#more poc more representation more powerful women

[genericpuff]

Hope you don't mind my asking but do you mind elaborating on why you don't like Mongie too much? I know all about why everyone dislikes Let's Play itself. There are various videos and post upon post online tearing it to shreds with criticism but I've not heard much about the creator herself like I do Rachel Smythe. Does she also run into the same issues that Rachel does or is her behavior different but equally questionable/annoying?

It's kinda equally questionable, kinda different. They both have the same issues of like, fetishizing youthfulness and creating unhealthy power dynamics. They also haven't done a great job at depicting POC in their comics, you can tell they're written by white women who don't understand other cultures but are trying to make their series more "progressive" by including stand-ins for representation.

That said, considering Let's Play is set in a real world setting, the POC characters (and the casually racist issues in their writing) are a lot more obvious than in LO (where you have to know the context that the neon-colored nymphs are based on POC to really realize that they're lower class POC people who are getting the shit end of the stick from the rich upper class main protagonists).

And I don't even mean in the usual "there aren't any POC in this comic" or "the POC in this comic are stereotypical/poorly written", I mean in the sort of white-victim-complex "I added in other ethnicities and people got mad at me anyways so what more do you want!" kind of way (paired with the "they're poorly written and stereotypical" aspect).

Dean is a good example of the stereotypical designing and writing, IIRC he's a Hispanic man but he's written like some Spanish soap opera character who flirts with every woman he sees and always has rose petals falling around him.

Even in that sentence he says "part Asian" which is weird because he's looking for Marshall who's supposed to be his best friend and it's been established in the comic that Marshall is half-Japanese, but that brings us to the other instance of mongie being casually (if not directly) racist and even more so than with Dean...

Apparently mongie thought it was a good move to say that it was "more inclusive" to make Vikki only vaguely Asian. Which is just... so not true LOL Asia is an entire continent made up of MANY different cultures and ethnicities and so generalizing all of them to just "Asian" is not a great take from someone who's trying to seem "more inclusive".

But of course, when her community called her out on this and asked her to elaborate, she and her mod team basically dug their heels in and made up excuses that made mongie out to be a victim instead of just acknowledging she made an error that didn't connect well with members of her audience.

And theeen in comes mongie ready to torch the place. Note that up until this point, it's basically been her mod team speaking up on her behalf and giving her benefit of the doubt, so when mongie DID get her chance to speak, she jumped right to:

"FINE, SHE'S HALF CHINESE HALF KOREAN THEN, STFU AND STOP ANALYZING ME WHEN I INCLUDE CHARACTERS FROM RACES THAT DON'T ALIGN WITH MY OWN !!!" (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻ is very much the vibe people got from this, understandably so. It's also odd (and extremely privileged) for her to say that she'd "rather focus on a character's personality and not their race" because it's very "I don't see color" which has been proven to be counterintuitive to understanding and celebrating different races.

And then we get a lot of self-victimizing "well I can't win no matter what so you people are ungrateful and actually it's MY feelings that are hurt" excuses:

Again it's weird because she had NO problem specifying that Marshall was half-Japanese and she didn't make him into any sort of weird stereotype like she did with Vikki. So I don't know why she's having such a hard time grasping that being vaguely Asian for Vikki isn't inclusive.

Although, let's be real here, the only reason Marshall is half-Japanese at all is because he's a self-insert of Markiplier, a half-Korean Youtuber who mongie apparently worked for on payroll as a graphic designer prior to Let's Play. Which is just a whole layer of ick that I think surpasses even Rachel Smythe and Mads Mikkelson. Like the Rachel and Mads thing is definitely creepy and weird because she's literally drawn herself - an adult woman nearing her 40's - being swept off her feet by a smoochy-faced Mads. But at least she didn't work for the guy or ever interact with him directly like mongie did with Markiplier. That's a whole separate level of "ew".

That said, mongie continues:

Which is just such a half-assed non-apology. Not "I'm sorry for misrepresenting a culture" or "I'm sorry I didn't do proper research", but "I'm sorry people think I'm being insensitive or that they need specific representation in my work that I'm claiming to be representation to be good". Completely shifting the blame from herself onto her audience for not being happy with the bare minimum that she gave them.

There's more though. Probably one of the worst parts and it's not even her, but one of her mods:

The fact that this is one of mongie's mods telling mongie's audience that her feelings - as a white woman who's just legitimately patronized her audience - are more valid than the people whose feelings were hurt by mongie being so insensitive... it's a real gross move and I can't believe they even pulled that.

Oh, and of course, as people like this tend to do, she goes on about "cancel culture" and how "terrifying" it is to her and then comes up with some imaginary scenario where a kid pays a hitman to kill her ?? as a defense for herself that really just further victimizes herself over her own misled actions ??

And this is something mongie does a lot, at least in this instance - she comes up with justifications for her decisions based on completely imaginary scenarios that she came up with and assumed, rather than just, idk, doing her research and being open to learning new things about cultures she's clearly not educated on. Shit like "well if I do xyz you'll be mad at me anyways so fuck you!"

When in reality? No one would have been mad at her if she didn't have any non-white characters in her comic. Would readers be disappointed? Probably. But - and I can't speak for everybody out there obviously so this is just my opinion - I know I'd much rather representation from someone who wanted to represent my respective groups and identities and put love and effort into it, than get it from someone who was just doing it because they made up a scenario in their head that they would be cancelled for not doing it. No one really has any tangible ground to stand on if they get mad at you for writing a cast of all-white characters you wanted to write, there are plenty of webtoons like that on the platform. We do need more stories that uplift and represent POC voices, but it shouldn't be from white victim complex people who only do it to virtue signal and ensure they don't get "cancelled". You know what WILL get you cancelled? Attempting to write other ethnicities and racial groups purely based on stereotypes for the sake of "representation" and then getting mad when people ask you to be a little more specific than "Asian".

Oh yeah, and then have your mods censor/delete any mentioning of educational resources regarding Asian cultures, and then essentially dox one of your community members by revealing their Twitter to the entire Discord group to boot!

oh boy mongie, if you think THAT'S drama, wait until you see the shit I do here LMAO

#so yeah that's the tea on mongie #don't write characters outside of your own worldview if you aren't prepared to do the research #it's OKAY if you're white and only familiar with writing white characters #just don't go writing POC or other ethnicities and then acting like a martyr over it when people call you out for it being badly done #bare minimum stereotypical vague representation is just as harmful as no representation #webtoon critical #ama #ask me anything #anon ama #anon ask me anything

[lgbtqfiction]

hello all!

i made this blog because i often see people pitching media on the basis of representation, or getting very excited about representation in media! personally, i've primarily been reading fiction with queer characters for a year or so— not avoiding stories without that, but simply interested in genres of media that have a ton of queer representation and people often ignore! thus, i wanted to make something organized by both genre and representation, that puts plot first but is an opportunity for people to enjoy queer-positive content!

anyone can submit, using the submissions box of this blog: here's a format, and the rules! also, please use the provided tags in the submissions box, so people using this blog can navigate by tag

q: can i submit something i wrote?

a: yes please, but it should be fairly polished, and either be finished or have a reliable updates schedule!

form is as such—

title

[IMAGE (optional)]

author (if relevant):

format:

premise:

tone & rating:

setting/genre:

representation (optional):

