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the-lonely-garden · 1 year

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As much as I dislike Lore Olympus, I want to make my little vent blog a better and more productive space.

Daybreak is a slice of life/romance comic about two highschoolers discovering love. It's a slow burn, but so very worth the read. I can't help but get lost in the little world of Cog and Marcus surrounded by their friends and family. I rarely, if ever, see a comic centering around POC and showing POC characters in softer settings. They're both members of the LGBTQ+ community as well. It makes me feel like a world like this is possible. It reminds me that people can love even when the world wants you dead, something I wished I saw while growing up. Please give it a read :)

#daybreak #webtoon #daybreak webtoon #lgbtq fiction #lgbtq representation #poc representation #why representation matters #slice of life #romance #slow burn #comics #comic recommendations #positive and soft

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hi-mynameis-trash · 2 years

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I've seen ppl (mainly on Twitter tbh) ask why representation matters and why people can't just be happy with stories and role models that are "normal" or cis/white/male/allistic/straight/able-bodied and the biggest example I can give is of my elementary school computer lab teacher.

He always wore sunglasses and had the lights off in his class because he was photophobic. At the time, I was not photophobic but I thought it was really neat that he got to work in an environment that actually catered to his needs. When I was 13 I got a constant migraine that has left me photophobic as well as caused other disabilities. When I first got it I just kind of suffered because I had no idea what kind of accomodations I needed and was allowed to ask for. But my freshman year of highschool, I started wearing sunglasses to school to help with the lights, because florescent lights are the worst lights in existence. At first, I was embarrassed, and I got made fun of a lot for wearing them. I was frequently singled out by a staff member even though she knew I had a medical reason to wear them, and I was frequently told to take them off or to stop being dramatic. I was at a point where I'd rather drop out than stay in school with my accomodation, but then I remembered my computer lab teacher, who got to wear sunglasses all the time for his photophobia. I thought he was so cool growing up, and he always wore sunglasses! He got to work at a job he really seemed to enjoy, and he was able to have multiple accomodations to help him out. I got a similar pair of sunglasses to the ones he wore, and I reminded myself of his success every time I felt hopeless with my disability. Without having that representation, I'd probably be suffering a lot more than I am, and I most likely wouldn't have the courage to advocate for myself and take advantage of the accomodations I deserve.

Idk that was a bit of a ramble but I wanted to get it out I guess :vv can't type all that into one tweet lmfao

#disability #disabilties #disabled #photophobia #migrane #migraines #disabled representation #representation #why representation matters #disability representation #kind of a rant #idk

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oswlld · 1 year

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oscar award winner michelle yeoh saying no woman should believe she is past her prime is healing something in me rewiring something no one speak to me

#everything is happening so Much #i need 7-10 more business days to process #this THIS is why poc representation matters #i needed to hear this #michelle yeoh #everything everywhere all at once #eeaao #imma go cry about it some more good night #*1k #*2k #*3k #*4k #*5k #*10k

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vroomvroomwee · 8 months

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The way Good Omens helped me with my gender dysphoria is incredible.

It showed me how you can be non binary or trans without looking a certain way, and yes, I know many people keep reiterating that, but it has never really struck until this show. How you are you no matter your body. You can be masculine and be non binary, or pass as a man and be non binary, look feminine, look like a woman, look like neither, look like both, wear what you want, dress how you like, sound feminine or masculine and it wouldn't matter because you are non binary. I might have female/male body characteristics, but they aren't those anymore. They are non binary characteristics now because I, the person who they belong to, am non binary. And the confidence it has given me. I love this show.

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heartshapelocket · 5 months

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“she’s so me”

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disruptivevoib · 8 days

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Something I think thats key to Heart or to my interpretation of Heart is that, though he is manipulative, he genuinely does not believe he is nor does he mean to be or do it with any malicious intent. This does not make him less manipulative nor less self-victimizing! But I think it does better display how emotions work. Which is that they are instinctual responses and often deeply connected to defense mechanisms. So Heart is defensive and reactive but he isn't dumb- but he also isn't malicious. i think he can manipulate on purpose 100% but a lot of him is genuine reaction that winds up manipulative even though he believes its for the best or simply cannot help himself.

