#esp if you look at the men’s team which is way more diverse

[likealittleheartbeat]

There are some really solid critiques out there of several aspects of atla. Despite what seem to be the team’s best efforts, it def appropriated and white-washed and could generally be insensitive about real people and cultures (esp. regarding Tibet). That being acknowledged, it’s probs more fruitful to lay a lot of our criticisms on television and animation production practices generally rather than Avatar or its head writers. Yes, keep asking for better representation in shows. And yes, keep asking that more writing rooms, and network exec offices, and voice actor booths are filled with people who have been historically marginalized. We can never have enough! Keep demanding your needs and desires from people with privilege. Keep demanding environments that are safe and comfortable and inspiring for every member of the team, demanding environments that limit dangerous hierarchies of authority. Avatar failed on more than one of these fronts.

Along with that criticism, though, I think we can simultaneously recognize that Avatar broke ground in creating a space for violently marginalized narratives, characters, and people. A television series--and especially animation--is not the work of one or two great minds. It is wildly collaborative, and as you look through the full production crew of atla, you will begin to see a diverse group of writers and consultants who were certainly as instrumental to the show as the “showrunners.” Notably for the audiences experience of the show, you’ll notice a cultural consultant from the Median Action Network for Asian Americans (an position that ought to be standard in the industry). At the time of ATLA’s production, marginalized folks were only JUST beginning to be allowed by corporate executives for these positions in animation in the US. In 1999, Brenda Chapman was the first woman to direct a major animated film (and that was a co-director credit with two men). And from what I can find, outside of Fat Albert (which was helped by the weighty influence of a certain individual who we don’t need to discuss here), it seems like Static Shock (made in 2000) was the first animated television series with black men as the lead directors and creators. As far as Asian or Native headwriters (both of which have multiple cultures strongly featured in ATLA), I can’t find specifics. As far as Asian input in western tv animation, since the 1960s, US companies regularly work with and outsource animation duties to Korea and Japan. Based on a quick google search, the past decade has seen a surge of a distinctly Native animation community.  While I am hella excited for more series led by these other kinds of voices, I think we need to acknowledge that avatar is a direction we want creators with privilege to strive for (and in some capacity almost everyone has privilege they can be cognizant of). We need to be investing in stories and causes outside of the dominant discourse. We need to be inviting people into our creative process to help us understand other’s perspectives and to avoid reasserting harmful frameworks. We need to find ways to properly compensate those we consult with. And last, audiences and networks need to create equitable responses for shows to fail in some capacity, so that those shows run by, representing, and/or telling the stories of marginalized people do not become reasons to stop supporting the growth of those artists and stories. If the stakes are too high, we will end new stories and careers before they have begun, and we cannot let that happen.  So yes, ask for better. Explain your thoughtful and impassioned criticisms. I, for one, cannot wait for creations that fill my heart in the spots where Avatar failed, and creations that can sit alongside or even eclipse ATLA in some of the thematic areas where the show really hit home for me. In the meantime, we can appreciate what we have without losing sight of what we strive for.

#atla #meta #long post #y'all ever read a post on tumblr that mentally takes up your whole afternoon??? #atla meta #animation #animation history

[newsmutproject]

Easy Sells, and Harder Sells

After about a month of reading submissions, here are some tips from the NSP Editorial Team on what’s proving to be a “hard sell.” But first, what's more likely to garner you a “Yes, please!”

 I. Easy Sells

First and foremost: something gripping from the first line, with efficient use of the tight wordcount, consensual sexiness, and an approach that celebrates the diversity of human experiences, has a very good shot. 

The editors of Erato have a personal preference for what might be called “tasteful” word choice (”pussy” sometimes grates, but we get there’s not a wealth of alternatives; “love sausage” is right out, and we like to see “come” over “cum”). 

We’re excited when authors make love to language the way their characters make love on the page, embracing the playfulness and sensuality of words.

We also look for sex scenes that are immersive, using all the characters’ senses and showing their personalities. Editor Alex Freeman’s Sex Writing 101 post discusses ingredients of a strong sex scene. 

While stories that take place over multiple scenes or use summary can work well, in flash fiction especially, the tight focus of a single scene can be powerful--and an in media res opening can be especially good at catching our attention. 

