#fun facts about babbit

[bones-of-a-rabbit]

the babbit masterpost

HELLO welcome to the Babbit's Blog masterpost!!! On this post you'll find some fun facts about yours allegedly (me <33), some ref's for my different 'sona's, and a couple links to my fics and whatnot! Are you ready? No?? Excellent neither am i let's do this

Meet the Babbits!: the self-inserts/personas

the first ref is for my general/most commonly used persona, Babbit! They aren't really an anthro/furry as much as they are a humanoid with the head of a rabbit. I like to think of this one as the 'me' that's in my head- the purest form of my thoughts and feelings, but not the solid real-life me. The second ref is my self-insert persona, Rabbit, the one i picture using most often when i'm reading a fic or imagining a self-insert scenario lol. This one is like the me that people see and meet and speak to in real actual life, if that makes sense. It's the way I come across to people and all of the things I wish I could iron out of my crumpled up real-self <3 The third is a much more specific 'sona, Hazel, who started off as a FNaF:SB animatronic self-insert. She does have a backstory and lore now, which i think makes her more of an OC than a self-insert, but a lot of her is still me and a lot of what she experiences in her backstory is from my life/instills the same feelings that were taken away from things that happened to me, so I think she kinda counts enough to put a ref for her here sdkjfsdhfj (Why the different names?: makes things a little easier, and they hold meaning to me symbolically, I guess!)

Content!: Here's a short list of my various fics that will get updated as I create more! (it was, in reality, not fine.): FNaF Sun/Moon x Reader fanfic, gender neutral, for general audiences, fluff-fest, idiots to lovers "You're the new tech/repairman at the Fazbear Mega Pizzaplex, unfortunately. Your first task? To make the Daycare Attendant into two separate animatronics. It's an amazing opportunity, really, and there is nothing you love more than getting a chance to really work with such tech! The only bad part is that you don't know how to tell anyone that you just might be in over your head. (You are extremely in over your head.)" After Everything Was Fixed (but you were still broken): AU FNaF Sun/Moon x (Animatronic) Reader, gender neutral, read with caution, angst, harm to sentient robots, traumatized main character, hurt/comfort slow burn, romance slow burn "The virus was gone. Everyone was fixed. You had been put back together. It's a time for a new beginning, to do things right this time, to wash away the past and paint a better future. Their memories of the infection had- mercifully- been taken away from them. Yours had not. He doesn't understand why you try to avoid him. Even if you could tell him, you're not sure you would. You want to be his friend, but it's difficult; every time you see him, you remember the hundreds of times he killed you." A fic where you are a repairman-themed STAFFbot, taking place post-virus. In the past, Moon, infected by the virus, took delight in attacking and dismantling the reader during the night. Now, in the present, you find yourself burdened by the memories of the past while everyone around you has no recollection of the events. It gets more complicated as Sun and Moon, both now cleared of the virus, grow curious of you. This fic will follow a series of arcs, presently on arc one. For anyone curious, feel free to send an ask about the arcs in 'After Everything Was Fixed'! The Sun, the Moon, and the Blazing Comet (title subject to change): AU FNaF Sun/Moon/Eclipse x Reader, gender neutral, teen and up audiences, travel/journey, betrayal, hurt/comfort slowburn, reconciling, themes of breaking the mold, found family (TBA) Hold My Broken Hands (title subject to change): AU FNaF Sun/Moon x Reader, gender neutral, mature audiences, dark romance, dark comedy, severe bodily harm, mutilation, murder, obsessive behavior, possessive behavior, lovesick (TBA)

My AU's!: i'm going to make a Babbit-AUs-Masterpost and then put the link here i swear, i just have so many im sorry jdfhsjdfhs (like more than twenty)

Fandoms!: I enjoy, have been in, made or make content for: Pokemon Undertale FNaF Creepypasta (YEAH I KNOW LET ME LIVE OKAY) My Little Pony (I KNOW OKAY LEAVE ME ALONE) Steven Universe Star Trek Warrior Cats i'm sure theres more but i just forgot everything i have ever liked wheeeeeze

Whomst the hell?: HI I'm Rabbit! Or Bones! Or Babbit! Or Avarice/Ava, if you want to go for a more legitimate-sounding name. I'm 24 years old, prefer to use they/them pronouns, and so, so incredibly ace. I've been drawing as long as I've had the ability to hold a pen, writing since I was in grade school, and being a plague to the ones around me since the beginning of time! If you've seen my art, its probably from the absolute mountain of fluffy-wuffy love-dovey (y/n) x Sundrop/Moondrop/Eclipse doodles I've been sharing for several years now sdfjhsdj. If you've heard of my fics, it was probably the one I made just for fun that's now turned into an actual fanfiction that I enjoy writing, the silly-lovey-fluff incarnate (it was, in reality, not fine.) !

Likes n Dislikes!: I'm a sucker for sap, fluff, and lots and lots of love-dovey bullshit! I also like stories about finding oneself and monsters being befriended or loved. I like space, aliens, robots, the odd and strange, injecting humanity into things not human, monsters, creatures, animals, the fae, concepts of spirits and karma and the afterlife, and more! I dislike 'fanservice', most anime tbh LOL it's not personal I just don't enjoy it im srry, FLY BABIES i know they have an actual name but i hate that word too pls just dont i will scream, sexually aggressive/forceful content/characters, being made to feel small, dumb, or trapped,

Other!: I have a pretty high gross-out tolerance! I also have a pretty high 'wow that's messed up huh' tolerance, in that sometimes I will just say stuff that's super grim or dark or messed up and not realize it lmao. I am full of random facts and anecdotes, especially weird or gross ones! sometimes i get on tangents that can go for actual hours so pls forgive that lol

WARNINGS: THIS BLOG MAY FEATURE CONTENT BASED ON/RELATED TO THEMES OF GUILT, CHILDHOOD LOSS, GRIEF, SELF HATRED, DISCONNECTION FROM REALITY/SELF, TRAUMA, AND SEVERE DEPRESSION/ANXIETY. YES I AM GETTING HELP. YES I AM OKAY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING.

bonus persona: crybaby

[ashleywool]

For the last few days, I’ve been getting really into How To Dance In Ohio and, my goodness, I adore the cast EP and have watched and re-watched every YouTube video about it I can! But, from what I could find, there isn’t a Wiki page or anything like that with information about the characters! If you can, I would love to know some fun facts (maybe pronouns, likes, dislikes, whatever else!) about the seven lovely autistic people we follow in the show!

I’m hoping to see it sometime next year! 💛

Hey there!

The Wikipedia page does exist, although it's still pretty sparse as the show is still in previews and there are rules about what the updates are allowed to be. Everything has to be substantiated by a published article on an established platform or a first-person interview.

Here's the character breakdown from the Equity Principal Audition, with some of my own notes added for context. I've included some of the nicknames we've come up with for the characters also, some of which are canon.

Johanna: 40s-50s, she/her, powerful mezzo-soprano. Caroline’s mother, perky and positive, keeps a watchful eye over her daughter, artsy mom vibes. (Note: it's pronounced "yo-HAH-na.") Also known as: Jo-Jo (pronounced "yo-yo;" not canon) Currently: played by Darlesia Cearcy, and understudied by Marina Pires. (Note also: Darlesia's name is pronounced Dar-LEE-see-ah.) Fun fact: Darlesia isn't much of a public social media user, but when I looked her up on Twitter, this is the first thing that popped up, from her time in Shuffle Along. If I were her, I wouldn't even bother with a headshot and resume anymore, I'd just hand casting directors a copy of that tweet. It pretty much says it all.

Terry: 40s-50s, she/her, powerful mezzo-soprano. Jessica’s mother, patient, loves leopard print, gives her daughter lots of space, cool mom vibes. Also known as: Ter-Bear. (not canon) Currently: played by Haven Burton, and understudied by Marina Pires. Fun fact: Haven plays my mom but she's only seven years older than me in real life. Marina P is four years younger than me. Best of all: when we were premiering in Syracuse, this role was also covered by an SU junior (Elana Babbit). She didn't get to go on, but if she had, I would've had a mother who was almost half my age!

Michael: 40s-50s, he/him, mid to high tenor. Marideth’s father, blue-collar, doing his best, is anxious in new social settings. Also plays: "Derrick," a pharmacy technician employee at Columbus Community College, who has a brief interaction with Caroline (and may or may not be a murderer). Currently: played by Nick Gaswirth, and understudied by Martín Solá.

Amy: 40s-50s, she/her, soprano. Drew’s mother, cultured, a housewife with a master’s degree, adept at managing her husband and son’s needs. Also plays: Shauna Parks, a super hawtt reporter from the Columbus Gazette. Currently: played by Melina Kalomas and understudied by Marina Pires.

Kurt: 40s-50s, he/him, mid to high baritone. Drew’s father, white-collar, conservative, a bit formal, has high expectations for Drew. Also plays: Hawkins, Mel's manager at Paws and Claws Pet Shop, who's kind of a douchebag, and Rick Jenkins, a blogger (not a reporter) who has no idea how to write about disability with any shred of respect. Currently: played by Carlos L. Encinias--who calls his collection of roles "The Villain Track" though I assure you is an exquisitely kind and funny anti-villain in real life--and understudied by Martín Solá.

Dr. Emilio Amigo: to play 50s, he/him, high baritone, Cuban-American. A clinical psychologist, founder and director of Amigo Family Counseling, great at his job, charismatic, full of empathy, recently divorced, at a crossroads. Currently: played by Caesar Samayoa, and understudied by Martín Solá and Carlos L. Encinias.

Ashley Amigo: to play 22, she/her, mezzo-soprano with a strong mix, of Cuban-American. Amigo’s daughter, a dancer recovering from an injury, is at a crossroads. Currently: played by Cristina Sastre, and understudied by Marina Pires and Marina Jansen.

Drew: 18, he/him, mid to high tenor, autistic. He needs structure, a bit formal, knows a lot about electricity and electrical grids, is looking for deeper connections in life, possibly romantic, on track to go to his dream college. Also known as: Drewby (by his mom; canon) Currently: played by Liam Pearce and understudied by Collin Hancock, Jean Christian Barry, and Hunter Hollingsworth.

Marideth: 18, she/her, alto with a strong mix, autistic. Raised by a single dad, loves to research facts, hates shoelaces, doesn’t like to be touched, is anxious in new social settings. Also known as: Wolf (not canon) Currently: played by Madison Kopec, and understudied by Marina Jansen and Ayanna Nicole Thomas. Fun fact: Marideth isn't the first canonically autistic character originated by Madison Kopec. I first heard of them back in 2019 when they were cast as Emma in a reading of a new musical called Indigo, which eventually had its world premiere last summer in (funnily enough) Ohio.

Caroline: 19, she/her, soprano with a strong mix, autistic. Perky and positive, goes to community college, is best friends with Jessica but is obsessed with her boyfriend. Also known as: Menace (not canon) Currently: played by Amelia Fei, and understudied by Ayanna Nicole Thomas and Marina Jansen.

