#its just so unfair how female characters are treated in comparison to male characters

[helluva-shit-show]

I swear I don't hate the show, I don't even hate any of the ladies above, not even Stella, it's just insanely unfair how the women get treated in Helluva.

And no, I don't need the creators of any given media to hold my hand and walk me through every tiny choice made by every character in said media.

Of course I can infer that Stella grew up in the same pre-determined mold Stolas was forced into. Of course I can infer that she learned tantrum behavior and violence probably got her what she wanted so her royal parents didn't have to hear it.

I can infer that Barbie self harms bc a tiny thin scar doesn't form a perfect circle around your forearm by accident, and an "X" doesn't perfectly cross out a tattoo that probably causes you great trauma to look at every day, on accident. Her tail scars are deeply concerning and saddening to think about, bc again, why do they PERFECTLY match her twin brother's natural markings? I can infer that his actions, intentional or not, deeply traumatized her, and her response was to remove a piece of herself that reminded her of him. It's dark, it's mature, it's compelling and it makes sense. The issue is, it will probably never be touched on.

I adore Millie, I adored her before season two was even announced. To the contrary, I actually don't care if she ever gets a deep deep dive at her backstory. There have been PLENTY of male characters across all kinds of media that are simply psychotic little murder gremlins, and no one ever bats an eye at it. I adore her as the murder gremlin queen she is. But as she's main cast, it's incredibly unfair by comparison how she gets utilized and how she doesn't. One minute she can take down a 60 meter tall fish monster single handedly, the next minute, because the plot wants this to be about the bois, a single hit breaks her arm to the point that BONE IS PIERCING THROUGH HER SKIN, and she just happens to get thrown directly into the world's MOST CONVENIENTLY PLACED AND ARMED bear-trap ever. It doesn't snag her face, her hair, or her hand or arm or torso or back, she falls just perfectly that her leg is just perfectly in its jaws. No arteries got caught? There's not an excess of blood, she's by the show's own dialogue, "fine." But she's benched for the rest of the episode.

And maybe it wouldn't be so bad from the critical eye if the excuse given for it wasn't SO hollow. "Helluva is more male focused and Hazbin is more female focused." Ma'am. Who do you think you're fooling out here. Angel Dust and Alastor built the HH fandom. Do you expect me to believe Mimzy or Niffty are going to be treated any better than the Helluva gals? Mimzy is literally already on the wiki as a "minor character".

It's truly ok to focus your story on males. There is literally a whole genre of anime focused on mostly male stories. But if someone, or a lot of someones, feel your female cast is lacking in substance, I find it insulting to dismiss them and say they're misreading the media and nitpicking. They care about the show, YOUR show, they care about YOUR characters, if you can remember back when you were a smaller creator HERE on tumblr, ppl love when you ask them about their OCs. And you don't have to spit out a quick bs backstory to your character if you haven't given it much thought, that's not what anyone is asking for. (Cough, Unhappy Campers, COUGH).

Idk how to wrap this critique up, so I'm just gonna say, Moxxie's mom is too badass to be Mrs. Knofirstname Knolastname. 🤡

#helluva boss #helluva boss s2 #helluva stella #helluva loona #helluva millie #helluva verosika #helluva sallie may #helluva beelzebub #helluva tilla #helluva Knolastname #helluva octavia #helluva barbie wire #helluva barbie #helluva critical #helluva critique #helluva boss critical #helluva boss critique #cw: selfharm #self-harm mention #selfharm mention

[hibiscxs]

Hmm, I must admit that I was confused/conflicted about how consensual rhaenyra/criston came off as in 1x04 bc their primary relationship is royal/servant (well, hes a knight, but it still stands). And i really wanted to think about it bc i didnt want to dismiss a case of a man being SAed too quickly, but i also didnt want to confuse a female-gaze sex scene with male-targeted SA

There is a clear power imbalance that was a point in the previous episode, with criston talking about how rhaenyra changed his life and how he owed her everything he had. Under those circumstances, you would be suspicious of any sexual relationship between them. If she instigates something, then he may not be in a position to refuse or else he could lose his position or even his life. The scene highlights him having a moment where he regards his cloak (a symbol of his status as her knight, status that she gave him) before they have sex. Criston is remarkably more somber than she is during the entire encounter.

