Are There Lesbians?

Answering the most important question ----- Updates Wednesdays and Weekends

[aretherelesbians]

Are There Lesbians? No

What Happens? Four teenagers are trapped on an island with the restless dead in this indie adventure game. tw: horror and supernatural elements, possession, drug use, suicide, death, jump scares, flashing images and sudden loud noises

The Verdict: At the time of writing I have only completed one play-through and am planning my second as there are several different endings for Oxenfree, depending on your choices and relationships with the other characters.

If you are aware of my extreme love of Life is Strange, then you will understand my love of games that provide the opportunity for meaningful choices, the navigation of interpersonal relationships, and rich storytelling and gameplay. Oxenfree has all of this in spades, as well as the addition of some fantastic play mechanics I’ve seen in a while. The game starts by introducing the most basic mechanic – you talk with your friends by picking one of (usually) three options or by not saying anything, and how your build or destroy your relationships effects the ending of the game. The most interesting mechanic is introduced a little later – the radio. By twiddling the dials you can access different channels that tell you more about the story, or even just add a creepy atmosphere to an already pretty damn creepy abandoned building. The main use of the radio, as is revealed throughout the story, is its abilities to open portals to another realm, and speak with those angry few on the other side.

You play as Alex , a somewhat snarky girl who sometimes never gives you quite the right choice of words – because who ever has the right words? Her brother, Michael, has died and she has a new stepbrother, Jonas, who you can either reject or get closer to throughout the story. The same can be said of your relationship with best friend Ren, his crush Nona, and brother’s girlfriend Clarissa. Your relationships with the other characters determines the ending that you get, though it is well worth it to play more than once, because at the end of the first play-through, not all mysteries can be said to have been solved. Also, it’s just such a good game that it would be worth a replay for simple enjoyment factor. As I mentioned before, it is the interpersonal relationships that really win my heart in story-heavy games like this, and while I think some of the way these relationships change is a little arbitrary and fickle, overall the relationships examined are deep and complex and handled in a way that they deserve.

Choice-based games that give added incentive to replay have quickly risen to be among my favourite game genres. The fact that these games aren’t overwhelmingly long is definitely part of their appeal. Oxenfree only takes about a day to play one run-through, so the plot has to make sure that every minute counts, and it shows. Story is told in bursts as you explore the island, and there is always something a little extra to discover, providing a strong incentive to investigate carefully. For completionists like me, the second run is always the one where I have to be absolutely sure to collect every item I may have missed in the first round (usually only a few that have annoyingly slipped my notice). Mostly this is because I like to get all the achievement awards, but it is also because sometimes, depending on what you do or don’t do the story progresses in a different way, and I love to see all the different possible endings, even if they can make me distraught (here’s looking at you Life is Strange).

Oxenfree has caused the exponential growth of my love of sidescroller platforms, horror, and short indie games with gorgeous art and atmosphere. And there are quite a few around at the moment! So if you will excuse me I will be in a hole playing video games for a while. Please do not disturb.

[aretherelesbians]

oh wow, it has been so incredibly long since I have updated this tumblr! if you want to stay up to date with reviews and what I’m doing then please head over to strangequeerthings.com ! Because I’m the type of person who is incomplete without a new project, I have started up a youtube series to waffle on about all the things that I can’t quite waffle on about in the blog.

A giant thank you to everyone who supports me here and on instagram, you really make me feel like I’m doing something meaningful and worthwhile, and I love each and every one of you! Please continue to support me as I move on to newer, bigger things! :)

[aretherelesbians]

Are There Lesbians? No

What Happens? It's the story of the Iliad, and the youth of Achilles, if it was told as a romance from the perspective of Patroclus

The Verdict: I was very excited for this book. I'd heard so much about it I was thrilled to dive right on in. Only, it turned out to be a little less epic than I thought.

There is plenty of argument about whether or not cis women should be writing queer stories and I personally have some very strong opinions on the matter. However, I would also argue that Song of Achilles gets a free pass both because it was one of the first acclaimed novels to have a genuinely nice queer relationship, and also its a classical story that has been around for ages before Madeleine Miller decided to put pen to paper, let alone been born.

Having seen, and recoiled at Troy I had worried that Song of Achilles would try and do something similar, removing an aspect of the divine that is so important to the story of the Trojan War. I had practically grown up with this story, from the initial squabble over the golden apple to the flight of Aeneas I had read and eventually studied as much about the Homeric cycle as I could. So I was elated that Song of Achilles kept its gods and heroes and creatures real.

I was not elated at the novel's treatment of Patroclus. While he did have his own character that stood up well against the mythic figure of Achilles, so much of it rang false to me. I liked that he showed an interest and proficiency in medicine over martial skills but frankly I think it's stupid that Patroclus would have been so ignorant of how to fight, especially considering that he is actually thought to be Achilles at one point. There is a strong focus on the emotion of their relationship rather than the standards that it would have had in Ancient Greece.  I don't like how the erastes/eromenos relationship was portrayed, nor how it became simply ok for Patroclus to not be able to fight. As the older male, I find it unrealistic that Patroclus would have been not only terrible at, but also completely unable to fight. In this vein I also found Achilles fantastic skill at fighting a little over-emphasised. I can appreciate that his speed and grace were something god-given enough to earn him his epithet as "swift-footed," but it would have been nice to see a slow growth into something superhuman, and to see the two matching up in combat together at least a little before Achilles came into his own. The real clincher for me was the painting of Sarpedon's death as an accident, as well as Patroclus' actual death. It is easy to look up in the Iliad, and the wise-ass who taunts Hector right before being stabbed would have been a truly great moment rather than having Patroclus being totally helpless after Apollo interferes in his aristeia. This is a couple that the Ancient Greeks looked up to as the perfect companions after all, because they fought side-by-side and had a strong emotional relationship. I have some seriously strong feelings about all this, but I am trying to remember that this novel is (obviously) not entirely based in history and therefore doesn't have to be historically accurate. It would have been nice, however, to see Miller's novel interact or respond to the absolute plethora of writing on the Achilles/Patroclus relationship.

