara Dee - Two girls wind up falling in love with each other as their class stages a production of Romeo and Juliet. If you love @aeriamamaduck‘s As Schoolboys From Their Books, read this (and if you haven’t read it, now is an excellent time to do so).

Daughter of the Sun by Effie Calvin - Fantasy romance between a paladin who’s sworn to drive off chaos and a chaos goddess trapped in a human body. This is the book that teenage me desperately needed.

M/F with at least one queer partner

Hold Me by Courtney Milan - Hate-to-love romance between a trans Latina woman and a bi Thai-Chinese dude who’ve been talking online for months but don’t know that they know (and despise) each other in real life.

Small Change by Roan Parrish - An angry queer tattoo artist falls for the sweet guy who owns the sandwich shop near her tattoo parlor. A refreshing break from the traditional “woman nurtures man” dynamic of many M/F romances.

Wrong to Need You by Alisha Rai - Widow falls for her dead husband’s brother, who is also a chef. Great anxiety rep as well, plus a bi woman who has just a touch of domme in her.

Menage

A Lesson in Thorns by Sierra Simone - first in a series about childhood friends who are drawn back to the mysterious Thornchapel. They try to unravel the mysteries of this place and have a lot of sexytimes in the process.

Beyond Jealousy by Kit Rocha - A few books into the series, but tbh the rest of the Beyond books are super sexy, so it’s worth reading them. It’s the “love triangle that turns into a menage” story that I’ve been dying for, especially since it involves a tattoo artist, a muscle-y ex-soldier, and an exotic dancer.

Misc. Queer Rep

Beneath the Citadel by Destiny Soira - Fantasy novel starring teens rebelling against their city, which is governed by prophecies. Includes a bisexual boy and an asexual girl.

No Man of Woman Born by Ana Mardoll - A collection of fantasy stories starring trans/nonbinary protagonists.

Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Rey Terciero and Bri Indigo - Modern retelling of Little Women in graphic novel form...and one of the girls is queer. Everything that a modern retelling of a classic should be, tbh.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - Don’t be fooled by the seemingly hetero title—this book is gay as fuck. It follows a Hollywood icon who reveals the deets on her marriages...and the relationship with a woman that lasted through most of them.

#hush Bree #this got away from me a little bit #but whatever #things do tend to get away from me when books are involved #brynne for ts

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sol1056 · 6 years

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when the lamp stays unlit

a multi-part anon that’s been waiting awhile:

...I never really fully thought of shiro as physically disabled... he had a fully functional prosthetic arm with all the motor skills of a real arm plus superhuman strength and so forth AND because it didn’t really impair him. It would be one thing if he was physically disabled and the show thus normalized disability; but to me, Shiro‘s arm (and Ezor‘s fake leg and Zethrid‘s missing eye) were more like sci-fi ‘cool battle scars’ rather than things that really impacted their social or emotional life. [...] The missing arm made [Shiro] more incapacitated during s7 (I guess?) but it was an excuse for benching him, which is something I found ableist. And while he has a mental illness as well, I thought it only ever became an issue when it was convenient to the plot. Hope that made sense, it wasn’t my intention to be insensitive since many people see him as great disability rep.

This is nearly as difficult a subject as race, but it’s also an important discussion to have. We do need the conversation about LGBT+ representation in VLD, but it’s drowning out an equally important conversation about how disability is represented (and treated) in popular media.

As a caveat, I’m a work in progress when it comes to un-learning the ableism that permeates Western culture, even when directly harmed by its perpetuation. So I’m inviting anyone with the spoons and lived experience to join in. The more voices and perspectives, the better.

Behind the cut: clarifying a few terms, how the SFF genre conceptualizes disability, how humans conceptualize difference, narrative treatment of Shiro as disabled, and PTSD/mental health in popular media.

First, let’s define some terms so we’re on the same page. Assistive technology “increases or maintains the capabilities of people with disabilities.” Adaptive technology (a subset of assistive) is tech “specifically designed for persons with disabilities and would seldom be used by non-disabled persons.” Gadgets like sock cradles are assistive, since an abled person might use them; a prosthesis or screen reader would be adaptive. The majority of media representations of disability will use adaptive technologies to signal a disability, rather than assistive. (definition from wikipedia)

Now for a few lesser-known terms. There’s a philosophical concept concerning the breakage of things we’ve always taken for granted. Like flipping a light switch: the light goes on. We don’t pause to marvel over what made the lightbulb glow. Then one day, you flip the switch and the light doesn’t come on. Now suddenly you have to stop and notice something that previously you’d never given much attention.