--- keep reading ---

other representation (optional):

disclaimers (if relevant):

more detailed version of the form, with rules, under the cut! please read those rules if it's your first time submitting!

put the title of whatever it is on top

[IMAGE (if you want)]

format: podcast, tv show, anime, manga, etc! include something about country of origin, if relevant (so good omens would be 'british tv show' and heaven official's blessing would be 'chinese novel'; but if it's set in the far future or a fantasy world and fully dubbed/translated in a variety of languages, no need to note it)

occasionally, there will be genres defined by queer representation, like danmei, BL, or yuri! feel free to include them in this section; or not, but in that case, please check the tags that specify those genres so people can sort by them if they want.

premise: keep this spoiler free! a few sentences about what the story is about, & its setting!

tone & rating: dark, gritty, tragic, dark comedy, rom-com, slice-of-life, etc. i've decided to break up 'genre' so that tone and setting words are different. as for rating, only include it if it's notable; for example, if a work has explicit sex scenes, add a note that says 'explicit' or '16+' . (depending on the level of detail).

setting/genre: setting-based genres like sci-fi, contemporary, urban fantasy, etc, with specifics up to the level of; "science fiction (far future)" "science fiction (near future)" or "cultivation fantasy" !

(note: for this blog, 'magical realism' is a genre popular in latin america, in which magical elements are made present in a realistic world usually to make an allegorical point or with a sense of hyper-real surrealism; 'urban fantasy' is a genre where magical creatures such as werewolves and vampires or people with magical powers casually exist in realistic cities. you can have something that's both, but i'm distinguishing them as terms for now!)

representation (optional): this section is optional because it may be made clear by the synopsis! for example, if the synopsis is something like "Sakura and Rie fall in love, but their families aren't in support of two women being together", you don't need to clarify that there are lesbians in the synopsis. however, if the mc sakura later feels conflicted because she's also attracted to men and wonders if it's worth losing everything for rie, you might want to note that it has a bisexual mc in this section! (and of course, if queerness isn't a major focus in the plot, here's where you put all the information on it!)

----- Keep reading ---- (include one here, please!)

other representation (optional): here's where you note poc rep if it's relevant/notable (no need to say 'the characters are all asian' in an anime); disabled representation; how the female characters are handled; and anything else you liked seeing! (or any disclaimers, if for example the story sidelines its women). no need to be comprehensive, but consider what different people might be happy to learn about, or want to be warned for!

disclaimers: this blog accepts any and all lgbtq+ fiction. this means that i'd like people to be pretty comprehensive in their disclaimers! please add one for:

incest

in-universe homophobia

out-of-story homophobia ('doylist homophobia') and the context;

age gaps if one or both of the characters is a minor and the gap is 3 years or more;

rape

copganda/a major character being a cop (feel free to note any nuance present!)

police brutality

"bury your gays" (no need if characters die but the story is clearly queer-positive/unrelatedly tragic)

#lgbtqia #lgbtq fiction #queer fiction #queer representation #chitra.txt

[perplexedhare]

I saw your ror post and I just wanted to say

Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you–*is slowly pulled away by the fandom police*

Seriously though, it bothered me so much that there weren't any goddesses with actual roles cause you guys show Apollo but not Artemis??? Where's Athena! Or the baddest bitch, Ishtar?? Izanagi or Amaterasu when Susano is there?

WHERE'S PERSEPHONE????????!!!!!!!

ALSO! A good theory regarding Jack the Ripper is that he was actually a WOMAN which is why they were never caught. No woman could possibly be educated or blood-thirsty enough to commit this crime! Of course not!

Marie Curie was a side character, damnit!

What about Cleopatra? Joan of Arc?

There's so many badass women in history and they aren't being highlighted enough!

Sorry for ranting, ROR just frustrates me despite being such an interesting concept. Tbf, a lot of anime and manga have the same issue regarding women, so maybe I should be used to it by now

Thanks ahah and don't apologize, you're totally right !!

Of any fighting manga I've read, RoR has the weakest excuse for its lack of female fighters : The Ragnarok is supposed to feature the most powerful deities/humans that have ever existed but we're supposed to believe that out of over 26 fighters, not even one of them is a woman ?

And here it's just my opinion but there's no way Apollo was a much better choice for the roster than fucking Artemis. Okay he turned out to be a great character (one of my favorites actually) and he's also known in mythology as the god of archery but Artemis is literally the goddess of the hunt.

And even if she doesn't fight, AT LEAST give her some screentime in her brother's backstory or a cameo in the crowd, something ! At what point do you just turn her into some weird-ass statue ? What's the point of talking about myths if you're cutting out half of them ?

Plus like you said, concerning the other female deities it's just as annoying : Athena is never mentioned once ; Persephone and Demeter are just Poseidon and Hades' move names ; Hera is barely referred during Heracles' backstory and only for the writers to imply that she died a long time ago, talk about a waste.

Not to mention that as you pointed out, even on the human side there were plenty of candidates with a lot of potential.

Now I still love RoR don't get me wrong but at this point, I no longer have any expectations from its authors on this aspect. I can already bet that Izanami and Amaterasu will be the names of either Susanoo's swords or his special moves.

That's why if you or anyone else is looking for a manga similar to RoR that does more to showcase historical women, I recommend you to try Majo Taisen.

It has its issues with its lack of poc characters' representation and its portrayal of Cleopatra but it's still really enjoyable and its authors understood that History is full of badass and amazing women who also deserve the spotlight

#record of ragnarok #ror hades #ror poseidon #ror apollo #snv hades #snv poseidon #snv apollo #majo taisen #war of greedy witches #ror #snv #shuumatsu no valkyrie #rant post

[iamafanofcartoons]

100+ REASONS TO WATCH AND ENJOY RWBY

Let’s put this as simply as we can.

Now, I understand you’ll need further reasons to look into the show that was created by Monty Oum, Miles Luna, and Kerry Shawcross.

SO! Here is 100+ Reasons to give RWBY a shot, plus a resource list link at the end. ENJOY!

1) Sci-fi/fantasy show that balances the two aspects very well 2) Endearing characters 3) Deep underlying messages about the importance of human connection 4) Constantly improves on itself 5) Writers actually try to listen to what the fandom wants 6) Creative setting 7) Actually handles difficult topics, like communication, privilege, and the cycle of abuse in a way that is sensitive to the audience 8) Ending is already set, meaning the show is not at risk of selling out to corporate overlords 9) God-tier foreshadowing 10) Top notch fight choreography 11) EVERYTHING IS A GUN 12) RWBY unambiguously avoids Depraved Homosexual tropes - no evil LGBT characters