Despite this, in a novel that has very few female characters to include, Miller truly makes the most of their potential. Thetis is suitably god-like, to the point of being delightfully dramatic and over-the-top. Truly I don't think I have ever read a more delightfully extra character and I love it. I also ended up liking Briseis a surprising amount. I think I had half-expected her to be a bit of a nothing character despite her importance to the story, and fade in comparison to the boys, but she held her own and maintained interest.

Song of Achilles gave me so many emotions - from annoyance to love and back again. I wish I had read it sooner but found that it not only lived up to but exceeded the hype surrounding it. Miller's writing is vivid and fantastic, I can't wait to get into her newest book Circe. If it's anything like Song of Achilles I know it will be well worth it.

[aretherelesbians]

Are There Lesbians? Yes

What Happens? Area X has been cut off from the world. It's existence only known to a few, it is hopelessly researched by the Southern Reach - an organisation that soon proves just as unknowable and strange as Area X itself.

The Verdict: If you’ve seen the movie of Annihilation and aren’t sure whether or not to read the books, content yourself with the knowledge that the books are different enough to warrant a read. They’re also just as good as the movie – each stands up extremely well on its own.

The word “Lovecraftian” gets bandied around a lot, but it is my personal belief that Jeff Vandermeer and his Southern Reach Trilogy are truly Lovecraftian successors. Only without the incredible amounts of racism. Vandermeer instills a sense of fear through an emphasis on the unexplainable other, however, that other, far from being racially stereotyped, is barely explained at all. Personally, I found this much more terrifying as I am often more afraid of the unknown and unexplainable than horror-made-flesh, no matter how big or how many tentacles said horror may have.

Each of the three novels in the Southern Reach Trilogy are told from different points of view, each with their own ways of looking at the world. The first, Annihilation, is from the point of view of the Biologist – the woman who journeys into Area X and falls in love with the silence and solitude it gives her. Authority is from the point of view of Control, the new Director of the Southern Reach who is trying to maintain his position even as the Southern Reach descends into its own branch of insanity to mirror that which occurs within Area X. The third and last novel, Acceptance, is from alternating points of view that cross time, from the very beginning of Area X to the place that it becomes. Throughout all of this however, Area X remains a true mystery to the reader. We do not know where it came from or what it is for, all the niggling questions that humans really like to have comfortably answered in order to go on with life.

Vandermeer is truly a fantastic writer. His characters are relatable without being overly likeable as people and his descriptions of place are lush and beautiful as much as they are haunting. The Moaning Creature and the Biologist are viscerally and terrifyingly introduced – Vandermeer creates both a sense of urgency and a slow, creeping horror somewhere in your gut until you cannot bear to turn the page for fear of what will happen, and yet you know you must, because you have to know.

There are a handful of LGBT+ characters scattered throughout the trilogy, although their romantic partners are not as important to the plot as the way these characters conduct their interpersonal relationships. The way that people in the novels respond to one another is just as important as they ways in which they respond to the environment both in and out of Area X. One of the big questions the series asks is “What makes us human?” or, at the very least, what is it that makes us “real”? Because it is not just memories or perceptions – the novels devote a lot of time assuring us that these senses can be tricked and falsified. It seems that in the end, it is our knowledge of ourselves and the ways in which we relate to other people that define us.

[aretherelesbians]

Hello friends! I have decided to open up my DMs and write for commision - this includes both fanfiction and original stories (details are below!). Let me know if you have anything in mind and thanks for all your amazing support!!

DM or email [email protected] for more information

Price Guide

1,000 - 1,500: $10 1,501 - 2,000: $15 2,001 - 2,500: $20 2,501 - 3,000: $25 etc

Extra Charges Fandom I don’t know well: $10 OC or Self-Insert (please provide information!): $10 Fetish: $5 Original Story: Price per Word x2 ($20 for 1-1.5k, $30 for 1.5-2k etc)

Fandoms

this list is incomplete, it’s always best to ask

Harry Potter The Raven Cycle MCU and MARVEL comics DC Carmilla Life is Strange Kingdom Hearts Nier: Automata Lord of the Rings Game of Thrones Death Note Black Butler Star Wars Doctor Who Devilman Crybaby Overwatch

I WILL NOT WRITE

Rape Incest Paedophilia (lolicon, shotacon etc.)  Scat Bestiality Self Harm/Suicide Male-on-Female Violence Basically anything that squicks me is right out

[aretherelesbians]

Are There Lesbians? No

What Happens? Rin is a war-orphan, destined for nothing more than to be married off by her opium-peddling guardians in order to advance their business. But then she aces the Keju – the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies – and works her way into the most prestigious military Academy, Sinegard. With war brewing on the horizon, Rin’s acceptance into the academy is only the beginning especially when she learns that the ancient powers of shamanism aren’t so ancient after all, and that Rin has an uncanny aptitude for them…

The Verdict: The Poppy War is less a novel and more a paper-wrapped sucker-punch to the gut. You will think you are prepared, but you will not be. What starts as an almost Rothfuss-esque university story at a prestigious military academy, soon dissolves into an account of the worst things humanity is able to do to one another when the country is invaded.