But, I ultimately feel that his position as a knight of the Kingsguard specifically changes the circumstances of this a lot. Because, yes, he is sworn to obey her. But he’s also sworn to celibacy. And in general, everyone is forbidden from having sex with the princess.

Kingsguard are Kingsguard for life. Up to this point in the timeline, knights of the Kingsguard have only been stripped of their cloak and sent to the Wall bc they broke their vows of celibacy. It isn’t until Joffrey’s rule that a knight was dismissed for any other reason. Kingsguard aren’t stripped of their station for disobeying commands, but they are for having sex. So it seems pretty safe to say that if Criston had wanted to say no, he could have and felt secure in his station and his life.

And what of the emphasis on his cloak? In this context, it’s easier to see that Criston is very aware that he’s breaking his vow of celibacy, that he’s besmirching the name of the Kingsguard. The act of taking off his armor and his white cloak specifically is a physical manifestation of him casting off his station and forsaking his vows to have sex with rhaenyra. He chooses to do it because he wants to, but its a serious thing to him, which is why he handles the cloak so carefully as if to not do even more damage to it and to himself, why he’s so serious in comparison to her smiles and giggles.

There is, however, the conversation to be had about how rhaenyra shouldnt have put him in that position in the first place. As the person with more power and less to lose if theyre found out, it was irresponsible of her. And thats very in line with her character up to this point. This episode especially highlights how rhaenyra is wild and makes bad choices. Some of it stems from just her being her, a dragon stifled by expectation and rules and society. But some of it also stems from how she wasnt raised as the heir because viserys ignored her in favor of some unborn son and how viserys still isnt treating her like the heir because he continues to waver and be manipulated.

Anyway, back to her and criston

In the end, im comfortable with interpreting this as a fully consensual encounter because of the specifics of their situation. Ive seen a few posts about how because it was framed in a way that focused on her and how when she’s on top it almost looks like she’s fucking him, its meant to show us that he’s not feeling pleasure, especially when intercut with viserys and alicent.

But I do think that’s unfair. The entire scene was directed by a woman and definitely used the female gaze. It’s wish fulfillment for straight women. Theres the insinuation that because it wasnt directed in a way that focused on criston’s pleasure that the encounter was inherently imbalanced, that when she was on top he couldnt be enjoying himself because he was the one getting fucked. And I’m uncomfortable with that

#hotd #asoiaf #hotd 1x04 #rhaenyra x criston #rhaenyra targaryen #criston cole #cw: sa

[lycheecha]

all of us are dead spoilers

people who hate nayeon but love gwi nam ... i hate you like i rlly do. like literally dni??

nayeon was the most selfish student throughout the whole season and turned gyeongsu into a zombie because she was petty and wanted to win an argument because no one would listen to her. she also just generally has a nasty personality which people in general do not like. ( i don't like her personality either.)

but she felt guilty for what she did. she was obviously very upset at what happened as she kept seeing hallucinations of gyeong su no matter where she went. she wanted to give the other students the food and drinks from the storage room she was hiding in but stopped when she heard them shit talking her (which was deserved btw 😭) she wanted to give them a whole bag of food and the drinks on the rooftop and genuinely wanted to help them in the end. her teacher would've wanted that. and she did too.

but .. gwi nam ate her ass 💀

people dislike her and rightfully so!! i just don't get why you like gwi nam of all people instead. yeah he's probably the most interesting character in the show and the actor did an amazing job but you all overlook the things gwi nam did. you know why? because he's an attractive male character and y'all hate women, like there's literally no other reason for this.

gwi nam sexually harassed a female student on multiple occasions, took video's of her where she was half naked against her consent, was prepared to post it no matter what just to get some money. this had been going on for a while too, which you saw in the memories of eunji. she was constantly bullied, harassed by the bullies and by the boy (who's a fucking loser btw) she liked.

gwi nam was constantly ordered to do this yes, but did you see him? he's not afraid of those students. he killed the zombies on his way. he literally killed the principal for fucks sake why would he be afraid of the other bullies??? he literally killed the principal and blamed cheong san for it even though HE slashed the principal in the neck. HE was the one with the knife in his hand. he was threatening in the first place idg why he was blaming cheong san for it.

he's also the indirect reason for why that teacher started experimenting on his son which is the whole cause of the zombie outbreak. that means he has been a bully long enough to lead multiple students to actually want to die.