SPECIFIC IDEAS WE LOVE TO SEE: 

Arousal nonconcordance. Let’s change some narratives around what it means to “want it”.

Couples with mixed or varying libidos, and how they support each other in that. 

Stories that change a narrative 

Related to the above, non-penetrative sex. Not that there’s no room for penetrative sex in Erato--there is!--but we definitely don’t consider it a realer, more normal, or better kind of sex. 

Editor TC Mill would love to see some small penises that are not presented as tragic or unsexy. I’d enjoy seeing stories where a smaller penis is a plus! 

We love to see stories that include body hair, cellulite, stretch marks, scars, and body fat rather than denigrating them or praising their absence. “Flawless [often white] skin” is as much of a cliche in our slushpile as the big cocks, and it doesn’t do much for us either. Meanwhile, check out the pictures, comics, writing, and art we’re reblogging as just a gesture at the range of people whose stories we hope to see told.

A sense of rapport between the characters is super sexy.

Experiments in writing style and structure are always fascinating to us--we’d love to include a variety of pieces that show off the different ways you can use language--especially when combined with body-positive, inclusive content. 

Humor is welcome--sex can be hilarious--but is especially successful when the characters are in on the joke (we’d rather laugh with them than at them. Humorous send-ups of society’s quirks and foibles may also do well. Stories where the joke is that characters have sex in unusual ways or are not normatively attractive will not be a fit for the spirit of this anthology.)  

We're thrilled to see #OwnVoices submissions, including but not limited to stories from writers who are of color, from outside the United States, working class, disabled and neuroatypical, and trans and nonbinary. 

All such stories will receive eager consideration, but our submissions to date have not included many stories with trans men, or with trans or nonbinary people with male or nonbinary (rather than female) partners - so stories bridging that gap will be exciting to us!

Consensual kink is splendid. We’re also super excited to receive poly stories, especially ones that fit lots of characterization into the small space of a flash fiction.

 II. Harder Sells

Stories that are very short (under 350 words or so) are often not competitive against longer pieces. Our tip: consider combining super short pieces into longer stories/prose poems around a certain character or theme–we’re happy to publish stories split into sections or chapters!  

If your piece is 2,005 words long, you can still send it in. If it’s 2,300+ words long, seriously consider more editing to make it truly fit the “flash” spirit and form.

Even when stories fit within our wordcount guidelines, they can feel slow-paced or have an unclear focus. Watch for padding, pleonasms, and meandering. 

A last thought on length: some submissions are “flash fiction” by virtue of being the mere synopsis of a longer story. This rarely works. 

Horror and tragedy are intriguing for us, but to see how well a story fits with this particular anthology, ask two questions: First, are all involved parties affirmatively consenting? Second, does any character suffer a permanent injury or death as a result of the sex? We’re looking for a “Yes” to the first and a “No” to the second, respectively.

SPECIFIC CONCEPTS THAT ARE TRICKY TO PULL OFF: 

First off, sex robots have become a bit of a meme among the editorial team. Few of these stories work for us, whether because of the consent angle, because we don’t relate to the anxieties about technology, because they’re more straight-up sci-fi than erotica, or something else. On the flip side, though, if you’re reading this and going “I will be the one to prove the sexiness of robots!”, please take this as encouragement. Also, sex with robots =/= sex robots. 

Infidelity plotlines–it’s not impossible to make these sympathetic or at least interesting, but the space constraints of flash fiction make it tougher.

Characters don’t need to be saints; flaws and mistakes are interesting. But stories where they constantly objectify or insult the people (esp. women) around them are not going to stand their ground against stories in which characters don’t do that.

It’s wonderful to see stories about sex workers in their personal lives (where the job is just one aspect of them), but stories in which the protagonist has sex with a sex worker because it’s the quickest way to write sex into the story often come off as rushed, objectifying, and/or emotionally flat. 

Descriptions of breasts by cup size or penis sizes in inches [or centimeters] (especially when above 8 inches) ring as unrealistic and, to us, uninteresting. 