Unlike so many fantasy novels, The Poppy War is unafraid to shy away from the reality of the atrocity and futility of war. Unlike Tolkien there is no glory in battle here, unlike George RR Martin there is no gleeful wallowing in the atrocities committed. There is only fact, voiced plain and simple by an anti-heroine slowly descending into apathy, from which she will emerge enraged. Victory in battle is neither decisive or complete. There is no single figurehead to crush, no general whose defeat will cause an entire army to crumble. R.F Kuang based her story on 20th century China, with a focus on the Rape of Nanking and readers should not treat this history lightly, because the author does not, and if you go into this book lighthearted and sure then prepare for heartbreak. Kuang is adamant about providing trigger warnings for this novel, with drug use and addiction, and images of wartime terror including rape and torture, rampant throughout, but especially in the latter half. 

The main character, Rin, is a horrible person. She is violent and merciless in her approach to overcoming a problem and displays a single-mindedness that is completely terrifying. Yet she is eminently likeable. In her quest for knowledge and power, Rin makes herself barren - sacrificing the possibility of children for her education. This scene in particular is fantastic because it shows not only how sure a sixteen year old is able of being in the decision to not have children, but the sheer rationality Rin shows in doing so. She has fought her way into Sinegard – the country’s most esteemed military academy - so that her foster family will not sell her to a merchant. She has done all this to escape a life where she would be forced to bear and raise children, why would she give up all her hard work just to have the life that she fought so hard to escape?

Most refreshingly, there is no romance in The Poppy War. This is severely lacking these days, especially in novels with a female protagonist. Relationships are between friends and found family with the only hint of a potential romantic relationship a queer one-sided affair.

The Poppy War takes one look at the tropes that make up standard high fantasy and sets fire to them. There are the occasional tropes - mostly where unlikely odds are overcome in order to further the story, and in particular the trope of the mad old man who is actually full of ancient wisdom and power. However, the big fantasy tropes are noticeably absent. There are no prophecies here, and any attempted fortune-telling is only deciphered too late to be of use. Destiny becomes a myth, there is only the choices that are made, and the simple fact that once made, even bad choices have to be lived with. It is these choices which are likely to become a harsh reality in the second novel. 

Kuang has written a fantasy novel that is guaranteed to stick with its readers well after they have finished reading. It will be surprising if The Poppy War does not make it into fantasy canon along with the works of authors like Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. It is hard to believe that this is a debut novel as Kuang has produced a marvellously thought-out, provoking and well-written work and it would be a shame to see all this talent ignored by readers simply because The Poppy War is not based on a medieval western society.

[aretherelesbians]

Are There Lesbians? No

What Happens? The Avengers face their greatest threat yet in an event that will make or break the Marvel Universe.

The Verdict: As many people who know me are well aware, I have spent the better part f the last two or so years practically ignoring anything and everything to happen in the marvel cinematic universe. Suffice it to say that I had hit maximum capacity in my ability to care for superhero movies. I was over the band of misfits arguing with each other only to get back to ether at the last minute to fight a big bad. Therefore the only Marvel movies I have seen in a while have been Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther, mostly because to all intents and purposes I had heard that they were not your standard superhero movie. even then however, I was forced to come face to face with the Hulk and Doctor Strange in Ragnarok. Luckily there was much less crossover in Black Panther. This all being said, I have been warily looking forward to Infinity War. I had been wavering back and forth on whether or not I would go and see it, because deep down I knew it would be just like every superhero team-up ever - the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy would argue but then ultimately settle their differences in the face of a greater threat: Thanos: the original Nice Guy with a boner for Death. 

My face still hurts from the variety of expressions I pulled while watching Infinity War. This movie grabs you by the throat and throttles everything you know about superhero movies in the first five minutes. Literally. While there is plenty of banter and arguments, some of which even get resolved in the face of a greater threat, there is none of the bland, deus ex machina salvation that I have, rather unfortunately, come to expect from superhero movies. In the vein of Thor: Ragnarok, where the "heros" are left ineffective and must step back to let powers greater than them simply duke it out while saving what they can, Infinity War emphasises not only the fallibility of its heros, but also the very mutability of their morality. I have read the origin story for Thanos and even then I did not find him a terribly sympathetic character but Infinity War is much more subtle in that it slowly removes any tropes that you would expect to see in regards to the Big Bad. Even from the beginning, Thanos is not afraid to get his hands dirty - yes he lets his children/underlings do their share of the work, but this comes across as mere delegation rather than him sitting back to watch the destruction from the sidelines. He is evil therefore he must not love anything except power, except he does. He loves destruction, so surely once his quest is over he wont actually stop like he says, except that he does (for now at least). Thanos is so charismatic and sure in his goal that he is extremely convincing to the audience, for all that he is an appalling shade of purple with a face like a dropped pie.

Infinity War did that thing where it reminded me just how much I love this stuff in the first place. The silliness of the banter and the over-the-top fights had me laughing, cheering and gasping in horror by turns, and I was completely in awe when Thor regained his lighting powers - it reminded me just why he is one of my favourite superheros. It's the kind of movie that you can let yourself be completely absorbed by, especially because there is just so much happening that you have to take in. While keeping up with the many different plot-lines was a little confusing (each one could probably have been its own movie), in the end, it was worth it just for the pure spectacle value. The whole movie is very. dramatic. Especially Dr Strange's cloak, which upstaged Benedryl Cumberbund with its sheer style and personality. As mentioned earlier, I haven't seen the last two Avengers movies but even then it was reasonably easy to keep up with what was happening. There are a few nods to long-term Marvel fans (which thankfully, I happen to be, despite dropping out for a bit of a breather) but I don't think newbies will have too hard a time keeping up. However, if this is going to be your first Marvel film, it probably wont have the same emotional punch as it would if you aren't already familiar with the characters and I would recommend at least watching the first Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy films in preparation. 