13) No surprise plot twists for the sake of shock value 14) The soundtrack Not only does it slap, bits of lore and characterization can be found in the series music 15) Character design 16) Symbolism and metaphors and hidden meanings abound Can make for an enriching experience if you have knowledge about color theory and fairy tales and historical/mythological figures 17) Nuanced portrayal of morality between heroes, villains, and those who are neither 18) Layered writing where not everything, especially conflict, is clear-cut and easily resolved 19) Portrays trauma without over-dramatization 20) Production values improve with each volume 21) Hopepunk 22) Female-Centric main cast All the “Fix-it” fanfics and “Rewrites” involve Male-Centric Casts and/or taking time away from female main casts to focus on male characters, especially male side characters. 23) No surprise plot twists for the sake of shock value meets Thanos snap. 24) Good bits of humor sprinkled throughout without being overbearing 25) A few villians that while irredeemable, are interesting to watch in how they act. 26) Masterpiece of a comedy spinoff 27) You can legally watch the show for free 28) Subverts narrative tropes common to both "western" hero stories and anime 29) Gender dynamics and expectations are well-balanced Gender  tropes subverted, and addressed directly at times 30) Comfortably addresses class warfare, alcoholism, and other "mature" topics in approachable ways 31) Corgi 32) Combat Skirt 33) Women get to have pockets and pouches... 34) Women not requiring a man to save them 35) Large number of POC portrayed positively 36) LGBT are neither creeps nor villains, instead the straight people are. 37) POC are neither creeps nor villains as a majority...instead the white people are. 38) The “White Male Savior” with the mask, trenchcoat, and katana is the villain, while the underdog protector of the lower-income is a POC woman who may or may not be lesbian. 39) Meaningful facial expressions (that is, the animators spend time creating mood and reaction to elevate the storytelling) 40) Main antagonist is a woman, as are several of the other antagonists and they are NOT ditzes or idiots, nor are they fanservice. 41) The women are as intelligent as the men, where most anime try to have men be superior than women for the sake of shounen, the women are equal to men in screentime, plot relevance, intelligence, strength, personality, etc....though RWBY tries to have the women take precedence. 42) Men are support characters with their powers, while Women have more protagonist superpowers. 43) Positive half-sibling and stepmother representation 44) Positive honorary family member representation 45) Gay shipping and Lesbian shipping is encouraged by the writers and voice actors/actresses 46) The Main female protagonist's blood-based superpower is not broken or OP and has limits. 47) Well-executed humor (usually, ha). Basically trying NOT to make it fanservice or toilet humor or cringe. 48) Creators at least try to fix its less than stellar/problematic parts, which is more that I can say than the majority of entertainment. 49) Female characters are complex and interesting, also for the most part don’t woobified female villains. 50) Terrifying Villains and Monsters There is a difference. V1-V3 involved Monsters , V4-V8 involved Villains. 51) Every Character is based on a fairy tale/myth/legend/story and looking for those breadcrumbs just adds to the show 52) Already said, but emphasizing the fight choreography and the soundtrack. If you love over-the-top video game style fights this is for you. If you love epic metal playing over those fights this is for you. 53) Plays with tropes and story telling norms to subvert expectations in the best way 54) Not afraid to have tonal shifts to tell the story they want to tell 55) Not afraid to have the heroes lose sometimes 56) And plot points have consequences!!! None of this "bad thing happens and 1 episode later the status quo is restored" 57) Emphasizing foreshadowing again. Things that happened in season 8 were foreshadowed as far back as season 2. 58) The main characters are proactive. None of this waiting around for them to get up the courage to do something about the bad guys. Don't give me the “manor tea” stuff, they were trying to recover, Ironwood had it out for them and would have shot them for helping while refusing to obey him. 59) The Main characters are smart. They notice things (and come up with really cool strategies) 60) At least one villain does NOT underestimate the main characters 61) Everyone doesn't let characters use false justification for their actions regardless who it is! Everyone gets a consequence that fits! 62) Soundtrack is LIT 63) Gay Gay Homosexual Gay 64) Because I'm still on this, two autistic-coded main characters whose traits aid in their heroism! Ruby and Penny...possibly Marrow Amin 65) Kdin Jenzen, a Transgender VA, plays May Marigold, a transgender heroic side character who does not get killed off. 66) Chaotic teens saving the world with the power of stubborn optimism 67) Opposites Attract Tropes 68) Goth Uncle 69) Goth Milf 70) Himbo Dad 71) Non-sexualized Catgirl 72) Cat Cougar Milf with Tea Tray defeats Bat Assassin 73) Panther Dilf 74) Blonde Brawler Female who is also smart and can work mechanics 75) Female protag uses scythe and cape/cloak 76) It Portrays several different types of abuse ranging from romantic relationships to familial abuse along with accurately portraying them 77) Shows how harmful Alcoholism is 78) When/If a a character dies, it’s for a reason and isn’t for shock value Penny cheated death once...she would not cheat death again. Ozpin's immortality is a curse, and he is truly dead, a ghost. 79) One of the the main-main characters is disabled and isn’t treated as/seen as lesser 80) Male/Female friendships are a thing and abundant Normally if a man and a woman engage, its shipping, not friendships. But with Naruto and Sakura we have friendship. With Ichigo and Rukia its friendship....now that is abundant friendship in RWBY. 81) LGBT Voice Actresses Voice LGBT Characters. Kdin Jenzen is Transgender, Arryn Zech is Bisexual, and so are their characters. 82) All Romantic relationships, heterosexual or not, are given attention and emphasis on their interpersonal relationships 83) Balances tragedy and comedy, there are SEVERAL episodes where you both end up laughing your ass off and crying 84) Never goes all out depressing, the message is clear, it takes it to heart, and it shouts it for all to hear. Sometimes bad things happen. But you have to keep moving forward. 85) Has a variety of characters, each with their own themes/allusions (e.g. Ruby = Red Riding Hood, Team RWBY = Fairy Tale Characters, Team JNPR = Crossdressing Historic Heroes) 86) Amazing Music that builds on the characters' motives 87) You won't suffer vision problems after watching an entire cast that's blindingly white (shounen anime in general) 88) Gay doesn't suddenly die to leave heartbroken love interest Straight and angstily going back to the white guy who killed Gay out of possessive jealousy, which is super romantic. 89) Partners of dead Gays, should a Gay die, will not obligatorily be paired with someone str8   90) Character designs reference various fairy tales and stories, so you can get things like Mulan and Thor being a childhood friends romance, Beast and Beauty being one and the same and in love with Goldilocks, and Red Riding Hood maiming Cinderella, who is evil. 91) Everyone; good, bad, and the minor characters...are all hot. 92) You WILL get attached both to the good and bad characters. 93) All characters have very unique designs that fit their personalities and fighting styles. 94) Emotional/Physical Abusers get killed AFTER being humiliated 95) The Entire Show is full of metaphors and symbolism. The backgrounds, character clothing, the weapons they use... it's fun to analyze! 96) Stresses the importance of just being a nice person above all other stereotypical morally gray anime tropes 97) The people who work the the show. Seriously not just the main people; I'm talking about all the unsung heroes who do amazing background and scenery to sound design, etc. RWBY has some of the nicest, most hard working, and supportive crews I've seen. And considering the amount of harassment the anti-fandom can throw at them, they take and handle it so remarkably well. 98) Every character looks amazing from main to one-off. How their outfits convey who they are so well and sometimes subtlety. Also how the creators and character designers make it so cosplayers can have pockets on their outfits. 99) No  stupid twists for shock value, the twists that do happen are foreseeable but executed in a way that is still shocking. 100) Enjoyable Comedic Spin-off far better written than Teen Titans Go. 101) Awesome weapon concepts 102) Awesome growth of story, plot, and transition of it. 103) People hate it when you have fun watching RWBY....is that not enough?

Need to come up with a list of good youtube channels next.