Its something about being the chaos without the balance. Mind is there to keep Heart as in check as Heart is to keep Mind in check.

Dunno if this makes sense? I just feel like people say "Heart is manipulative" a lot and don't put more nuance into it than that. Not to say he is villainized, but I feel there's a lack of acknowledgement that emotions may not intend to be that way, but can be and rely on consciousness or common sense to be recognized and realized as such.

#voidthoughts #dont know how much sense that makes ig?#It just to me adds a lot to the nuance of heart as a character and a representation of the complexities of human emotion #cause emotions are informed by our history and all that. Alongside our processing in the moment n shit like that. But they dont act on logi #they do not act on reason either. They can be mean and reactionary and confusing. Ykno? why are you mad if you understand something was #unintentional? who knows! but neither is wrong #just a matter of how you handle it. if you accept you can be upset but also that you shouldn't let yourself lash out kinda thing #blah blah blah #just htinkin abt it

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eviebane · 4 months

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This Ineffable Husbands fanfic has literally changed my life

I'm talking about this on Tumblr because 1) I love you guys and 2) it IS Good Omens relates and 3) it's nice to talk to strangers when you're still sort of figuring things out.

For over a decade I have self-identified as bisexual; made it a proud and visible part of my identity. But there's always been this thought bugging me that maybe I was asexual.

And look, I knew nothing about asexuality. I just knew I didn't feel the same as everyone else about sex. I write sex, I have sex, I am capable of enjoying sex! So surely asexuality is off the table?

OK so I do my research and realise it's a spectrum. I read about all the different labels and I can't find one that fits. When I discovered what 'bisexual' meant I immediately thought 'yep that's 100% me' and I was expecting the same light bulb moment, but it never came.

I've thought about it a lot for years and never came up with an answer.

Then two days ago I stumbled upon this goddamn fanfic of aspec Crowley. It was like reading my own thoughts!!! I keep reading, half hoping this fanfic will finally tell me WHAT I AM

But it didn't, not really. And it made perfect sense.

The paper-quilling metaphor - oh God it was like watching the puzzle pieces come together. I adored Crowley's lack of real interest in trying to label himself, and the journey from 'putting up with' sex to asexual celibacy to misunderstood seductions and to FINALLY finding a way that works

I just. I could write an essay about the things I love about this fic and how it helped my thought process. Because the #1 thing that helped me was seeing everything put in perspective, beyond labels and definitions

I don't want to label it anymore beyond aspec. I never wanted a label, really. What I've been searching for was just to understand what it was, or if what I felt was even real. A dictionary definition couldn't give me that, but seeing my own thoughts in this fic? Fuck. Yeah it's real

So, after I finished reading it, I discussed this fic with my partner and it was the first time I could explain how I feel in a way that made sense.

Being bi is still a part of me & always will be, but now I have this new part - well, not new. It's an old part of me that I've kept hidden for a long time because I thought it was broken and messy. Now, I look forward to wearing two colours at Pride next year

@missgiven Thank you for writing this fic ❤️❤️❤️

TLDR: fanfic made me realise I'm aspec

#good omens #good omens fanfic #asexuality #asexual #eviebane #also: why queer representation in film and literature matters

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strangeasf · 1 day

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I really truly don't get this whole bucktommy and buddy rivalry.. I mean I love buddie and I really like bucktommy and don't understand the problem of liking and rooting for both. yeah, at the same time. what happened, everyone forgot about multishipping? why can't two ships coexist in peace??

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muncedes · 9 months

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“kids (in karting) come from diverse backgrounds and used to feel held back by the fact that it is a white mans sport and we call it the lewis hamilton effect in my house we’ve seen you do it and we believe we can do it as well” zac you sweet and brilliant young man🥹

#this !! is why representation matters #lewis hamilton my beloved

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mellaithwen · 21 days

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I haven't even had a chance to look at the dash yet (or my many discord messages sorry besties!) but I've just watched the episode and I'm crying with joy. Bisexual Buck is canon. I'm just so fucking happy.