Since all stories will receive a round of copyediting, a few typos or grammar errors will not lead us to reject a story. However, if the author seems to be on general bad terms with the Muse of Language (to quote “Slushkiller”), or inattentive to the reader’s experience, they will probably receive a rejection encouraging them to proofread more or seek a beta reader. 

III. NO-GOs

Sending stories with the following content will lead to a more or less rapid rejection, wasting both your time and ours:

Stories about characters under the age of 18.

Sex and kink acts (including voyeurism and exhibitionism) that all participants do not consent to.

One-sided sex generally (see: sex robots and many of the stories where erotic content is driven by hiring a sex worker). Solo sex and masturbation are welcome, though (since all participants are consenting and involved!), as are mutually consensual voyeurism or exhibition.

Sex between therapists and patients is a hard boundary for one of our editors, and this & similar situations for other professions are also likely to run afoul of our consent guidelines.

Concepts reliant on transphobia, homophobia, racism, sexism, ableism, fatphobia, and other asshole moves (this auto-reject policy does not include stories where these prejudices are acknowledged as part of a character’s lived experience). 

#writing advice #nsp status update

[maid-of-the-golden-deer]

before i sleep, a quick few thoughts on Arcades Spirits, from my pov of being 5/8s of the way through it:

•i LOVE the personality and friendship/love systems. theyre simple, but imo they communicate that info much kore clearly and transparently than other vns/dating sims. i was never confused as to my standing with certain characters, as its more nuanced than just hearts or numbers u dont have a comparison point for

•that being said, i wish the personality values effected more of your dialogue seperate from the choices themselves, ala dragon age 2, of if we want another VN example, loren the amazon princess. it was great for interacting with the characters, but doesnt seem to effect much else, at least noticeably

•i LOVE the choice you get at the beginning to pursue the game with a focus on romance, a downplayed focus on romance, or just for friendship- IF it actually effects anything, ive only picked one option, gotta see if there's a dif when i playthrough again

•the comedy kinda misses the mark for me most of the time, especially the "not quite a fourth wall break" shit, but thats a personal taste thing really

•the art is nice enough, 'cause its an indie game i wont judge it too hard, but its a little shaky at times, esp the one off characters

•i appreciate its attempts at diversity, and the lack of gender locked romances is nice, but they fall back on a few harmful things imo- havent looked into the dev team too much, so i dunno how many poc they had on staff, i could be wrong and if i am ill delete this part of the post, BUT:

-queenbee to me, seems a little bit like she plays into the angry/aggressive brown woman stereotype? thats the claim i cant confidently make. the one i can make is shes significantly more sexualized than the 3 white female LIs. ESPECIALLY in the beach chapter, where her body proportions were frankly ridiculous

-on that, 2 men of color for LIs and one with a more diverse body type, but of the 4 female LIs, only one is not white and only one isnt skinny and boobed up. and there is a noticable difference in how scantily the women dress in their casual clothes than the men

-again im not an authority but hamza. thatd the end of the sentence i think if you played you'd know what i mean

-and a bunch of little other things which reek of ignorance over malice, but the bad effects are the same

all in all its a fun time with a few rough edges

#not gonna put this in the tags rn im not gonna rlly be in this Fandom tm

[tellywoodtrash]

ishqbaaz 08.09.17 lb

bhavya’s body mic ka controller is making her have an anaconda-like butt. (‘oh my god, look at her butt!’) 😆😆😆

my aesthetic: anika happily gazing at all the flowers, and billu happily staring at ANIKA. 😍😍😍

lmao the flower petals are getting all caught up in the vertical maze that is nakuul’s hair. time to go easy on the hair product and the sheer height of that thing man. AND FFS DYE IT BACK. I WANT TO CRY WHEN I SEE OLD GIFSETS WHEN YOU HAD NORMAL PPL HAIR. I HATE THE HIGHLIGHTS SOOOOOOOOOO MUCH. 😫😫😫😫

ok billu’s getting all romantic in front of everyone. these two have become THAT couple now. who just GIVE NO FUCKS anymore. 😶😶😶

lmaooooooooooo rudra is jelly that bhaiyya loves someone else more than him now. 😂😂😂