This sudden awareness of wrongness --- the light not going on --- takes three forms. It can be conspicuous, where it’s visibly damaged, ie the lamp is smashed. It can be obtrusive: a part is missing, ie there’s no bulb in the socket. Or it can be obstinate, ie the bulb and lamp are fine, we just don’t have power.

The abled perspective --- when suddenly reminded of disability --- is to see the disability as conspicuous and obtrusive. That is, broken and incomplete. Which means, that’s the only story the abled perspective knows, so that’s the story it tells, over and over.

It’s a common assumption, especially in the SFF genre: adaptive technology removes a character from the category of disabled. Cybernetic modifications or prostheses become design elements; the character is considered --- and written --- as abled. In a sense, the character is like the lamp when there’s power: the author can ignore the label of ‘disability’ and carry on without giving more thought to the issue.

But if there’s removal (or breakage), for the author, it’s like flipping a switch and the light doesn’t go on. You can almost hear the author thinking: ‘oh, forgot this character can’t do anything.’ Until the story provides repairs or replacement, the previously adaptively-abled character is now un-abled.

Disability --- in the absence of adaptive technology --- is, at best, obstinate. The character is neither broken nor incomplete; they’re a lamp without a power source. Nothing else has changed. But if someone never gave thought to how lamps need power to operate, their first reaction won’t be to ask if the power’s out. It’ll be to check the lamp, the bulb, the wiring, and declare it mysteriously broken because no light is happening.

Abled writers effectively shift the blame onto the lamp: it’s now useless, by some ill-defined sense. But it’s not; it hasn’t changed. It was reliant on power when power was available, and it’s reliant when power’s not available, too.

The analogy itself is already too simple for the reality; it implies a person could be abled/disabled as on/off. So let’s adjust, and say: the lamp has a solar-power backup and still lights up --- just not as quickly or brightly. Or it’s a drill whose battery needs recharging: it’s still usable as a manual screwdriver, awkward but workable. Plus, the base is still handy as a makeshift hammer.

The presence of any given disability does not automatically mean the person is fully dis-abled by all other measures as well. Analogies only go so far, after all.

But this is the main point: the character never stopped being disabled, any more than the lamp stopped needing power. By that same token, the person who takes medication for ADD isn’t ‘cured’ with medication, anymore than a paraplegic stops being unable to walk just because they have a wheelchair.

Now that I think about it, this could extend to just about any representation one doesn’t experience personally. I mean, we do it to each other: “behind the grill, she’s one of the guys.” And then we see the person after work in a dress and heels and we’re reminded she was a woman all along; we were just setting aside her gender because we could ignore it. Like the light switch we flip unthinkingly, we paid that detail no mind.

And the fact is: it doesn’t matter if an onlooker judges a trait as irrelevant. The person still has that gender, religion, ability, sexuality, ethnicity, age, etc. When we aim to be colorblind, or genderblind, or sexualityblind... it’s like having a lamp that won’t go on and not realizing electricity is required. We’re blind to half the picture, so we blame the lamp, not the absence of power.

We’re forgetting that because we can ignore her gender doesn’t mean she can. Or even would. But so long as we can, we’ll miss all the ways her reality informs her experiences.

You’re right that benching Shiro in S7 was an ableist move. The entire season makes evident how little thought the staff has afforded Shiro. To them, he was abled, now he is not, and this radically changes everything: no longer a paladin, not even a pilot, nor even on the front lines (and when he is, he loses). As @caramelcheese pointed out, Shiro’s fought with both hands tied behind his back. Lacking one arm shouldn’t slow him down in the least.

Others have written at length about Shiro’s new prosthesis. They’ve raised practical issues with a floating arm, such as imbalance and center-of-gravity, and ethical issues such as the offensiveness of a design that echoes his tormentor’s signature detail, so I won’t belabor those here. To me, there are two aspects even more insidious.

One is caused by narrative silence on Shiro’s changed status. Shiro’s only visible difference is the loss of his prothesis; the narrative fails to address this, let alone provide any other explanation. Narrative silence becomes tacit confirmation: an amputee cannot be a hero.

The second is the dehumanization. Before S7, in casual dress, Shiro’s arm was evident; in armor, he was no more marked than anyone else. His expulsion from being a paladin is visually reinforced by his loss of the Black Paladin’s armor; the Garrison uniform and space suit are modified to be constant reminders that Shiro is disabled. There is empty air where his upper arm would be.