[[MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW]]

Speaking of emotional punch, Infinity War is really going for cheap shock value, and to be honest, it kind of works. In the classic Marvel way, they have realised that they have too many characters to keep track of and decided to kill a whole bunch of them off - leaving the Avengers with the original team (sans Hawkeye who just wasn't in the film). Here is where I have a main bone to pick. Black Panther was one of the highest grossing films this year and they just killed him off. Along with every other black male character and quite a few women, not to mention Gamora who is played by a woman of colour, even if we can't see it under the makeup - something which is an entirely different issue. My hopes for the next films would be that a) Shuri steps into the role of Black Panther, b) those characters who dissolved will come back, and c) that we get more woman being featured. At least the last is sure to happen, as the next Movie will feature the ultra-badass Captain Marvel. Fingers crossed we will get to see her save the day!

[aretherelesbians]

Janelle Monáe is the Queer Hero We Need and Deserve

Janelle Monáe’s new album Dirty Computer dropped today and if you think I haven’t been listening to it on endless repeat then you, my friend, are sorely mistaken and also probably are unaware of how amazing an album it is. Don’t worry, by the end of this review you will be very aware.

It has been a year inundated with Black Excellence – Black Panther was a box office smash, Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give is celebrating 60 weeks at number one on the New York Times YA list, closely followed by Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone at number 2, and Kendrick Lamar was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music, the first time the award has gone to a non-classical, non-jazz musician. Therefore it is extremely fitting that Monáe has produced an album that is not only a call to arms, but an upbeat love song to those artists who have had to work hard to get where they are and have excelled in their chosen fields. Dirty Computer combines the futuristic synth-pop sounds that have come to be something of Monáe’s marker, as well as smooth jazz and RnB notes. There is even the unmistakable sound of the steelpan in a few songs. Songs such as “I Like That” feel reminiscent of Beyonce’s “Hold Up,” while “Don’t Judge Me” reminds me in the best way of the cool RnB beats put out by artists like Alicia Keys and Macy Grey in the early 2000s. Dirty Computer is an unashamedly black album – celebrating everything from dark skin to the fight against police injustice. “Django Jane” is arguably the strongest song on the album and dear lord it is a powerful anthem from a Queen Goddess who is ready for war.

Much less like a god, Dirty Computer presents Monáe as just that – a computer who is starting to break down and become one with the earth. She is affected and infected by the world around her – it is something she can no longer remain distant from. It appears the Monáe is starting to distance herself from her well-known android alter-ego and embracing the earthiness of her flesh-and-blood body. Songs such as “Screwed” and “Pynk” emphasise the physicality of her body in a way that is much more naturalistic than she has previously used. In a form of musical blason, Monáe breaks down her body into its different parts with a particular focuses on those areas of the “traditionally” feminine body that are so heavily policed by the patriarchy – the vagina and the nipple. She repeatedly discusses the hyperfocus on the female areola and turns “pussy” dialogue back on itself – there is no question to whom she is speaking when in “I Got the Juice” she repeatedly states “this pussy grabs you back.”

Working with the late Prince on “Make Me Feel” and Monáe’s coming out as pansexual give the album a little extra queerness to work with. Released as a single earlier this year, “Make Me Feel” quickly became a bisexual anthem due to featuring Monáe kissing both a boy and a girl in the video (not to mention the fantastic pink and blue lighting). Songs like “Pynk” with the line “…boy, it’s cool if you’ve got blue/We got the pink” do appear at the outset to pretty firmly set gender as a binary, but taken as a whole, the album becomes about destroying the established expectations we have about race, gender and sexuality.

From a musical perspective, Dirty Computer showcases Monáe’s versatile style. The album has a perfect crescendo to the three singles – “Django Jane,” “Pynk,” and “Make Me Feel” and catches you as you are coming down from the high with the smooth tones of “Don’t Judge Me” and “So Afraid.” Monáe starts hard and ends hard – “Crazy Classic Life” and “Americans” perfectly bookend the album, with their spoken bridges and aggressive calls for equality regardless of skin-colour, gender and sexuality. In Dirty Computer, Monáe has perfectly blended her message of solidarity with outcasts and “Dirty Computers,” with feel-good music which makes it impossible to stand still.

[aretherelesbians]

Are There Lesbians? Yes

What Happens? A motley crew aboard the Wayfarer, a space-ship designed to build wormholes between parts of space, is given the opportunity of a lifetime but they are aboard their ship for a long time at once, and long-held secrets are about to be revealed.

The Verdict: I just genuinely enjoyed this book so much. It is not necessarily light-hearted, and it has the ability to become quite gut-wrenching in parts, but it creates a reaction through a build-up of genuine emotion. This is less a space-novel and more a novel about family, especially found family, which happens to be in space. It is extremely character-driven and there is something to love, or to love to hate, about everyone. Mostly I tend not to love books from alternating points of view, but I found that it really helped to get inside individuals heads, and there wasn’t one particular character I loved way more than all the others (though I definitely have soft-spots for Sissix and Jenks).