bhavya has imposter syndrome. 😥😥😥

what does pinky mean by “yeh phir yahan aa gayi”??? like... she’s been here for a really long time now? she lives here? this is her shaadi ka function? idgi. 🤔🤔🤔

siiiiiiiiiiiiigh, shivaaaaaay. you’re just making things awkward and ruining them for ANIKAAAAAA. 😐😐😐

but also, i feel for the poor billu. look how upset he looks. *pats his floofy hair.* 😢😢😢

omg bruhhhhhhhhhhh i just realised who nakuul’s hair is reminding me of 😯😯😯😯😯 

THE HEIGHT. THE WEIRD COLOUR. HE EVEN HAS KANJI AANKHEIN. IT’S UNCANNY!!!!!!!!!!! 

the oberois are so fucking rich. why can’t they just hire a damn photographer to take pics for their events? baat baat pe rudra ko photo khichwaane ke liye khada kar dete hai. that too with his shitty cellphone. 😒😒😒

aw man, i miss rikara in this family moment. esp. my bulllllbullllll. 😚😚😚

what is with these dangal people and being so extra in their dialogue delivery? 😒😒😒

WAIT WTF THEY’RE SETTING THE HOSPITAL ON FIRE?!?!!?!? WHAT THE FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK IS WRONG WITH YOU BALRAM 😟😟😟😟😟

ok seriously, balram and chele have taken acting lessons from some 80s ka B Grade bolly movie. itnaaaaaaaa ghatiya acting maine is show mein aaj tak nahi dekha. 😣😣😣

OUFFO OMKARA, NOT THE TIME FOR YOUR SHIVAAY WALA EGO TO JAAGOFY RN 😤😤😤😤

OMG IS THIS THE TIME TO ARGUE ABOUT WHO OWES WHOM HOW MUCH THE PLACE IS ON FIRE YOU FUCKING IDIOTS 😩😩😩😩

damnnnnn, bhavya looks really super duper pretty today. even though all angsty. 😍😍😍

ok too filmy with the flowers and shit. as usual fwding ruvya nonsense. ouff. 🙄🙄🙄

lmao anika is annoyingggggg shivaay by throwing flowers in his face. (which btw, is so me. why am i like this?) 

lol what a baby. 😂😂😂

chase timeeeee. rudra and bhavya being literally used as shields. 😐😐😐

oh no she’s reaching for the shady thaal of yellow tulip petals. 😧😧😧

and straight to the face. RIP billu. 😶😶😶

shuru nakuul ki ‘i’m dying’ overacting. oufff. 😒😒😒

i hate when you’re sick or wounded or whatever and desis go like “KUCH NAHI HUA HAI, AAP BILKUL THEEK HAI!!!!!” to reassure you. like, bitch, speak for yourself, i’m fucking dying here. 😤😤😤

lmao the randommmmm guests. they’re like FINALLY, IT’S AN OBEROIIIIIIIII PARTY! ISI DRAME KE LIYE TOH HUM AAYE THE! WARNA KAUN AATA IS AADMI KE TEESRE SHAADI PE, THAT TOO TO THE SAME DAMN GIRL. 🙄🙄🙄

overacting to the maxxxxxxxxx and i think i know what’s coming based on what i spotted sticking out of his sherwani ka pocket. also family’s reactions, which are just toooo fuckin’ chill. 😒😒😒😒

YUP. KNEW IT. THIS FUCKING FUCKER. 😡😡😡

ha, my girl ain’t no kachchi khilaadi! pfffffffft, hoshiyaar se hoshiyaariiiii, billu? mehengi padegiiiiii. 

lmaooooo *sobbing and sniffing* “main itni time se bolna chahti thi ki.... MAIN ITNI BADI PAPPU NAHI HOON SHIVAAY.” 😊😊😊

hahahaha his faaaaaaace. HER FACE. EVERYONE’S FACES. 

fuckingggggg idiot. it’s a good thing anika is such a sport or i swear, i’d have climbed into the screen and dropkicked him in the face for ruining her day. 😒😒😒

fuck, she *is* upsettttttttt. that’s it. *starts crawling into the screen like samara from the ring, but ultaaaa* 😠😠😠

OUFF, WHY IS EVERYONE GANGING UP ON MY GIRL LIKE THIS? MAKE YA BOY SAY IT FIRST. 😤😤😤

security hai. acp hai. phir bhi jo chaahe aa jaa sakta hai. matlab..... 😑😑😑

meanwhile these two have just about made it out the damn burning hospital. 

