#especially about representation

[royalarchivist]

Eret: I feel so lucky I am able to be in a position where I’m able to help other people -- at the very least -- realize they are not weird, they are not alone, they’ve got someone who will look out for them. Because that’s something I didn’t have when I was growing up [...] I didn’t have any exposure to any gender stuff, or even LGBT stuff. Now, I actually get to be that representation for some people, and that’s f**king amazing for me. I hope I can continue to help people find themselves, and continue to be a positive representation for people, because I remember what it's like not to have that.

Eret discussing the importance of LGBTQIA+ representation.

Full video transcript:

[Responding who a dono who thanked Eret for helping them find and feel comfortable with their gender identity]

I’m so glad I could help you with your journey. I feel so lucky I am able to be in a position where I’m able to help other people — at the very least — realize they are not weird, they are not alone, they’ve got someone who will look out for them. Because that’s something I didn’t have when I was growing up, and I thought I was weird, I thought I was — I don’t know, I didn’t have any exposure to any gender stuff or even LGBT stuff. So I just thought, “Well these things going in my mind are f**king weird stuff.”

Now, I actually get to be that representation for some people, and that’s f**king amazing for me. I’ve gotten so many letters, and so many messages, and so many donations, and so many chat messages going, “Thank you for everything”. Meeting people in person at conventions, people literally shaking and going, “Oh my god, it’s you.” And I’m like, “I’m just me! I’m just a person. I just play games.”

To have people freak out over that is mind-blowing. I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to it. Like, I got recognized at my university, I used to get recognized doing random things, and people would just come up to me and go, “Seriously, thank you.”

I hope I can continue to help people find themselves and continue to be a positive representation for people, because I remember what it's like not to have that.

I want to make sure that anyone who feels alone, or anyone who feels they don’t have anywhere else to find understanding, I want to be there for them. I understand I can’t have that one on one connection, but at least I want a space where you can come to, and you’re surrounded by a big group of people who all go, “Yeah, I understand that! Yeah, we’re all on the same page.”

#Eret #MCYT #Queer #LGBT #I don't typically main-tag things but this one is important #community building and representation ARE important!! Especially in marginalized communities #Also: for those of you who may not know #Eret is bi and genderqueer #got a few comments asking about that a while back so I thought I might as well mention it in the tags too for people who are curious

[canisalbus]

As someone whose entire extended family lives in Sicily irl and they're all super catholic i am delighted by Machete's place of origin??? I literally feel like that meme with the anime girl that's like "(Location) mentioned!!!" anytime it comes up lol

Anyways I love reading OC lore so your blog is always a treat 😎

.

#oh thank you! it's so good to hear you like him! #I hope I'm not doing a glaring disservice to Sicilians or Italians as a whole with my weird dog guy #to be honest I'm always worried about people taking him as serious representation of some trait they associate with and feel close to #and then potentially getting disappointed or upset when he's flawed and troubled and not always entirely likable #does that make sense? I'm an overthinking people-pleaser it's probably just all in my head #answered #anonymous #it's so funny that this [location mentioned] is a worldwide phenomenon #especially in non-anglosphere countries #because Finnish people always get hella excited whenever Finland is mentioned anywhere #it's became a well known inside joke (torille) #we're such a small quiet and remote nation it's always a pleasant surprise whenever one of the big guys remembers that we exist

[prince-liest]

I’m reading Witch King by Martha Wells, and now that I have read more than one (1) series by this author, I have been suddenly brained with a two-by-four sharpied over with “realizing that I really enjoy novels by Martha Wells because they live in the specific niche created by the intersection of casually and thoroughly queer casts and non-romance storylines”

I am as ever a sucker for non-human main characters struggling with their very human feelings, which is why I jumped on Witch King the moment I saw “the author of Murderbot wrote another book with a main character that’s non-human,” but I live in this dichotomy where I can really enjoy reading queer romances but I don’t really identify with non-ace characters (which is not actually something I figured out how to differentiate until I was Last Week Years Old). so there are lots of books out there that I enjoy reading but it’s comparatively rare for me to read something that feels like it was written For Me and Martha Wells does that very well

anyway, give me more ace it-pronouns human-spliced robot main characters and people-eating demons who consider rank over gender when finding new bodies to inhabit