There is queer romance here too! Though I find myself hesitating to call it romance because I personally believe that one of the women involved is coded aromantic. Forget interracial relationships, interspecies relationships are now where it’s at, and it’s one of the sweetest things I think I have ever read. In a similar vein, there is lots of conjecture about the sentience of AI and whether they are able to love, as well as where the line between human and machine is. One of the many questions the novel asks is what make people people – not even what makes humans human, but what makes sentience. I feel that this theme will only be explored further in the sequel, a closed and common orbit. One of the characters is in love with the ships AI and theirs is a beautiful Romeo and Juliet-esque story that was both uplifting and also terribly heartbreaking. The romances in the long way to a small angry planet are not the main focus of the novel, but they add a lovely touch to the interpersonal relationships both onboard the ship and off. They uplift rather than derail the story, and they are not the main focus for the characters, often they are the natural conclusion of a series of interactions.

There is a certain episodic quality to the novel where there is a new problem to be faced each chapter. This was enjoyable but I would have liked a bit more of certain chapters or storylines. Especially after Sissix and Rosemary start their relationship, I was sad that there are no more chapters from either of their point of views as I would have loved to see how they navigated their relationship. That being said, by not showing their point of view, there is a detraction from a romance which has the potential to suffocate the novel. Instead we get to focus on the outcome of an attack on the Wayfarer and what this means for Lovey, the ship’s AI, and the rest of the crew members as they each deal with the results of certain choices. The last few chapters made me feel so many emotions I wasn’t prepared to feel – up until that point I don’t think I had quite realised how gripped I had been by the world of the story. I had fallen completely in love with the (literal) universe and am super psyched to jump back in with a closed and common orbit.

[aretherelesbians]

Are There Lesbians? No

What Happens? Crybaby Akira is turned into a demon with a human heart – a Devilman. With newfound confidence and powers he uses his abilities as Devilman to protect the weak from demons. But a greater threat is on the way…

The Verdict: Devilman Crybaby is one of the reasons I never trust an anime with under 50 episodes. They reel you in by being mostly light-hearted (if violent and/or sexual) and then in the last quarter or so they FUCK. YOU. UP.  Seriously, this started as a fun, monster-of-the-week show and then turned into an in-depth analysis of the crimes of humanity with just a little bit of Neon Genesis Evangelion thrown in for good measure.

tw: Body Horror, Sexualized Violence, Spoilers

Devilman Crybaby treats its teenagers like adults and often portrays them in a way that makes it hard to remember that they are actually still kids. Once a character has become a “devilman” this becomes even harder to remember as they look taller, leaner and generally more adult – this is the same for both male and female characters. What I found most disturbing however is that even Miki, who never undergoes the transformation into a Devilman is still treated as a sexual object through her modelling and the worship she affords as being a trackstar. There is a prominent focus on her body through its dismemberment as an object of desire – her legs and boobs are strongly desired by men and women alike – and also the way she is treated by the general population after they decide she is a “witch” and is physically dismembered. There is a lot of violence and sex in the show, and something I noticed pretty much in the first episode is that the majority of violence is towards women who are also hyper sexualized. When Akira and Ryo go to the Sabbath, all the people who were being grotesquely transformed into devils were scantily clad women, and their devil form was hyper-sexualised – either through drooping breasts or the presence of vagina dentata.

This sort of sexualised violence is becoming more common in western shows *cough* Game of Thrones *cough,* but is indicative of a much wider and on-going trend within anime which really needs to stop. I don’t need this many panty-shots in my slice-of-life.

What Devilman Crybaby does do extremely well is its portrayal of male gay sex. While it is often the case that queer sex in anime is looked at from the gaze of the opposite gender (Yaoi and Shonen-Ai predominantly being aimed at women and vice versa), Devilman Crybaby eschews this traditional salacious treatment of gay sex. For once, Devilman shows sex as a way of attempting to achieve emotional connection with someone who isn’t there, a semi-destructive coping mechanism that is as emotionally arresting as so much of the violence the anime typically leans on. It is actually one of the more emotional, and least exploitative moments in the whole show.

Devilman Crybaby is hyper-violent and hyper-sexualised in a way only anime can be, and it’s impossible to look away. At it’s heart however, the anime shows the lives of people who arent-so-perfect with a sense of raw emotion. I found a lot of the interactions between the human characters the most thoughtful, though this was offset by battles between Devilman and devils. This anime explores humanity at it’s darkest, but also at it’s most giving and caring, and it’s truly interesting to see such a stark comparison between the two. Salaciousness is balanced with heart, and if you love all the insanity that anime does so well, then you’ll love Devilman Crybaby, because it is certifiably insane.

[aretherelesbians]

Are There Lesbians? Yes

What Happens? After a nasty breakup, Alice swears off dating for good. Then the super cute Takumi walks into her life and Alice is finally forced with having to deal with her whole “being asexual” thing.

The Verdict: First of all – can we talk about this cover?! It’s so gorgeous! I love how the colour scheme uses the colours of the ace flag but also really emphasises Alice’s blackness? And then there’s the tiny ace of hearts card on the spine?! Gah, it’s just so good and I can’t help but think that Alice herself would really love it. It’s so beautiful and ties so many themes of the novel together. Alice’s strong sense of aesthetics really speaks to my own. I love her “Cutie Scale” so much. Funnily enough, it makes sense something that I’ve long had trouble putting into words - that disconnect of feeling when you see someone cute about whom other people would say “I want to jump their bones” but you don’t exactly feel that but you guess that’s what sexual desire must feel like even though that’s not quite right? Especially once you actually do feel sexual desire and then you spend ages trying to work out what that feeling must have been. I also loved the part that talked about Alice’s experiences in high school - where people would tell her she must have a crush on someone so when she’s forced to breaking point she just admits to liking the most popular guy who everyone else also likes?

