Papers, Please: November ’19 Roundup

At the very real risk of repeating myself, it’s been a busy month (I’m feeling a little like Carole in that image up there). But a productive and rewarding one! I failed miserably at my attempt to do a pseudo NaNoWriMo, but I did get all my grading done… finished writing a presentation on Tricksters… travelled to a conference and presented said paper to positive reception… and hey, I had some great conversations about the creative project I’d intended to add to every day, it just didn’t grow as many new words as I wanted it to. But there’s still time. NaNo was definitely invented in a timezone where November isn’t the end-of-year crunch time.

Oh, and I entered something akin to a berserk state and bought far too much manga/YA at a giant bookstore. That’s productive and creative, right?

On the blog:

Personal Space: Carole & Tuesday and the Charm of Quiet, Personal Sci-Fi – a “please watch Carole & Tuesday” post focussing on how the show tells a very personal, grounded story in a futuristic sci-fi setting.

Headcanons, Queer Readings, and the Art of “Reading Too Much Into Things” – a look at the blend of fandom and academia that is the “queer reading”, which could just be a fancy word for a headcanon (and why they’re good!)

In RoundTable

Let’s Talk About Love, Tash Hearts Tolstoy, and the Asexual Coming-of-Age Story – academic publication number two, focusing on ace representation in the media and how these two books break free from the stereotypes and misconceptions that have historically defined depictions of asexuality in pop culture. Extremely proud of my work on this and how it turned out – and it’s free to read online!

Around the web:

Have I finished having thoughts and feelings about Life is Strange? No. In all likelihood I will be 90 and living in my robot body and still be having thoughts and feelings about Life is Strange. So here is a video essay about Life is Strange that explores how the game actually inhabits two different genres and how the different endings uniquely suit each of them.

Nonconforming in the ’90s: How Pokemon‘s Gender Variance Caught the Heart of a Generation – a great in-depth piece from Dee about the diverse gender roles, upending of gender stereotypes, and representation of gender nonconforming characters in the Pokemon anime, and how this was impactful not only personally but culturally.

Queer Eye: We’re In Japan! Gets it Right – a review of the recent Queer Eye special that sees the Fab Five working their reality TV magic in Tokyo, and how it manages to avoid a lot of the orientalist and “weird Japan” stereotypes that American travel shows often fall into (also, highly recommend the series – made me cry like a goof, especially the first and second episodes).

The Middle Ages Have Been Misused by the Far-Right: Here’s Why it’s So Important to Get Medieval History Right – a rundown of some of the ways popular conceptions of “the middle ages” have been misinterpreted, misused, and appropriated for the support of violent and conservative arguments, and why it’s important that people in different disciplines talk to each other so we get our facts straight across the board.

Meet the Activist Debunking Asexual Stereotypes – an interview with aro-ace model Yasmin Benoit that serves as a good roundup of the work she’s been doing to increase visibility and take apart misconceptions.

Who is Allowed to Speak Their Pain? Demon Slayer, Empathy, and Nezuko – a neat articulation of the biggest criticism I’ve seen for this otherwise hyped-up show: its main female character is literally silenced by the narrative, effectively removing her agency and any part she could play in the show’s empathy-focused plot.

In Way of the Househusband, a Former Yakuza Goes Domestic – a review of the very funny and delightful manga, now out in English, with a particular focus on how it gives its scary, badass male protagonist typically feminine interests without making this the butt of the joke.

And now, dear reader, I sleep. Take care and I’ll see you next time!