Jessica: 20, she/her, full-voiced mezzo-soprano, autistic. Wants to live on her own, loves fantasy but is surprisingly practical, has a flair for drama. Also known as: Rachel Berry (obviously not canon as that's copyright infringement) Currently: played by Ashley Wool (yours truly) and understudied by Ayanna Nicole Thomas and Marina Jansen. Fun fact: Lol. 20. That's adorable. I'm absolutely not 20.

Mel: 24, she/he/they, earthy alto, autistic. The oldest member of the group, a seeker into self-help and mindfulness, a natural leader, works at a pet shop. Also known as: Head of Reptiles (technically canon, but we also just like to imagine Mel as a mythical creature with a reptilian head) Currently: played by Imani Russell and understudied by Marina Jansen and Ayanna Nicole Thomas. Fun fact: way back in 2021, when they were casting the first reading of the show, my agent at the time submitted me for Mel--the character was initially conceived as a cis woman on the breakdown--but I had already gotten a callback for Jessica from my self-submission, and I had a gut feeling that there was somebody better out there for Mel. I couldn't have been more right--after Imani was cast, it was largely thanks to their creativity, insight and influence that Mel evolved into the distinctive non-binary icon (non-bicon?) we know and love today.

Remy: 18+ to play 16, he/she/they, mid to high tenor, autistic. Into cosplay, makes a How-To costume and makeup tutorial videos online. Currently: played by Desmond Luis Edwards, and understudied by Jean Christian Barry, Ayanna Nicole Thomas, and Hunter Hollingsworth. Fun fact: Dez's involvement in HTDIO is the ultimate "Cinderella story." In 2021, Jacob Yandura was running a summer camp in Florida, and Dez was a student there; upon finding out Dez was autistic, Jacob said, "hey, I think you'd be a good fit for this musical I'm writing." The first time I heard Dez sing at the rehearsals for the reading, I was like, "you're SEVENTEEN?! I quit." How many actors out there go from their third high school musical DIRECTLY to Broadway? Another fun fact: Dez created all the cosplay designs we used onstage in the Syracuse production. Check out his art account here!

Tommy: 22, he/him, mid to high baritone, autistic. Funny, self-conscious, studying to get his driver’s license. Currently: played by Conor Tague, and understudied by Hunter Hollingsworth, Collin Hancock, and Jean Christian Barry. Fun fact: In real life, Conor does not drive and is staunchly anti-driving.

Ok, I gotta shower and head to the theater for work notes, but I'll happily add more later!

[wen-kexing-apologist]

Bengiyo's Queer Cinema Syllabus

For those who are not aware, I have decided to run the gauntlet of @bengiyo’s Queer Cinema Syllabus and have officially started Unit 3: Faith and Religion. The films in Unit 3 are: But I’m a Cheerleader (2000), Prayers for Bobby (2009), Latter Days (2003), Blackbird (2014), The Wise Kids (2011), Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party (2015)

Today I will be writing about

But I’m a Cheerleader (2000) dir. Jamie Babbit

[Run Time: 1:30 , Available: tubi, amazon, google play, apple play, Lang: English] 

Summary: A cheerleading-obsessed teenager is sent to a strict summer camp when her parents suspect her of being a lesbian. 

Cast: * Natasha Lyonne as Megan * Clea DuVall as Graham, Megan's love interest

Note: I watched the 2020 Director’s Cut

__

Hello, I have entered The Danger Zone. For the next two units I expect to be absolutely and utterly dashed upon the rocks as I start Unit 3: Faith and Religion, and eventually wash it down with Unit 4: Heartbreak Alley. 

Ben is being nice by having the first film on the list be But I’m a Cheerleader, so at least we can ease our way in to the conversations around conversion therapy and religious trauma to the queer community with some dark humor and bright colors. 

While I decided to embark on this syllabus project because my experience with queer media has been severely limited, there is at least one movie in Units 1-6 that I have seen before. For Unit 3, it is this one. I love this movie. I love this movie because for all that it is dark, for all the pain you see being carried by these queer teenagers, for all the harm that has and could be done to them throughout their time at True Directions, the film wastes absolutely no time highlighting the absolute absurdity of programs like this. What do you expect to happen when you put a bunch of horny, queer teenagers in a room together? But I’m a Cheerleader does a phenomenal job at maintaining the fact that queerness is inherent, it is not learned, it is not chosen. 

And it does something else that I picked up on this watch through, that makes me appreciate it even more, which is that it kinda pokes fun at 12 step-programs.

I don’t know that I have really talked about this much on my tumblr, I know I have referenced it a couple times in like…comments and conversations with some of my mutuals on tumblr about my opinions on Alcoholics Anonymous. Before I dig in to it, I will preface that AA and NA works for who it works for, and that’s cool, but I have strong negative opinions on these 12-step programs as a harm reductionist because they hold abstinence as the ultimate goal of substance use recovery, they are super religious, and they generally espouse anti-harm reduction ideologies. So seeing True Directions have a five step program, where the first step is literally admitting you have a problem are a homosexual, and to see these steps be a) absolutely absurd, b) random, and c) ineffective made me so happy. 

[OKAY WAIT REST OF POST ON PAUSE BRIEFLY SO THAT I CAN SHOUT ABOUT THE DIRECTOR OF THIS FILM AND THE FACT THAT AS I WAS RESEARCHING FOR THE FOR/BY/ABOUT SECTION, THE DIRECTOR, JAMIE BABBIT’S MOTHER RAN A TREATMENT PROGRAM FOR TEENAGERS WITH DRUG AND ALCOHOL PROBLEMS THAT WAS NAMED NEW DIRECTIONS, AND THAT IS WHAT TRUE DIRECTIONS WAS BASED ON. HAHAHA! That is the most succinct confirmation of my read on a piece of media I have ever had] 

For real, this program did not work on a single one of the residents by the end of the film, and that is absolutely what needs to happen. 

I love that the kids sneak out to go to a gay bar, I love that when the kids fail the conversion therapy program they get taken in by survivors of True Directions and find safety in a queer-positive house, especially because (as we see with Megan) if the kids fail the program they do risk homelessness. Which is a very real and present threat to queer kids today, both conversion therapy and possible homelessness. 

I like that Megan’s parents picked up on the fact she was queer before Megan herself did (shout out to vegetarianism, I literally wrote ‘vegetarian’ in my notes as an observed potential indicator lol) and find it is absolutely an intentional point that Megan would very possibly not have realized she was queer if her parents hadn’t sent her to conversion therapy, because it was not until a fellow queer was like “not all girls think about what you are thinking about when you look at girls” 

And it always hurts my heart a little when I hear people say their parents make comments sometimes that are like “well, everyone thinks about kissing a girl sometimes” etc etc and are still existing under the belief that they are straight. Megan seemed completely oblivious to her own queerness until other people pointed it out, and her parents might have had the intended outcome of a “straight” child if they had just kept their mouths shut and minded their own goddamn business. 

Not that we want Megan to be straight, but more just that the film itself feels like it does make a point of calling out the fact that putting your queer kid in a room with other queer kids is going to help them understand themselves better. It’s why cishets are so terrified of trans people, because the more visible trans and/or queer people are, the more people are able to question their own identities, and the more the white supremacist society we have built in the United States starts to become undermined by the degradation of a pillar of patriarchal heteronormativity, etc etc. 

I love that on the boy’s side of True Directions all the little decorations of like…shop tools and soldiers look sexual. The soliders look like they are either getting fucked in the ass, or about to perform oral sex. The tools look like dicks, it’s very much indicative of the fact that even the adults who say they have been “cured” really have not been, because they are still creating scenery and teaching these boys how to be straight while subconsciously producing images of queerness. 

I love that But I’m a Cheerleader is also able to challenge our own perceptions of queerness and heterosexuality. I love that it is Jan, who looks the most butch/masc of all the girls who is revealed to be heterosexual, and I think it is vitally important to see this not only as commentary around judging people based on appearance, but also can be used as a discussion point about the masculinization of women of color, and in addition the fact that all the girls are turned on watching Jan vacuum the floor, demonstrating that masculine women can be seen as hot/sexy. 

Anyway, I love this movie a lot, I think the messaging is great, I think it can read a little more serious for a queer audience than a straight audience around the actual extent of the damage done to these characters during their time at True Directions, but I think there are all of these little things that make the funny moments funnier if you are queer. 

For/By/About 

For sure by and about queer people. Both the director, Jamie Babbit, and the screenwriter, Brian Wayne Peterson are queer. I will admit that for a bit during the film I struggled to decide whether or not this film was made for queer people, because in some regards I thought that perhaps the purpose of But I’m A Cheerleader was to show straight people how fucking stupid conversion therapy is. But, I have actually landed on The Gay Trifecta for this one. 

Jamie Babbit stated that part of her inspiration for making this film was because she wanted more representation for fem lesbians in media, and that she decided to make it a romcom because of how media has historically treated lesbians (if you have read some of my other posts, we know I have talked about that history multiple times). 

Favorite Moment

SEX SCENE! So, I am pretty certain that I watched But I’m A Cheerleader for the first time before 2020, and therefore I did not have access to the director’s cut. But, in 2020 Babbit released her own cut of the movie, which is 5 minutes longer and I think the only difference between the two films is the addition of a sex scene that had been cut out of the initial film. It is not a hardcore scene by any means, but it is absolutely gorgeous, and it has some very clever and important shots contained within it, the most memorable for me being the shot of the cross necklace Megan always wears as she is actively having sex with Graham. 

Favorite Quote

“You are who you are, the only trick is not getting caught” 

God is that just like a bullseye statement for queer people, especially the ones who have to stay closeted. Such a quick line, such an active acknowledgement of threat, because everyone that ended up at True Horizons either got caught or couldn’t hide.

Score

10/10

Next up, Prayers for Bobby, and uh, I have it on good authority that it may leave me looking like Graham in that gif directly above this sentence.

[supergoodfilmanalysis]

But I'm a Cheerleader (1999)

But I'm a Cheerleader is a 1999 satirical film directed by Jamie Babbit--it is campy, gay, pink, sweet, and deeply unserious. It follows Megan, played by the iconic Natasha Lyonne, a cheerleader who is sent to a conversion camp in a giant pink and blue mansion staffed by the likes of RUPAUL after her family and friends suspect she is a lesbian. Despite the film's on-paper serious subject matter, it holds a tone of heightened silliness and pokes fun at the real darkness of homophobia. Megan meets cool girl Graham (Clea Duvall), and against all odds, the two fall in love at True Directions. For a film made in 1999, it was impressively ahead of its time for the way it managed to both be a film about a girl falling in love for a girl, but also for the way it makes oppressive societal structures the butt of the joke, while being campy and fun, with an unmistakably saturated color palette that adds so much to the tone of the movie. It is considered an important piece of cinema in the queer community for this fact, and truly feels like it was for us and by us.