#RWBY #rooster teeth #monty oum #rwby fandom #rwby community #ruby rwby #weiss rwby #blake rwby #yang rwby #bumbleby #rwby analysis #rwby discussion #rwby meta #rwby fans #rwby positivity #rwby is enjoyable #rwby is a good show #iamafanofcartoons

[korkiekenobiconfirmed]

I'm on a roll with the s/j/m hatred tn so I'm going to compile a masterlist of all her shitty lgbt/poc representation and why it sucks booty cheeks. it should be noted that none of this is meant as shade on any of the characters themselves... I actually happen to like quite a lot of them

EDIT: there are some nice additions to this post in the notes you can check out

LGBT rep

Aedion (Bi/Pan)

Literally known as “Adarlan’s Whore” (a nickname that references both his allegiance to the king and his tendency to sleep around)

His only same-sex relationship is with a vaguely-mentioned unnamed lover from the past (it’s not even said straight-up that they’re a man, but I’m assuming they are bc they’re mentioned to be a commander of the Bane)

He’s shown being attracted to women and only women for two and a half books. He’s a womanizer retconned into the slutty bisexual stereotype

His liking men & women is compared to prostitution

It’s insinuated in koa that he slept with an ex while he and Lysandra were fighting (because the cheating bisexual trope is such a new & creative one!)

Helion (Bi/Pan)

He’s always trying to have 4somes with three of the main characters

Realistically he’s probably one of the most powerful/interesting High Lords but this gets sidelined in favor of him flirting with eVeRyOnE

All we really know about him is his name and the fact that he’s a bit of a manwhore… very 2-dimensional

He has an affair & a child with a married woman… just the Slutty/Cheating Bisexual Trope (Volume 2) :/

Mor (Lesbian? Possibly bi?)

She’s never shown in any real relationships (with men or women)

She had tragic off-screen relationship with a mortal queen a few hundred years ago

We get literally no hints that she’s gay throughout the series, she just randomly mentions she likes women at the end of book 3

She gets no happy relationship, she stays closeted to spare Az’s feelings (as though he’s not a grown ass man), she’s retconned into her sexuality most of the way through the series… just shitty shitty rep all around

Hasar (Lesbian)

She’s a villain, and a shitty one at that

Lesbian rep from a side character in one novella that half the fandom didn’t read? What’s even the point?

Thesan (Gay)

A very minor character & his unnamed “lover” who serve no narrative purpose whatsoever… thanks for nothing sarah

Emrys & Malachai (Presumably gay)

Oh look! More minor, background mlm that might as well not exist for all they do for the story :/

They are cute though, I’ll give them that

POC rep

Nehemia

First (and only) black main in ToG

She dies to fuel the white protag’s character arc… a very tired trope

She was actually a pretty well-written, likable character up until her brutal murder, which made it that much worse to hear about her organs strewn all over the room

Sorscha 

Described as “plain” (particularly in contrast to the white women like Aelin & Lysandra)

We know she’s POC because of where she’s from, but the way her features are described suggest she could still be white

Dark hair, gold eyes, “tan” skin

She really just fawns over white-boy Dorian every 2 seconds before dying a violent death to fuel Dorian’s arc…

…Aaaand I’m sensing a pattern here

Nesryn

Much of her character (especially in QoS) is reduced to her beefing with Aelin (and thus being villanized by the narrative) because of jealousy over Chaol 

Simply described as having “tan” skin (again). I think sarah is allergic to calling people brown

She is also described as plain compared to white protagonist

She has a (presumably middle eastern) family that only wants her to stay home and be a baker/someone’s wife

Yrene 

Once again very racially ambiguous to the point where she could even be white, with “tan/golden” skin, golden hair, and golden eyes

She almost immediately ties her literal life force to a white man she hated like a month ago. Seriously, can WOC not fawn over a hunky white man for once?

She defeats erawan in the end — considering she’s been a character for such a short time, this just feels more like a deus ex machina the anything really set up by the plot

Helion 

Not going to fully rehash what I said above but generally… he has great potential, but is basically not a character

Tarquin 

He’s portrayed as very nice and reasonable, if young and naive, yet he literally only exists to get manipulated/robbed by the main characters

He seems like such a sweetheart. He deserved much better than Riceman and Feyrug doing him dirty like that

I’ve heard rumors of a High King/Queen F*ysand plotline in later books…if that happens, Tarquin will likely be bending the knee and forgiving the people who fucked him over just a short time ago

Lucien

He’s described as very caring and loyal (yay!) which seems to always get him taken advantage of (damn!)

He’s portrayed (especially in ACOWAR) as someone we’re supposed to dislike when all his actions are perfectly reasonable

He’s literally retconned out of being white when it’s revealed Helion is his father instead of Beron. I’ve seen ppl get mad at “white-washed” fan art but it’s hard to expect much else when his original character description was straight red hair, amber eyes,  and “tan” skin (holy shit agAIN)

The people of the White Fangs from TOG

They’re described as having black hair, black eyes, and “tan” skin

They live isolated in the mountains (away from civilization) and are described as “savage” and warlike, always raiding villages in the mountains and stealing women away from their homes… 

Cain, who’s from these people, dabbles in dark magic/religion nobody else understands

This is feeling, intentional or not, like a horrible Native American caricature. Idk maybe that’s just me

#anti sjm #anti acotar #anti tog

[musclesandhammering]

The #GirlBoss movement in the MCU is extremely pseudo-feminist.

I could be totally off-base with this, but has anybody else noticed that here lately the mcu has had a slight pattern of making a few female characters ridiculously overpowered as well as turbo-hyped by the narrative and marketing…

This specifically includes Wanda, Carol Danvers, and Sylvie.

I’m in particular talking about how all 3 of them had far less time for character exploration and strength build-up than the majority of the other more powerful heroes, had fairly bland and uncreative personalities compared to the other more powerful heroes (Wanda was coddled by the narrative and not allowed to have any ownership in her wrongdoings which would’ve made her more complex, Carol was a victim of the “having the same arrogant attitude as the douchebro male characters is all it takes to make a Strong Female Character(TM)” writers’ mentality, and Sylvie with mary sue-ed to hell), and were generally made more about the cool powers and ‘oooh such a badass’ moments and the aesthetic than the actual depth.

My point is… they’re all so shallow and performative. It’s like the (mostly male) writers looked at the female character and scoffed and said “ok there’s no way this lady’s gonna become a fan fave on her own- we have to help her. We have to give her a boost. I have zero faith in women being able to gain popularity by their own merit (because who’d be interested in a woman, ammiright?), so we can’t just give her a compelling backstory and let that be it. We have to make sure she has the most tragic backstory of anyone on screen at any given time, and we have to make sure the audience knows it! We can’t just give her a specific set of powers and depict them in an interesting and unique way. We have to make her stronger than any other character she’s going to share screen time with and we have to have her flaunt her powers every ten minutes to remind the audience how strong she is! We can’t just make her intelligent in her own way and give her witty banter with the male characters. We have to make sure she makes them look like idiots and condescends them as frequently as possible so the audience knows it! We can’t just flesh out her morals and let her get things wrong sometimes. We have to make it so she’s always in the right and the audience should always be on her side! And even when she does something wrong, we have to make sure the audience knows that it wasn’t really her fault and she still has the moral high ground! That’s the only way we’ll ever get people to like her as much as the main male characters!!”