His redesign marks him as literally incomplete.

As for mental health, we can’t discuss Shiro’s PTSD in a vacuum, when it’s a part of so many kids’ lives. Some suffer PTSD themselves from first-hand trauma, and likely many more suffer it along with their parents as a result of the US’ anti-immigrant attitudes. The hardest hit may be military kids between 8 and 18, of whom roughly one in five has a parent who suffers from PTSD.

Shiro had to have been a powerful figure for those kids. He had onscreen panic attacks and flashbacks, yet remained a hero in the story and to his team. His PTSD-inflected moments may have served the plot, but those also worked to keep present the continuing damage from his trauma. More importantly for younger viewers, he laid a hero’s narrative over the sometimes terrifying reality of a family member who suffers from PTSD or related trauma.

S3 left that behind, turning Shiro’s trauma into headaches, and even that much mentioned rarely. By S7, no signs of PTSD remained. The EPs’ tone-deaf explanation --- that Shiro learned to grit his teeth and just deal with his trauma --- was a horrific betrayal of the audience who related to Shiro. Willpower has never been a viable cure for mental illnesses or trauma.

One ingredient for healing from PTSD is support and love from a strong network of family and friends, and it’s ironic the series’ only example of a healing moment was the DnD episode. It allowed Shiro/Kuron to create and role-play a new story for himself, in a safe environment, surrounded by the support of people who mattered most to him. When Shiro/Kuron tells Coran that he feels better after playing, it’s one of the rare grace notes in the story: because that would be a healing experience for someone with PTSD.

Shiro’s story undergoes an odd reversal. He begins the story treated as though he’s abled, yet mentally traumatized. By S7, the story considers him disabled yet also fully ‘over’ his PTSD. He went from conspicuous and obtrusive for his PTSD, to conspicuous and obtrusive for being an amputee.

After thinking about it, I wonder if perhaps it’s because once the lamp has been broken for long enough --- regardless of the reason --- it eventually becomes yet another thing we don’t think about. Just like once, perhaps as children, we found light switches fascinating and the lamp going on/off to be worthy of deep thought, eventually we learned to pay it no mind.

Perhaps Shiro’s reversal is yet another indication of an abled creator who doesn’t understand the obstinate nature of disability. We have some backwards notions about illness, in the US, and one of them is that illness is a moral failure. Like, if you just tried hard enough, you’d be better. Any disability for which there’s no cure --- you can’t regrow an arm, after all --- thus renders the person both permanently broken and morally inadequate.

And, apparently, not worthy of being a paladin.

#vld #voltron #disability #representation #characterization #sol thinks about stuff #random existentialism terms #come for the sugar stay for the salt

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aroworlds · 6 years

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So I was just kicked off of a famous ace blog chat room for saying Ebeneezer Scrooge is Aro ace , they told me to not headcanon gross characters Aro ace and I was like “ it’s not headcanon it’s fact “ he’s Aro ace coded , they got so offended they kicked me instead of discussing author bias against Aro aces , it’s not Scrooge’s fault dickens made him such a jerk to justify his villianization . I just ... I hate myself for not being socially acceptable around sensitive people

Anon, I am so sorry that you had to experience this awfulness. I assure you, this is not a case of people being sensitive. I’m also glad, selfishly, that you’ve sent this in, because it’s a wonderful excuse to talk about how current attitudes towards representation are running the risk of enabling bigotry more than preventing it.

This is a case of people engaging in clear, bold, specific aro-ace erasure and using the language of social justice to justify said erasure. It’s out-and-out aro-ace antagonism in the vein of denying an aro-ace person ability to express identity within the context of a well-known character and it is not okay. In fact, it’s downright reprehensible, to the extent that I could joyfully employ the thesaurus in finding alternate ways to discuss how despicable I find this–both the initial response in denying you identity/connection with a famous literary character and the resulting response in kicking you out of the ace community because you won’t fall in line with their ignorant ideas about representation.

You aren’t the problem here, anon. You never were the problem here. You do not deserve to hate yourself because you have been a victim of other people’s erasure, prejudice and dismissal. You do not deserve to hate yourself because you have been denied access to the asexual community for the crime of relating to a fictional character. You deserve to be angry, furious, outraged.

It’s hard not to feel this way when people are telling you that you don’t get to exist, when you have been kicked out of a community for daring to be yourself and express an connection for a character. It is absolutely not a failing in you that you feel the way you do–I want to be clear on that. We tend to direct the hate given by others towards ourselves, and that’s a normal human response. But it is not deserved.

