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arceneades · 3 years

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Why I Love She-Ra (2018)

I watched She-Ra after my YouTube feed had been inundated with She-Ra for a couple of years. I just sort of wanted to know what it was all about. People were talking. I was curious.

I think the first time I felt like crying was during the theme song the first time I saw it.

“We’re Gonna Win In The End!”

This was a queer show. I knew that. And... well, I grew up in the 1980s. And people, we are winning. We are winning this fucking fight with the forces of fucking darkness, some of which were in my own mind and heart, and it has been a long god damn slog but we are winning.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, I worked for a company that published a phone book (yes, a printed book, with phone numbers in it that you could call. It was a different time, okay?) that was targeted to the gay community. Specifically, it was a yellow page directory with advertisements for restaurants, and florists, and plumbers, and towing services, and any other business that you could think of that were paying money to let gay customers know that they would be treated like fucking human beings by that business.

That book doubled in size every year for 4 years. Because we were winning.

It took decades to go from the Defense of (straight) Marriage Act to nationwide acknowledgement of marriage rights. But we got there. Because we are winning. And I care about this fight.

So, yeah. I’m in. Let’s go. We’re gonna win in the end.

The feels did not stop. I cried during “Promise”. Well, I mean, of course I did, I’m not an inhuman monster. I cried during the battle of Bright Moon. I cried for Catra when Shadow Weaver left her, when she hurt her friends, when her pain and rage tore the world apart. She just kept breaking my heart. I wanted her to make just one good decision.

She did, of course, and I cried about that too. I knew what was coming with “Corridors” but it killed me anyway, Adora’s “no, no, no” just bruised my soul.

And “Save the Cat”? Adora’s righteous fury and the power of her love for Catra... again. Tears.

Maybe it was just 2020. Maybe my emotions were just close to the surface. I don’t know. I HURT for those kids. I wanted them to be okay. I still want them to be okay.

But I also felt seen. Seen in a way that... was different.

I was a middle aged, cis-gendered, straight white male. And this show was hitting me, and hitting me hard, and I didn’t know why. I was invested in this love story. I was invested in the war. I knew they were the same thing.

Not unusual, I suppose. I’m a Jane Austen fan. I like love stories. I like it when main characters get together. I’ve read Pride & Prejudice more than twice. But I don’t feel seen when I do.

Part of it was Catra. We all probably have some Catra in us. I might have more than most. It’s taken a long time to get some of my more extreme behaviors under control, although my rage and trauma tends to direct inward, not outward.

Part of it was Adora. I love characters that reflect fierce protectiveness, a part of us that wants to stand between the universe and the people we love and say “No, You can’t hurt them. You can’t have them. They. Are. Mine.”

But hey, you know, Tony Stark has that vibe in “Avengers: Endgame” and even dies to protect what he loves and while that speaks to me, I don’t feel... seen.

Tony Stark is played by Robert Downey Jr, an actor I grew up watching. Avengers is essentially built for me to watch. Literally, I am the target market, me and the kids I’m going to bring to the theater. I don’t feel seen. Marketed to, maybe. But not seen.

Which led me to wonder why a love story about two lesbians who are too young to drink, set in a world where it is not only okay to be a teenage lesbian but it isn’t even worth commenting on, meant so very much to me.

And thinking about that reminded me of something. Which is that when I was super into Second Life, a decade or so ago, I always used a female avatar. Always.

And it felt right. Perfectly right. And I had a lot of conversations with trans people who were also using female avatars because it helped them get along with their dysphoria. A feeling I don’t have. Of course.

I mean, sure. I prefer playing female avatars in games. That’s totally a cis-het thing to do, right? You know the joke, “If I’m going to be staring at an ass, it might as well be a nice ass.”

Okay, so maybe, just maybe, I did sort of decide that I wasn’t a man during that time. I wasn’t sleeping. I was depressed. I hated my job. Totally understandable. My friends straightened me out, shamed me out of that. Maybe that wasn’t the nicest way they could have approached that but I got shamed out of it, didn’t I? If I were actually trans, that wouldn’t happen. Right?