he was so vengeful and literally caused more problems for everyone for no reason other than that he felt like a god roaming through these hallways.

cheong san attacked him in self defense. gwi nam acted in petty revenge, you are literally a hambie in this zombie apocalypse and instead of trying to become a better person you decide to become even shittier???

and you might think, user li4ues, he's just a fictional character, let us like him in peace!! why are you so heated up about this?? it's not that deep and the answer is sorry, no!!! because this is a recurring problem in literally every fandom there is.

oh a woman has a nasty attitude and is not letting people walk over her like a doormat and she did one (1) crime and what does the audience do? they hate her.

oh a man has literally committed 17374848 crimes and also has a nasty attitude like the woman but he's attractive, what does the audience do? they like him. they love him even.

case in point, niiragi from alice in borderland. he almost r*ped usagi but what do the fans do??? they like him like wtf i like the actor too but y'all need to learn how to separate the actor from the character like im begging atp PLEEK. i thought it was common sense to not like the sexual offenders in shows??? but like i guess not.

this also happens often in the music industry like kpop. the difference between a male idol scandal and a female idol scandal is gigantic. the industry is incredibly biased and netizens are ruthless against these idols. a male idol gets the best legal team there is and even if they go to jail their sentence is incredibly short. a female idol ... gets nothing really.

y'all hate women over the smallest things but when a man does something far worse y'all are like 'my little meow meow did nothing wrong !!!'

women can't be the happy go lucky girl because the fans think theyre annoying (e. g. uraraka from bnha) they can't have too much autonomy either or else the fans think she's annoying too. they have to fit into this mold the fans have created for female characters. they need to be badass. they need to be not feminine. they need to be this. they need to be that. and if she's not, she's useless, bland or whatever. just say you hate women and go.

(notice how female characters are far more disliked than male characters? like just pick any fandom really and it's immediately very obvious. e.g genshin impact, a female main character such as lucy heartfilia. female side characters such as sakura from naruto. how the fandom views jules vaughn vs cal jacobs after his backstory in euphoria.)

im actually appalled with all the simp posts i have seen for niiragi and gwi nam like?! show me clear signs of mental illness without actually showing me clear signs of mental illness. ( this is not meant personally btw bc i too am mentally ill !)

anyways it's almost 2 am. i have school tmrw and there are probably so many grammar and vocabulary mistakes in this but i needed to get this off my chest.

stop with the double standards im begging you. like we get it, you have internalized misogyny or ur just insane! we get it!!

and no i won't ever stop ranting about this because my women deserve better from y'all!!!

#all of us are dead #netflix all of us are dead #netflix #kdrama #gwi nam #lee nayeon #niragi #alice in borderland #rant #cw vent #double standards #double standard much? #female character shooter #need to get this off my chest #my girls deserve sm better #i truly hate it here #also i dont mind if you like him!! there's nothing wrong w that! i just have a problem if you like him but hate nayeon in the same breath #just seperate actor from character and then we're good really #its just so unfair how female characters are treated in comparison to male characters

[ournewoverlords]

Booksmart slaps. It’s just a huge amount of fun to watch - the key word here for me is “good-natured”. This is a good-natured movie that teases and pokes fun at a lot of people - a lot of *kinds* of people, from the queer drama kids to the dopey jocks to the Gen Z overachieving feminist types who have pictures of Michelle Obama on their wall and can quote Susan B Anthony from memory - without ever making fun of anyone in a mean-spirited way, and highlighting that no one is ever “just” their tribe. The ending ties the story up neatly with a feel-good bow about how no one is really what they seem on the surface, especially not in high school, when everyone’s trying so hard to be invulnerable… which also means they can’t be *seen*. There’s a lot of great character work here that I think could’ve been fleshed out even more (the 1 hour 45 min runtime feels shockingly short in the day and age of Endgame) but still feels natural and sincere, and the huge array of secondary characters - real characters, not just insert-famous-cameos - gives this movie not just humor but so much life and buoyancy.