It’s just…. This is just rank with a lack of confidence in women. They approach the idea of having women front and center with equal parts skepticism and greed. They’re so out of touch with what women want in superhero films and just what women want in general. They fall into the trap of thinking feminists want everyone to know that girls are actually superior to guys, when in reality we just want to be treated with the respect and humanity and agency guys have always been treated with.

And by creating these female characters the way they do (making sure they’re not equal but decidedly better than the male ones, making sure they’re nearly infallible strength-wise, making sure they’re never allowed to be held accountable for mistakes) they literally defeat that whole point. They’re being extremely counterproductive to what feminists are actually trying to do, because they aren’t actually interested giving women genuinely good representation- they’re just interested in pandering to Twitter stans and casual female fans who form their opinions based on a first glance and girls who are so starved for rep that they’ll praise movie-makers for serving up rank crumbs.

They give us female representation but not really, just like they give us queer representation but not really, and like they give us poc representation but oftentimes not really…. Because (surprise surprise) the multi-billion dollar corporation does not actually give a shit about minority issues.

#this should not come as a shock to anyone #but unfortunately #I know a good many people who would be shocked to chagrin #young women and young lgbt folks and young poc stop idolising anything that gives you a crumb challenge #Omg Marvel Gave Us All These Badass Women!!! #babe most of those women are cardboard cutouts #Omg Marvel Gave Us A Confirmed Queer Character!!! #babe that was one vague sentence and then they did their best to retcon it by putting him in a heteronormative relationship with himself #Omg Marvel Gave Us These Cool POC Characters #babe most of them are side characters who get 3 lines tops 2 of which are used to build up the white characters #I’m just…. so tired #people are so shallow #negativity #marvel negativity #fake feminism #pseudo feminism #anti wanda maximoff #anti Captain marvel #anti sylvie #anti marvel #marvel meta #marvel discourse #argue with a wall #might do a longer post on this later idk

[piraterefrigerator]

One of my favorite things in any form of media is people who seem real

And I mean this by people with human imperfections and disabilities, I'm not saying people without magic abilities

For instance, Killian Jones is missing a hand, and his disability is covered quite often (him not being able to use video game controllers for instance)

And he's not always the brunt end of every one else's jokes because of his disability. While yes, it does come up in jokes from time to time, some of which are his own, but he's also shown having an actual disability, and struggling with things because of it.

And these characters have actual mental health, they go to therapy, the men actually cry, the women are full of feminine rage, I love it

And honestly some of the men are more emotional than the women

Charming and Rumple cry quite often and it makes me so happy that one of the main villians and literal prince charming are emotional men, but also very strong and powerful and funny

And while Killian rarely cries, he's still given a broad range of emotion

And for characters such as Killian and Regina, as sad as it is, there's self hatred

There's regret and remorse which is shown very often

And not everyone has blonde hair and blue eyes

Rumple isn't a hot young man kind of villain (I'm not saying that Robert Carlyle isnt absolutely gorgeous I'm saying he isn't 25 with a jawline that could cut glass)

Ouat characters have real trauma and real feelings and don't look factory made, and have human imperfections and disabilities

In short, ouat is one of the most inclusive shows I've ever watched

From LGBTQ representation to various POC, powerful women and emotional men, female villains and characters with disabilities and mental problems, this show is inclusive as hell

#once upon a time #killian jones #disability #emma swan #ouat rumple #david nolan #mental health #lgbt representation #lgbtq people #representation matters #i love this show so much

[joshualunacreations]

The US and its propaganda arm, Hollywood, have always been anti-Asian. Although opportunities are opening up for Asian actors, the underlying messaging—that divides and hurts Asians—hasn't changed.

Not too long ago, AsAms seemed united in outrage against racism and white-washed casting such as Scarlet Johannsen in Ghost in the Shell, Tilda Swinton in Dr. Strange, or Netflix’s Deathnote. Yet as more projects with AAPI leads and casts were produced, this so-called unity proved to be a lie.

The illusion of AsAm unity fell apart with To All the Boys I Loved Before—which was widely celebrated despite its blatant white-worship. The most recent blow comes from Hulu's The Company You Keep, a U.S. remake of a k-drama that replaced the male love interest with a white man.

Once it seemed like AAPI women were getting roles and being “humanized” (i.e. garnering attention and approval from white men on-screen and off) AAPI with media power were satisfied. It didn't matter that AAPI men were still erased and dehumanized—even in supposedly pro-AAPI projects.

Not only do AAPI with media power not care about the continuing harm against AAPI men, they exacerbate it. When AsAms critique anti-Asian narratives—especially ones erasing or targeting AsAm men like TATBILB—they're gaslit, harassed, censored and even permanently blacklisted.

This is because AsAm media is held hostage by the racist framework of the U.S. government's 1942-43 Mixed Marriage Policy. White men's hierarchy—based on perceived threat levels and receptiveness to white assimilation—still dictates Hollywood narratives.

Research confirms that the MMP persists today. A 2015 study shows how gendered racism leads to severe under-representation of Asian men (and Black women). Whereas monoracial Asian men face significant barriers in dating, a 2014 study shows mixed-white Asians get a "bonus effect."

This is why Hollywood execs know there will be less uproar if monoracial Asian men aren't represented—it's been the status quo for decades. In the few roles made for Asian men, they still fall into two categories: pathetic loser or toxic man/villain. In some cases, both.

The hatred and erasure of Asian men is so deeply embedded that it's led to the widespread erasure of AAPI men as victims of anti-Asian hate crimes in recorded stats and media narratives. AAPI journalists know this, yet continue to do nothing to correct it.

So what's next for AsAm representation? In 2022, Janet Yang became president of the Oscars. She's co-founder of Gold House—an AsAm Hollywood collective—and executive producer of Joy Luck Club, a seminal work bashing Asian men as irredeemable misogynists compared to "good" white men.

Many AsAms like Yang want more of Joy Luck Club and similar stories. Amy Tan, author of JLC, has been pushing for years for a sequel with the original cast. A TV series was optioned in 2017, and as of 2022 a movie sequel is to be written by white male screenwriter, Ron Bass.

Stories like Joy Luck Club aren't just bad media—they're dangerous. Arthur Martunovich randomly hammered three AsAm men to death because he saw a movie depicting Chinese men as abusers and he wanted to "protect Chinese women". There's a high chance that movie was JLC.

Hollywood has figured out it’s easy to make anti-Asian films and stifle criticism by hiring Asian tokens to give stamps of approval. An article from 1986 (40 years ago) about AsAm criticism of racism in Big Trouble in Little China shows there's a history of sowing division among AAPI and using government resources to do it. I understand the allure of the Hollywood dream because I used to believe in it myself. From an early age, all marginalized groups—POC, women, LGBTQ+—are taught to fantasize about how we'll finally be accepted and heal the hurt once we get on a big stage and give an award speech. Having experience in Hollywood as a comic creator, I know how people in power (esp. white men) behave. Their goal is to wear you down until you internalize their bigoted messaging, regurgitate it yourself, and then thank them for it. They hate the word "no." Awards don't matter if the content that gets you there ultimately serves bigoted and harmful purposes. In 2020, I made a test for AAPI media. None of the projects so far have passed. That's by design. We think we’re holding the statue, but really, it’s holding us.