#text posts #martha wells #witch king #personal #her castes and universes are also very culturally and ethnically diverse but I've had ace-ness on the mind lately #so it was relevant to my ongoing thoughts #I never really read books that are advertised as specific types of diversity representation #especially with queer books what I like to read is books that are very queer but aren't ABOUT being queer #so I tend to steer clear when people are like read this the mc is a nonbinary lesbian witch without even really saying what the plot is #but martha wells writes books that are queer and brown and INFLUENCED by being queer and brown but #the characters still get to have their stories be ABOUT whatever fun sci fi fantasy shenanigans are ongoing #((inb4: this is my preference not an overal value judgment)) #((I just want to read the same books I read when I was a little kid and have them just ALSO be lovingly diverse)) #((and I only really read SFF)) #in other news I was trying to figure out how to name my flavor of ace #and then I looked up the difference between demi and gray #and I realized gray is what I am looking for #very very dark gray

[guardian-angle22]

Brian Michael Smith (with Ronen Rubinstein & Rafael Silva) receiving the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 2023 for 911: Lone Star

#911 lone star cast #brian michael smith #ronen rubinstein #rafael silva #glaad awards 2023 #representation matters #trans representation matters especially rn #this feels incredibly important and relevant as we all freak out about the tarlos wedding about to happen #'we're gonna use our ART' is exactly what the tarlos wedding is #using art and representation in media to show that people just like tk carlos and paul are out there and we exist and we matter #also i just fucking love these dudes #this entire speech was excellent. brian knocked it out of the park. #rafael and ronen cheering him on the whole time. rafael clapping. ronen multiple times saying 'that's right baby' #LGBTQIA+ solidarity baby - i love to see it #my gifs

[antique-symbolism]

FNV's karma system keeps taking away points for looting Legion and NCR camps as if it isn't always morally correct to steal from fascists and also the United States Military

#I talk a lot of shit about the ncr for someone who keeps doing their quests #my opinion on them is complicated as the game likely intended #my opinion on the karma system is not complicated however #my opinion is that it is bad and should not exist #karma is a bad mechanic for an rpg especially one that is (appropriately) heralded for its representations of morally grey situations #fallout #fallout new vegas

[alaydbug]

realizing that, as someone who is aro/ace, i dont feel overjoyed when seeing confirmed aro/ace characters in media because of the inherit loneliness one may feel from this identity and not wanting characters I adore to have to feel such a way. love representation, very hard to face them when its a deep part of your own insecurity and it scares you.

#might be maybe is definitely something I realized through riz gukgak #everyone is so vocal about wanting him to come out officially and how basically canon it is that hes aro ace #and I was unsure why I had a hard time with this when i've never shied away from it before #especially not with queer stuff or even insecurities #Ive always whooped and hollared at any representation #i just realized this one hit too close to home #with issues i have today and will probably fight my whole life #I WANT a relationship I think. I want to love. I cant. #when all of my dearest friends find love #will I even fit into their lives anymore like i used to #anyways sorry little guy im sure your friends would be there for you #fantasy high #question mark? i mean it was what spurred this on

[heartsofhounds]

i’m sure you see me going insane in the tags BUT i had to pop into the inbox to tell you that i am so in love with your angel and davey designs, they mean the absolute world to me. it’s like you plucked their little faces right out of my brain and it brings me so much joy to see them!! thank you for sharing your insane talent with the world <3<3<3 sending you all the best vibes <3<3<3

Hey, sweetpea! Thank u so so much, im also so in love with them :))

and yes! i have seen u in the tags and it makes me smile so much aaaaa.. in response to ur comments on that one sketch i did of these two a few weeks back, there is a lot of love i put into drawing “non-standard” body types, cause they simply don’t get enough love, or attention or representation. Especially as someone living in a fat body, it means a lot to see bodies similar to mine represented as beautiful and even desirable. So yknow (without getting too into body politics and whatever for now) in putting out that content, id hope to help other people develop healthier relationships with their own bodies 💙

#i have a lot to say about body type representation in media #ESPECIALLY with character designs + character art it is overwhelmingly skinny and/or straight size #I’ve got a big ramble about body representation I’ll have to post here some day #some day but not today! #anywhoo hope all y’all are having a lovely Sunday! 💙 #fen art #fen talks #fen redacted art #redacted angel #redacted David

[laniemae]

What’s up with this table scene in Deep Cover? (And another theory on colour symbolism and that final scene)

In this one scene where she’s eyeing the chess peices of Kazui, Amane and Mikoto is really confusing to me. This scene (and the one after) depicts only these three. Like I can understand as Kazui was the one who stopped Kotoko from fully beating up Fuuta, and Amane and Mikoto were the guilty prisoners she wasn’t able to fully inflict pain on but it’s interesting how she’s only eyeing these three here.