@theuncannyprofessoro

[justawanderingbabbit]

A bit later than intended, but here's the last of the Babbit Analysis (okay, at this just point it's more a recap) of Liu Chang's role in I'm So Pretty.

A quick shot of these two glorious goofs before the cut. Warning, spoilers below

So after all the photography and beauty pageant stuff goes down, Lin Xi wins by the skin of her teeth. (One vote and it apparently came from Song Shiyao's love interest!)

Post win, Lin Xi's father invites all her school friends (all two of them) and Song Qinghe and Shen Haochen to dinner to celebrate.

The woman behind the candles is Lin Xi's elder sister and (as far as I can tell) a card carrying green tea bitch. She's one of the ones who voted for Song Shiyao, claiming Lin Xi wasn't up to the challenge.

As might be expected, Song Shiyao is depressed over her loss and showing it. Lin Xi notices her state of mind, basing her interpretation off of Song Shiyao's makeup, but Song Shiyao pretends not to be bothered.

Song Qinghe, who's been practicing social cues, really, thanks Lin Xi for taking care of his sister.

Lin Xi, who has no problem with stating her opinions without glossing them over, tells him she didn't help Song Shiyao, but that Song Shiyao is pretty much her only friend. This leads into an argument with Lin Xi's elder sister, who uses the chance to stab at her little sister for not being up to snuff.

This, combined with the boyfriend's falling over drunk, leads to a mass exodus from the dining table, leaving Shen Haochen and the other girlfriend to continue eating.

Song Qinghe and Lin Xi end up outside, talking about Lin Xi's sister. He suggests maybe Lin Xi's sister does care about her, after all she vetted him thoroughly before hiring him. Except she points out that her sister did so as a power move, not out of concern for her.

Song Qinghe doesn't get it, but he also doesn't argue. Likely because he just doesn't know or understand any of what's going on here.

----

This scene is pretty much the last we see of Song Qinghe and Shen Haochen. The rest of the series is a huge contest at the school between various rival camps and involving all sorts of weirdness that I didn't bother watching because these two weren't there.

I figure they sailed off in their ship and are currently testing out excavator equipment of some sort.

---

Final comment: I feel like this series suffered from too many options, not enough tying things together into a cohesive whole. There was the attempt to be a wild fantastic romp in a surreal almost Utena-like atmosphere, and an attempt to address a serious story of love and betrayal and different families.

It would have been possible to achieve both. I mean, Utena did. But the surreal part seems to have been thrown in as filler and used to complete the story because they didn't have enough primary plot, just lots of subplots that had to be hurriedly tied together.

In the end, I would have enjoyed a story that (1) involved Liu Chang and Wa'er's characters more and (2) focused more on Lin Xi and Song Shiyao's rivalry and friendship. Still, the parts I've covered were fun and I did get something out of it, since Cloneverse Liu Can did end up a model in much the same way Song Qinghe does.

---

Addendum: I have a few photo spaces left over so here's some eye candy.

Confused Song Qinghe is confused. And possibly annoyed because the photographer just butt poked him.

And wanting to be done with this whole modeling gig. "Can we has a done now?"

Oh, and this is Song Qinghe's book of Shen Haochen, full of facts about his best friend because he just doesn't Get It.

What's not to get? He likes you, kiddo.

ETA: Linkages

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[gay-dragon]

The lovely @stazyros​ and @hachibe​ tagged me to post my top 9 favourite films (this was so hard, why did you guys do this to me? 😭)

so, this is definitely not a comprehensive list, but here are nine of my all-time favourite movies (for a self proclaimed film lover, some of these are not the most artsy 😅 but trust me they are all really good)

- the summaries are all from IMDB

But I'm a Cheerleader (1999) dir. Jame Babbit A naïve teenager is sent to rehab camp when her straitlaced parents and friends suspect her of being a lesbian.

Okay, objectively this movie is far from a masterpiece, but it's such a comfort movie for me. It's funny and feel-good, and such a classic. It's also the first lesbian film I ever saw, so it really has a special place in my heart.

Les Choristes (2004) dir. Christophe Barratier - English title The Chorus The new teacher at a severely administered boys' boarding school works to positively affect the students' lives through music.

This film is just so beautiful. The music is incredible and the ending makes me cry literally every time I watch it

La Guerre des Boutons (1962) dir. Yves Robert - English title War of the Buttons The children of two villages are fighting. Their trophies are the buttons they will snatch from the enemy.

This is an ultimate classic of French kid's movies (although tbh I don't even know if it's supposed to be a kid's movie... I saw it as a kid but it's still great to watch now as an adult). It's funny but it's actually also a really lovely story of rivalry and friendship.

Inside Out (2015) dir. Pete Docter After young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco, her emotions - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness - conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house, and school.

I just think this film is so so clever and well constructed, and such a brilliant way to communicate some important concepts to children about their emotions. Of the films on this list that I didn't watch as a kid, I think this is the one I've seen the most times.

Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) dir. Hayao Miyazaki A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.

Ghibli movies are my entire childhood but it was surprisingly easy to pick one to include in this list. This has always been my favourite. It's not the most fantastical one, but it's such a lovely coming of age story.

Legally Blonde (2001) dir. Robert Luketic Elle Woods, a fashionable sorority queen, is dumped by her boyfriend. She decides to follow him to law school. While she is there, she figures out that there is more to her than just looks.

I unironically adore this film. It's funny, it's a classic, it's feel-good, it's well acted, the story is amazing, it has so many iconic quotes... it's really the whole package.

Le Roi et l'Oiseau (1952) dir. Paul Grimault - English title The King and the Mockingbird A chimney sweep and a shepherdess seek to escape from the clutches of a tyrannical king, helped by a mockingbird who is the only person that dares to defy him.

This summary doesn't do the film justice so just trust me when I say it is an absolute masterpiece, both from an artistic and a social commentary point of view. It's not necessarily a children's movie, but I watched it all the time as a kid and I think it's probably the film that has impacted me the most to this day. Fun fact: this film has been cited by Hayao Miasaki as one of his biggest influences.

La Meglio Giovintù (2003) Marco Tullio Giordana - English title The Best of Youth An Italian epic that follows the lives of two brothers, from the 1960s to the 2000s.

This is one of those films that stayed with me for a really long time after I watched it. It's visually so stunning, and it is an incredible chronicle of a really important era of Italian history, while also being a really moving story.

Shoplifters (2018) dir. Hirokazu Koreeda A family of small-time crooks take in a child they find outside in the cold.

This film is so so beautiful, and such a stunning commentary on what family really is. Also the soundtrack is just phenomenal.

i am tagging: @maybeineternity9​ @gedankenspaziergang​ @dusuessekartoffel​ @floraflorenzi​ @the-obvious-unseen​ @catofthebarricades​ @inmyarmswrappedin​ @julerocks​

[queermediastudies]

Putting the “Camp” Back in “Conversion Camp”

How But I’m a Cheerleader (2000) Makes a Comedy Out Of Conversion Therapy (And Whether or Not it Should)

Jamie Babbit’s cult classic, But I’m a Cheerleader (2000) paints a satirical portrait of what most queer youth fear most, conversion therapy. The titular cheerleader, Megan (Natasha Lyonne) is your typical all-American good girl. She goes to church, she never drinks, and she is even dating the high school football star. She is the kind of daughter that white, middle-class Americans dream of having, with one glaring exception. Megan is a lesbian. With the help of the self proclaimed “ex-gay” counselor Mike (RuPaul), her family and friends stage an intervention before shoving her off to True Directions, a conversion camp run by Mary Brown (Cathy Moriarty). Once there, she realizes that she is in fact a lesbian, one who is in love with her fellow camper, Graham (Clea Duvall). 

The film is hilariously over the top, hence it’s description as a camp classic. Babbit uses exaggerated gender roles to illustrate the intersection between gender performativity and sexuality. Unfortunately this decision to poke fun at heteronormative stereotypes come at a cost. Even the gay characters are uncomfortable stereotypes, and the film ignores any questions of intersectionality. Moreover, Babbit does not always handle the horrors of conversion therapy with the kind of tact and grace such a subject demands. Essentially, while the film attempts to show the ridiculousness of gay conversion, its use of stereotypes and one-dimensional characters lashes back to harm the very people Babbit is speaking on behalf of. 

One of the most easily recognizable problems with But I’m a Cheerleader is its overwhelming whiteness. There are all of four characters of color, and only one of those characters is a woman. Jan (Katrina Philips), the one woman of color, is treated terribly in the film. She shows up with a unibrow, dark mustache, shaved head, and baggy clothes. When she introduces herself, she smiles and says, “I’m Jan, and I’m a softball player, and I’m a homosexual” (00:14:36). Essentially, Jan is a lot of outdated stereotypes about lesbians put into one character. The twist, though, is that Jan is actually straight.

This is a good example of how Babbit attempts to tell an important message, but she fails to see the harm she causes while doing it. Jan’s character is essentially Megan’s foil. She is everything a “dyke” is supposed to be, except that she is not attracted to girls. Megan, on the other hand is a lesbian that completely defies all of the stereotypes that Jan encompasses. Both women are meant to discourage our tendency to make assumptions based on appearance. While that is a wonderful message, the problem is that Jan is the only woman of color. There is a definite lack of positive representation for masculine women of color, so there is nothing inherently wrong with having a black, butch character. However, black women are often portrayed as more masculine than white women in both fiction and non-fiction. One need only look at the conversations the media has had about Serena Williams or the New Jersey Four to see how black women are ascribed a level of masculinity that white women are not. In the film, this is exacerbated by the consistent assertion that Jan is ugly, which is never challenged by any of the characters. The motive behind Jan’s character was excellent, but it is clear that the consequences were not thought out. Babbit could have avoided the problematic elements of her character by adding in more women of color, giving the masculine stereotypes to a white character, or by having a conversation about how her blackness and dark facial hair affected how she was treated. Instead, the meaning of Jan’s character is one-dimensional, and she comes off as the butt of the joke rather than the harbinger of an important message. 

Jan is not the only character wrought with gay stereotypes. Andre (Douglas Spain) is the most stereotypically gay man in the film. Whether by coincidence or not, he is also a person of color. Regardless, his character is so stereotypical it is almost offensive. The boys are taught to play football, chop wood, and fix cars in the hopes that heteronormative activities will straighten them out, so to speak. Andre fails miserably at all of these tasks, which, again, is fine in concept. What is offensive is the way he flails about and shrieks in a way that is so unnatural it plays out like a bigot’s idea of what a gay man is really like.