I think a part of me didn't want to watch it live at 1am because I was scared I'd clowned too close to the sun (and I know that's doing a disservice to the show and the writers, I know that, I just couldn't help the fear, it is ingrained)

but to see it? Just happen on screen??? And to have it be done so beautifully??? Like. I just. fuck. I'm so happy and like. proud??? I'm just. yeah. yeah. i love this show and i love you folks. and yeah.

:')

#bisexual buck #representation matters #911 #I'm not even exaggerating either -- I can't stop crying lmao why am i like this #911 spoilers #911 abc #evan buckley

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northern-passage · 11 months

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i've been thinking a lot about the word "representation" and what it means and how it's changed over the last few years, particularly when it comes to the writing/publishing landscape but also in movies and tv shows… and i really don't like it anymore. to be clear, of course i think it's important to have diversity in your work, i'm not saying i hate the concept of representation. but i do really dislike the way it's used now, and i really just hate the word itself

in a broader sense it's just become a marketing tool. i'm not impressed by any publisher or author who just describes their book by listing all of the minorities/identities the characters represent as if that should be enough. it feels very gross, very exploitative and disingenuous. it also really bothers me because it's always marginalized identities- which i understand Why, but it feels very othering to me (and again. Very exploitative as an advertisement). you would never list out "cishet able-bodied white man" as a character description to pat yourself on the back over. so why do it to everyone else? why insinuate that one is the "default" and the other one is "special"? (and when i say this i'm mainly talking about advertisements/marketing. i understand why people would specify about characters in descriptions with the plot, but i don't like to see an ad that's just "this book has gay people!" with nothing else)

which then leads me to my other point, which is that a lot of people treat "representation" as if it's "too hard." like "oh i don't know enough to write about that, i don't have that experience, etc" which is a fair way to feel! however… it's weird that people only say this about writing trans characters or characters of color. i'm writing a story right now with a character who is really into motorcycles. i personally do not know that much about motorcycles, so i researched what parts are what & what different kinds of models there are & what basic bike care looks like. i guarantee Most people will have to google something at some point in their writing process. so what's the problem? it also, again, feels very othering when authors treat certain groups of people as "impossible" to write, "too hard" to understand. they are just.. people. you write them as a person. and then you figure out the rest later.

and i think part of the refusal or fear to write something outside of your experience is because of the way representation is treated as So Special. these characters are So Special that they aren't allowed to be anything other than "representation." they're Not allowed to be characters with complex emotions and interesting motivations, they have to just be Trans or Gay or Disabled or whatever. they're not allowed to be people. which means, at the end of the day, we loop right back around to where we were at the start….

there is bad representation. there are depictions of certain marginalized people that are harmful and that are damaging, i'm not trying to minimize that or argue against it at all, in fact we should all be mindful of that while writing and reading. but i also think it's possible to swing too far in the opposite direction as well and put certain groups of people on a pedestal and not allow them to do anything at all but be Perfect Representation, if that makes sense.

#anyways. is this anything #sorry i dont have anything insightful to say at the end here i just wanted to ramble #especially abt the way ppl market books now it like. genuinely disgusts me #cannot imagine marketing tnp in that way. my characters are many things AND they are trans. and their transness #is not just a flashy feature for attracting attention #also i do understand the fear of 'getting it wrong' but that's why you have beta readers or even actual sensitivity readers #that's why you ask for feedback. especially in this space like... people will give it #that's what makes sharing your process and early draft in this community so rewarding #and there's also just the reality that no matter what you do some people will Not like it 🤷#and ime a lot of ppl look at representation very individualistically #as in it's only good representation if it represents Me #which sucks. and you're never going to please those people #ANYWAYS also to be clear this is not a vague or meant to be targeted at any one person please don't be fucking weird #this is just some thots i've had recently esp since ive seen the representation conversation pop up quite a few times #and since i've been doing research for characters in my other project #personal

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starrylayle · 2 years

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Soman’s failed POC and Queer rep in the SGE saga — And why criticism is essential to the movie (franchise)

[repost]

Before I start though, I’d like to say that if you have any argument about forced representation, dni. I don’t give a shit that ur faves aren’t white anymore — and please stop fucking harassing Soman and the cast about this non-issue.