Correction: I just noticed a typo in the comic. Inside the Hollywood sign's letter "Y" I meant to say "non-Asians" not "non-whites." Sorry, it was a lot of drawing and writing, and I got tired 🥴 (Please don’t repost or edit my art. Reblogs are always appreciated.)

If you enjoy my comics, please pledge to my Patreon or donate to my Paypal.

https://twitter.com/Joshua_Luna/status/1134522555744866304 https://patreon.com/joshualuna https://www.paypal.com/paypalme2/JoshuaLunaComics

#asians in hollywood #aapi in hollywood #asian representation #aapi representation #oscars #academy awards #racism #anti-asian racism #gendered racism #hate crimes #anti-asian hate crimes #media analysis #asian americans #fil am artist #my art #artists on tumblr #joshua luna #josh luna

[apollos-olives]

Top ten reasons I should watch bleach?

it's really funny!! like it's actually really funny and it's not the fake or forced type of humor but it's cute and will make you smile!

you get REALLY attached to the characters! the plot... not so much... but the characters are what make you love it!

it has ACTUALLY good poc representation! a lot of anime is pretty racist and have almost NO brown or black characters, and the ones that do have them make them side characters and/or with racist stereotypical features with NO good development. bleach doesn't do that! the show's black and brown characters are important and powerful and have relevance and development and it's great!

both sub AND dub are good, which is rare for most anime.

there is LOTS of media. hundreds of episodes, lots of movies, etc. and it may seem like a lot but 45% of it is filler so you can skip a lot if you don't wanna waste time, but since there's a lot of media, you don't run out of entertainment that easily!

characters are hot. actually. like rlly hot

women play good and powerful roles! yeah it has the stupid big boobs sexualization n shit but most of the main characters aren't actual pervs and it's only side characters who are weird about women, and there isn't a lot of sexualization in general, especially as the show continues on into it's later episodes. women are usually equally shown and are equally as powerful as the men

idk if it's on purpose but there's a subtle accepting vibe around gay people? like the main character gets accused of being gay like . a lot for some reason??? and it's all chill n stuff??? and there aren't direct confrontations or anything but it's very obvious that there are queer people in the show and it's totally normal apparently.

it's very easy to watch. doesn't use a lot of brain function so if ur bored or want smth in the background then it's good

fandom is kinda dead or non existent so we need more ppl out here to engage with!! and it's sort of a plus side that the fandom is quiet bc that means no stupid stereotypical fandom tropes n stuff

join us 🙏

[voidsentprinces]

Think more games should just start with straight, curly, wavy, and everything in between options from the get go especially if it supports PoC's representation in media and video gaming as a whole. Same goes with gender diversity and relationship diversity in media writing to allow for more LGBT+ representation in media. Ideally these things would be baked in from the get go. World might not be an ideal world but it shouldn't stop us as creatives from making it that way.

Its like that one post about if a kid smiles at you, you should smile back so we can make the world a kinder better place. Not so much that you would be getting anything grand out of it or life isn't cruel its that we should be working towards a place where life didn't always be cruel, it could be kind and pleasant, happy and mostly free of strife. Bad things would still happen, no one can predict or 100% deal with cancer, immune deficient diseases, or chronic pain to fully cure stuff. But, it doesn't mean we can't make the world gentler to those afflicted to such things and even those who aren't.

We live in a world resistant to change that the future requires and requests. I vaguely recall from the time period between when I went to Middle to High School. People being gay, lesbian, etc. was like you basically walked up to someone and killed their dog or something akin to the atrocity. There were entire fucking marches through my small town of no real note to keep gay marriage from happening. Even at the time I felt that was fucking ridiculous. The following ten years was making it okay for two women or men to hold hands or kiss in an animated television show. Cause lord won't you please think of the children.

Despite all the resistance this world provides us, at least in America, I dunno how Germany, the Netherlands, Chad, Angola, the Phillippines, or Taiwan feel about this subject or how they've been dealing with it, we should be making the world more welcoming and representative of all its people within the certain limits that we are not providing a platform for dictatorship and fascist ideals that will strip a person of all rights while glorifying the legacy and power of a singular man or group of men whose selfishness absorbs an entire country and causes its people to suffer intentionally through ignorance or apathy.

But, with the stresses of the today's world. We cannot all be made to charge the metaphorical beaches of Normandy for the cause. Some of us haven't the mental, emotional or even physical bandwidth to champion good causes in an active manner. But we still feel it strongly even if we do not have the words to describe it. And as social creatures, humans will be passionate and want to communicate it. If they cannot, we wish to at least be validated in causes we hold fast to even if we are not at liberty to fully express it for whatever reason.

So just like...break even with us and give people, particularly those of the LGBT+, People with Disabilities and PoC and their intersection representation in options of hairstyle, skin tone, romantic or lack thereof exploration/representation and the options to give people the option to like turn on a color blind mode or a certain control set up to allow stuff like...Dark Souls to be more welcoming to them.

I dunno exactly who I am talking to in making this post I just have THOUGHTS after the recent FFXIV Hairstyle Competition. And the thought was mostly, "Why did we have to hold a contest to get some of these hair styles? Why weren't they in the game to begin with?" probably resources. But like...still, ya know?

Sorry for the tangent. I think therefore I Void.

#{ rambling of the void }

[my-mt-heart]

Interesting development about NR's role in getting rid of a woman of color showrunner and subsequently puts into new perspective how very white his show has suddenly become. White men running AMC, white men running the show, white man is the star... so much for being "different." It's definitely not original. It's just the same old bullsh*t.

TWDU needs more women and POC in positions of power to bring in different lived experiences that'll appeal to more viewers. It's important for representation and for business, but it doesn't sound like Norman has any consideration for that nor for the fact that it's just plain unprofessional for an EP to imply they "got rid of" a woman of color (so another white man could write his "authentic" French show).

#caryl #darylneedscarol #twd caryl #angela kang #angela kang deserved better

[dragynkeep]

rwde.

so i made a post asking people to take part in a “rwde census” if they considered themselves part of the community or were critical of rwby. this was in order to combat a common criticism by the main fanatics that rwde is solely made up of “cisgender heterosexual ablebodied white men” who hate the show’s apparently wide swathe of diverse representation. at 85 responses, results are in.

this one i will probably redo again at a later date, as many respondents reported to me they were confused or clicked multiple while marking down they were mixed race  —  so they would put mixed race, then white + another race as applicable  —  so the 50.5% is not entirely accurate to the claim of “solely white” rwde posters being racist in regards to the show.

with that in mind, this shows us that more than half of rwde are poc & in line with that in the “thoughts” section of the form, think that rwby has let them down in terms of how they represent race, racial trauma, oppression + more.

the bisexuals win again —

this also just entirely blows the claim that the rwde community “hate queer people” out of the water. the rwde fandom is in fact majority queer, a whopping 91.5% of us are queer in some way with a third of that being bisexuals; which falls in line with how critical some of us are in regards to the main rep of the show. the “bisexual” main who has never been confirmed, only alluded to by voice actors & was in fact described as both straight & a lesbian by her own va.

gender is also not even close to being a majority “cis men” like fanatics claim, while ignoring the actual creators of rwby i suppose. 19.2% were cis men, with a majority being cis women & nonbinary running a close third.

so the claims of people hating the show because they hate “girl power” falls flat in the face of a majority of us being women or femme aligned in some way. especially considering the show’s treatment of these women & how a majority of their storylines revolve around the men.

disability became a hot topic in the fandom majorly in regards to two characters  —  yang xiao long & james ironwood. especially in regards to the treatment of both of their disabilities, yang’s being all but ignored except for ship bait & ableist disregard to her prosthetic, while james was outright demonized & painted as an unfeeling monster for his.

as we can see, only a quarter of those in rwde have no disability. meanwhile the rest have been violently talked over, threatened, harassed, sent death threats & ableist remarks all the while for daring to criticise a storyline that effected them personally.