There are other issues of intersectionality and representation that are not quite so garishly offensive. For example, Joel (Joel Michaely) is Jewish, and very devoutly so considering he is never seen with his yarmulke. The True Directions programs, however, is very Christian-oriented. This tension between the two religions is never addressed, and that is truly a shame. Moreover, race is not mentioned once. As previously mentioned, there are horrendously few characters of color. Even worse, however, is the fact that not one of them has a storyline that acknowledges the difficulties of being a gay person of color. The film is a comedy, so no one should expect an especially fruitful in depth analysis, but there is not even one or two off handed jokes about it. The fact of the matter is that the characters of color are not fully realized people. They are surface level representations that rattle off jokes. It should be acknowledged that pretty much all of the characters have this shallow level of development (such is the price one pays when creating a satire that makes such liberal use of stereotypes), but that is no excuse for not acknowledging how race plays a factor in homophobia and gender norms. Much of the movie is centered around learning how to “act straight”, but performances of gender and sexuality shift when different identities come into play. Harris and Holman Jones explain how intersectional performances play into feeling like a minority, “In “feeling queer,” racialized subjects intersect with religious, gendered and sexualized minoritarian subjects to “do” minoritarianism differently” (Harris and Holman Jones, 2017, p.574). In a film that is all about acting out the roles society demands, ignoring how people of color are expected to perform their minoriatarianism does an injustice to the topic at hand.

There is also a good bit of homonormativity, a concept that describes the push for queer people to fulfill heteronormative roles even in gay relationships. The three same sex couples we see in the film follow the general idea that one person in the relationship should be more feminine and the other more masculine, though some couples embody this concept more than others. Dolph (Dante Basco) and Clayton (Kip Pardue) are the couple that fit this mold the least, but one there are remnants of it in their relationship. Dolph is on the varsity football team, and Clayton is generally more demure and submissive. Unlike Dolph and Clayton, Graham and Megan fulfill their homonormative roles with a good amount of clarity. Graham is by no means butch, but she is more masculine than she is feminine, at least by society’s standards. She has short hair, she never wears skirts, and she has a tendency toward profanity and vulgarity. Megan, on the other hand, is, well, a cheerleader. She only wears skirts, she wears her hair long, and she spends most of the moving gasping at any mention of sex. Finally, there is the old gay couple, Lloyd (Wesley Mann) and Larry (Richard Moll) who are “ex-ex-gays” as the film calls them. Once again we see the more feminine half of the couple, Lloyd, performing typically feminine activities like setting up dinner and getting in touch with his emotions. Larry, on the other hand, is a curt, large, bearded man who is quick to anger. The two could easily fit in to any heterosexual sitcom. 

While domesticity is the goal for many queer couples, the film ventures into what Duggan (2002) calls, “equality politics,” (p. 44). Essentially, it is the trap that members of the gay community where they ask the powers that be for marriage and military equality. After that, they feel that there is nothing left to do, so they promise to depoliticize gay culture. Duggan describes them best when she writes, “These organizations, activists, and writers, promote ‘color-blind’ anti-affirmative action racial politics, conservative-libertarian ‘equality feminism,’ and gay ‘normality,’” (Duggan, 2002, p. 44). In it’s failure to acknowledge race and the enforcement of heterosexual roles onto gay characters, the film certainly demonstrates these equality politics and a message in favor of homonormativity.

Perhaps the most difficult to address issue with the film is the premise itself. It begs the question: should conversion therapy be used for comedy? Moreover, questions of how to do that respectfully arise, and, frankly, there were several instances where Babbit failed to do so. Babbit’s own history is important in understanding why she created a comedy about conversion therapy. She herself is a lesbian, and her mother worked at New Directions, a rehabilitation center for teens and young adults. Obviously, the name of the conversion camp, true directions, is a play on New Directions, and Babbit further explains the connection between her mother's career and But I’m a Cheerleader in an interview with Wheeler Winston Dixon. “So I'd always wanted to do a comedy about growing up in rehab, and the absurdity of that atmosphere. But I didn't want to make fun of twelve-step programs for alcoholism and drugs, because they really help people, but when you turn it into Homosexuals Anonymous, then I felt that was a situation I could have fun with” (Dixon, 2015, p. 2). Babbit likely felt that conversion therapy would be a harmless target because making fun of the programs and their leaders is not damaging to anyone. However, as we have seen with Jan and Andre, the queer community was not spared from the ridicule. Moreover, while belittling the programs themselves, Babbit made light of some truly traumatizing experiences. For instance, the teens are given electric wands, which they must use to shock themselves when they have “unnatural” thoughts. Pain-based aversion therapy is a very real, traumatizing experience that too many people have had to face. But I’m a Cheerleader makes a mockery of it by using it for a number of sex jokes and showing that it does not hurt that bad. Graham playfully shocks Megan with it, eliciting a yelp, but not much else. Another girl in the program, Sinead (Katherine Towne), proclaims that she likes pain. She is then shown in multiple scenes using the electricity as a masturbatory tool. There may be arguments in favor of this detail, perhaps that Babbit was trying to show how pain can be reclaimed and used for pleasure, but I personally find it tasteless. It is especially questionable since Babbit herself has never gone through that trauma. When creating gallows humor, one must examine if they are on the gallows or a member of the crowd. A person on the gallows who laughs is using humor to cope. A person in the crowd who laughs at the man getting hanged is simply cruel. It seems that Babbit believes that she, having experienced lesbianism, has just as much of a right to stories of conversion therapy as someone who actually experienced it. She does not. This is not to say that the premise of this film is off limits. Babbit simply should have been more careful in how she portrayed the horrors of conversion therapy.

But I’m a Cheerleader has the difficult job of being a breakout text. Cavalcante explains that a breakout text accomplishes three things, “ Breakout texts also generate three definitive breaks: (a) a break into the cultural main-stream, (b) a break with historical representational paradigms, and (c) a breaking into the every day lives of the audiences they purport to represent,” (Cavalcante, 2017, p. 2). It may have not been hugely successful, but it was popular enough to make its way into straight communities. Moreover, it breaks plenty of ideas of historic representation. Finally, it made its way into gay communities, and it has continued to live comfortably within them. This is why we need to be so hard on the film. As with anything that may be the foundation for someone’s knowledge about a topic (i.e. homosexuality, conversion therapy, gender non conforming heterosexuals, etc.) there is a responsibility to provide quality representations. Babbit sometimes fails to do so, and if that those failures are not examined critically, then harmful information will be mindlessly spread around.

As a pansexual woman, I am always looking for content that portrays strong, sapphic characters. I am also always on the fence about using tragedies to create humor. I am stuck between knowing that some people use humor to cope with trauma and wondering if people should be laughing at atrocities. That is what drew me to But I’m a Cheerleader. I enjoyed the film, in spite of its flaws, but I do have to say I was a bit hurt and disappointed. I am Latinx, and I have been teased about my dark facial hair in the past. Hearing Jan get torn into for her unibrow and mustache while the pretty, white women around her did nothing was really upsetting. Moreover, as someone who is undecided about particularly dark humor, I really do feel that Babbit was tactless in her making of this film. Still, there were elements that I truly loved. As mentioned in the title and the introduction, this film is beautifully camp. The 1950′s aesthetic that the straight people emulate obscures the setting of the film, and the garish colors tell a story all on their own. The gay men are forced to wear bright blue, and the lesbians are forced to wear pink. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, outside of the program wears brown, obscuring their own identities and showing just how they all fit in together. The set design is also used in a really stunning way. Every once in a while something, typically something that represents sex or genitalia, is placed in the background to remind viewers that the sexuality of the participants will never be erased.

When it comes down to it, But I’m a Cheerleader has heart, and it has a great message. It is immensely funny, and the characters are shallow but lovable. The film’s best attribute is that it shows that anyone can be gay or straight, regardless of our assumptions based on how well they perform gender norms. The criticism shown above should not discourage anyone from watching the film. Rather, it should encourage people to watch it while being able to recognize and accept the ways in which it can be hurtful. It can have harmful stereotypes, unhelpful ideologies, and tactless jokes, but it also has love, bite, and an abundance of humor.

References:

Cavalcante, A. (2017). Breaking Into Transgender Life: Transgender Audiences' Experiences With “First of Its Kind” Visibility in Popular Media. Communication, Culture & Critique, 10(3), 538-555. doi:10.1111/cccr.12165

Dixon, W. W. (2015). An Interview With Jamie Babbit. Post Script, 34(2).

Duggan, L. (2003). Equality, Inc. In The Twilight of Equality? Neoliberism, Cultural Politics and the Attack on Democracy (pp. 43-66). Boston: Beacon Press.

Harris, A., & Holman Jones, S. (2017). Feeling Fear, Feeling Queer: The Peril and Potential of Queer Terror. Qualitative Inquiry, 23(7), 561-568. doi:10.1177/1077800417718304

[letterboxd]

Pride: 25 Queer Films To Love.

Dating Amber writer and director David Freyne introduces our London correspondent Ella Kemp to 25 of his favorite LGBTQIA films.

A coming-out, coming-of-age film, David Freyne’s Dating Amber follows “baby gays” Eddie (Fionn O’Shea) and Amber (Lola Petticrew), who act as each other’s beards in order to stop speculation about their sexualities. Released on Amazon Prime Video in the UK for Pride month, it’s winning praise from Letterboxd members as a “charming” and “gentle” comedy-drama “full of loveliness that extends beyond the Irish accents”.

Lola Petticrew and Fionn O’Shea as Amber and Eddie in ‘Dating Amber’.

As the number of films by and about the gay and trans community expands, we asked Freyne if he could narrow down a list of ten favorites for us. The answer was no—instead, we got 25!

“There are so many extraordinary queer films beyond this list, but all of these films just really affected me when I saw them. Some were the first time I saw queerness on screen, while I deeply identified with others. And, as a filmmaker, each of them makes me braver to fight to tell stories that aren't always easy to get made.

“They are in no particular order because I don’t want to bump into Barry Jenkins (which is obviously going to happen) and have to explain that he is number five on that list (that he will definitely read) for no specific reason. It’s just a technicality.”

David Freyne’s 25 Favorite LGBTQIA+ Films

My Summer of Love (2004) Directed by Paweł Pawlikowski

Paweł Pawlikowski’s film feels like a dream that sweeps you up along with it, helped along by incredible early performances from Natalie Press and Emily Blunt. The hypnotic use of Goldfrapp's ‘Lovely Head’ is probably my favorite use of a song in any film ever. Their drug-fuelled dancing was a massive inspiration for Eddie and Amber’s baby steps into Dublin’s gay scene in Dating Amber.

Weekend (2011) Directed by Andrew Haigh

I never fail to cry buckets at the end of this heartbreaking gem. It’s small in the best sense of the word. Two people fall in love over one intimate weekend. Their gayness is both incidental and totally fundamental. It’s so delicate and moving. Andrew Haigh is a master.

But I’m a Cheerleader (1999) Directed by Jamie Babbit

Jamie Babbit’s debut is a brilliant, campy comedy about a cheerleader sent to a conversion therapy camp. I love it for all the reasons many critics (at the time) disliked it. It is subversive, quirky and defiantly upbeat. And it stars Natasha Lyonne and Clea Duvall. Enough said.

