#left handed representation

[r-aindr0p]

Left handed guys

in the same room, what will happen ?

[all-lee24]

Can u draw Arya!

Needle practice

[fruityroth]

Just something on why representation matters: even the smallest bit of seemingly the most miniscule part of someone's identity being shown will make someone out there happy. It can be the most minor thing in the world to you, but someone, somewhere, will be absolutely ecstatic to see a part of themselves in one of their favorite characters.

Example: I seriously love left-handed characters. As a lefty, this is super cool to me. Seeing someone who uses their left hand in media will always make me smile, and it makes me feel more connected to the characters. Some examples: Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Sephiroth, and, of course, Link. Like, this is why I loved The Legend of Zelda so much as a kid. Link has historically been left-handed since the very first game. Seeing Link pick up the Master Sword in his left hand, being called the Left-Handed Hero, and generally just be awesome while also being a lefty, makes me giddy to this day. It's just such a positive representation of left-handedness, and that probably doesn't matter to *anyone* that didn't grow up as a southpaw, but it makes me happy.

That's also why it's a shame that he's no longer left-handed. Not only do I feel less connected to the character who was, for the longest time, my absolute favorite hero (a pot-smashing, grass-cutting role model, one could say), but it also feels like they cut out a core part of his identity with that small change.

I especially felt disconnected after reading about why they made the change. Apparently, according to an interview, they switched for wii motion controls, since people hold the wii remote in their right hand regardless of "hand preference" (those were the exact words used). I, uh...I don't! I have, and always will, hold a wiimote in my left hand. Learning that *this* was the reason for them cutting out such an enormous part of the identity of my childhood role model, the Paragon of what lefties could be, seriously pissed me off. And again, this probably doesn't matter in the least to anyone who isn't a lefty.

In short: diversity, inclusion, and representation don't have to be massive. It doesn't have to take up the core of a character's story arc. Even something as simple as the character's *dominant hand* can make people feel seen.

This is also why I don't like it when people say not to have representation for representation's sake. "Oh, it's just tokenism if you say that a character's gay and do nothing about it!" No. No, it's not. It increases diversity, it makes people feel closer to your characters and story, it gives positive representation of usually marginalized people (including lefties until recently, believe it or not!), and it adds an extra layer of depth to this collection of traits that you're passing off as a person.

Even if there's an argument to be made that a character is just the "token gay," or the "token PoC," or whatever, it also shows that people from those communities are capable of living normal lives in society, rather than conforming to whatever stereotypes apply to them. I would much rather a writer add an identity to a character and then not mention it much than they try to make a story arc around it that comes off as anything-phobic.

Again, in short: representation matters. Never say it doesn't.

[shaylogic]

LEFT-HANDED~!

[very start of Ep. 3 The Case of the Devlin House 1:20ish timestamp]

[averlym]

"now, doesn't that look nice?" [insp]

[booksanddarkchocolate]

I’m reading Magnus Chase for the first time and I just read that he’s left-handed and I’m so happy about that

[theofficialdramallama]

Working on a Cam scene pack (for if/when I decide to make a character study vid or gifs) and how have I never noticed that he's left-handed before? As if I couldn't love him as a character more 👏💖

[rocksandaces]

"Oh I'm cool with left-handed people, they can do whatever they want, but I draw the line at showing left-handed characters in media. Look, it's just unrealistic to have so many left-handed people in a series. I feel like they're forcing it upon us. Besides, putting it in the kids media may influence them and they would also want to write with their left hand even if they were right-handed because they would want attention"

[borom1r]

being an academic at heart is so frustrating sometimes. catching up on a bunch of papers on Iron Age Norse culture that got recommended to me and clearly some of the uh. standards are lower than others. do we. do we maybe wanna engage with + acknowledge the inherent biases of a source? perhaps? hello?????

[ace-robot-has-matcha]

Annie is canonically left handed. According to her concept art, 2p is the correct/canon side for her eye patch. This means that she is also left handed.

[beardedhandstoadshark]

Which of your OCs’ father was an average fighter BUT A BRILLIANT SCIENTIST?

Imma be real I don‘t really think about my ocs‘ families unless they‘re "plot“ relevant ^^; and for the ones where it is the dads are a craftsman, seafarer, and king. Very smart in their own rights but no "brilliant scientist“ types y‘know?