And I like being male. Well, I like the privileges that come with being male. I like having the upper body strength, and I find other men to be sufficiently terrifying that I wouldn’t want to... take off the armor. Not around them.

Yes, maybe, just maybe, I would prefer to have sex as a woman, given the option. That doesn’t make me trans, it just means that I really feel at home around lesbians and want to be a part of their world. Totally normal cis-het feelings there. It’s not like I would actually transform into a woman if I had a magic wand. I mean, not permanently. Not all the time. Just, you know, sometimes. When I wanted to take the armor off. Just when it felt safe.

Totally. Normal. Cis-Het. Feelings.

I mean, obviously I don’t want to be a woman. I don’t want to carry breasts around, for one thing. Looks uncomfortable. I like having just muscle up there instead, thank you very much. And I’m super comfortable with short hair and a beard. It’s a good look for me. I wouldn’t want to look different. I’m happy with my hormone mix. So, there you go. I’m a boy.

So why don’t I want to be one?

This argument has been raging in my skull forever. Am I a boy? I’m not a girl. I like being able to grow a beard. I’m as Dad a Dad as any Dad on the face of the planet. I don’t want breasts. But... I sort of do want hips.

When I first started questioning my gender, as far as I knew, there were two options. And neither of them fit. Because what I am is non-binary. A fact I would not know if Noelle had not made SPOP, and I don’t know how I can possibly thank her enough for that.

And according to the kids on the enby lesbians server, I’m a non-binary lesbian, which explains the fact that I’m on my fifth Subaru, but doesn’t explain why I don’t currently share my life with a mixed breed Labrador.

I am queer. I felt seen watching She-Ra because I was seen. On Etheria, everyone would use my pronouns. On Etheria, my friends would have helped me through my gender crisis. On Etheria, even in a war, we love and accept each other for who we are. We see each other.

We’re not on Etheria. But I believe we’ll get there.

We’re gonna win in the end.

#spop fandom #gender #queer is beautiful #nonbinary #she ra and the princesses of power #she-ra

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ballcrinas · 3 years

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( hunter schafer / trans woman ) JULIA FELICITY LAURY is 21 years old and is a JUNIOR at thales university. SHE is majoring in DANCE and is known for being THE SILKEN SOUL as SHE can be WHIMSICAL and BUBBLY as well as GULLIBLE and SENSITIVE. every time i see HER, SHE reminds me of BABY-PINK RIBBONS TYING HER POINTE SHOES, THE DELICATE SWIRLS OF OAT-MILK WEBBING THROUGH A LATTE, FUR-TRIM ON A CLEAR BACKPACK. ( adora / 23 / she/they / cst )

hello my frens ! pleasure to meet u , my name is adora , 23 yrs old , she/they pronouns ! i am super excited to be here and to write with you all ! i am thrilled to introduce julia felicity laury ( also answers to julie-beans, jules, jewels, jelly-bean, and a variety of other nicknames ) to pyrrhicfm ! if you’d like to read her full bio , please click here for more ! as for some quick facts , here they are !

julia is a BALLET STUDENT ; originally hailing from hartford connecticut , she moved to thales uni roughly three years prior for her freshman year. she is also a vegan && OAT MILK enthusiast. her favorite color is PINK and she knows miss ariana grande’s entire discography by heart. a certified soft girl , julia comes off as incredibly naive , gullible , and childish --- but be warned ; beneath the surface is a catty regina george wannabe DYING to bubble to the surface.

people would often DESCRIBE julia as …

SWEET - TEMPERED ; with wide blue eyes & bell like laugh , it is no surprise that julia is considered likeable for her peachy-sweet disposition.

NAIVE ; julia is often considered childish & almost immature for her penchant to believe in the best in everyone ; though she can be petty and catty at times , she looks at those who spare her kindness with doe-eyes and a bambi smile.