(Warning: light spoilers beneath cut)

What keeps it from reaching the top tier for me, though, is that it somehow still feels like something I’ve seen before, even though the window dressing is so different. It’s definitely rare to see female best-friendship displayed so frankly, genuinely, and *hilariously* on the big screen, and I can’t remember another movie where the nerdy valedictorian is a boss and knows it, not to mention one where one of them is a lesbian (my young baby lesbian Amy!! protect that cinnamon roll), but the story of two blood-sworn, childhood-, everything-friends reaching the last chapter of their adolescence together in fun and games and boozy celebration, all while the fear of how they’ll face the great unknown without the other is this silent undercurrent churning beneath… that feels familiar to me? That doesn’t keep me from loving this particular theme, because it IS a great one, I just mean it’s not as original as Ladybird, so it lends itself to comparison more easily. 

Superbad, for instance. I actually kinda hate how every review (including the one linked here, which is totally in line with my sentiments) keeps calling this “the female Superbad”. Yes, it’s a coming-of-age comedy about two friends at the end of the senior year trying to go out with a bang together, and yes, it’s a little raunchy, and yes, it really is all about the friendship between the two main characters at its core… but the whole texture, color, and point of Booksmart are completely different. 

By texture, I mean that even as the two girls are the “heroes” of this quest, it’s still interested in the characters outside them, such that you really get the sense that they are their own people, with their own lives and inner life. In the briefest of screentimes you grasp instantly why someone like Molly would be attracted to easygoing jock Nick (but then connects to the hopelessly-messy-but-sweet Jared), and why Amy likes the skatergirl with the big toothy grin. The other kids and love interests aren’t just vessels for Molly and Amy’s own awakenings. In fact, some of them have their own troubles, and they’re all really pretty good kids.

It’s interested in the way that the two mains are, in their own way, not the most perfect people. How the world’s really not out to get them; in fact, they’re the ones who have to learn to fit into it. I talk more about this below, but this was the part I liked the most, because it feels particularly true to life in a way that I don’t think I’ve seen in many other coming-of-age narratives, much less light-hearted comedies.

Speaking of light-hearted, the whole tone of the humor is waay different from Superbad’s too. It’s funny as hell, which is probably the most important thing at the end of the day — there were a few scenes that had me and my entire theater howling — but amazingly for a coming-of-age comedy, I remember very few of the jokes being gross-out or sexual, or even all that cringe. Booksmart mines a lot of physical humor just in their sheer facial expressions (if a picture is a thousand words, Beanie Feldstein’s face does the work of a thousand punchlines), but it’s mostly the little throw-away lines and hilarious sketches (the attempted robbery in the car! Amy’s overly-well-meaning parents! everything GiGi and Jared do) that string everything together and carry the day. That’s not to say that there aren’t serious moments that are given due weight too — Amy under the water, submerged in that song is just an absolutely beautiful shot. 

It reminds me a little of Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade, which I think is a more interesting comparison than Superbad here. Booksmart tries to capture some of that raw realness that Eighth Grade had, underneath all the silliness and humor; it is, in many ways, about how hard it is to be vulnerable to someone else, even (especially) the people you love. It pulls at a lot of strands and among them are the idea that this is what high school is really like, that to be honest all these boys (and girls!) who hold your heart in their clumsy, sweaty fingers will be like leaves in the wind years from now, that standing on the entrance to adulthood isn’t a physical change, it’s not about booze, or losing your virginity, or getting accepted by your peers. Becoming an adult is inner work, alright, but it’s also not work you can do on your own. Because it’s about how you treat yourself, but it’s about how you treat other people too. 

But I think where Eighth Grade really succeeds is this it has this kind of specificity to it — it really, really is about this awkward girl, and her lonely existence, and about being a girl who is becoming a woman in a certain context. And that specificity gives it a kind of honesty that rings painfully true to me. Booksmart — probably because it is trying to avoid stereotypes and do something entirely new here, which is totally commendable — almost feels a little too universal. It feels like you could replace Molly and Amy here with dudes, and it wouldn’t be a huge change in dynamics outside the pussy hats and Malalia worship, because these two are defined more by their identities as “overachieving party-pooping best-friend NERDS” than by being girls per se. These are two whipsmart dorks who are best friends, and happen to be female, rather than a portrayal of female best friendship per se. And the other kids treat them that way too: no one gives a shit Molly’s chubby or Amy’s a lesbian, they give a shit that they’re exasperating know-it-alls.

