the vigilante girls workbook

The ramblings, brainstorming and inspirations of a writing student trying to create a web series.

[vigilantegirlsworkbook]

And now, the final pitch/overview of this project as it stands at the end of the semester. Thanks so much to everyone who has taken an interest and given their support!!

Fed up with the patriarchy and the high rate of crimes against women in their city, friends and radical feminists Abby, Lisa, Val and Cindy decide to conduct a social experiment which quickly turns into an all-out crime spree targeting men.

Overview

Vigilante Girls Club is an interactive web series which focuses on close friends ABBY, LISA, VAL and CINDY, four young, radical feminists who reach breaking point during a spike in violent crime against women in their city and decide to take extreme action. They embark on what they believe is a righteous initiative to commit random acts of violence against men, in order to provoke a reaction from the media and society which will draw attention to the fact that systematic gendered violence is only accepted when it is being practiced against women.

The VGC will be a ten episode, one season series, with each episode in a video-log format of 4 to 6 minutes in length. It will also involve information and interaction that occurs outside of the main episodes. In order to piece together the full narrative, the viewer will have to follow and engage with a multitude of online sources, especially 'news' sites and the characters' own Twitter and Tumblr accounts, where bonus information will be released each week. The series will also actively encourage viewers to interact with its characters online, comment on the events, and even submit their own content to the show's Tumblr and YouTube channel.Character Breakdowns

Abby: 24. Attractive, well-dressed and feminine. She is friendly, open, and outgoing, but capable of being very cold and determined. The most socially capable member of the group. A perpetual student, more because she loves the life than because she has any interest in learning. She and her boyfriend are active and vocal feminists. She runs a semi-popular feminist twitter account and blog.

Lisa: 25. Not white. Brusque, deadpan and snarky. A public attorney. The most responsible and realistic of the group, and also the most jaded. She often acts as their maternal figure and reality check. She's involved in a dozen different programs and campaigns for women's advocate groups. They take up most of her time; which is fine, because she doesn't have anything else in her life.

Val: 23, Latina. Gay. Kind of a mess. She's grumpy, sarcastic, and usually uncomfortable. Tries to be funny and sometimes gets there. She's graduated university but is still working some crappy job she doesn't like, and doesn't know what she wants to do with her life. She met Abby at university, a few years ago, and met Lisa when Abby dragged them both to a rally. They became friends. They're the only friends Val has.

Cindy: 21, tiny and blonde. A sweet-looking ball of crazy. She's bright, bubbly, intense and slightly manic. Has a twisted sense of humour. She's a little too into violence, and probably needs some psychological help. She is the newest addition to the friendship group; Abby kind of adopted her after they met at uni. Val fell in love with her instantly. No one is sure if Cindy has noticed.

Season Arc

The webseries will follow Abby, Lisa, Val and Cindy through a series of ten vlogs beginning directly after their first 'act' as the Vigilante Girls Club. Full of careless bravado and revolutionary intention, the girls take to the streets to commit random acts of violence against men, encouraging others via social media to join them. At first, no one but Abby's existing fans and a few online supporters seem to be paying them any attention. At the midpoint of the season, when the girls begin killing, however, they suddenly get the media attention they were looking for: though it comes with the realisation that that their little project has spiralled out of control. W ith such an identifiable online presence and a string of dead bodies piling up, the public and police begin to link the girls to their crimes; which escalate violently as the girls become less cautious and more erratic in the face of their inevitable incarceration.

Over the course of the season, Abby, Lisa, Cindy and Val grow closer together, forming a unique and not entirely healthy bond as a result of committing such brutal crimes together and having fun while doing it. After their first murder, however, tensions and doubts begin to arise. Abby's relationship with her boyfriend, Dan, starts to fall apart as he becomes less and less willing to support what the girls are doing. Lisa begins to have serious concerns that the project is doing more harm than good, when several women passing through her workplace seem to have been victims of revenge attacks that the VGC's actions may have provoked. Abby and Lisa become increasingly concerned over the fact that Cindy seems to enjoy killing a little too much, while the normally reclusive Val seems to thrive on it, having found the one area in which she and Cindy really connect. With their lives quickly going to hell in a Tarantino-esque hand-basket, and the authorities closing in, the girls will be forced to examine if they're really that committed to their cause, or if they just enjoy killing.

The Production Space

The online world of the Vigilante Girls Club has already been established and will continue to be developed as the series progresses, from the main YouTube channel where the webseries would take place, to the main Tumblr where the girls as a group would post their collective thoughts, ideas and social commentary, their plans for the VGC and any events staged, as well as links to news articles, videos, user content or anonymous contributions to the club. All of the characters can also be followed on Twitter (AbbyMisandry, LisaVGC, cindy_bobindy, ValVGC), where they will be seen interacting with each other and updating their followers on the details of their personal lives and the VGC. The very first teaser vlog for the Vigilante Girls, which would take place prior to and function as a kicking off point for the webseries, is also already online on YouTube.