It is not okay to tell a marginalised person that they cannot relate to a character coded like us. It is not okay to deny a marginalised person, often with few mainstream characters that depict anything close to our lived experiences, connection with a literary canon just because it isn’t good or idealised representation.

Scrooge–very aro-ace-coded to me, I must say–isn’t good representation. How can he be, given the context of his creation? That doesn’t mean we can’t or shouldn’t relate to him, create headcanons, write fanfiction or draw fanart, make meta posts, discuss how we connect to his life. On the contrary, transformative media is about taking a character like Scrooge and making him meaningful, supportive, positive representation despite the canon. Fandom has always been for taking the failings in the source material and transforming it into something that celebrates us–that moves beyond simply being relatable.

We can connect to, celebrate and discuss a character in their canon without it being cast as good representation. We can understand the difference between good representation and connection with a character--that connection does not have to mean endorsement of the canon approach. In a world where there’s little mainstream representation to speak of, we have to fall back on the latter. Where do we exist without it? Nowhere.

To tell us that we cannot do that, that we have to wait instead on characters who fit the narrow box of idealised, intentional, pure, perfect representation, is erasure. It’s silencing. Because it’s so tangled up in social justice understandings (and performances) of representation in a culture where representation is valued and consequently stripped apart, it is also disingenuous and dangerous. In how we’ve come to consider and understand representation, we have handed people a weapon to dismiss people while sounding as though they’re not engaging in explicit erasure–usually targeting people of intersecting marginalised identities, like aro-aces, disabled a-specs and a-specs of colour (as a very incomplete list).

I’m sure folks who’ve followed me for a little while have realised that I’m not a fan of how it has become fashionable to discuss and conceptualise representation, and anon’s story is a very clear cut example of why. People understand that it is damaging to marginalise-code a villain/antihero/antagonist character (or make them specifically/intentionally of a marginalised identity). People understand the need for marginalised people to see themselves in positive/protagonist characters. We no longer, though, have any sense of grey space where a character is not good representation but is still relatable and allowed to be discussed for that alone.

I’m going to use Garth Nix’s Clariel as an example. Clariel is dreadful aro-ace representation, in my opinion: in her own story (Clariel) she’s a fairly-sympathetic anti-hero protagonist who makes some awful decisions in the name of trying to solve a difficult situation, but she becomes a series antagonist who carries out murderous actions (seen clearly in Goldenhand but alluded-to throughout the series). The aro-ace character steals young women’s bodies to house her own spirit. She is terrible, terrible aro-ace rep. But that doesn’t mean a-spec folks can’t or shouldn’t relate to her experiences as an aro-ace character. I can dislike her as representation because of her position as series antagonist while at the same time connecting to her disconnection from social interaction and preference to live alone (the autism-coding is significant!) and there is worth in discussing that connection.

I don’t see how characters like Scrooge are any different. You’ve made it clear that you’re discussing him in terms of coding. You’re not painting a picture of Scrooge as good, idealised representation. You’re just saying you see him as aro-ace, that Scrooge is a character in a long-line of aro-ace-coded antagonist-ish characters, and you just want to talk about that with other aces. (Since when has it become a problem to talk about the antagonism directed at aro-aces via aro-ace coding, anyway?) It isn’t a crime to even want to reclaim Scrooge, to build something positive out of a faulty canon, to talk about what he means to you as an aro-ace character. That’s what fandom is for.

We can, should and must discuss characters and properties that are damaging representation or are not representation at all (just coding) in ways that acknowledge the problems of their being rep (or that they’re not rep at all) without dismissing the fact that people will still connect to and wish to enjoy and share these characters. We can discuss problems in coding and representation for a certain property or character while still giving people space to discuss said connection.

The idea that I should only express connection for characters who are perfect, pure representation of my marginalised identities is bigotry. It’s erasure in social justice clothing. It silences the people who do not yet have the privilege of mainstream/readily-accessible representation while privileging those who do have increased access to representation, and we cannot allow or accept it. Your ask exemplifies this: we have a culture where many parts of the broader asexual community have a habit of seeing aro-ace as the wrong way to write asexual, and now there’s one less aro-ace character acceptable to talk about in an ace community space. That isn’t a coincidence; the people who have least representation will always be most harmed by this. Always.

Again, anon, I’m so sorry that you had to endure this. If you want to fill my inbox with your thoughts on Scrooge, go for it.