Paris is Burning (1990) Directed by Jennie Livingston

I’m not saying anything new when I say that Paris is Burning is necessary viewing. It’s a hilarious, moving and eye-opening look at the (mostly) Black trans women in New York’s ball scene. It is a glimpse into the lives of these extraordinary people who risked everything to live authentically, for themselves and each other. And at a time when our trans family is so under attack, it is vital to see such iconic figures from our community. You’ve probably seen it. Re-watch it. Also those end notes will make you cry.

Happy Together (1997) Directed by Wong Kar-wai

As with all Wong Kar-wai’s work, it is jaw-droppingly gorgeous. It’s a tough watch, a portrait of a toxic, failing relationship. But it looks beautiful. They’re miserable and co-dependent. It’s abusive and awful. But it’s great. It really is a great film. I’m not selling this one well. Just watch it.

Moonlight (2016) Directed by Barry Jenkins

Definitely worth watching after Happy Together. Not just because it will make you feel better, but because Barry Jenkins has noted it as a big influence. Also, Moonlight is a masterpiece. You know that, of course. Side note: I realize I’ll never be able to create a hand-job scene as powerful and tender as Jenkins did here, but, in Dating Amber, I made three comedy hand-jobs. Take that Jenkins!

God’s Own Country (2017) Directed by Francis Lee

You can feel Francis Lee in every frame of this film. It’s personal filmmaking at its very best, with wonderful performances from Josh O’Connor and Alec Secăreanu. And it has the most beautifully romantic ending that you only realize we lack for LGBTQ characters when you see it laid out so wonderfully. When we were trying to finance Dating Amber and people suggested it was too Irish, I’d just reference God’s Own Country, which is so defiantly Yorkshire, and they’d shut up. Also, Secăreanu’s jumper with a thumb hole is my style icon. Bring on Ammonite!

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) Directed by Marielle Heller

Marielle Heller is such a brilliant filmmaker. This film is based on the memoir by Lee Israel who forged letters by famous people to sell. It’s a genre piece that feels like it could have been made in the 70s. But what I love about it the most is that it is a rare example of a film that centers the friendship between a lesbian and a gay man. Why do films usually treat us like we exist in totally separate worlds? Anyway, it’s a joyous watch.

Tangerine (2015) Directed by Sean Baker

I’m obsessed with tightly plotted films and Tangerine doesn’t waste a frame. It’s 88 minutes of pure wit, charm and entertainment in line with the best of old-school Hollywood. You instantly forget that Baker’s film is shot on an iPhone and just get swept up in the extraordinary performances of Mya Taylor and Kitana Kiki Rodriguez. It’s such a mystery they don’t work more. (Reader: it’s not a mystery. It’s because they are Black trans women, and the industry is shit.)

Portrait of a Lady On Fire (2019) Directed by Céline Sciamma

We all bow at the alter of Céline Sciamma. This film is perfection. The sparse-but-powerful use of music, exquisite photography and extraordinary performances that burn beneath the stillness. The final shots of Adèle Haenel will feed your soul for a year. (Side note: face masks have never looked so stylish.)

Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971) Directed by John Schlesinger

This was John Schlesinger’s follow up to his best-known film, Midnight Cowboy. A middle-aged gay doctor (Peter Finch), and a divorced woman (Glenda Jackson), are both in an open love triangle with a younger, bisexual sculptor (Murray Head). It’s quite low-key and far tamer now than when it was released, but it’s a beautiful film and Schlesinger’s most personal. He was one of the few openly gay directors of his time. And Jackson’s performance steals it.

Far From Heaven (2002) Directed by Todd Haynes

Todd Haynes’ stunning film will make you immediately go out and discover all of Douglas Sirk’s glorious technicolor melodramas. Julianne Moore’s performance as a wife who discovers her husband is gay will break you. Dennis Quaid is also terrific as her closeted husband.

The Watermelon Woman (1996) Directed by Cheryl Dunye

Cheryl Dunye’s low-budget debut is a seminal queer film. A video store worker and documentarian (played by Dunye) starts a new relationship while becoming obsessed with ‘the watermelon woman’, a Black actress forgotten by history. It’s lo-fi, funny and a, far too rare, film about race and sexuality.

My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) Directed by Stephen Frears

It may have been the first time I saw gay characters on screen and, at the time, it petrified me. But what an amazing film about love, acceptance and the power to change. Fun fact: Daniel Day-Lewis spent a year as a tumble dryer in preparation for his role.

Beautiful Thing (1996) Directed by Hettie MacDonald

Hettie MacDonald’s coming-of-age film is so lovely, honest and tender. James Harvey adapted it from his own play of the same name. The soundtrack is almost entirely The Mamas and the Papas. I am surprised some cigar-smoking West-End mogul hasn’t attempted a musical adaptation. Or maybe they have, I don’t know.

Pride (2014) Directed by Matthew Warchus

Such a purely entertaining film while being urgent, political and deeply moving. Beresford’s script is a masterclass in plotting and if you don’t cry at the end then you are dead inside. Sorry but that’s just science. Also it has the most emotional postscript coda since, well, Paris is Burning.

Love is Strange (2014) Directed by Ira Sachs

Ira Sachs is one of my favorite current filmmakers and criminally underrated. I mean, he’s appreciated, but he needs to be lauded. Love is Strange is such a charming and quietly devastating love story about an older gay couple who lose their apartment and have to couch surf with relatives. It’s one of the most effective films in dealing with the rental crisis in big cities, something he does equally brilliantly in the follow-up, Little Men.

A Fantastic Woman (2017) Directed by Sebastián Lelio

Sebastián Lelio’s film is a beautiful story about one trans woman’s grief after the unexpected death of her older partner. But what makes this film so spectacular is the captivating performance by Daniela Vega. We need to see more of her on screen.

BPM (Beats per Minute) (2017) Directed by Robin Campillo

It’s a film about the AIDS activism of Act Up in 1990s Paris. What makes this so incredible is how joyous it is. Strobe-doused dance scenes punctuate this film that will make you want to take to the streets and fight for your rights.

The Queen of Ireland (2015) Directed by Conor Horgan

This documentary by Conor Horgan follows Ireland’s most famous drag queen, Panti Bliss (aka Rory O’Neill). It’s about his life, a legal battle (a bunch of homophobes sued Rory for calling them homophobes on national TV) and the staging of a show in his hometown. Central to all this is Ireland’s historic vote on marriage equality, something that Panti was a powerful figure in. If you want to laugh and have your heart soar in seeing confirmation of how a once painfully conservative country moved to love and equality, watch this.

The Kids Are All Right (2010) Directed by Lisa Cholodenko

Lisa Cholodenko’s feature is a warm, witty and realistic look at a lesbian couple and their children. Every performance is pitch perfect. I can’t believe it’s a decade old and that we have had so few similar films since.

Booksmart (2019) Directed by Olivia Wilde

We need more joyous films with queer leads and Olivia Wilde’s debut is just that. Set over one night of belated partying, we follow best friends Molly and Amy (Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever), one of whom happens to be a lesbian. It is just so much fun to watch.

All About My Mother (1999) Directed by Pedro Almodóvar

I mean this list could just be an Almodóvar filmography, but All About My Mother just happened to be the first of his I saw and it blew my little gay mind. It’s simply about love in its truest sense. Almodóvar said it best with his dedication, “To all actresses who have played actresses. To all women who act. To men who act and become women. To all the people who want to be mothers. To my mother.”

Female Trouble (1974) Directed by John Waters

You can’t have a queer film list without John Waters, and this 1974 classic is my favorite of his. It follows Dawn Davenport (played by the legendary Divine) from teen delinquent to the electric chair. It’s hilarious, irreverent and distasteful in the ways only Waters can be.

Saint Maud (2019) Directed by Rose Glass

Rose Glass’s debut film isn’t out yet and so technically shouldn’t be on the list. But I saw at a festival last year and loved it, so there. It’s a horror film about a private nurse (rising star Morfydd Clark) who tries to save the soul of her deviant and lesbian patient (the always-brilliant Jennifer Ehle). It’s eerie, stylish and the sort of debut all us filmmakers wish we had. Shut up, you’re jealous!

Related content

MundoF’s Opening the Vault: a chronological history of queer interest and LGBTQ+ cinema.

Leonora’s list of Films by Transgender Writers and Directors.

Out of the Closets and Into the Cinemas!: meeting queer folks in dark rooms.

New Queer Cinema

Queer Films Everyone Must See

Queer, Black, 21st Century: A Pride 2020 List

Autostraddle’s Top 200 Lesbian, Bisexual & Queer Movies of All Time

Brianna’s list of LGBT+ Animation

[nyxetoile]

If it’s not too much trouble, could you share some of the book recommendations you got a while ago for your daughter? Or some she’s read and enjoyed? Mine (11)is going through books at an awe-inspiring pace and we can’t find new ones fast enough for her

I’d be happy to! This is just a small selection of ones I was recommended and researched for her. I’ve bolded the ones we bought and read. There is an emphasis, later in the list, of books with characters who have anxiety, since that’s something she’s dealing with.

Watership Down - Richard Adams: A group of rabbits leave their warren after one of them has a premonition that they will be killed. On the way to finding a safe place to live the encounter dogs, cats, mean rabbits, and humans. Very strong Warrior Cats vibe.

Animal Farm - George Orwell: A group of talking farm animals take over the farm and run it themselves. As the discrepancy between the working animals and the animals in charge grows, it becomes apparent that four legged pigs aren't so different from two legged ones. (It's an allegory for the Russian revolution and the rise of communism.)

Island of the Blue Dolphins - Scott O'Dell: A native girl is left behind by her tribe during a migration. Alone on an island she learns to hunt and survive, befriending a wolf and making a really pretty dress. Based on a true story. Similar to Hatchet.

Tuck Everlasting - Natalie Babbit: A girl in the 1800s meets a boy whose family drank from the fountain of youth and must now spend eternity protecting their secrets.

The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman: An orphan boy is raised by a vampire and several ghosts and ghouls in a graveyard until the world of the living intrudes. Avoids the "death by Newbury" curse by having the mentor figures dead to start with.

The Blackbird Girls - Anne Blankman: Two girls in Russia deal with the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster. 

Call of the Wild - Jack London: Trials and tribulations of a half-wild dog in the Yukon in the early 1900s.

Howl's Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones: Under a spell from the Witch of the Waste Sophie joins the household of the wizard Howl, hoping to find a way to break the curse. Along the way she befriends a fire demon, tames the wizard, and take on the witch herself.

The Dark is Rising - Susan Cooper: Steeped in King Arthur lore, it's a fantasy adventure surrounding a boy who discovers on his 11th birthday that he is one of six people who can fight against the Dark - and evil power threatening to take over the world.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond - Elizabeth George Speare: Set in the 1600s, Kit Tyler moves from the bright, warm Caribbean to the cold, stiff Puritan community in the Connecticut Colony. Lonely and trapped, her only friend is an old Quaker woman who lives outside of town that everyone calls a witch. When their friendship is discovered, the community turns on Kit, accusing her of witchcraft.