And when the camera starts spinning there’s no chess pieces for the other prisoners, only indescribable rubble that doesn’t match up with the pieces (I’ll get to that later). And even Fuuta’s and Mahiru’s pieces aren’t here, but when it keeps spinning it goes back to Kazui, Amane and Mikoto’s pieces still on the table. So what’s up with this? And there’s no sign of Kotoko’s throne which would be right next to Mikoto’s chair. But interestingly enough her chair is back not long later when she’s standing on the table?

This is really interesting but I don’t know exactly what to make of this. All other prisoners that aren’t Kazui, Amane or Mikoto have been completely removed from this scene, and Kotoko’s chair as well. Instead she’s sitting on the other’s chairs instead of her own. Although it seems that may not be the case for Amane, as it looks like she’s sitting on the table there. Or maybe she’s just sitting sideways, it’s hard to tell.

There’s also how in the scene right after this where there’s only one Kotoko, and she’s standing between Amane and Mikoto’s chairs.

She’s eyeing Mikoto’s broken piece, smiling and laughing, representing her overblown hate for him.(which I still don’t exactly know why she really wants to kill him so badly? Some of the things she’s said makes me think it may be ableism but I don’t think it’s just that.)

And unlike the others who’s chess pieces are in front of their own chairs, his piece is broken in front of her, perhaps even with the likely guilty verdict she may try to attack him again.

There’s also the colours here, where the purple and blue colours often show when she’s breaking the chess pieces or other violent scenes, which is just a little detail I really like. But it also makes the thumbnail scene interesting as that has the more normal grey palette? Thinking about it perhaps this colour scheme represents her desire to take everyone down, as Amane and Mikoto’s pieces are broken here but she only really attacked Fuuta and Mahiru in real life. But that’d make it interesting considering Kazui’s piece is not broken here but at the end it is.

So going back to the rubble thing I mentioned earlier, there appears to be shattered pieces of stone all around the table that do not look like the broken prisoner chess pieces, as this rubble is more broken and doesn’t have any colour.

It’s interesting as this rubble has just appeared out of nowhere, and replaced the other prisoners chess pieces in this scene as well. And it surrounds Kazui’s piece despite it not being broken. And in the scene where she’s on the table, the remains of the guilty prisoners and the other rubble swirl around her in a ring.

And this is where I want to talk about the layout of the chairs and the rubble more as this shot is incredibly confusing to me.

So right off the bat there’s something really strange here. Again there’s rubble all over the table but this time it’s in weird clumps. There appears to be 3 maybe 4 clumps on the table, in a position where it looks like it could represent the guilty prisoners perhaps, but if you look closely they do not match up with where the prisoners seats would be, and they’re just everywhere, and it doesn’t seem like the individual chess pieces are here either.

But in the end, the table has been completely destroyed and the entire mindscape has been engulfed in the bright blues and pinks, which I mentioned could represent her violent desires. The innocent prisoner’s chess pieces have been destroyed with blood all over them and the guilty ones nowhere to be seen. And Kotoko’s piece, the only one intact is the only one that remains, and is covered in blood.

Ok so just going to go off topic here but I just thought about this final scene while writing. If the pink and blue colours represent her desires, perhaps the overly saturated colours represent her desires going out of control and killing everyone. This could explain why Kazui’s chess piece wasn’t broken in the table scene with these colours but it is now.

Perhaps this final scene isn’t exactly what Kotoko wants, but is what she is scared she will become if she doesn’t try to stop herself. She’s struggling at the beginning to hold herself together and gives up, with the shadow of the werewolf emerging from her. The wolves are Kotoko’s representation of her justice, this werewolf is the violent justice that destroys. She’s afraid of what she could become here, that’s why she’s so horrified at the end. She doesn’t exactly want this outcome, she doesn’t want to kill all the prisoners. But she’s scared that how far she’s been going into her extreme ideologies could lead her down this path.

#Milgram #Milgram theory #Kotoko yuzuriha #LanieMae’s theories #I’ve noticed a lack of theories lately and especially with deep cover I’m adding some speculation fuel here #The last theory about kotoko not wanting that final outcome and representing her ideals going out of hand is actually inspired by side orde #Like I’ve been thinking a lot about order being an extreme version of marinas idelologies where they could be what she fears of being #And then I thought about kotoko and realised that’s exactly what the last scene is implying here #I’ll need to talk about splatoon and Marina another day but it’s really interesting how they both have ideals that could be incredibly #dangerous if they were left to an extreme. With order and justice respectively #And order (the character) and the werewolf being physical representations of what could happen #I’m screaming right now I love this so much this is such a cool concept

[myriadsystem]

Any lovely witchy friends out there have advice for reaching out to a deity?