Now onto the racial criticism of Soman’s work, which I don’t see talked enough about.

Being a person of colour does not mean you are exempt from racial criticism. I’m sure this is known by now, but in the books, literally everyone is white. Like EVERYONE. And not only that, the beauty standards he portrays and tries to critique (but then fails miserably at unfortunately) are so Eurocentric it’s quite disheartening actually - pale skin, small noses, coloured eyes, etc. The themes are also quite Eurocentric as well — if you had told me that the books were written by a white author, I would believe you.

Now, I’ve always given him the benefit of the doubt here, considering he was writing a middle grade series as a marginalised author, which was a lot more difficult at the time, and because he does genuinely try to improve his POC rep in the later books (even if that does include retconning character’s previous descriptions lol). In that same vein, the cast is also noticeably more diverse, and I truly applaud Soman for that. However, he has not said anything in regards to the racism the cast have been getting, which considering his influence on the fandom, would have been much appreciated. (The only casting choice he actually spent some time defending was brunette Tedros 💀💀 — like mate, get your priorities together!). Also, since whiteness is quite intrinsic to the core themes of the story (I’ll make a separate post on that later), I worry that the movie will unintentionally be pushing it. And if that’s the case, people should be allowed to critique this (hypothetical) poor depiction of race, without it being considered racist. (As previously mentioned — this excludes those fucking weirdos who just hate on the cast coz their faves aren’t white anymore 🙄🙄)

Ok so, in regards to the queer-coding/queer-baiting:

Just like being a POC doesn’t mean u can’t have internalised racism, being queer doesn’t mean u can’t have internalised homophobia, especially to other members of the community. I don’t know why exactly Soman struggles with writing queer rep so much (I mean I can understand in 2013 — but now plenty of middle grade books include queer characters), but he barely has any canon gay rep.

Tristan/Yara, who is not even specified whether they are gay or trans, is one of the first characters to die, with absolutely no resolution to their arc whatsoever - and their queerness is never mentioned again. The next confirmed queer couple are two backgrounder guys who barely have any significance to the story. The couple after that are two evil white boys, who are only confirmed to be queer after they both die. They are are the only relevant gay characters at this point — yet ofc they’re dead, white and evil. This wouldn’t be a problem if there were other (good) queer characters, but since that is not the case, it just comes off as rather… icky.

Now notice how all these couples, as poorly written as they are, are all (white) gay men? There are hints that Hester and anadil might be in a relationship, but it’s never explicitly confirmed.

In addition, sophie and Agatha are explicitly queer coded — (I made a post about it on my acc for anyone’s interested) — they even kiss!! Of course people are going to be mad that they were baited into a relationship that ended up being incesteous! Especially, ESP, considering that Agatha is now a Black girl in this adaptation. We barely see any white canon wlw couples in media — Black sapphics are almost unheard of in the mainstream, especially as leads. first kill, one show that featured a Lesbian Black girl lead (a Dark-skinned one at that!)— got cancelled. And this happens all the time. Lesbians/sapphics, esp sapphics of colour, ESP Balck sapphics are barely given any time of day in our media in favour of centring gay white men in queer narratives, and thus they have every right to be upset at the queer baiting.

I’m not Black, but as a queer woman of colour, Agatha’s character has always been very special to me. I’ve always thought she should be a POC considering how different her and her mum are from the rest of her cookie-cutter village, and queer because she did not fit into conventional notions of femininity. It would be so awesome to see Agatha, a queer woman of colour, as the lead in a high-budget fantasy series. But alas, that is too many marginalised identities for the general audience.

Not only that, the twin reveal was just plain bad writing. It had absolutely no bearing at the story whatsoever and is never mentioned again. It was just done purely for shock value, and for that, I will absolutely critique Soman.

I know that this discourse is tired and worn out — and understandably so, it’s been years. However, now that this movie is approaching mainstream — At worst, this queer baiting can already add to the whole ‘lesbian relationships aren’t serious’ and other terrible stereotypes. At best, it deprives sapphics of much needed representation in mainstream fantasy films.