[vigilantegirlsclub]

Abby introduces the Vigilante Girls Club.

Join the project. Follow us on tumblr and YouTube for more updates. 

[eponymmouse]

A catcall is entirely about reminding you that you are not yours. The purity myth is entirely about reminding you that you are not yours. The fetishization of female purity in a world where catcalls are an acceptable form of communication telegraphs one thing very clearly: “Women, stop sexualizing yourselves—that’s our job, and you’re taking all the fun out of it.” The sexualization of women is only appealing if it’s nonconsensual. Otherwise it’s “sluttiness,” and sluttiness is agency and agency is threatening.

“Female ‘Purity’ is Bullshit”, by Lindy West (at jezebel.com)

[brutereason]

Some men who want to compliment random women on the street are genuinely good guys who just don’t understand why their comments might be unwelcome. Some men who want to compliment random women on the street are creepy predators. Most are somewhere in between, and guess what? I don’t know you, I don’t know your life, and I have no idea if you’re going to leave it at “Hey, you look good in that dress!” or follow it up with “But you’d look better without it! Har har! C’mon, where’re you going? I know you heard me! Fucking cunt, nobody wants your fat ass anyway, bitch.” When you compliment a random woman who doesn’t know you, no matter how nice you are about it, there’s a good chance she’s going to freak out internally because for all she knows, you could be that latter type. And I get that it’s really unfair that women would just assume that about you. I get that it sucks that sometimes, expressing totally reasonable opinions like “hey you’re hot” will make women terrified of you or furious at you. That’s not fair. But if you’re going to lay the blame for that somewhere, for fuck’s sake, don’t blame the woman. Blame all the guys who have called her a bitch and a cunt for ignoring their advances. Blame all the guys who may have harassed, abused, or assaulted her in the past. Blame all the people who may never do such a thing themselves, but who were quick to blame her and tell her to just get over it. Blame the fact that if she stops and talks to you and then something bad happens, people will blame her for stopping and talking to you.

Why You Shouldn’t Tell That Random Girl On The Street That She’s Hot » Brute Reason (via brute-reason)

[asrielsarchive]

[vigilantegirlsworkbook]

character bios

Abby: 24. Attractive, well-dressed and traditionally feminine. She is friendly, open, and outgoing, but capable of being very cold and determined. The most socially capable member of the group. A perpetual student, more because she loves the life than because she has any interest in learning. She and her boyfriend are active and vocal feminists. She runs a semi-popular feminist twitter account and blog.

Lisa: 25. Not White. Brusque, deadpan and snarky. A public attorney. The most responsible and realistic of the group, and the most jaded. She often acts as their maternal figure and reality check. She's involved in a dozen different programs and campaigns for women's advocate groups. They take up most of her time; which is fine, because she doesn't really have anything else in her life.

Val: 23, Latina. Gay. Kind of a mess. She's grumpy, sarcastic, and usually uncomfortable. Tries to be funny and sometimes gets there. She's graduated university but is still working some crappy job she doesn't like, and doesn't know what she wants to do with her life. She met Abby at university, a few years ago, and met Lisa when Abby dragged them both to a rally. They became friends. They're the only friends Val has.

Cindy: 21, blonde. A sweet-looking ball of crazy. April Ludgate crossed with a cheerleader. She's bright, intense and slightly manic. Has a twisted sense of humour. She's a little too into violence, and probably needs some psychological help. She is the newest addition to the friendship group; Abby kind of adopted her after they met at uni. Val fell in love with her instantly. No one is sure if Cindy has noticed.

[unignorable]

A woman saying yes to a date with a man is literally insane, and ill-advised, and the whole species’ existence counts on them doing it. I don’t know how women still go out with guys when you consider that there’s no greater threat to women than men. We’re the number one threat to women! Globally and historically, we’re the number one cause of injury and mayhem to women, we’re the worst thing that ever happens to them. If you’re a guy, try to imagine that you could only date a half-bear, half-lion, like, “Ugh, I hope this one’s nice.”

Louis C.K. (via unignorable)

[theverge]

I’m still here: back online after a year without the internet

Paul Miller returns after a year off the internet.

I was wrong.

One year ago I left the internet. I thought it was making me unproductive. I thought it lacked meaning. I thought it was “corrupting my soul.” It’s a been a year now since I “surfed the web” or “checked my email” or “liked” anything with a figurative rather than literal thumbs up. I’ve managed to stay disconnected, just like I planned. I’m internet free.

And now I’m supposed to tell you how it solved all my problems. I’m supposed to be enlightened. I’m supposed to be more “real,” now. More perfect. 

[vigilantegirlsworkbook]

[vigilantegirlsworkbook]

so far, I've come up with two ways that I could possibly solve my dilemma over how my main characters can be recording themselves talking about their crimes and publishing these videos on the internet without being caught and swiftly imprisoned. 