The Book Thief - Marcus Zusak: At the start of WWII, in Germany, a girl is sent to live with foster parents. On the way she steals a book. Told from the POV of Death, we follow Liesel through the next few years of her life, stealing books, pretending to be a Nazi, and hiding a Jewish man in the basement. Through it all, Liesel steals books, as her love of reading and words keeps her sane in a world increasingly growing mad.

Doll Bones - Holly Black: The story of three morbid kids trying to bring a haunted doll to its rightful grave in a neighboring town.

Emily Windsnap Series - Liz Kessler: A girl in England discovers she's really a mermaid and goes on adventures.

Grace Moore Series - Frog and Esther Jones: Magic is illegal. When a group of secret magic users is killed Grace must team up with an untrained, untrusting boy to try to solve the mystery. Fun characters, LGBT representation.

The Shadows Between Us - Tricia Levenseller: Alessandra has a fool prof plan to become powerful. Woo the Shadow King, kill him, rule as queen. But before she can be queen she needs to marry him and to do that she needs to keep him alive. Turns out she's not the only one who wants him dead. And maybe the only match for a Shadow King is a cunning queen.

Every Heart a Doorway - Seanan McGuire - Nancy is the latest guest at Miss. West's Home for Wayward Children, a home for all the children who have gone on fantastic adventures in other worlds, only to come home to the real world. It's a home where they can be believed, while also coming to terms with the fact they can never go back. But then children start to die- murdered - and Nancy must band together to find out who is killing them and protect their home. (Nancy is portrayed as a romantic asexual and the book is hailed as a good one for kids who are questioning their own sexuality.)

A Quiet Kind of Thunder - Sara Barnard: A girl with anxiety and selective mutism befriends and eventually falls in love with a deaf boy who accepts her for who she is and helps her find her voice.

The Rest of Us Just Live Here - Patrick Ness: A story about all the people in the magical adventure who aren't "the Chosen One." trying to live their lives and go to school and not get caught up in the zombie apocalypse or quest for the grail

Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo: Aspiring criminal Kaz is offered the chance at the score of a lifetime - sure to make him rich, if he can get along with the other misfits he needs to pull it off.

Turtles All the Way Down - John Green: Lifelong friendship, the intimacy of an unexpected reunion, Star Wars fan fiction, and tuatara. But at its heart is Aza Holmes, a young woman navigating daily existence within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.

This is Not a Test - Courtney Summers: Six teens are trapped in a school during a zombie apocalypse.

Under Rose Tainted Skies - Louise Gornall: A teen girl named Norah struggles with extreme anxiety and OCD that keep her a prisoner of her own home, until a boy named Luke gives her a reason to step out.

Everything All At Once - Katrina Leno: When her anxiety worsens after a death in the family, Lottie receives a series of letters from her aunt - a famous author - which help her overcome her fears and find her own voice.

[collapsingintojupiter]

How about 54 and 59? Like cue r/entitledparents who think they can assault parent and kid, take their stuff, threaten them, tell them how to raise their kid, etc. Perhaps salty Analogical parents with toddler Pat/ Pat playing with a doll or toy associated w/ girls and EP's kid wants it? Idk something fun like that maybe? 💙💙 support your work it's so amazing

“They’re not your kids, back the f*ck off.”

“I could punch you right now.”

***

More Analogical and baby Pat, this makes me so happy eeeee.

Characters: Virgil, Logan, Baby Patton.

Pairings: Analogical

Warnings: Some homophobia and cursing.

***

"I think he wants that one, Virgil."

"Yeah, he does seem to like it." Virgil knelt down so that they were closer to the toy Patton was reaching for with his little arms, letting him grab it off the shelf. It was a little pink bunny with blue button eyes and a little smile stitched onto its mouth in red. "You like this one, Sunshine?" He asked. Patton laughed and shook it in his hands. 

"Babbit!" He squealed, the box with the doll shaka-shaka-shakaing in his hands as he swung it excitedly around.

"I think that's a yes," Logan stated, a small smile creeping onto his face as he watched his son. Patton was positively elated when his dads let him carry the box with the bunny to the checkout counter all by himself, where Logan paid for it before leading his husband back outside. He had a bag of groceries gripped in each hand and Patton toddled along behind him, holding Virgil's hand in one tiny fist while the other clutched the bag with his bunny in it. Once they got into the car Patton quickly yanked the bag off and hugged the box to his chest, refusing to let go of it when Virgil tried to take it.

"Patton, you have to let me see the box if I'm going to get the bunny out for you." Virgil tried and failed to coax Patton to put his new toy down for even a second, only succeeding in getting the little boy to wrap his arms even more protectively around it. Eventually he gave up and leaned back in his seat with a sigh, contenting himself to just hold the child in his arms. Logan looked between the two, brows furrowed like he was thinking.

"Here wait, let me try something," he said suddenly, reaching into his pocket with one hand. He pulled out the car keys, letting them jangle and shake enticingly within Patton's reach. The child looked up and his eyes widened, before he dropped the box and reached for them. 

"Virgil, quick!"

His husband didn't need to be told twice. Virgil quickly flicked out his pocket knife and expertly opened the box with it, pulling the bunny out and putting the pocket knife back in record time. He nudged the box onto the car floor, then carefully set the doll on Patton's lap. The little boy giggled and dropped the keys, grabbing the bunny and hugging it to his chest. Logan snatched the keys back, hiding a smile as he slid them into the ignition.

"Nice job there," Virgil commented. Logan nodded, looking between Patton and the parking lot as he started the car.

"It's a nice day outside, we should go to the park. You need sun, Virgil. And exercise. Spending too much time inside isn't healthy for you at all, in fact--"

"I get it, Logan. Let's go to the park." Virgil shook his head; he loved Logan to death but his lectures were unbearable, especially when the lecture happened to be about Virgil's questionable habits in regards to his health. As far as he was concerned he was doing just fine, thank you. Screw science.

Logan huffed but he didn't continue--thank God, Virgil thought--pulling out of the parking lot and starting down the road towards the park. He had been right about one thing--it was a beautiful day outside, and the blazing sun reminded him again of Patton's nickname. Sunshine. A perfectly fitting name for such a sweet and happy child.

They arrived at the park a few minutes later. Logan climbed out of the car first, slinging a small bag over his shoulder and coming over to Virgil's side, where he opened the door and gathered Patton into his arms so that his husband could get out. Virgil didn't seem to know what to do with his hands now that he wasn't holding Patton, awkwardly stuffing them into his pockets and following Logan towards a nice patch of grass near the shade of a large tree. Logan gently set Patton down and the little boy laughed delightedly, playing with his little pink bunny while Virgil sat down cross-legged across from him and next to Logan. The blue-tied one glanced at him and reached into the bag he'd brought, pulling out a small container of sunscreen. 

"Too much exposure to the sun can cause skin cancer," he explained. "We need to be careful about Patton getting too much of it."

"First you're telling me I need to be in the sun more, and now you're telling me it'll give me cancer?" Virgil threw his hands up. "There is no winning here!"

"It's all about balance, Virgil," Logan answered calmly in his teacher voice, reaching for Patton. "Help me get some sunscreen on his face, please."

Virgil huffed and reached begrudgingly for the blue bottle, carefully squirting a little sunscreen into his palm and trying to keep it out of the eternally-squirming Patton's eyes as he rubbed it all over the boy's face. 

"This should be an Olympic sport," he muttered. Logan actually laughed at that one, and before he knew it Virgil was grinning too. 

"There. No cancer for you," he said a few minutes later, setting the sunscreen aside and watching as Logan released Patton once more to play with his bunny in the grass.

"Virgil, we must talk about your bedside manner sometime."

"Sure thing, teach." Logan sighed, leaning back and watching Virgil play with their son. They were so cute together, and when he was sure that Virgil wasn't paying attention Logan pulled his phone out and snapped a few pictures for later. His husband hated to get his picture taken but...oh well. That moment was too sweet to let go.

"Wow, are you two like, trying to make your kid gay or something? Get him a proper toy you freak, he's not a girl!"

Oh no.

Virgil stood up instantly, placing himself between his son and the cocky blonde woman who was looking at him over the rim of her sunglasses like you might a primate at the zoo. 

"Do you have a problem?" He hissed at her through gritted teeth. Logan quickly leaned forward and picked Patton up before he could go over to Virgil, standing up so that he was behind his husband but still there if needed. 

"Whoah, defensive much? You need to chill out, dude. I'm just saying, this world has too many of you queers in it as it is." The woman's voice was flippant, arrogant, infuriating. Virgil's hands slowly curled into fists, and his shoulders shook.

"He's not your kid, how about you back the fuck off," he snarled at her. The blonde woman looked offended.

"Get a life, you gay loser!" She snapped, the ice in her coffee clinking as she angrily shook it.

"You know I could punch you right now. You fucking--" 

"Virgil, that's enough." Logan's voice was low and warning. "After all, it is pointless to make arguments with such useless contributions to society. Most of this breed isn't smart enough to tell their head from their ass, as you can see for yourself right here. You're better than that."

"Why you--you--!" The woman fumed at him, unable to even finish her sentence before spinning around and marching back the way she'd come. Virgil watched her go with fiercely narrowed eyes, his entire body tensed like a cat about to pounce. Logan knew that look; remembered it from many years ago when the two had only just met, and it worried him more than the woman ever had. Virgil needed to calm down before he made things worse for himself.

"Virgil." Logan called his husband again, his voice softer than before. Virgil slowly and deliberately unclenched his fists, then turned around.

"What?" His voice was hard and angry; he looked about as upset as Logan felt internally about the whole exchange. He couldn't show that and upset Patton, though.

"Ignore her stupidity," he told Virgil instead. "Sunshine is okay. He's here with us, he's happy, and that's all that matters."

Virgil blinked when Logan used their son's nickname and his gaze slowly shifted down to Patton, who was holding his bunny in one hand and reaching out towards him. 

"Papa!" He cried, wiggling his fingers and struggling to get out of Logan's arms. He looked like he was about to cry.

That did it. Virgil melted, his expression immediately softening into one of gentle concern. He came closer and Logan allowed him to take Patton into his arms, where he gently rocked the little boy back and forth.

"Hey, it's alright, Sunshine." He whispered. "The bad lady went away, it's okay..." Patton gradually settled into Virgil's arms as he talked to him, hugging his bunny to his chest. "That's it, that's better." Virgil smiled at his son. "Don't worry Sunshine, I'll protect you. I won't let them hurt you."

Logan looked at him proudly. Well done, Virgil. Well done.

***

If you want me to write something, feel free to send me prompts! My inbox is always open and the chances are I'll be happy to write whatever it is for you. Most of the prompts I've received so far are from this challenge right here, feel free to send me these or use your own!

Also! I'm going to start a taglist for anybody who'd like to see my future fics. Please send me a message if you'd like to be put on it. :)

[holographicvampire]

But I’m A Cheerleader

The first lesbian film I ever saw was “But I’m A Cheerleader”. 

Directed by Jamie Babbit. 