Remember, unlike with the books, we as fans have the power to influence the story. If the creators see how unpopular the twist is with the public, they can probably change it. We can make a difference! Btw, this doesn’t mean sophie and Agatha should be endgame — I’d like for them to be in a short term relationship and be confirmed as canonically queer — Tagatha can still be the end couple! (Not hophie tho, coz sophie is a lesbian and I despise Hort lol).

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showtoonzfan · 1 year

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Maybe it’s just me but the way both these characters are from New Orleans, POC, and French Creole, and yet one of them sounds like they’re exactly that and the other sounds like an average white dude.

Like no offense to Edward Bosco, I love his voice acting and he’s very good, but holy shit you can just tell that Alastor being mixed creole was a last minute decision. I’m blaming Vivzie in this, not Edward, because while Alastor does have that 1920’s old Atlantic accent but he certainly doesn’t sound of his heritage, compared to Nico where the accent is clear. Of course I know that not EVERY person or group sounds exactly the same, so maybe this is a nitpick but still.

#and again I love Edward as Alastor it just wasn’t the right casting really #this is why I hope Alastor is voiced by a POC actor when the show comes out #like we gatta have our representation idc what some bootlicking fans say about it not mattering #but yeah after doing research Nico is also creole and from New Orleans #like seriously Viv Alastor is not black like omg you suck at this #Hazbin critical #vivziepop critical #Alastor critical

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thelegendofmik · 8 months

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The Little Big Things - Setting the Standard for Accessibility in Theatre

The Little Big Things is a musical that recently opened at the West End's Soho Place and it is a stage adaptation of Henry Fraser's memoir of the same name. It is about Fraser's experience with becoming disabled and figuring out how to navigate life newly disabled.

Of course, the show portrays Fraser's life before and after becoming disabled. And this show comes up with a very simple solution that doesn't involve an abled bodied actor "cripping up" - they literally just double cast the role of Henry Fraser. They have abled actor Jonny Amies play Fraser pre-accident, and disabled actor Ed Larkin plays post-accident Fraser. Like the reality is, no one cares that the actors don't look identical.

Not only is Fraser played by a wheelchair user, as is another character, Agnes (Amy Trigg), but both their understudies are wheelchair users as well (Joseph Wolff and Elena Pitsiaeli). That is four wheelchair users in the cast of the show. The associate director, Nickie Miles-Wildin, is also a wheelchair user.

So the narrative that "there just aren't enough disabled performers" is a load of bullshit. Not only was this show able to hire five wheelchair users, but they also hired several other disabled/chronically ill cast and crew members. It is clear that in this show accessibility was a priority, not an afterthought, as it often is in theatre.

Like look at this beautiful representation:

This is a story about disability being told by disabled people, and this should really be the standard for the industry. I really hope that there are more shows like this created because this is the authentic representation disabled people deserve. We deserve to be able to tell our own stories.

Have a link to some of the music:

#why dont yall focus on cool shit like this rather than fixating on ableist shows #disability #fuck ableism #representation matters #disabilities #disability rights #disabled #this musical looks so cool #musicals #musical theatre #west end #disability representation #wheelchair users belong on stage #accessible art #access is a human right #Spotify

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arsenicflame · 1 year

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the thing about autistic izzy for me is that he isnt that uwu soft romanticised type of autistic. hes brash, he doesnt know how to process his emotions, hes constantly on the verge of being overstimulated- if things arent done the way he expects them to be done, if his routine is fucked with hes going to lose it

#more representation for autistic characters that aren't palatable please #hears my new thing i think would fix izzy: some noise cancelling headphones #hm i could definitely make more thoughts on this but my brain is not working rn #post inspired by my coworkers not doing things how i would do them and it upsetting me to an irrational degree #i understand why he is ~like that~ over ship maintenance even when everyone else thinks it doesn't matter #nyxtalks #izzy hands #israel hands #someone let me know if some of these things aren't considered autistic traits lol its all based on my personal experience #he is just like me fr #ofmd #a certified nyx post

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texasbama · 1 year

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This is everything☀️🌊🩵💜

#I literally just ordered some of there 30 but I will be ordering more!!#this is why representation matters. imagine seeing this as a little black girl #the little mermaid

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