I could feasibly have the main webisodes being released after the girls have already been caught, and their vlogs are being published by someone who they'd entrusted with their safekeeping. The premise would be that the girls were aware that their crime spree had a very limited lifetime, and they wanted to keep the vlogs as a record from their perspective. That way the 'hype' leading up to the series's start date would be all the footage of their crimes, witness statements and anonymous tips on their identities, etc. while the impetus for the webisodes to begin being aired is the girls' arrest and subsequent trial. 

The webisodes could all be made in a sparse room (which would be handy for production costs) with all the girls wearing masks (and maybe altering their voices) so that they could feasibly remain anonymous and would be able to be posting and killing at the same time. 

I feel like both approaches have benefits and drawbacks at this point: the former would take away from the fun, for the audience, of following along with the crimes as they're being committed, and experiencing it along with the characters. The latter, however, could pretty severely infringe on the audience's ability to relate to the characters; although they would all be wearing different and distinct masks, and the premise of them wearing the masks while being unprofessional amateurs could be really funny, it might also be both a little impersonal for the audience and a little unbelievable that someone in their lives wouldn't still be able to identify them, or at least have suspicions about their identity. 

So I really am conflicted about which path to take to continue the plot, at this point.

[shamedate-deactivated20130620]

[ensignwoah]

So fuck you, MRAs. Fuck you for showing up every time women speak, especially about rape and abuse, and trying to make it all about you. Fuck you for derailing threads about the victims of Marc Lépine, a man who screamed about his hatred for feminists as he murdered fourteen women and injured many others, because you also hate feminists and want a fucking cookie for not killing anyone. Fuck you for making rape and death threats against young women who dared to protest a speaking engagement by a man who thinks little girls would enjoy being raped by their fathers if it weren’t for society telling them it’s dirty. Fuck you for whining about how unfair it is that women might wonder if you’re a rapist when you approach them out of nowhere, while completely ignoring how unfair it is that women feel the need to be on guard all the time in public. Or that if we relax and behave normally — drinking, dancing, dressing however we want — you will be the first motherfuckers in line to blame us for getting ourselves raped.

A+++ rant from Kate Harding on the MRA movement and how it’s not actually about the real issues men face, but about putting feminists in their place.

(originally appeared on Jezebel)

FUCK YES 

(via lolijusthatementho)

not done reblogging this

(via callingoutbigotry)

[vigilantegirlsworkbook]

[alizalayne]

monster lady advice 

[0kaaayalrightwhat-ever1]

My mistrust [of men] is not, as one might expect, primarily a result of the violent acts done on my body, nor the vicious humiliations done to my dignity. It is, instead, born of the multitude of mundane betrayals that mark my every relationship with a man—the casual rape joke, the use of a female slur, the careless demonization of the feminine in everyday conversation, the accusations of overreaction, the eye rolling and exasperated sighs in response to polite requests to please not use misogynist epithets in my presence.

(via nadiaaboulhosn)

#i have a hard time dating men because i have a hard time believing men respect me

(via underwaternow)

[vigilantegirlsworkbook]

this week, I've been trying to focus on the actual plot logistics of this proposed web series, especially in light of my thoughts in this post. 

When I began thinking about this series, way back in the proposal stage, I really wanted to format it in the way of the Lizzie Bennet Diaries, with web-cam-ish self-reflexive asides like those in The Guild, and have the whole series not be filmed from a third perspective but uploaded by the characters themselves. I think this is really important in terms of making the characters and series seem like they're real and actually occurring, which will encourage audience participation and interaction, rather than just structuring it as a fictional scripted series. 

At first, I wanted to have webisodes at the centre of the project, seemingly recorded and uploaded by the main characters as video logs of their lives, complaints, and recounts of their actions. 

However, as I quickly realised, this format might not be logically possible in keeping with my plot. I can't exactly have the girls recording and publishing vlogs for their 'fans'/audience to watch, in conjunction with 'real life' footage and news clips etc that catalogue their crimes without having them be identified and caught by the police before they can do much damage at all. 

So far, I'm not 100% positive how I want to go about circumnavigating this problem. 

[newwavefeminism]

The following day, I attended a workshop about preventing gender violence, facilitated by Katz. There, he posed a question to all of the men in the room: “Men, what things do you do to protect yourself from being raped or sexually assaulted?” Not one man, including myself, could quickly answer the question. Finally, one man raised his hand and said, “Nothing.” Then Katz asked the women, “What things do you do to protect yourself from being raped or sexually assaulted?” Nearly all of the women in the room raised their hand. One by one, each woman testified: “I don’t make eye contact with men when I walk down the street,” said one. “I don’t put my drink down at parties,” said another. “I use the buddy system when I go to parties.” “I cross the street when I see a group of guys walking in my direction.” “I use my keys as a potential weapon.” The women went on for several minutes, until their side of the blackboard was completely filled with responses. The men’s side of the blackboard was blank. I was stunned. I had never heard a group of women say these things before. I thought about all of the women in my life — including my mother, sister and girlfriend — and realized that I had a lot to learn about gender.

Why I Am A Male Feminist (via newwavefeminism)