#personal #been a practising witch for a long time but never really thought about having a patron #but more and more recently i feel a pull towards some specific beings. ive been making some small offerings in the form of crafts #related to their imagery and totem style representations but i havent actually attempted to contact them #or open any direct channels of communication. and as ive never had a patron deity before im not sure how to start that process #how to transition from a solo practice to a more collaborative participation #so any advice is much appreciated! feel free to dm if your suggestions might be more personal or longer than a reply #i only know a few other witches in real life and i dont think any of them deal with deities either so id love to make some friends #who also practice too i think its really good to learn this stuff from real people and not only internet stuff #bc internet stuff especially in regards to witchery can be bs at best and straight up racist and culturally appropriating at worse #and genuinely dangerous at worst for inexperienced practicers so i do prefer knowledge from other real humanoids when possible #witchcraft #witchblr

[haveyouplayedthisgame]

Terraria

#THIS IS IT!!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS THE ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE ONE IVE BEEN WAITING FOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #WOOOOOOOOO BABYYYYYYYYYUY #this is the one on switch and i forget who the artist is but theyve done some other art for the game #(im saying the game amd not its name so its not in said game's tags thus it messes with the results) #but GODDDDDDD it is so gorgeous. absolutely the best representation for what this game is #especially in the modern day. post 1.3 and especially in 1.4 #god this game got so gorgeous in between 1.3 and 1.4 #ugh. its so good #and. this is not the last time you will hear me talk about this game

[itswhatyougive]

Sometimes, it feels like we're living in the age of cowardice when it comes to queer representation.

On the one hand, some things we see onscreen today would've been unthinkable at one point in time.

However, there is this pervasive feeling of dancing around characters' queerness, timidly alluding to it via post-release interviews, and wishy-washy "up to your interpretation" characterizations.

"Be grateful you have anything at all," some might say. But I want more!!

I'm tired of this stupid dance, tired of characters who are obviously queer not being allowed to get too "out of bounds" for fear of the moderate/conservative straight viewers.

I know the state of LGBTQ rights seems in danger of rapidly declining, but that's exactly why I want raw, authentic, tender, joyous queerness to be normalized onscreen.

TL;DR This "abundant tame and toothless, sanitized queer rep in media" moment we are living in is getting me down.

#btw i'm not shooting down series like heartstopper #there is definitely a space for cute queer fluff #but i'm talking across the board #fear of getting “too gay” with it #especially in mainstream shows that aren't specifically about being gay #queer rep in media #queer representation #tv shows #tv #television series #film #movies #cinema #hayes code #queer #gay #bi #lesbian #trans

[anglerflsh]

neurodivergency moment on my part

#[.art] #self #saw one too many posts about 'tv autism versus irl autism' and You can acknowledge different ways it manifests without demeaning one of the #it's perfectly understandable to be upset at only seeing one stereotype in media. But in asking for more perhaps/ #/don't act like no-one ever can act like that representation- especially for things such as these? #idk I'm tired of people saying ''Autstic People Can Have High Empathy! We're not all heartless bastards!'' like. girl #okay good for you? Others still struggle with the concept of empathy or sympathy #or like- the narrative that 'masking' is only a suppression of emotion (as in containing excitement for example) / #/when it can also be the other way around? #''masking'' can also entail pretending to be excited or sad or whatever emotion is appropriate #i don't know i don't know #I'm :/ at whatever I'm seeing of nd talking topos lately because I keep stumbling on the same few things over and over #and :/// #Maybe I'm the one not being nuanced maybe I'm not getting it this isn't meant to be a discourse post. I would have worded it better otherwi #this is very much me complaining about something that mildly annoys me. And nothing else. It's not a statement.

[oleanderblume]

I find it incredibly interesting and absolutely buck wild that the criticism surrounding an independent animation studio's works are directed entirely at the singular creator, as though the entire entertainment industry and medium itself is not a constant collective and collaborative effort of multiple writers, storyboard artists, animators, and studio heads.

Instead, it's just one specific person who is horrible and awful for creating whatever it is they make and how it is received by a seemingly very small minority holding a megaphone to everyone’s fucking ear canal.

Half the criticisms are entirely baseless and lacking nuance, too. Which is interesting. Its like they just hate this one person for being successful and breaking into an incredibly gatekept industry as an independent artist and studio.

Like no one in that group is capable of understanding just how groundbreaking and historical it is for an independent studio to garner this amount of success in this era of entertainment.

Or understanding the limitations put on independent studios that are carving out the future of the entertainment industry.