Which is REALLY refreshing. I’m being unfair here — it’s *because* it’s so rare to see female friendships or just girls in general depicted this way on screen that I think it doesn’t quite “fit” my own intuitions about real life. But I’m a weird case of someone who really struggled in high school, and definitely didn’t have friends much less deep ones like theirs, and I bet other women would recognize themselves in these two and their relationship much more. The frank vagina talk and the fact that Molly and Amy are actually really self-assured and even pretty damn well-liked are just super freakin’ cool anyways. In particular I LOVE the way they’re still dorky, in a way I so rarely see female characters allowed to be because female characters written by dudes tend to be so poised and “above” the main male protagonist (probably because the screenwriters are thinking back to their own high-school crushes, who must’ve seemed so mature and unattainable to a nerdy teenage boy). 

It goes back to what I said about this being an affectionate, feel-good movie where everyone turns out to be pretty decent in the end. It doesn’t set out to be much more than that, and I’m not sure if I wanted it to be, but I think it’s that fact they didn’t go all out that keeps it from being a 10/10 for me. It’s just very sweet and knowing and funny and always making sure to laugh with these oddball kids, but that same gentleness keeps it from being something great; it’s like you need some claws to expose something “real”.

It’s a little strange to me, for example, that the movie dishes out a lot of high-school tropes — all the kids are playful representatives of some stereotype — but doesn’t seem to have any real bullies, and happily accepts the two not-very-outcasted outcasts at the party with open arms. And the girls each get their heart crushed, but only for like five minutes before they (tbqh) each get an upgrade. Every Gen Z tribe gets represented — from the failing stoner who actually has an offer from Google to the misunderstood school slut to poor Jared, my sweet beautiful mess of an unloved richboy — in this kind of Glee grab-bag kinda way, but without Glee’s sense that what ties us all together is this fucking shared suffering called high school; Booksmart’s high school is more like a utopia where everyone wears what they want and gets to be quirky and different and much cooler than you think in their own individualistic way. (They even have Jessica Williams as a teacher! UGH, so jelly.)

There’s something that’s actually really subversive about this, because 1) no one’s a villain and 2) to the extent that Molly and Amy are unpopular, it’s kinda brought on by themselves. *They* were the ones who chose never to hang out with the other kids, because studying was more important. *They* are the ones who have to learn something. Molly was the one who judged everyone by the school they got into, even as the others never gave a shit about it. Amy came out two years ago, but the reason she’s never had a kiss isn’t so much because she’s a lesbian, but because she’s too timid and unassertive as a person. Molly’s character arc is discovering that she’s too freaking judgey and she needs to stop assuming she knows everything from the cover, Amy’s is to realize herself as her own person outside of the (admittedly powerful) centrifugal force of her best friend. 

Those are GREAT ideas for arcs, it’s just that the execution of them didn’t completely land for me — maybe because the jokes were competing so much with the serious bits for screentime, it had to scramble at the end for the moment of character growth. So it didn’t feel fully “earned” to me, even as it worked on the thematic level of truly seeing people when you aren’t blinded by your own assumptions. 

Still, it’s a really satisfying movie with a different take on a common trope, and packed with killer lines and secondary characters like Jared that are just so great (he’s one that feels especially on-point to me because I recognize one of my old classmates in him — a great kid, just… swimming through life in a different lane). The cameos by the adult actors — Jessica Williams, Lisa Kudrow, Jason Sudeikis, Will Forte — were predictably fantastic. In fact all the acting and casting was SO GOOD (I found out later that the casting director was the one who did Freaks and Geeks!). I’m impressed by Olivia Wilde in her directorial debut here, it’s clear that she has an ear for comedic beats and some of the shots were wonderful — in a lot of comedies the camera is just kinda static and it’s all talking heads, but here the angles, the POV shots, the longer takes that move in and out of sound add so much dynamism. Excited for what she does next.

#booksmart #booksmart spoiler #booksmart review #olivia wilde

[anxious-acushla]

I think you hit a nerve talking about arya's privilege because apparently you are not talking about gendry's male privilege and I think they are making it out as some sort of unfair standards thing. I don't think people realize what feudalism is about and that nobles DO have a responsibilities that go with the opportunities that people lower down the social scale don't have. And nobles are afforded more rights in regards to their welfare that lowborns don't have, male or female. (part 1/3)

(part 2/3) We have many instances in the books where lowborn men are tortured (blue bard, marillion) or killed (mycah/lommy). If people want to talk about male privilege a better comparison is between arya and bran. There is a difference in how they treat someone like jeyne poole or pretty pia versus how people treat a sansa or arya. I think a lot of stans just want arya to have the benefits and none of the responsibilities. That is not realistic.