*SPOILER ALERT*

I think I was in middle school when I first saw this movie on LOGO. (At the time I was labeling myself a “closet bisexual”.)

The plot of this movie is literally about a cheerleader who is a closet lesbian and everybody’s got a problem with it, sort of trying to convince HER to have a problem with it as well.

She has the typical quirky/concerned parents, dimwit jock boyfriend and overly nice friends. I think what got under my skin though was the fact her own boyfriend and friends showed up to her house invention style with a “de-gay-ify” counselor (WHICH IS LOWKEY IRONIC AF BECAUSE THE COUNSELOR IS PLAYED BY RUPAUL LMFAO). Satire is something else.

Megan, the main character played by Natasha Lyonne, gets taken away to a conversion camp, “True Directions”,  in hopes of “curing her” aka changing her back into a straight female. While she’s there, she meets other teens that identify as “homosexuals” and have been admitted to the program by their homophobic parents as well. Even though this movie is just an indie queer comedy, it’s scary to think that some kids/teens get sent to camps like this in real life. My heart goes out to them. No one should ever be forced to be somebody they’re not. No matter what your sexuality is just know- THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU.

The film follows Megan and all the other teens through different trials and tribulations at the camp. They have to do these hilarious gender role exercises, and homophobic chants (”Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve”), and are threatened to be kicked out of the camp if they display any type of homosexual behavior. Everyone seemingly follows the camp rules, except for a particular sarcastic girl named, Graham, played by Clea Duvall,  who loves to talk back. Slowly but surely, Graham begins to help Megan come out of her shell and sheds light on what’s really going on in the camp. They also begin to fall for eachother.

One night all the teens decide to sneak out. The counselors/lovers from a rival camp that’s accepting of the lgbtq community, helps the teens with a ride to a nearby gay club for a night of fun. Graham starts dancing with one of the girls and Megan gets highly jealous and storms off. They get into a mini screaming match which leads to them kissing. They both finally become aware that they have real feelings for eachother. 

To keep from getting caught though, Graham pretends to have a crush on one of the boys at the camp. Megan unfortunately is confronted by her parents at a meeting and they basically tell her that if she doesn’t change (aka doesn’t ungay herself) she won’t be allowed to come home. Again I know this is just a movie, but hearing them say that shit to Megan really made me upset. I don’t understand how parents can just kick their own kids out for not being straight. Like what the fuck??? If anyone out there has ever been kicked out or has been threatened to be, I hope you know you are loved and I’m sorry you’re being treated like that and I hope you find a safe space to stay. <3 

Fast forward: Megan and Graham end up hooking up (FINALLY) and omg, my heart was beating out of control because not only had I never seen 2 girls kissing on tv, but the song that was playing during it set the mood perfectly. The song is, “Glass Vase Cello Case” by Tattle Tale. Here’s a link to the song on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm60pXJJbtA

Megan unfortunately ends up getting kicked out because of a jealous girl in the camp that had a crush on Graham ratting her out. Graham shuts down completely and for a bit Megan is lost, but she soon finds herself on the doorstep of the rival camp that’s queer friendly. They accept her in and she also finds out that Dolph, a boy originally from the conversion camp is living there happily and safe. 

Leading up to the graduation day of “True Directions”, Dolph and Megan hatch a plan to convince Clayton and Graham to stop being afraid to be who they are and leave the conversion camp to live in peace at the acceptance camp. Megan tries to get Grahams attention, but is pushed away. Megan then does a cheer infront of everyone at the ceremony admitting her feelings for Graham and then runs away to the getaway truck. Graham realizes she’s had enough of playing pretend straight and runs to the truck and begins passionately kissing Megan. 

The truck drives away and it’s clear they have a happy ending together not only accepting eachother, but accepting theirselves as well. Most people might think this film is a little on the cheesy side, but to this day, I still think it’s such a cute film. Perfect for anyone that’s a fan of queer cinema, Rupaul, sarcasm, controversial shit, and just finding yourself, accepting yourself, and falling in love. 

[bones-of-a-rabbit]

Random question (and possibly dumb)

Is your silkie au in reference to the movie "Song of the Sea" and it's culture?

you're not the first to ask and definitely not the first to mention the movie but i've never actually answered so definitely not a dumb question!!

and the answer is, nope! i've never actually seen (or heard of, before i first doodled the selkie au sdjfhsdjfh) that movie! my obsession with selkie's actually started when i did a presentation on them for a world mythology class i took while in high school sjdfsdhsdfhsjkdh ive definitely added it to my 'i should watch this at some point' list tho!

[rugeon]

The level design of V&A Design/Play/Disrupt

Recently went to the V&A expo on videogames and thought it might be fun to try and think about it’s ‘level design’. I realise its silly to call it that and is more informed by planning an exhibition/ event planning and architecture, but w/e.

[pictured:  how do you Do it?, 2014 - Nina Freeman, Emmett Butler, Decky Coss, and Joni Kittaka]

This is mostly gonna be some simple thoughts on the experience of traversing the space of this exhibition, and how that space is used effectively to create different effects/ experiences, as well as notes on the smarter considerations on how the experience is paced/sequenced.

This warped/truncated/inaccurate/drawn from flawed memory map roughly shows the layout of the V&A expo:

The whole exhibition can be roughly broken up into four fairly distinct parts:

Exhibits of the design of different video games from differently sized studios ~2009 onwards. [blue]

Articles, talking points, video discussions and exhibits of games as part of our broader social context, concerned with violence, gender, sex, sexuality, race, language, protest etc. [orange]

A large video theatre showing some of the communities that form around games. [red]

An arcade showcasing several more experimental games and projects, that is open to free play. [yellow]

DESIGN

When you walk in you are greeted by a huge projector flashing between collages of the various exhibitions and the alternating titles DESIGN, PLAY, DISRUPT.

[pictured slides from Jenny Jiao Hsia’s talk on prototyping to make her game: ‘Consume Me’, 2016]

Seeing this is unavoidable when entering, and it serves as something of a banner to signal the transition into the formal exhibition space. YOU HAVE ENTERED THE WORLD OF THE VIDEO GAMES.

Mapping this first area of the 1. Design section of the exhibit we get something like this:

Note that these numbers are in an arbitrary order of roughly when I encountered them, and are not indicative of density, just general location of possibly several bits of each exhibit. Also this list is not exhaustive, nor is the map strictly accurate, I do not have an eidetic memory, but I do have a notebook and a smartphone.

Design/Play/DIsrupt screen

Large Print Text Binders

‘Journey’ gameplay montage projection

Notebooks, sketches, a headphone + video prototype demo, inspo photos/footage, graph and board of intended player journeys/narrative threads

‘Last of Us’ Dual screen demo showing gameplay and some of the work relevant to make that part of the game happen

Sketches, notebooks, board plotting out story events/setpieces in seasons, film made for atmosphere reference, blue sky concept art, colour scripts

Mocap footage +suit

Matt Lees @jam _sponge describing the anxious, excitable play of ‘Bloodborne’ between 3 screens.

Notebooks, sketches+concept art, level design docs, and SketchUp pics of early levels, headphones to listen to a recording of the soundtrack

Bunch of top designs for ‘Splatoon’

Early Prototype, creature sketches, fashion asset design

Playable prototypes from the making of Consume Me

Notebooks, corkboards, workplace ephemera, unity project demo, headphone + video 40 minute talk on prototypes

Music from ‘Kentucky Route Zero’ / KR0, visual representation of branching dialogue in twine, Margritte’s ‘Spring in the Forest’

Inspirations, typeface considerations, group wiki, twine showcase

Realtime Art Manifesto, Even more notebooks, with sketches and details of designing Tale of Tale’s ‘The Graveyard’

Playable demo of The Graveyard

Bench

Multi-screen montage of generated worlds in ‘No Man’s Sky’

Blueprint tool for spaceships, terrain debug tool, sci-fi inspirations

Visual inspirations

So what are some of the ways we can think about how this expo was laid out? 

For a start it’s fairly linear, there are no branching paths at Design/Play/Disrupt, it’d be a layout ill-suited to somewhere like this where there’s a strong desire for the audience to see all the content and assets (the exhibits) and not miss any pieces that time was spent curating. Thankfully unlike some videogames, this linearity is not gated. There are no attendants fiendishly running up behind you and closing doors as you move from one game to another, people might have missed something, or want to visit an earlier piece while friends are preoccupied with something for a little longer.

Exhibits are visited for the most part in a defined order, with some freedom in the Kentucky Route Zero/Graveyard room as well as the Splatoon/Consume Me room. You are encouraged to experience what is on display for each work and are being guided in a deliberate order, as opposed to set loose in an open hall with no boundaries where some attendees might skip or miss a part of the exhibition.

One thing tying sections you can explore or skip is their loose thematic / tonal linking:

To put it another way, there is a good reason that Bloodborne is next to The Last of Us. Both are triple-A big budget, rated 16+, 18+ action games for blood guts and all the cheery stuff. Consume Me and Splatoon work well next to eachother as the cute aesthetic and playable prototypes hanging from the ceiling work well across from Nintendo’s colourful and playful Splatoon. It would be a bit less natural to have the grotesque and rapacious sounds of Bloodborne echoing within the exact same room as Splatoon. I’m not saying any of these works don’t have some commonality beyond the arbitrary border I’ve drawn, but they fit better together. 

- Plus this open space invites an atmosphere of play after having just been cramped into two games rooms that feature horror elements

[Pictured: Splatoon’s section, as well as Consume Me minigame prototypes open to play, suspended from the ceiling]

This also showcases another thing about this event applicable to level design: the same space can be made appealing to different types of audiences. This is an exhibit about video games. I’ll admit this is just my gut but I’d be willing to bet that this exhibit is more likely to be attended by parents and their children than it would most other exhibits. I don’t know exactly what the V&A’s idea of the ideal attendant is, and that’s probably owed to the fact that this event catered to lots of different levels of assumed knowledge and engagement with videogames. 

Parent’s who might be a little out of touch with mainstream games, are quite likely to have been put off by bringing their kid to something that was entirely wall to wall Bloodborne, Dark Souls and other things as frightening (as much as I personally would have enjoyed that). Standing watching a parent pull their rapt child away from dulcet descriptions of how deadly mistakes are, in the big monster game, the success of the exhibition is apparent; the next room is a bit more targeted towards that kid’s age range (even though they did seem pretty into Bloodborne). 

[The concept art from Bloodborne is such a treat]

It’s no surprise as well that the first game is not The Last of Us, but Journey. More people are playing games now than ever but there remains a fair few people who still don’t really know what’s going on in games. As an exhibition that in part is attempting to show the breadth and depth of games being designed, it makes sense that the first introduction to what games are being made is a game without much in the way of traditional combative interaction. 

To wafflingly reiterate: the sequence of how things were placed matters: The accessibility options: 2. [Large Print Binders] are available at the start. Benches and places to sit are placed later throughout the exhibit (including rather wittily across from The Graveyard; a game where the entire goal is to make an old woman sit on a bench).