PETULANT ; the mean girls generation has bred a certain level of catty , childish petulance within her -- & though julia is a kind girl who tries her best to be as open & thoughtful as possible , those who cross her are liable to face the wrath of a scorned teenage girl who isn’t above faking receipts if it serves her cause.

BUBBLY ; enthusiastic , bell-like laughter is never far from anywhere julia is, for she is quick to engage with her friends with rapt enthusiasm ; her sweet energy is oftentimes infectious , causing those who spend enough time with her to smile along at whatever it is she’s grinning at.

LOYAL ; julia’s most infallible trait is her almost self-deprecating loyalty to those who have captured her affection and adoration ; julia stops at nothing when it comes to supporting her loved ones , often bending herself backwards & spreading herself far too thin in the name of showing her appreciation as best as she can. her friends get to see the most honest , most raw sides of her.

ROMANTIC ; julia is known to be starry-eyed for any boy that smiles at her too long , often leaving herself as a victim to her own romanticism. a lover before anything else , julia finds that she desires nothing more than a fairy-tale love story in which she is courted & wooed by her handsome knight in shining armor -- but such a fascination often causes her to throw caution to the wind to chase any chad from sigma apple pie whenever she can.

POTENTIAL PLOTS ! friend with benefits , a “chad” who thinks shes an easy booty call at 2 am ( she’s a sucker for a 2 am hey wyd ah ha :p ) , best friends since orientation , an acquaintance that secretly hates her , ballerina rival , ballerina ALLY , the one person who’s order she’s memorized bc they always bump into each other at the coffeeshop , tinder matches & bumble matches , people who went on an awkward first date with her , concert buddies , study buddies , the kid who julia cheats off of in math class bc gays can’t do math , that one friend she only ever talks to in her instagram dms , someone who bullies her , and anything else !

#pyrhhic.intro #about.#OWO HI #cute tags to come later

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tilbageidanmark · 3 years

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Movies I watched this week - 34

It dawned on me last night, that watching films and writing these short reviews is somethings I truly enjoy. I thought to myself: If I could do that as a job, it would be ideal. I see up to 4 films and more per day, anyway. So now I am going to embrace it, and make it my job.

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(2 + 1) by my new favorite Polish director, Paweł Pawlikowski:

✳️✳️✳️ Cold War, starts with a group of ethnomusicologists searching the countryside for old traditional folk sounds before they are lost forever, and ends 15 surprising years later at the most intense heartbreak. An absolute masterpiece - 10/10.

Here’s a short trailer that shocked me, since I didn’t realize what a disastrous love story it was until the end. (Photo Above).

✳️✳️✳️ Ida, the first Polish Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film (2012). In 1962, a 17 year old novice nun, before taking her final vows, discovers that her parents, who were murdered in the war, were Jewish.

A featured snippet from John Coltrane’s Naima represents the mood of the story.

Stark and austere black & white compositions, a journey into Poland’s darkest soul. Best film of the week.

✳️✳️✳️ However, The woman in the fifth, Paweł’s previous film, was forgettable and listless. It’s hard to imagine that the director of this standard fair will rise to produce the magical lyricism of his two later films. Even Joanna Kulig (Zula from ‘Cold War’) doesn’t elevate it and make it worthwhile.

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Ida’s visual style was inspired by The Passion of Joan of Arc, and Paweł’s framing often evokes Maria Falconetti’s tortured face. Carl Dryer’s haunting 1928 film is still fresh and extremely modern. Even more than the radical close ups, I was struck by the gender imbalance of the play: One frightened 19 year old girl, against a full battery of grotesque, powerful and menacing old men, who demand complete fealty from her. 9/10.

The film had its world premiere at the local Palads Teatret. Apparently, the original models for the film's set are stored at the Danish Film Institute Archives - Maybe I’ll get a chance to see them one day.