(Part 3/3) Yes, it is easier for men because women are subjected to sexual violence which happens to women more frequently. I think that if we get the books, Arya will realize and understand that she did have opportunities that other people don't have and I think she will use her position to do some real good for the commonfolk. Arya doesn't fully understand yet but I think she will when the series ends. it's part of growing up and learning about the world around her.

Alright nonny, you can stay. I appreciate this for so many reasons, the main one being that I’ve seen the passive aggressive posts going around after I posted my answer to the ask and I’ve wanted to defend myself (even though I don’t need to defend myself to anyone, much less people that won’t — AGAIN — bring topics to me so we can discuss them like adults) but was trying to bite my tongue.

So a few things before everyone comes for me:

Me not mentioning Gendry’s male privilege does not mean I don’t believe in its existence. The anon brought up Arya’s privilege so I responded re: Arya’s privilege. I mentioned Gendry in contrast when it comes to Arya’s privilege. It was not to show that perhaps he, being a man, does not also have his advantages in life. 

Let’s unpack that too. Did Gendry have advantages with TNW as a dude? Sure he did. Would I call “not getting raped” a privilege? No...but you can. Is his current standing as a Lord and his choice to keep Arya in his life despite them not being married a privilege that wouldn’t be afforded to a Lady in his shoes? Sure. Similarly, if Gendry and Arya are caught together, it’s her reputation that is ruined and not his. That’s male privilege. It’s real. Gendry and all men in GOT have it to a certain extent if we’re going to boil it down to “more immune to sexual assault”. But again, this is MY OPINION and ya’ll are more than welcome to have yours. Last time I checked I was the only one out here openly stating my beliefs while the rest of you hide behind anon or write passive aggressive posts but go off, sis.

“Privileged people can be oppressed. Their privilege doesn’t negate their oppression nor does their oppression negate their privilege.” - an actual thing I said sooo???

After much deliberation I’ve come to the conclusion that everyone coming after me, probably including the original anon, hasn’t actually read Exhale? Which...lolz. I went into answering the first anon thinking they had but now I’m pretty convinced they haven’t? And if they did, it’s likely they only read the most recent chapter? Not that it matters. I said what I said and I stand by it. But it is put in a more clear context when you put it as a counterpart to my current story. It’s not my fault some of you don’t read my mediocre fix-it fic. 

My comment on privilege is *mostly* a comment toward Show!Arya. If you do read Exhale it’s about 75% based off the show. Show!Arya has privilege and if you think she doesn’t...yikes (but you do you, boo!) 

But YES, Book!Arya has so much learning and growing to do and I can’t wait to see GRRM actually do her justice. I don’t think how the show ended is how GRRM will end the series. He may take twelve years to release a book but the man knows his characters and believes in the world he has built. So Show!Arya has privilege and it is essentially Show!Arya in Exhale that Sansa questions. 

Lastly, no one knows me? I write a fic that gets very little attention compared to most? I’m getting shit for having the gall to share an opinion? An opinion that I’m more than happy to a) discuss with anyone who comes to me like a mature human and b) won’t bother you about if you don’t agree? 

I lied. This is my last point: FANDOMS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE POSITIVE AVENUES FOR FANS TO COME TOGETHER AND SHARE THEIR LOVE OF A TV SHOW/BOOK/MOVIE, ETC. We get enough garbage from creators and other fandoms, etc. etc. etc. Why do we do this *to eachother*? Why is everyone so focused on the negative that they immediately assume the worst? What is with the condescension? Don’t like what you see and don’t want to respond to it in a way that is constructive? Keep it scrollin’. Block a tag. Unfollow someone. Fandom is supposed to be a healthy outlet and some of you seriously ruin it. 

#Anonymous #gendrya #I wasn't going to tag this but eff it #YOU CAN DISAGREE BUT DON'T DRAG ME FROM BEHIND YOUR COMPUTER

[fykingarthurlegendofthesword]

So what's been on your KALOTS mind lately? ^.^

My current KA:LOTS mood is exploring the good female representation that the film offered.