I love the focus on friendship in Let’s Talk About Love - not only the large role Alice’s two friends play in her life, but also how she forms such a great friendship with Takumi, separate to the romantic feelings she has for him. I love the complexity of Alice’s friendship with Feenie and how the book emphasises that friendships take work, and also how you can make them work when you’re in a relationship. So often I feel like both characters have to be in existing relationships or just forming them for said friends to be able to get along but Alice and Feenie’s friendship exists both within and separate to that, hell, Alice is good friends with Feenie’s boyfriend too, rather than treating them as separate entities. I would have liked to see the two girls hanging out by themselves a bit more - we mostly know of their one on one friendship from Alice’s memories of the past. I love the idea of “family night” but it would have been great to have “girls night” too, where they can spend time together away from the strains of their romantic relationships.

It is so wonderful and important to have books with characters on the asexual spectrum. I love that it is treated like a spectrum too - a sliding scale that is liable to change but doesn’t deny Alice her feelings in the present. I found that asexuality in Let’s Talk About Love is discussed in a way that you can easily identify with whether you are sex-avoidant or repulsed, demi, or gray. I’m all for sex positivity but it’s just so nice to have a book that doesn’t treat sex like it’s the be-all-and-end-all of a relationship, because let’s be honest, there’s so much more than that involved in a successful relationship! I think that’s what this novel does best too – highlighting the genuine difference between being “just” friends and having romantic attraction for someone. They’re totally not the same thing!

If you’ve gotten this far you’ve probably noticed that I love so much about Let’s Talk About Love. It’s a super cute romance that just genuinely makes me feel happy. This book has been able to put into words feelings and experiences that I’ve never properly been able to articulate and it’s such a good feeling. Congrats Claire Kann, your first book is a killer.

[aretherelesbians]

It's a strange world out there, let's make it Queerer.

I have a full-on wordpress now! It still has all the reviews you know and love from this tumblr, but with a shiny new format and a few extra goodies included! Check it out!

[aretherelesbians]

Are There Lesbians? Yes

What Happens? After a man returns from what was assumed to be a suicide mission, a team of female scientists are sent into an Area known as The Shimmer to find out more about it.

The Verdict: I have been wanting to read Annihilation for quite some time now, so I was very excited to discover it was being made into a movie. I've discovered that my preference is to watch a movie without knowing much about the plot - it means I have very little expectation and everything is new and exciting. With book to movie adaptations, this also means that I'm not constantly comparing the two and detracting from my enjoyment of the movie.

Slow and methodical, there is nothing in Annihilation that isn't there for a reason. There is no final moment of complete catharsis, rather there is an unsatisfying decrescendo that leaves the view with more questions that answers. It isn't a loud film and sounds like gunfire are slightly muted. Likewise the little music that plays throughout the film is contemplative and often only made up of a few repeated chords. Combined with the refracted lighting, this lends an underwater or dreamlike quality to the film that enhances rather than hinders the use of CGI. I kept thinking that the landscapes would be fantastic to explore in a game and the mutated creatures encountered in The Shimmer would be amazing, if terrifying to deal with up close. Annihilation is explicitly beautiful. It presents a world where nature is running its course, and changing the world before it. I have a strong love of films and games like this where plants have taken back what humans built. The contrast between natural and constructed materials is deeply satisfying to my sense of aesthetic. 

The cast is small and made up almost entirely of women, which, naturally I loved.  Natalie Portman makes up the majority of the screentime which is something I'm certainly not complaining about, and there are great swathes of the film where men are neither talking nor present. It was quite wonderful. It is such a wonderfully woman-centric film, with both a latina and black woman in leading roles. Annihilation is also a bisexual smörgåsbord. The lead is played by Natalie Portman, with her husband played by Oscar Isaac. I'm unsure if Anya (Gina Rodriguez) is supposed to be a lesbian or bi or what, as she hits on Natalie Portman but is also described as hitting on everyone before entering The Shimmer. She has a certain butch swagger about her however, which had me mentally casting her as a lesbian before she even opened her mouth, and I will now die by this theory because I love her. I can already see myself writing future essays that prove my point. I feel that with a cast full of women, Annihilation  is set apart from so many similar adventure/action movies that have come before it. Unlike a film such as Predator, Annihilation isn't about the explosions or man vs beast monster hunting. It is about what defines us, and what we will do when faced with the unknown. 

There is definitely a horror element to the film, particularly body horror, as Annihilation deals with the concept of mutation in all its forms. This leaves room for both extremely beautiful landscape shots on which the camera lingers, and some genuinely terrifying creatures - both physically and conceptually. A certain scene with a bear mutation actually had me shaking a little bit, it was so tense! I don't think I've ever been that genuinely horrified by a movie before. There is a level of comfort to knowing from the beginning that Natalie Portman survives, but of course the real question here is whether or not she is the same person she once was. 

Ultimately, the film asks who we are as people and asks us what sets us apart from other people. It is an existential nightmare wrapped up in a visually and musically beautiful package, and I can't wait to read the novel and then watch it again.

[aretherelesbians]

Are There Lesbians? Yes

What Happens? Two teenage girls navigate their relationship.

The Verdict: Wow! Tillie Walden manages to do so much in so few words! Her art is evocative and moody and perfectly supports the tragic beauty of her story. She utilises the power of silence and minimal colour to help tell her story. The pages go from their bruise-like purple to black and then back to purple to emphasise the ebb and flow of the narrative. This is an understated comic that packs a big punch to the gut through small vignettes of the girls interactions.