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Abbas Kiarostami’s slow-moving Iranian film Taste of Cherry, about a man driving on the outskirts of Tehran, looking to pay somebody to cover him with dirt, after he commits suicide. Probably the inspiration to Ramin Bahrani’s ‘Goodbye Solo’. It ends with Louis Armstrong's "St. James Infirmary Blues." 8/10.

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Costa-Gavras’s 1972 State of Siege was a searing indictment of the brutal US meddling in Latin America, and the shameful, deadly repression of leftist regimes. So many atrocities committed in the name of the Imperialistic Yankee dollar: Death squads, torture, mass assassinations, deadly coups - The same playbook for 70 years.

Chaotic opening scene of the army sweeping the street. The whole movie was terrifying. 7+ / 10

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Peter Jackson’s They Shall Not Grow Old. The Uncanny Valley effects created by using colorized footage from the trenches of WW1, corrected for speed, and laid with voice-overs of actual British servicemen, talking about their war memories. The moment when the soldiers reach the battlefield, and the film shifts from the black and white to color is breathtaking. 8/10

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A Fantastic Woman, a 2017 sensitive Chilean movie about a trans woman, whose older lover suddenly dies, leaving her to confront his estranged family and to deal with ugly problems of identity, respect and dignity. It’s compassionate and eventually hopeful, though not necessarily fantastic.

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Thelma, an atmospheric Norwegian thriller about a young student with psychokinetic powers who falls in love with another girl, while losing her mind. Very slow burning and moody. Reminds me that I want to re-watch Polanski’s Repulsion.

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Aretha Franklin X 2:

✳️✳️✳️ Respect, the new, terrific, slick Aretha Franklin bio, which is also a solid feature directorial debut for the director Liesl Tommy. The small girl part was best, but the whole story was well-made. Recommended.

✳️✳️✳️ ... And the final gospel concert from ‘Respect’ was recorded by Sydney Pollack in 1972, and just-recently released as Amazing Grace. With glimpses in the background of Charlie Watts and Mick Jagger (at 0:51).

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Woodstock, the documentary of the festival at Max Yasgur's farm. Unfortunately, this is only 1/2 of the original film. Re-watch.

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Carey Mulligan X 3:

✳️✳️✳️ An education, a beautiful story about a naive 16 year old girl in 1961 London who is being seduced by a charming and sophisticated conman twice her age. The title can be understood in two different ways. 7+/10.

✳️✳️✳️ Never let me go - A British filming of Kazuo Ishiguro's novel didn’t get me. Part subtle science fiction story about compulsory body donors, and part love story with the always-aweful Andrew Garfield in a boarding school setting, its appeal just flew past me.

✳️✳️✳️ Drive - a perfect arthouse thriller by Nicolas Winding Refn. The action scenes are similar to Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver and many other LA-At-Night action films, but the romance is tight and constrained. The motivation of laconic hero Ryan Goslin is being commented on in the 4-5 songs that puncture the action, with the last one calling him “A real hero - a real human being”, however he is not a real human being, but a replica of the Steve McQueen / Clint Eastwood mold.

Re-watch.

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I haven’t seen the great American saga Days of Heaven for many years. Through the gorgeous cinematography of Néstor Almendros, the score by Ennio Morricone, and especially the voice over story telling by the little girl Linda Manz as she saw it, it’s still as perfect as it was years ago. 10/10

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Brazil, Terry Gilliam’s 1985 satiric version of George Orwell’s 1984. Dystopia! Bureaucracy! Ducts! With young Jonathan Pryce as a dreamy glam rock flying Phoenix.

Too bad that Gilliam never got to film Hieronymus Bosch, for example his Garden of Earthly Delights!

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I’ve never seen a Bob Ross painting show or knew much about him except that he had a landscape painting program on PBS, so the new documentary Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed was all news to me.

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First watch, and only because the highlights always looked somehow ‘funny’ - Fletch. But American comedies of the 80′s and 90′s were so uncharitably lame. 1/10.

Maybe it would have been better if they used their first choice, Mick Jagger.

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Throw-back to the art project:

La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc Adora.

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(My complete movie list is here)

#movies

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