Much has been said about all the female characters that died, which while fair is reductive. A lot of characters died. If we’re going to count NAMED characters then women die at pretty much the same rate as men in this film, it’s just there are fewer prominent female characters thus it felt like more.

SO let’s have a quick talk about some of the all awesome women we DID get

I’ve waxed lyrical about the mage a few times, I’ve probably got my original thoughts queued here somewhere. She never smiles throughout the entire film, she is short tempered and commanding but is never vilified for it or questioned on it by any character. She is absolutely respected in her capacity as a mage without ever having to be ‘nice’. But here’s the kicker she’s not mean either, or catty or cruel, she’s just blunt, and the narrative allows her to be that without ever needing to explain it with a tragic backstory beyond the wider canon.

I enjoy the writing of the mage very much because she was not written to be likeable or nurturing but she still manages to be under her own agency because she’s working for a larger cause not because she has any overwhelming amount of natural warmth. In fact of all the characters most concerned with Arthur’s personal wellbeing, that falls to the men in the crew. Once again this is never undermined or overcompensated for in the narrative they are simply allowed to care very much for their friend and leader.

Moving on to the underappreciated Maggie (or Morgause???😱😱😱) who is the juxtaposition to the mage in so many ways. She is *required* to smile, to be demure, feminine and to defer to the men in her company. But once again her ability to continue to occupy the precarious space she’s in, is a strength not a weakness, she’s never used as a foil to make our more ‘bada**’ character look good. In fact she’s given her own strength when we find out that of all of them there she is the one who faces the most danger, constantly every day of her life and being who she is takes a huge amount of courage.

Both she and the mage occupy a space within this resistance, this uprising that don’t require them to inhabit traditionally masculine roles for their contributions to have meaning and impact. There is the temptation to require every ‘strong female character’ to wield a sword or know martial arts; which has its place. But can often be tiring and reductive because it diminishes the contributions of women who don’t wield weapons but are no less important for tit. King Arthur LOTS shows us what writing in those characters looks and feels like. Neither Maggie nor the mage are combatants yet they are fighters, fighting in the capacity they have and they are no less courageous or valuable for it.

Also please let us appreciate the fact that Maggie never at any point tries to seduce Vortigern. And considering the story it would have been the easiest thing in the world and actually justifiable. She’s a pretty spy who obviously spends a fair amount of time in his company, he’s a lonely black widower lol who gets off on power and control, but she doesn’t, she’s never required to and no hint of her being any less effective at her job for it. (special mention to Maggie’s speech to Vortigern at the end is just fantastic, she sees no reason to plead for her life so she tells Vortigern some hard truths)

Which brings me neatly to my next point. The non-s*xualised brothel. The women live there, work there, we SEE them living there and working there yet there are no T&A shots, no male gaze , no pity, no ‘saving them from iniquity’. The film respects what they do and even when Arthur ‘saves’ them it’s clear that he’s just repaying them in kind. In fact we never see anyone of the women beaten or assaulted for shock value (that’s saved for beardy Vikings). I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen such a respectful treatment of s*x work and s*x workers. In a film that didn’t’ need to, it wasn’t trying to make a point, it just was.

One last note on the lack of female combatants. In the world that’s been established we can see that women are not traditionally soldiers, knights etc. in these worlds a pet peeve of mine has always been only treating with value the women that break this mould; implying that the women that the contributions of all the women behind the scenes are lesser in comparison. This is a very masculine centric framework. Despite being criticised for it, I like the fact that the this film said, no women don’t fight here, it’s unlikely that they would have the resources to learn and it’d be unfair to expect them to have to because what they do, in their own capacity is every bit as important as the next guy with a sword and there is no need for any caveats on that. I would love to see female knights introduced in more instalments but I like the fact that when they arrive they will be joining an existing pantheon not creating a new one.

Yiikees this turned out longer than expected and tbh not sure how much sense it made since it’s a bit of word vomit but tell me what you think.

Thanks for this ask, I really enjoy talking about this film, but never find the time so asks are good motivation.

Also everyone please feel free to send me more. It gives me an excuse to wax lyrical about our magical ladies and yes even our deceased ones :D. (or indeed nay other theme you’d like me to put my 2 cents into, OR just to say hi 😊)

– UQ mod