This comic is a short read but a powerful one, and incredibly bittersweet. There is a thread of hope that manages to shine through again and again. It is a beautiful and gentle (though not on the heart) read, that is easy to return to again and again. I find myself getting more out of if every time I pick it up, even if it’s just to look at one or two pages. Each page can be taken as a short story in itself, as separately they make up vignettes of moments of the girls’ relationship.

This is a story about thresh-holds – the girls are teens in high school and about to grow up. They are at that point in their relationship where they need to take the next big leap together – either through physical intimacy or coming out – but are unsure how to proceed. They are in love and have no idea what to do about it. Unfortunately for them this means that they fall apart. However, there is the promise that, one day, they might find something – either together or apart.

The power of companionship and being connected through technology like texting or sharing music together is an important concept of the comic. It emphasises the importance of being quiet together, but also being together even when you are physically separate. The particular focus is on listening to the same music together or separately bridges distance. Music becomes a form of intimacy for the characters – it is something they do when alone together, or by themselves. The ear-buds they share becomes a technological red string of fate that ties them together, as they come again through music again and again. The “I love this part” of the narrative is a reference to a certain part of the song, but also to the moment of falling in love where each party is as unsure of the other and it is terrible and wonderful at the same time.

I love this part has so much emotion to convey it is impossible to accurately convey it all through words alone. Luckily Tillie Walden also has her beautiful artwork to tell stories with, I doubt any other medium would hold up as well.

[aretherelesbians]

Are There Lesbians? Yes

What Happens? Alex lives in a rural town where everyone knows everyone but no one knows she’s a lesbian. Then a new family arrive with their out-and-proud daughter and Alex has a choice – stay quiet and miss out on an opportunity for love, or take a leap of faith and live true to herself, no matter the consequences.

The Verdict: I loved this book so much right up until the final quarter. Then I was fuming. Then I was still angry but also crying a lot because I am a human capable of complex emotions.

I really liked the character development in If I Tell You. For the most part it felt very realistic and I felt a great deal of connection with the main character. It was also really nice to read something about rural Australia which really humanised the towns inhabitants without making them into caricatures. There was a lot of a familiar Aussie behaviour that I could appreciate, even with my suburban upbringing, and overall If I Tell You was just a pretty darn good read.

Now for the less fun, more rant-y part of this review.

This novel sucked me in with a fantastic tale of overcoming oppression to be your true self, and an absolutely adorable romance. Then it went all Nicholas Sparks/Jodie Picoult on me and killed a lesbian. I mean, seriously, I thought we were finally beyond all of this in YA fiction. I don’t expect the first person you fall in love with to be your one and only for the rest of your life but that doesn’t mean you have to kill them in order to make other opportunities possible. There was literally nothing gained by killing off Phoenix. There are so many more creative things that could have happened without playing along with such an over-used and outdated trope. There was a set-up for a spain trip that never happened, which I never expected to happen but this could have been because of something else. Hell, it might have been more interesting if Alex and Phoenix just straight up broke up because they were at different points in their lives, there’s nothing wrong with that. I’m not saying I wanted them to break up, because hell, I think they’re adorable and I cried when they got married, but for me their relationship wasn’t the main emotive force behind this novel. My reaction to Alex’s relationship with her mother was a lot stronger for me. I didn’t cry when Phoenix was dying or when they got married, but you better believe I cried when Alex’s mum said “You didn’t come home for Christmas.” I wasn’t even expecting to. The thing is that the relationship between Alex and Phoenix was a fairly standard relationship with a manic pixie dream girl, but Alex’s relationships with her friends and family were extremely complex and nuanced. I’m not saying I didn’t want the romance or even that I didn’t like it, I love me a good wlw romance where girls support each other in the face of adversity, but YOU CAN CREATE TENSION WITHOUT KILLING A GAY. Death is not the only way to create drama or emotion, and in the end, in the face of all the other things going on in the novel, Phoenix dying became just another thing. At the end of it, she didn’t feel like a person but a magical fairy that fluttered into Alex’s life, taught her how to “live”, and then buggered off again.

I did genuinely love If I Tell You, for all that I found it rather problematic in the end. I thought the writing was fantastic, and if my only problem with the novel was that a lesbian was killed, then I think it’s still a pretty OK story. Even if killing a lesbian is a pretty big no-no for me.

*I received an ARC of If I Tell You from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[aretherelesbians]

Are There Lesbians? No

What Happens? T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) is crowned King of Wakanda, but as he determines the future of his country, the mistakes of his father’s (John Kani) past rise up to haunt him.

The Verdict: I have been so excited to see Black Panther - all the joy I have seen expressed by Black people on twitter and the general internet has been absolutely infectious. Obviously as a skinny white girl it didn’t give me the same sort of delight and sheer relief that comes from seeing someone with my skin colour on the screen and making up almost the entire cast of the film, but I am so happy for all the little black boys and girls who get to have all these fantastic role models. Additionally, on a more personal note - with Idris Elba in Thor: Ragnarok and now Michael B Jordan, can we please just saturate the market with beautiful black men made hotter by dreadlocks? Not only would it be great representation (I only know enough about POC hair politics to know that it exists), but white boys forcing their gross, scungy hair on the rest of us might finally get the message and just. stop.