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thecoroutfitters · 5 years

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Papers not ready for checking at the start of the period is not going to be given credit. The student has to be in a position to discuss or summarize the article during the recent events portion of class to deserve the additional credit. To understand this, think about the effect of distinct forms of cards.

Students who arrive over 20 minutes late for any exam will not have the ability to select the exam. Even in the event that you don’t understand the assignment or don’t speak English, you are still able to check to find that it’s finished. For example, a homework assignment isn’t truly done” until it’s turned into the teacher at school.

To begin with, you have to know whether you domyhomeworkfor.me can even vote within this year’s midterms. Specifically, drills created to enhance memorization might not be suited to a lot of homes. This practice permits you to monitor the assignments that will need to get completed.

Keep in mind that adults and kids alike continue or repeat behavior that’s rewarded. Sometimes they want to help their children with homework but may not know the “right” way or newest way of doing it, which could be counterproductive to getting it done correctly. Parents of these children want to build skills in calming themselves so they can assist their children learn how to calm themselves.

Keep in mind, many kids aren’t prepared to write at age 5. Somehow they seem to instinctively know to try again with another sound. By the time they are in junior high and high school, parents should be largely removed from the nightly homework process.

Unfortunately, communication between parents and kids isn’t always as effective as it needs to be. If there’s a learning disability, your kid may need more help. Disorganization is an issue for many school-age children.

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1 trick teachers use is to place a red dot below the center of the word to acquire the child to look all of the way through the sounds. Ultimately http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.513.7243&rep=rep1&type=pdf you will need to give it some time, but eventually your kid will become more accepting of receiving their homework done should they know it has to be done at a designated time daily. Then give praise once the child finishes a neat edition.

If you would like a behavior, you’ve got to teach a behavior. You are able to employ your kid’s motivation to your advantage should they have something they’d love to earn. We’re alwaysforemost responsible for our own wants, in any wholesome relationship.

Meet the Teacher Night at the onset of each new school year is a good way to acquire a thorough understanding of the expectations, rules and standards regarding homework. Forty percent of parents throughout the country believe they aren’t devoting enough time to their kids’ education. Middle school is a significant place to learn skills that may carry kids forward into adulthood.

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Attending to want satisfaction is a key technique of keeping students interested and happy. Model and help your son or daughter learn decent organization andtime management abilities. Low trust translates to bad productivity.

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Help your son or daughter by having supplies easily available. A good tutor will be one that gets to know your child and the way in which they learn. Take a close look at your children’s homework routine.

Finally, make it your greatest priority to just enjoy your children. You will discover that they don’t even require a sticker at a particular stage.

In the event the student is the just one completing it at home, then it should surely be student-centered because that will raise the likelihood that it is going to get done in any respect. Weekend homework isn’t required, but it’s HIGHLY advisable. Offer your student the present of opportunity.

You can discover a variety of songs on the internet or on CDs from the library. Frequently the text of the story is going to have been nabbed and republished by some more compact outlet or blog, and you may read it and share it from that point. Switch off the TV and the iPod as soon as your child does homework.

For a math assignment like trigonometry, you should work the issue out the exact same as above, but in addition something to consider, particularly for math, is that sometimes the inability to do an assignment may be an indication of a larger problem. There were lots of resources about ADHD in general, but they simply didn’t look practical for all of us. When problems arise, you should comprehend the issue and help your son or daughter locate a solution.

Clearly define what should be accomplished. Homework will be assigned a mean of 3 nights weekly and might include things like finishing class assignments. In addition, it means you’re forthcoming once you fall short.

On-line medium for completing assignments and homework is gaining immense popularity in the present scenario because it’s highly flexible in addition to affordable. If homework is set, it has to be assessed in some manner, and feedback given. It is possible to also provide alternative means of approaching a job.

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It’s the only means they’re likely to have the ability to innovate and adapt to the world and how the world changes. In these uncertain financial times, lots of people want strategies to spend less and analyzing their discretionary” spending. When these steps are interrelated and synergistic, avoid attempting to teach all of them at the exact time.

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Students should know he has a support group, but in addition that everyone is on the identical page. Most letters are absolutely lengthy, at the very least a page and a half. Maintain a list of classmate’s phone numbers to get hold of them in case clarification is necessary.

All About How to Get Kids to Do Homework

If you don’t observe any improvements in your kid’s grades, you might want to find a different tutoring option. When it has to do with learning, especially math, everyone differs. If he or she prefers to do a little math, a little reading, a little word study and then back to math, that’s okay!

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