~

overall the further responses at the end of the form was the most enlightening part. most had begun watching this show & loving it, but then becoming more & more disheartened as the show began to show more & more harmful moments. i would definitely encourage going to the forms & reading those for more of an insight to those in rwde who, despite claims otherwise, do not actually hate the show just to hate it. or because they hate poc, queers, or disabled people.

i hope this was a bit more illuminating for those who constantly hear this rhetoric against the rwde community; especially in the height of rooster teeth / crwby once again being called out for their repeated abuses of power & controversies.

#rwby #rwde #rooster teeth #crwby #rwby critical #htdm #ais.txt #important

[beevean]

ooh, are we making fun of NFCV again? i wanna add to the pile re: how all the so-called "diversity" and "representation" it gets praised for goes overwhelmingly, if not entirely to the bad guys - and half of them don't even have a speaking role or even names, or at least we don't learn about them anywhere else besides the supplementary material, like in the case of drac's vampire generals (except godbrand, of course). even the two PoC good guys i can think of, zamfir and greta, aren't that great considering zamfir is portrayed as hopelessly and delusionally devoted to the deceased targoviste royalty, to the point of forsaking the wellbeing of both the underground and aboveground survivors, and then dies anyway in service of that delusion. and greta's just a last-minute newcomer to allegedly address grant's conspicuous absence that fans were complaining about from the start.

We never stop making fun of NFCV lol, there's always something new to point out 🥰

I can see how fans would respond to this that representation doesn't need to be relegated to heroes only, and you can have minority villains as long as they're not stereotyped. But yeah, the representation in NFCV is shallow at best and offensive at worst.

Most Generals in Dracula's army don't have a speaking role. Cho, the Japanese vampire who goes down in less than a minute in S2, gets a flashback after she died, because storytelling.mp4, and even then she doesn't talk. I only remember Raman's name because Carmilla says something like "there are only 4 women in this castle" nope it's just 3 of them lmao

Sumi and Taka look identical despite not being related according to Word of God, which is hysterical to me because you know they said that to divert the accusations of incest. my pal. you really think your GoT-inspired show is above twin siblings having a threesome? Also, you know, they immediately jump to rape by deception without a hint that they'd do that through all season, and then their corpses get graphically mutilated and pissed on (contrast this with the white, most likely French Lenore who gets to flirt and be cute with her victim)

Isaac is gay! How do we know that? He "jokes" out of nowhere about kissing Hector, a guy he has zero respect for. This line has no follow-up and is OOC with how serious the character is always portrayed. And that's not counting his declaration of love made to his abusive master when he was a boy.

I don't know enough about Islam to have a solid opinion on how it was treated in Isaac's case, and in a vacuum having a "complex" Muslim anti-villain is more original than usual. But I don't like how his self-flagellating habit was first treated as a result of his traumatic past, then as a religious practice, then completely dropped. Using Mohammed's own words about Hell being emptied, which from what I've read mean that in Islam hell is transitory, and twisting them to justify his necromancy is... certainly a delicate choice, but again, he doesn't really reflect on this in S4, he just jumps to "wow I sure love having agency!"

Also, in retrospect, it would have been much better if Isaac hailed from the Emirate of Granada instead of being a slave, a backstory more befitting for N!Annette for her origins and time period. In his case, it would have been more original, and expanded the world a little more. What's that? He wouldn't have a reason to hate humankind? Then how come game!Isaac can do it just fine? :) You know, since he was persecuted (maybe even by the Spanish Inquisition!) for his cursed powers? :) maybe you can have more reasons to hate humans than "former slave"? maybe black people can be depicted as something different than slaves? :)

Striga and Morana are cute together, but are non-entities who begin and end with each other. Also, funny how Morana, the lesbian of color (triple minority!), is literally the most useless and wasted of the four :) and even then the most characterization she gets is "she loves to torture people". nice

Alucard was made bi by Word of God and I don't need to repeat how appalling it is. I hate that most "antis" have a problem with him being attracted to men in the first place, and not that the declaration was made to downplay his sexual assault.

(meanwhile Carmilla, inspired by the literal archetype of the lesbian vampire, to the point that you can even see her game version as being a lesbian thanks to Laura, gets reduced to joke that she'd only sleep with Godbrand if all the men, half of the women and some of the animals died. but hey, she's a radfem, I guess that's enough)

Apparently I have... controversial opinions on the choice of darkening Hector's skin and the ethnicity he is in this version. But I will say that there is something weird in deliberately giving him bronze skin, I suppose to emphasize his Greek heritage, and then spending two seasons literally dehumanizing him and lowering him to the level of a dog and pet.

Also something about the Speakers, nomadic people whose oral traditions get made fun of, by Sypha in particular who calls them idiots, is... hm. The wiki even points out: "They are also similar to the Jews (especially due to their reverence for knowledge and their tradition of oral history) and, to a lesser extent, to the Romani."

I skipped Zamfir's plotline because by S4 I had burnout, but yeah, Greta is probably the best character of color and even then she's little more than a generic badass woman with attitude. Also she's even more ambiguously brown than Hector, I would say on the same level as Casca from Berserk - you can tell she's not white, but she's not really anything else.

(btw no, she has no relation with Grant :) )

tl;dr: the only good representation in nfcv are the tunisi people isaac speaks to and this is why i do not trust them with black annette, and i hate the fucking discourse on twitter from people who just don't like the design change

#anti netflixvania #something something this show is bad even as its own product

[theladyofbloodshed]

I'm Indian and I feel like Illyrian culture is portrayed so similar to South Asian and Middle Eastern culture...and with all that when SJM portrays them as 'savages' it feels so....stereotypical and racist to me like-

The only POC subgroup within the NC and they are called 'savages' and all live in poverty and cannot be changed like-that just screams racism to me but sometimes I feel like I'm exaggerating or am looking too deeply into it.Like I was wondering what everyone else's opinion is on this.

I truly feel like some of SJM's portrayals are so- stereotyped.Like she pulls cultures from the actual world-puts them into her fantasy novel in such a way that it looks awfully racist.

But then it might just be me :/

Please don't feel as if your opinion is invalid; your opinion is always valued. Many people have expressed similar views. If you check the anti sjm tag, you can see a lot of people are not happy with her works, not just for the representation of POC, but LGBT representation, treatment of mentally ill characters, treatment of women - the list goes on.