OH GOD SHE’S GOING BACK IN FOR THE MURTIIIIII ISN’T SHE 😧😧😧😧

aaaaaaaaand omkara’s fallen again. my god, isse naazuk character maine zindagi mein nahi dekha. his bones are literally made of glass, and his skin made of paper. jo bhi khaata hai, pura ka pura goes to his hair i think. 😣😣😣

LMAO TEJ AS PETER AS TEJ (idek what’s going on in that plot, so i’m guessing....) 😆😆😆

LOL RUDRA’S FAAAACE. 😂😂😂

lmaooooo shivaay’s confusedddddd af. 🤣🤣🤣

“itni baar repeat karoge toh peter se repeater ho jaaoge papa.” lololololol 

LO, SVETLANA BHI AA GAYI. AB AAYEGA MAZAAAA! 

LMAO AT THE EXPRESSION SHIVAAY JUST MADE HAHAHAHA 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

RUDRA IS ME. I AM HIM. 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽

why’s bhavya so incensed? she doesn’t even know who svetlana is. 🤔🤔🤔

LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL EVERYONE’S FACES MAN 

omg gauri you’re a fucking idiot. honestly. 😫😫😫😫

meanwhile omkara is cursing his naazukpan. 

ok the vfx are hella bad and i can’t take this scene seriously at all. 😑😑😑

“peter peter nahi hai, peter papa hai. aur humein acting karni hai ki woh papa nahi, peter hai. main papa ko papa kaise naa bolun?” 

all the awards to leenesh for executing this line with zero fumbles. wonder how many takes it took. 😅😅😅

what even is going on, can we just get married so we can sex already? should we just elope? 😐😐😐

hmmm, this conundrum might finally be interesting enough to make me stop thinking about MERA SHIVAAY for 5 whole seconds. 

shivaay coming in with too much logic and rationality for jhanvi to handle. 😒😒😒

to hear jhanvi say the words “main tej se pyaar karti hoon” makes me want to rip my own skin off my body. 😬😬😬

rudra be like IMMA THROW SVETLANA OUT THE HOUSE RIGHT NOWWWWWWW

i love how now that shivaay’s calmed down to normal human levels of gussa and other negative emotions, the other two have cranked up theirrrr anger and extraaa levels to 300. never a moment of peace and quiet with this damn family. 🙄🙄🙄

“mom, woh dad ko blackmail kar rahi hai, ab aur isse zyaada mushkilein kya badhengi?”

when rudra is the sensible and sorted one in the conversation, you know the other person is properrrrrrr daft. 😐😐😐

ALL THE OBEROI MEN BE LIKE ALL THIS WOMANLY EMOTION IS TOO MUCH FOR US NOTHING MAKES SENSE 

honestly, i’m on their team. jhanvi’s being a fucking idiot. as always. 

ok bhavya, jhanvi jusssssssssst implied that svetlana has some proof of illegal shit tej did. and you’re still on team tej? 😐😐😐

anika, my pure angel, thinking about her otp rikara. 😭😭😭😭

shivaay be like YUS HE JUST STARTED SMILING AND MAAROFYING GHATIYA SHAYARI AGAIN I WILL NOT LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO MY BABY BOY #PAPABEARAF 🐻🐻🐻