For a while thought about making Mage‘s dad a scientist guy keeping tabs on his kid from afar for the sake of Shady Science TM, but he already has "former best friend victim of shady science“ angst so that seemed. A bit too much? Idk, I‘m not a writer. If you or anyone else reading this is pls tell me if it is >v<

[kayaks00n]

Mental illness representation on Hermitcraft

Joel - mania

Keralis - left handed

Etho - his setup

Mumbo Jumbo - has physicaly tied himself to his desk with safety wires in order to unlearn thumb-shifting. Seriously what's up with that

Grian - government worker

[darabeatha]

Aztec monument of sacred war (Teocalli). Holding the sun disk on the center is; on the left, Huitzilopochtli and on the right, Moctezuma II

[charliewrites99]

Me describing characters from Supernatural without ever watching it, based on what I could put together from random tumblr posts

Dean Winchester:

older brother

bi and the closet is glass

psycho-sexual relationship with his car

has a doctor kink

divorced married divorced married widowed by an angel

DADDY ISSUES

don't do this cas

was in hell at one point

shoulder hand print

red-blooded all american hunter manwhore

Sam Winchester:

younger brother

flannel

straight representation (except Gabriel I guess)

Third wheel

dropped out of uni

was engaged to a blond woman (RIP)

a literal walking death sentence to anyone who kisses him

party city wig

was possesed???

the one with common sense???

Castiel:

gay angel

world's saddest eyes

wet soggy orphan beagle

victim of the trench coat epidemic

powerful, but idk about where he lands on the scale

was brainwashed???

the daddy-est of issues (is his father god?)

YOU CHANGED ME DEAN

fish out of water

ditched heaven for the beauty of humanity (Dean's dick)

Jack Supernatural:

destiel child

may or may not be a new god

something celestial

floppy sad boi hair

Gabriel:

just here to have fun do drugs and flirt

trauma

Loki?

Sam's Man Crush Monday

had his lips sewn together at one point

is he dead-dead? or just dead to the writers?

Daddy Winchester:

did not know what he looked like until I went to google the pictures

the worst person to ever exist despite having god and the devil on this show

left the sons the trauma factory that is the family hunting business which killed their mom

doesn't know what hugging looks like probably

Various female-looking objects:

dead girlfriends

beards

that one redhead that called Dean a pussy for not knowing what fifth base is (she seems fun)

another redhead that played Poppy in The Magicians and almost killed Quentin (that I for some reason thought was from Doctor Who)

evil angel girlboss??

This was my contribution for this years November 5th celebration

[fruity-phrog]

Okay, I saw someone say that Nimona, while being good representation, “didn’t take the big step forward in queer rep that everyone says it did”.

That is wrong. So wrong, my dude.

Yes, an explicit and open queer relationship in children’s cartoons is not new, per ce. Hell, just this year, two popular kids’ cartoons had the main character in an open, adorable, plot-based queer romance. But this is different for a few reasons.

Reason number one, it isn’t left in suspense. Yes, they had that split for three odd weeks, but they started the film as a couple. One of the very first scenes is them together as a couple, Ambrosius saying he loves Ballister, them holding hands, Ballister leaning on Ambrosius’ shoulder. Ambrosius says he loves Ballister three times during the film, and none of them are any more than halfway in. It’s very clear, from their very first interaction, that they are an established relationship, which isn’t something I’ve seen...at all in other animation.

Secondly, they are the plot. Ambrosius not believing Ballister, Ambrosius cutting off Ballister’s arm, Ballister trying to get the video to Ambrosius - this is what drives the plot. In any other children’s animation with queer relationships, the relationship is not the main focus. Even The Owl House, which is so amazing with its constant representation, would still make sense if Luz and Amity never happened. But Nimona’s plot wouldn’t make sense without Ballister and Ambrosius’ relationship. It, quite simply, can’t be erased. It could work as a friendship, yes, but that’s the point. They could have just been two close friends that fell on opposite sides of a fight, but they weren’t. They were two lovers that fell on opposite sides of a fight. 

Thirdly, they aren’t sanitized for “family viewing”. An emerging trend in children’s animation is to only have mlm relationships as fathers to make them seem more “family friendly”. With the exception of Kipo, there really isn’t many tv shows or films that places light upon an mlm relationship. And if it does, it'll be a teen relationship because teenagers being queer tends to come across as less “dirty” and more “innocent”. But Goldenheart is none of these things. They are adults without the mollifying aspect of having a family. And on top of that, they fight. They wield swords and they get bloody and they shoot at things and get angry and yell. They aren’t “clean” and “innocent”.

As well as this, they are in a film. Films are far more accessible than tv shows. You have to watch twenty seven episodes before Lumity in toh is canon. Troy kisses Benson on the eleventh episode of Kipo. And there are two hundred and eighty three episodes of Adventure Time before Marceline and Bonnie kiss. But with a film, the queerness is much more forward - especially in Nimona, where it’s literally the second scene. Animated films hardly ever display queer relationships, but Nimona did.