Of course viewership of a nearly entirely crowdfunded passion project being released once every few months is going to feel as though the pacing is slower, or as though the story isn't being laid out as clearly.

It's being released episodically once every few months.

And of course a series created by the same studio being overseen by a massive corporate streaming service beholden to shareholders and major studio mandates is going to feel rushed and dramatically different from the aforementioned passion project.

It is being overseen by the exact same kinds of corporate business practice that forces writers and creators of entertainment to work in sharp deadlines with no guarantee of continuation.

Like. Yes, have criticism. But be cognizant of the drastically different influences that exist in these two avenues of entertainment and production. And be aware, at the very least, of basic media literacy and competency.

One of those shows is clearly an episodic character driven drama, while the other is specifically plot driven. They are going to manifest different methods of storytelling because they are different stories and might i remind you, one of them is overseen by a corporate entity with the ability to just cancel its "investment" on a whim.

I think it speaks very loudly to the state of consumerism in our current age, and the way audiences receive art. It is no longer art but "content" and we must only consume "content" which is "morally pure" in every possible way.

But criticism can't be given to the corporations in control of that decimination of "content" one one person is to blame, is at fault.

Anyways. Just my observation. Interesting.

#hazbin hotel #i just want people to stop and think about how fucking groundbreaking it is for completely indie and crowdfunded animation has broken #through the glass ceiling of the entertainment industry with equally groundbreaking representation #but i guess it's more important to focus on how much you don't like the creator that how sorry a state our entertainment industry is in #to be too upset about one of the coolest things in entertainment history than like...why this whole event is and should be making history #its especially ironic in the era of entertainment labor strikes.

[violetgarlends]

i love fxmq so much but also like. god. fenglian. they’re not even a ship to me they’re like a concept. a state of mind. a constant of the universe

#finally! the representation for kinda toxic homoerotic codependent bestfriendships we deserve #especially angst with them. i love fenglian angst #i think fxmq is my endgame ship for fx but i do love to play in the fenglian space #god this is such a niche concept but i need to write about them in the tlt universe. they’re such a perfect necromancer/cavalier duo #fenglian #tgcf #they should have had bad sex in book 4 and it should’ve been weird

[violetsorrengailpdf]

really do Not see where the people who say this book is bad eds representation are coming from. also like...the author has eds????? so????? shut up maybe if you don't have it???????

#why do people think this is bad representation????? #like they're constantly talking about how her worth isn't defined by the things she can do #and that just bc she needs extra help bc she's disabled doesn't make her less than her peers #not to mention the whole bit where the author frequently brings up how eugenics is bullshit #and there are different kinds of strengths not just physical #how is any of that bad???? do you know how RARE that is with disabled characters??? ESPECIALLY in fantasy novels???????? #like yeah ofc the author is taking creative liberties #but uhhh 1) this is a fucking fantasy book so i want to know what you expect #and 2) the author has eds!!!!!!!! i would understand why that would bother people if the author herself didn't have the disease but!!! #she literally does!!!!!! #emilio.txt #fourth wing lb

[sysig]

String you up, tie you down (Patreon)

#Doodles #The Stanley Parable #TSP #Stanley #The Narrator #I realized I never actually gave any kind of visual representation of how Sinister's arm got that way #Since it was a dream initially he was just ''always like that'' so I never bothered lol #Plus I never even posted those original dream doodles over here lol it was on my alt - so many reasons! #It's weird to see his arm unburned and bruised with the wire on it #It would still eventually start to hurt! It's very tight on him so it cuts off his circulation even without all the external damage #Not enough to cause lasting damage - how much do the resets reset? Does his blood un-flow? #But definitely enough to cause discolouration on his skin #Not enough to completely numb his arm tho just so it's like forever pin-pricks lol #Sometimes the skin goes numb from being burned or hit tho - the Narrator has no real way of knowing what Stanley's feeling so he just #Keeps running him into things lol #It's not Exactly sadism on purpose - he does genuinely forget! Especially the longer it goes on because Stanley stops reacting #And then also the thing of how much does the Narrator remember from each reset as well lol - some things! But not everything #So eventually it just settles into ''That's just what Stanley's arm is like'' - much like how I feel about it! Lol #But sometimes he does hurt him on purpose - think the lead-up to the Museum ending or the Mariella ending #The example given here is the first time he burns Stanley's arm for refusing to get the Art ending lol #Maybe he does hate babies you don't know #Poor Sinister :( He's always at the whims of the Narrator but now he's got a whole arm's worth of extra control on him! #Got a bad vibe from the very beginning and he was right