Black Panther was one of the best superhero movies I've seen in a while, including Thor: Ragnarok, which was brilliant. I think this is because it isn’t very much a traditional superhero movie so much as a standard action movie with a bit of superhero thrown in. There weren't so many superhero tropes and it was less a part of the MARVEL franchise - there weren't any characters from the other films in it and it was great! I'm a little annoyed that I have to be so thrilled to see a stand-alone movie that holds up without the greater franchise behind it. Can people stop making it so that you have to see all the movies in a series to understand the plot? I'm so over it! I also feel like I have been given a glorious vision of what a reboot movie of The Phantom could look like, and if anyone reading this is good at film I am happy to pitch you a script, even if it's just for something fan-made (I am not even in the realm of fucking around, black Phantom is now my life's mission).

As you may have seen from trailers and posters, Black Panther is unashamedly Black. It is a powerful and genuinely well-made film that addresses issues of race and class and how we have the power to change old, harmful ways of thinking. It is a well-timed film, a not-so-subtle call to arms and, more importantly, a call to support. I'm sure many POC viewers got many things out of Black Panther that I didn't, but to me, the main message I received was how I can use my privilege to help others who do not have it. One of the main threads of the film was that Wakanda has access to powerful resources that give them the ability to make so many lives better, but they keep it to themselves in order to maintain their way of life. A repeated question becomes at what point will you concede that you can help others, at what point will you stop idly standing by and finally interact with the world? Another lesson that might have slipped under the radar for some is to learn when is the right time to stop speaking and when to listen. When the women go to M'Baku (Winston Duke) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) starts to speak, only to be told that he is not allowed to was a powerful moment for me. Sure, he's white and it's understandable that they would have some animosity towards him, but I feel that to say that is the only reason would be to over-simplify it. Ross is an outsider. He does not know what he is talking about. He is to listen and learn. It is also important that he is shown doing so. When the women bury T'Challa as part of the Black Panther ritual, Ross take's M'Baku's lead, something we can all try to be more mindful of – it is not up to POC to explain to white people what they are doing wrong. It is up to us white people to start paying attention and correct actions instead of just talking. I'm not trying to say that one of two white guys in the film are the only ones I can identify with, but they are the only ones not specifically for black people, so that’s who I’m talking about.

I love Shuri (Leticia Wright) and Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), and definitely want to date Okoye (Danai Gurira), but these characters, no matter how wonderful, are not for me. They are for all the women of colour, specifically the black women, who do not get to see themselves accurately reflected on the screens in front of them. They are powerful without being "sassy black women" and they are allowed to be vulnerable and make mistakes. I love Black Panther, because I thought it was actually a pretty damn good movie and stood up to the hype, but I love it even more for the joy it has brought the people around me.

[aretherelesbians]

Are There Lesbians? No

What Happens? Prince Sebastian has a secret: at night he puts on dresses and takes on the role of the fashion-forward Lady Crystallia. His best friend and dressmaker, Francis, dreams of a day when she can take the credit for her designs, but with her only client a secret it seems that dreams and friendship can only take you so far.

The Verdict: The Prince and the Dressmaker is one of the most heart-warming stories I have read in a long time. It gave me so many warm, fuzzy feelings and I almost cried from happiness reading it. It’s literally so sweet I think it gave me diabetes. Jen Wang has written a genuinely beautiful and happy-making story and I can’t wait to make sure everyone I know reads it.

Set in late 19thC France which one of my favourite time periods to read about in fiction, The Prince and the Dressmaker would be right at home among your favourite Disney movies, and indeed, it reads just like one, except queerer and therefore better in every way! This comic is really just a delightful, genderqueer fairy-tale about a prince who is sometimes a prince and sometimes a princess.

As the main characters are teenagers, they are at a pivotal point of change in their lives – additionally, the time period in which the comic is set was also a great time of change for the world. By making change and mutability a core feature of the comic, Jen Wang has opened us up to the idea of gender fluidity before it is even introduced! My favourite moment was when Sebastian describes looking in the mirror and not feeling quite right. I’ve been feeling that a lot lately but somehow it’s easier to identify when other people say it out loud.

[[Mild Spoilers]]

I love that the core concerns Sebastian has are not within himself – he knows he embodies both genders – but that he will not be accepted and will let his family down. It was so heartbreaking when he was finally outed, not necessarily because of how his family treated him, but because he himself was so disappointed!

I think one of my favourite parts about this comic was not simply that Sebastian is genderqueer, but also how far it went towards also arguing that men can also wear dresses. My heart nearly exploded when it cut to the hyper-masculine King wearing a beautiful flowing dress and not being even remotely self-conscious about it. Another thing I enjoyed was that the romance between the two main characters felt natural and, even though Sebastian sometimes felt like a woman, it didn’t mean he was automatically attracted to men. I loved that Francis loved him no matter what, and that she didn’t even question it.

Additionally, Jen Wang’s art style is absolutely fantastic. I loved all the rounded shapes and clear colours, and of course, all the fantastically detailed dress designs. I loved that the women didn’t suffer from the Disney-syndrome where they all have large eyes and small noses. There were chubby ladies and ladies with long noses (heck, the Prince and therefore Lady Crystallia manages to look fantastic with a very prominent nose!) and ladies of all ages. Additionally, not only the art but the writing was fantastic and I found myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion. The Prince and the Dressmaker also gives me some serious shoujo manga vibes. This could be because the most recent anime I watched was Rose of Versailles but the bright colours, beautiful dresses and often over-the-top nature of the characters really put me in that frame of mind.

To be fair, it is hard to pick out all the things I enjoyed because I loved them all. The Prince and the Dressmaker, is a truly sweet, very queer comic for all ages. I didn’t want to stop reading it.