Finally - they aren’t perfect. I don’t know about you, but three weeks of thinking your boyfriend/maybe ex is a murderer? Doesn’t sound like a healthy few weeks to me. I have only seen big relationship arguments portrayed in straight relationships in cartoons - think Star Vs The Forces Of Evil - whereas queer relationships either have the massive fight prior to being canonically gay - She Ra - or have conflict, not arguments, that are dealt with quickly - Dead End/The Owl House. But Goldenheart? Goldenheart suffers. Their relationship is pushed to such extreme boundaries as for them to be pretty much exes throughout most of the movie. And yet, they are clearly healthy, happy and very much in love at the end. 

TL;DR - Nimona is amazing with the queer representation, and it is a milestone for LGBTQ+ cartoons. Not only is the relationship romantic for the entire movie, the plot is driven by Ambrosius and Ballister’s sort-of-break-up. In short, they are treated the same way straight people are. They have flaws, they have massive arguments, they have plot importance, they have backstory. They are in love. And that’s what matters more than anything else. 

[gossippool]

hi welcome back to leanne rewatches deadpool & wolverine and goes insane about every single detail in this movie. in this edition: how logan's clothes reflect the trajectory of his character

1. the suit—inside

so we start off with the scene in the bar where logan appears to be wearing what we're used to seeing him wear. flannels, leather jackets. his outfit and even the setting is not at all unfamiliar for him. but, as we later find out, he was wearing the suit underneath all those layers the whole time.

during his talk with laura, he reveals that he wears the suit to remember those he'd lost, and as a reminder of what he'd done. he's had the suit on permanently for god knows how long, hidden under his clothes. at this point he bears the suit like a cross, suffering in silence under the guise of normalcy, yet sacrificing what's left of his identity by reducing himself to what the suit represents; by taking all the jabs and nasty looks people throw at him that he thinks he's too deserving of to combat.

2. the suit—outside

after wade pulls him out, he has the suit on display for quite a while. on one hand, it shows the fight that's in him now as a contrast to his passivity in his own world. on the other hand, it's also a sort of vulnerability: what that suit stands for and by extension what he himself is is now laid bare to the world. out in the open for people to question. maybe that fight that's in him now stems precisely from this vulnerability.

this vulnerability is both good and bad for him: it causes him to lash out at the questions from wade that he's not ready to answer. it also leads him to open up to laura and finally speak about what happened—who knows if he's ever said any of it out loud before. fun! even with just the suit, we're already seeing some development.

and THIS is where it gets interesting.

3. the white shirt—his mind

the first time we truly see him without the suit is when cassandra nova looks into his mind. i've been going back and forth on whether this is logan's own manifestation of himself or if it's cassandra's, and i still don't know. i think the distinction does matter, but in the end what it conveys is the same.

firstly, another layer of vulnerability again. he's already on his knees for cassandra, submissive—now in his mind he's also stripped as bare as he can be (i think we all know white shirts can sometimes leave little to the imagination). cassandra looks at him and says "you're hiding ... from all the ones you let down." how interesting is that?? if we go all the way back to the first scene, he hides his suit under normal clothes. and he hides this version of him in his mind even further underneath all of that.

secondly and as an extension of that point, white symbolises purity. cleanliness. even a promise of new beginnings. let's tackle this from the two possible perspectives.

if this is logan's manifestation of himself, it would be so intriguing that this is how he appears. maybe it means that despite it all, there's some good in him. maybe it means that deep, deep down, past all the shame and the guilt and the grief, there's still a part of his mind where he can just be.

on the other hand, the white could also symbolise a second chance—like i said, a promise of new beginnings. i made a post about this scene here, but the basic point is that cassandra is offering him something that no one else may ever be able to offer him. a chance to fully be himself, to silence the voices. the white is such a stunning visual representation of what she is saying logan could be if he stays with her. which makes it even more poignant that he doesn't.

4. the time ripper

after this scene, he's in the suit again, necessarily. but then! BUT THEN!!!!! the time ripper!!! y'all need to understand the significance of this scene in all its nuances FR! here you can look at his abs again:

but the thing is we know by now what the suit represents. all his failures, all his guilt, his inability to let go of his past. it represents him. isn't it just so fitting that it's at this point where he saves the fucking world that the suit breaks away. it breaks away from him. he's free. this not the same as him just taking it off, because with it breaking into pieces he literally cannot wear it anymore. this is not just a hugh jackman body appreciation, this is logan finally moving on. this is him realising that he is not a failure, that he is not his failures, that he has something else to live for.

5. him

and oh my god, we finally make it to the extremely satisfying ending. after all of that, we finally come full circle. he's in his normal clothes again, the wife beater and the flannel, except this time without anything underneath. he's no longer defined by that one incident, defined by his mistakes and the people he let down. he is just him.