WOH DONO ZINDA BACHE TOHHHHHHHHHHHH 😫😫😫😫😫

ok the vfx of this scene are sooooo fucking bad and all this is just soooo extraaaaaaaaa, fwding till something good happens 

oh bete ki, naazuKara uth gaya! 😯😯😯

ok it’s a tiiiiiiiiiiiny fucking plant, why are these two freaking out like this? just kick it out the way?!?! 😣😣😣

can this show just be 40 minutes of shivaay reacting to peter and making WTF??? side-eyes at everyone else? coz i am fucking loving it. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

aw. poor rudy boy. he’s always been the one closest to tej. 😔😔😔

minor aside: love shivaay’s soft but love-filled voice talking about his brothers. #myBoys 😭😭😭😭😘😘😘😘

snort, rudra’s face at him asking for chakna. 😂😂😂

lollll tejjjjj just called anika “fairy queen”! 😆😆😆

tej kabse itna sanskaari ho gaya, ki pair-wair chooone laga? 🤔🤔🤔

DADI BE LIKE THIS AINT MY SON THAT BOY HASN’T TOUCHED MY FEET IN OVER 50 YEARS OF HIS BEING ON THIS PLANET

WHAT, OMKARA, IS THIS REALLY NECESSARY? TUJHSE APNA HI WEIGHT UTHAAYA NAHI JAATA, AB ISKO BHI UTHAAYEGA??? 😣😣😣😣

WHY ARE THEY TREATING THIS TINYYYYYYY FUCKING POTTED PLANT LIKE A GIANT TREE!????!?!? 🤔🤔🤔🤔

lmaoooooooo balram, fucking give up already. 🙄🙄🙄

rudra is still hung up on this I WANNA CALL HIM PAPA NOT PETER nonsense. like... dude. 😒😒😒

aana kaaryathin eddekku chena kaaryam, amirite mallu brethren????? 🙄🙄🙄

for non mallus: basically translates to “talking about yams when we’re talking about elephants” i.e. focusing on nonsensical small things when there’s bigger matters at hand.

bachcha party forming mystery inc. like the old days. oh man i miss saumya. 😭😭😭😭

stop yelling attttt her omkaraaaaaaaaaa. 😩😩😩

“maine kahaaa tha na tumse, yeh murti tumse zyaada keemti nahi hai.”  . . . . “tum bhi meri parivaar ka hissa ho.” 

aaaaaand gauri’s turn to pass the fuck out. god these two really need to like... start taking vitamins and shit to boost their immune systems and strength. idk man. get on some kinda regimen. they’re altogether messed up from all the physical and emotional trauma they face on a weekly basis. 😕😕😕

for once i’m enjoying a ruvya scene. please just keep them in platonic/comedy scenes like these. it works soooo much better. 😌😌😌

and just as i said that, they ruined it by turning it romantic. fuck it. fuck it. fuckkkkkkkkk it. 😒😒😒

“maan na maan, main apne hi ghar mein mehmaan” snort. poor rudy. 😂😂😂

how this family puts up with rudra’s stupidity THIS EARLY IN THE MORNING is beyond me. matlab, sach mein. 🙄🙄🙄

shivaay looking at anika with sex eyes and telling bhavya “tumhe diversion chahiye na? diversion mil jayega. 😏😏😏😏”

me @ billu:

“bhaiyya saare function toh ho gaye.”  “toh kya hua, ek aur kar lenge.” 

THE OBEROI FAMILY MOTTO.

lo. billu ko toh bas bahaana chahiye chance maarne ke liye. 🙄🙄🙄

‘ugh. couples. so gross.’

rudra is me. i am rudra.

billu really gives zeeeeeeeeeeeeeeero fucks about who’s watching anymore. i’m telling you he’s fully willing to sex anika up right in front of svetlana “for the mission”. 😆😆😆

the face of a man who’ll stop at nothing. 

SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT SVETLANA’S BIG SECRET ISSSSSSSS THIS TIMEEEEEEEEEEEE 😧😧😧😧

srsly, since when is tej so into family values???? 🙄🙄🙄

pft, he’s an idiot to focus on the key. it’s so obviously a red herring. it’s like he doesn’t knw her at allllllll! 

tej is grade-A proof that intelligence isn’t sexually transmittable. 😐😐😐

WTF IS A LOVE-AKSHARI!?!?!!?!? 😒😒😒

JESUS CHRIST WHAT PAKAAU THAKELA AWAIIIII KE FUNCTIONS, LORD. WHERE ARE MY RIKARA?????? I’M SO SICK OF BILLU’S THIRSTY WAYS. 😣😣😣

#ishqbaaz #ishqbaaaz #ib episode liveblogs #episode liveblogs #080917 ib lb