Illyrians have brown skin and are savages. They're almost primitive with little magic and live in tents. The two most powerful Illyrians aren't like the rest - they're good and don't hold any of the values of the others. Mutilating a female's wings so she can't leave when wings are meant to be valued at all costs is an allegory to FGM. They won't change. They're just there to die in wars. Yeah, it's a pretty disgusting creation from SJM.

"The gift of a violent, warmongering people."

Obviously, that's all they are with no variance. The only two that are different are the most powerful two who are the good guys. There's no difference between how they celebrate Winter Solstice, any holy days, their food/culture etc.

Mor in ACOMAF says the whole place should be burnt to the ground - and then people ship her and Emerie together. I've seen a post that said Emorie would just be Pocahontas/John Smith.

When Feyre first goes to Velaris, she's given "Night Court attire" which is then never really seen again (except Amren wears a similar style but nobody else does).

My high-waisted peach pants were loose and billowing, gathered at the ankles with velvet cuffs of bright gold. The long sleeves of the matching top were made of gossamer, also gathered at the wrists, and the top itself hung just to my navel, revealing a sliver of skin as I walked. Comfortable, easy to move in—to run. Feminine. Exotic.

Which to me is as if she just wanted the aesthetic of an "exotic" culture then forgot about it/didn't bother actually developing it.

There's lots to be said about her various characterisations - and lots has been said. For example Helion being canonically bisexual but also falling into the bisexuals want to sleep with everyone trope. Or how Tarquin, a young black man, is treated as a stepping stone for Feyre to train; she flirts with him to get what she wants and steals the Book of Breathing from his court.

Another thing, is when they're discussing Rhys being high king

Azriel stepped forward, shadows trailing from his shoulders. “Kallias, Tarquin, and Helion might be willing to kneel. Thesan will kneel if the others do.”

3 out of 4 of those names who would be willing to kneel to supreme overlord Rhys are MOC which makes me feel very icky. Tarquin and Helion are both black and Thesan's mother is from Xian (which is likely another place that she's taken snippets from other cultures to suit the aesthetic she wants then will promptly forget about) and is brown skinned with "up-tilted eyes".

It's all very, very gross and there are definitely elements of racism ingrained to it. Other people have delved into it in a lot more detail - and have explained it far more eloquently than I can. Please know that your opinion is valid. If you are made uncomfortable and upset from the portrayals, do not push them aside. There is a reason why it is making you uncomfortable and that is because they are racist stereotypes.

#anon asks #anti sjm

[rhfffas]

PLZ stop comparing heartstopper with c dramas

This is so upsetting to read, before you defend chinese danmei dramas I urge you at least do some research abt real queer experience in China. 

China is a totalitarian state and anti-lgbtq, the government do not allow actual queer content showing in tv or even in web series. So even if the mangas the books are abt actual queer characters, the live action tv adaptation is QUEER ERASURE. It’s not even queerbaiting cuz queerbaiting shows usually do acknowledge queer ppl existence. BUT Chinese censorship do not acknowledge queer ppl existence. Queerness is NOT allowed appear in tv. So the danmei/yuri c dramas are strictly “brotherhood””sisterhood”, with comhet. Yes, the Compulsory Heterosexuality is everything to China officials cuz they believe its the root of the family and the country. Also, you know China is a place where multiple ethnic group exist right? BUT those tv shows (well not just danmei/yaoi) almost exclusively showing Han Chinese characters, I wonder why.  (re: the Uyghur genocide) Don’t even get me start with the whitewashing of actors/characters in both canon and fandom. And the homophbia&biphobia in fandom is crazy too. Many fans even do not support lgbtq rights, in fact they actively anti-lgbtq cuz they only love those imaginary danmei stories, but do not care abt real queer ppl. Ccp anti lgbtq propaganda is worsening it, so fans prefer cut themselves off from lgbtq community. The homophbia comments are everywhere. Not that diversed and progressive. 

As an opressed chinese queer, I’d say I HATE those danmei/yaoi chinese dramas. They never are my representation and they never will be. They are Cultural Appropriation. They mock at my existence. They are not made by queer ppl they are just money maker for those who have the power to make the show. If you find yourself enjoying those media, suit yourself, just do not say they are more progressive than western media, they are NOT. They are even weaponized against chinese queers who just want to fight for a chance to live, cuz conservatives be like, YOU QUEERS LITERALLY HAVE SO MANY DANMEI/YAOI SHOWS HOW COME YOU SAY YOU ARE OPPRESSED?! But those shows just rly are not queer representation. We chinese queers are still fighting for BEING SEEN. 

Plus, the only Pride event used to held in Shanghai is now banned in China, and just recently China closed the last LGBT center in China. Ppl can get arrested or killed for being trans but media will not report it. Judging ppl by if they go to Pride events or not are so wild, and also, it’s not like danmei/yaoi writers are queers. So many of them are cis straight women. So thats the reason why I dont like chinese danmei/yaoi works cuz they are not realistic. But again, if you enjoy them thats not my business. Just dont say they are real chinese queer experience on my behave.

The point is, if you dont even know anything abt real chinese queer struggles, stop comparing Heartstopper with chinese danmei/yaoi shows and think heartstopper is less than them or just arrgantly say danmei/yaoi authors dont go to pride events! I know so many chinese queers and me included who feel so happy while watching Heartstopper!

Platforms like netflix favor cis white mlm but put zero effects in promoting poc queer shows and queer women shows and cancelling queer women shows is NOT abt c dramas. Dont be that whataboutism. AND dont romanticize c dramas.

#heartstopper #tgcf #c drama #queer #queer culture #LGBT in China #lgbt #LGBTQIA #lgbtq community #Bisexual #gay #gay culture #netflix #china #lgbtqiia+ #wlw #tv show #mlm

[notalkingbusiness]

Apropos of a certain something, here’s a few reasons why I was excited to watch the Caryl show.

1. If there’s someone like Carol in a post-apocalyptic narrative, I’ve yet to find her. Generally, post-apocalyptic stories are skewed towards the young or those with young families. Carol upends tropes and is a powerful force for positive representation.

2. If there’s another pairing like Caryl, I’ve yet to find them. I didn’t think that this duo would steal my heart when I first started watching TWD, but here we are. I want them to take to the open road. I want them to be comfortable in their own skins. I want them to be together.

3. New Mexico is a realistic destination for Caryl. No suspension of disbelief required. 

4. Soft apocalypse is a criminally undervalued genre. I never knew how badly I wanted a lighter, softer, and gentler take on the post-apocalypse before the Caryl spinoff. 

5. I was excited to see what Kang had planned for Caryl. Kang’s done wonders with TWD’s viewing figures and Seasons 9-10 have a special place in my heart. Kang is also important for representation - we need more BIPOC women in horror and I’m so incredibly disappointed that all of the showrunners for the next phase of TWDU are all men. AMC is going backwards in terms of representation and is knowingly exacerbating existing problems within the TV industry. Ahem: https://www.thewrap.com/female-poc-tv-series-funding-stats-ucla-study/

We all had our own reasons to be excited for the Caryl spinoff and I’m going to delve a bit deeper into my own reasons in the next couple of weeks.

We’ve all lost something and screw AMC for thinking that we’ll eat up whatever slop they throw our way.

Melissa McBride deserves better. Angela Kang deserves better. Caryl deserves better. TWD’s audience deserves better.

#caryl