Reinforcing this point of how the same space can be made to cater to different people this event was extremely Multimedia. Explanations of parts each games design process written up, sketchbooks, and lots of different drawings, scrawled graphs, charts and plans. Concept art, drawings. Video of prototypes and animation, Sounds of ‘Long Journey Home’ echoing up the hall, and the omnipresent dread of Matt Lees echoing down, as well as headphones to listen to specific parts of the exhibition that might be less suited to how crowded the soundscape is or be for a more narrow audience (I wonder how many of the attendants listened to all ~40 Minutes of Jenny Jiao Hsia’s talk on prototyping. I did. It was good). Just in this section of the exhibit, there were so many different means of engagement, and they all felt very well matched to the story of each games development that they wanted to tell, while still offering different types of engagement. People can be looking at a video display showing how the layers of environmental concept art become important and manifest in The Last of Us, while someone else is poring over sketches of Ellie’s design. 

[Corkboard plotting out events + setpieces across the timeline of The Last of Us]

As an exhibition space, it is made with the fact that multiple people are occupying it at the same time in mind. If something is not available you can engage with something else. And if one type of engagement is not to your tastes there’s a good chance something else will be- not bothered about the wiki used to help the team of KR0 to communicate? Maybe you’ll be more interested in some of Ben Babbit’s sonic improvisations, or the visual inspirations involved in the creation of the game.

There’s more I could talk about wrt this first sections layout of how it winds you around instead of giving you a straightline to the exit, the choice of games playable being fundamentlly simple, an anecdotally sweet image of a child holding the obscenely big original xbox ‘duke controller’  on a pedestal and their dad cradling their hands. But I’ll just leave off this post here for now and maybe continue looking at V&A things and posting about it later.

To be continued..?

[bezazzled]

munday, repost don’t reblog!

name: oli/oliver but babbit works too gender: Good Boy™ (as trademarked by the McElroy boys)

favorite soda: cherry pepsi, but also mountain dew, it depends on the day favorite candy: sour gummy worms favorite pizza: just cheese is a+ to me tbh favorite salad dressing: i dont...eat salad favorite meal: i dunno, nuggets and fries from mcdonalds probably? i mean its always my go to so. shrugs

best memory: as of recently, it’d be my birthday party last saturday. i had a bunch of friends over and pretty much all we did was play cards against humanity for like five hours. and then after everyone left i went with one of them to walmart and had A Good Time until like 11pm. it was top best friend: i dunno about irl but as for online it’d be @sxtme-free @bronzefever and @wxredwrong considering bee claimed herself my mother, chai and i have been close for a while, and eli and i are??? super cool idk??? he’s just gr9

one random fact about you: i’m super into singing. and i mean i think i have a good singing voice but i hate that i still sound like a girl one random fact about your day: i got ice cream twice today, it was fun actually one random fact about your job/school: we have a mini starbucks in one of the campus buildings. i mean i dont really order from it ever but its there

Tag five people: five? nah i’ll tag everyone you’re all tagged

[brassgogglcs]

KNOWING YOUR PARTNER WELL CAN POTENTIALLY MAKE WRITING TOGETHER A LOT EASIER.

1. BASICS

NAME: Oli/Babbit PRONOUNS: he/him or they/them SEXUALITY: panrom, ace ZODIAC SIGN: gemini TAKEN OR SINGLE: taken (but who knows for how much longer tbh lmao i’m ready to Fight Him Constantly)

THREE FACTS:

lov cats lov them good

i like to draw but tbh im not the best at it which it why i rarely ever post my art

musicals are The Best

2. EXPERIENCE

HOW LONG (MONTHS / YEARS?): ????? I started about 8 years ago???? PLATFORMS YOU’VE USED: I started on paper, moved to MSPARP, then to tumblr BEST EXPERIENCE: tumblr, prolly. really helped on my writing skills

3. MUSE PREFERENCES

FEMALE OR MALE: I have more male muses than female muses, I think the only active fem muses I have are Mabel and Pink Pearl??? MULTI OR SINGLE:  I usually use single-muse blogs, which has resulted in MANY MANY MANY sideblogs please send help

4.  WRITING PREFERENCES

FLUFF, ANGST OR SMUT: mostly angst or fluff. can’t write smut won’t do it PLOTS OR MEMES: both!!!!! although plotting out stuff is fun LONG OR SHORT REPLIES: usually long replies, though I’ll use shorter replies on occasion BEST TIME TO WRITE: all day every day whenever my muses tell me to ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSE(S): YES I ABSORB THEIR TRAITS I AM NO LONGER AN INDIVIDUAL I AM MERELY A MIXTURE OF ALL MY MUSES

tagged by: @wxredwrong tagging: ??????????? @violetxsilverxstark and whoever else wants to???????????

[betwixt-these-pages]

Freeze (Midnight Ice, #2) by Kaitlyn Davis 280 Pages Fantasy / Paranormal / New Adult Publication Date:  July 11th, 2017 Get a copy here!

BLURB:

Locked up doesn’t mean locked in.

Pandora Scott is in jail…again. Everyone she once loved betrayed her…again. And some of the most powerful people in the world want her dead…yes, again. Sound familiar? But if there’s one thing Pandora is good at, it’s wriggling her way out of life or death situations, and this time is no different. Armed with her ability to disappear and aided by the mysterious Sam, Pandora’s got a plan. Escape the most secure prison in the world. Evade the most powerful trackers on the planet. Forget every word that Jax has ever told her. And figure out how to change one teeny tiny thing—fate. Easy, right? Well…doable, at least.

Freeze is the second book in the thrilling Midnight Ice series–the brand new spinoff to Midnight Fire, a bestselling paranormal romance with over 200,000 copies sold and over 5000 5-star reviews on Goodreads!

Other books in this series:

See my review for FROST (MIDNIGHT ICE, #1) by clicking here!

FROST (MIDNIGHT ICE, #1) is currently on sale for only 99 CENTS!  Get a copy now by clicking here!!!

About the Author:

  Bestselling author Kaitlyn Davis writes young adult fantasy novels under the name Kaitlyn Davis and contemporary romance novels under the name Kay Marie.

Always blessed with an overactive imagination, Kaitlyn has been writing ever since she picked up her first crayon and is overjoyed to share her work with the world. When she’s not daydreaming, typing stories, or getting lost in fictional worlds, Kaitlyn can be found indulging in some puppy videos, watching a little too much television, or spending time with her family. If you have any questions for her–about her books, about scheduling an event, or just in general–you may contact her at: KaitlynDavisBooks@gmail.com

To stay up-to-date with all of Kaitlyn’s new releases, sign up for hernew release newsletter here: TinyLetter.com/KaitlynDavisBooks

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook│Instagram

Youtube│Tumblr│Wattpad│Pinterest│Amazon

Post of Favorite Quotes

Ooh, I hate doing favorites. I find it so tough to narrow any topic down to a top ten or top five when there are so many amazing things in the world. But for you, I’ll try!

Here are my top five (non-spoilery) quotes from the first two books in my new series, Midnight Ice!

Normally, Pandora preferred to steal for a good cause, more of a supernatural Robin Hood, some might say. Blonder of course, with a much better ass.

“You look good enough to eat,” a sultry voice whispered in her ear.

Pandora whipped around lightning fast, flashing her fangs. “I bite.”

The man smiled, lips practically dripping with sin. “Me too.”

“It’s okay—“ Pandora was cut off by the crash of water against stone as the wave broke and shot toward them like a tsunami, defying gravity as it rolled up the ramp, racing closer. “Impossible odds and near-death experiences are my specialty.”

One way or another, she’d steal the secrets hiding in his smile. She did, after all, have an uncanny knack for thieving.

A thousand lifetimes ago, maybe she needed a man to define her. But she didn’t anymore. And that was just fine with her.

And a bonus line, because I love this scene in FROST J

“Don’t mind me,” he responded merrily, eyes closed. “I’m just warming up in the sun, getting my tan on, displaying my forbidden fruit…”

And here are my top five favorite quotes from other amazing young adult books!

[She] had always suffered from a vague restlessness, a longing for adventure that she told herself severely was the result of reading too many novels when she was a small child.

—Robin McKinley, The Blue Sword

Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears. ‘After all this time?’ ‘Always,’ said Snape.

― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Eleanor was right. She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn’t supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.

—Rainbow Rowell, Eleanor & Park

Don’t be afraid of death; be afraid of an unlived life. You don’t have to live forever, you just have to live.

—Natalie Babbit, Tuck Everlasting

Hope? Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there’s no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.

—Laini Taylor, Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Quick Reasons: YAYAYAY I’ve returned to this awesome world and these entertaining characters!; I’m not sure how I feel about all the secrecy surrounding Pandora; Sam is a complex, secretive character…but somehow I found myself really loving him; fast-paced, satisfying journey; I can’t wait to see what happens next

Huge thanks to Kaitlyn Davis for sending me a free digital galley of this title in exchange for an honest review! This in no way altered my read of or opinions on this book.

I really adore the world that Kaitlyn Davis has crafted so far in this series! The magic makes sense and is fitting. Kaitlyn Davis has put a lot of thought and care into making this world enthralling and believable; each time I step into her pages, I feel like I learn just a little more about the characters and their callings…and step just that much farther into Kaitlyn Davis’s mind. The scenery is brilliantly imagined, I could “see” everything that was occurring and every place our characters transported us to, and THE GROWTH JOURNEY! I swear, every time I think I know everything I possibly could about Pandora, something else slips from the shadows and presents itself, and I have to reconsider.

And these characters–oh, my penguins! They don’t give up their secrets easily, let me tell you–in fact, they hold on ever and ever tighter the closer to the ending we get! Which is both a beautiful and frustrating thing, because as the pieces fell away, more pieces were rooted in cement. Kaitlyn Davis knows how to weave an intriguing, entertaining story while still maintaining an air of mystery and suspense. (Now, mind you, I am doing my absolute very best to impart how much I adore this world without ACTUALLY giving away any major spoilers, because I’m just that awesome. And I loathe spoilers as much as the next pebble collecting penguin, so there’s that too.)

Also, if the above isn’t enough to tempt you to dipping your toes in these rippling waters… the plot is fast-paced, and the action is FULL of suspense, complexity, and mystery. While these characters are on a journey to finding (or, in some instances, rediscovering) themselves, readers are ALSO on a journey–filled with snark, magic, and the fantastical.

I had such an awesome time returning to Kaitlyn Davis’s world of monsters and mayhem, and cannot WAIT to see where the journey takes us next! I definitely recommend this to lovers of redemption journeys, snarky personalities, and super complex back stories. Break the chains binding you, Penguins; the fun is only just beginning!

Blog Tour, Promo Post, Teasers, and Review: Freeze Freeze (Midnight Ice, #2) by Kaitlyn Davis 280 Pages Fantasy / Paranormal / New Adult Publication Date:  July 11th, 2017…