Rocket Girls

Katie and Star Wars

It's been two months! I had a beautiful little girl named Alexandra. I've also had many thoughts about Fable 3 and the evolution of women in RPGs... but I haven't had as much time to research as I would have liked. So I give unto you a POSITIVE story about a little girl who likes Star Wars:

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jenna-busch/may-the-force-be-with-kat_b_786657.html

 

See you next week!

In Which I Drastically Overthink A Primetime Television Show

I swear I'd intended to write something completely different this week.

Then I finally watched the Rocky Horror Glee episode.  I’d been wondering after so much anticipation why the next day’s reaction seemed to be a collective *meh*.

Now I know.

I even asked my daughter last night if she’d managed to catch it – she admitted that she had, and the impression she’d taken away could largely be summed up as “Mr. Shue is a creepy mo-fo”.

Preach it, kid.

I’m not going to knock any of the performances, except to say that there was no reason except blatant favoritism on the part of the writers to give 90% of Riff-Raff’s lines in “Time Warp” to Finn.  WTF, show?  “Time Warp” as a song belongs to the Transylvanians…at that point in the film, Brad and Janet are nowhere near embracing the message!  It’s like the common audience mistake of referring to Janet as a “slut” when she’s still a virgin - *context*, people!

Anyway…

It was admittedly heartwarming when Mercedes called out the theme of “Don’t Dream It, Be It” as a reason for her to step up and embrace Frankie’s role – and she did knock the hell out of the part.  No question.  The problem for me is that the show waffled on the *other* theme that underlies “Don’t Dream It”.

Give yourself over to absolute pleasure.

Inappropriate for a show whose primary characters are teenagers – as the show kept hammering home.  However, they obviously embraced it wholeheartedly for the scene between Mr. Shue and Emma.  That was hot as any sex scene I’ve ever seen in an 8pm show…and as such was wildly inappropriate for the setting.  I know they were trying to be true to the spirit of the movie, but if you strip all that pretense away, you essentially have two students spying on a make out (sex) encounter between two teachers on school property.

And if you’re going to do that, fine.  Rocky Horror is all about being subversive, and I get that.  The problem is you can’t pull it off when your actors are singing such an overly sanitized version of the song!

If you’re going to jump off the cliff anyway, may as well stop flapping.

Trying to come to some over-arching conclusion about how I felt watching the episode is difficult.  Rocky Horror is so much more than the physical show.  It’s a culture – it’s an experience – and I think if Glee proved anything this week, they’ve proved that it resists mainstreaming.  Releasing it on VHS didn’t do it, nor did releasing it on DVD.  Other than dragging out a shared cultural touchstone for their audience, I’m not really sure why Glee thought they’d be any more successful.

Which, frankly, leads me back to my daughter’s first experience with Rocky Horror a couple months back.  I remember being completely horrified at the behavior she reported and how the experience has evolved in the past quarter century (since I was actively a part of it).  Now I realize that – like Glee – I missed the point.  Even though I like to think I live on the edge of “establishment”, I *do* live here.

Rocky Horror doesn’t belong to me anymore.  It belongs to the generations growing up behind me – the ones who need to test their boundaries and embrace the concept of living their dreams.  I will always cherish the memories, but I do the experience I had no favors by trying to hold onto it and drag it along with me into a present where it’s no long relevant.

Female Character Flowchart

I love this.  This is from the wonderful blog Overthinking It:

 

Twenty Minutes Into the Future Is Now

I am a child of the 80’s.  So much so that I’m willing to bet any of you who’ve met me, or even spent more than five minutes chatting with me online have just thought some variation on the phrase: “So not surprised!”

Like the 70’s before it, the 80’s are an easy decade to make fun of.  Our hair was too big, our clothes were too loud, and we were already partying like it was 1999.  If you look at the pop culture of the decade, it’s also obvious that a bunch of us were drinking too much, and doing way too many drugs.

 

I mean – seriously.  Snorks?  Who thought this was a good idea?

Believe it or not, however, the animated follies of my childhood are not what I’m writing about today.  (Even though I maintain to this day that the Smurfs are a creation of pure, unadulterated evil.)  No, I’m actually choosing to focus on an undervalued gem of 80’s era science fiction.

 
 

If you just snorted in disbelief, hie yourself over to your Netflix account and slap this on your queue today.  Go ahead – I’ll wait.

Max Headroom was a show that society has only now – nearly a quarter of a century after it first aired – started to catch up to.  The show billed itself as being set “Twenty Minutes Into the Future”, and for thirteen episodes was a relentless, entertaining, uncomfortable look at where our society was heading.  Don’t believe me?

• Compressed advertising
• Firewalls
• Identity theft
• Intelligent agents in computer programs
• Reality Television
• Voiceprint Analysis
• Video Conferencing
• On screen video images and linked databases
• The V-Chip

This is only a small list of the things we accept as commonplace today, that in 1987 were part of the dystopian future being shown to us weekly on the ABC television network.

So where does the guy with the weird haircut and the speech impediment come into it?

Surprisingly not as much as you’d think.  It’s easy to look back and dismiss the show as an early version of the sorts of quick knock-off shows we see too much of today, taking advantage of pop culture phenomena to turn a quick buck (S*** My Dad Says, anyone?).  The truth is, it was so much more than that.  While the computer generated Max did play a role in every episode, the show rarely crutched along on his shoulders.  His primary purpose seemed to be sort of a Greek Chorus – the omniscient narrator highlighting key points of the story, without grabbing us by the back of the neck and screaming LOOK AT THIS – THIS WILL BE IMPORTANT!!

The story belonged to Edison Carter.  A journalist of the sort who gave rise to the likes of Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper, he was the truth seeker.  He was the idealistic man in a cynical age, trying to bring to light the darker aspect of the world society was letting happen around them.  Surrounding and supporting him were a team of superbly realized characters, who may not have always been as committed to Carter’s crusade as he was, but who were never once short-changed for a gimmick.

With all this to recommend the show, it is ironic that it has been so bound up in legal wrangling over the past twenty years that it almost never saw the light of the digital age.  Google lists of “what shows would you like to see on DVD”, and almost inevitably Max Headroom is mentioned.  Conspiracy theories abound as to why the show that was made for DVD almost missed it entirely.

Personally?  I’m just glad it’s here, and I’m glad that as I make my way through each of the episodes – reacquainting myself with Edison, Bryce, Theora, Blank Reg and company – that I didn’t imagine the brilliance of their story.  20 Minutes Into the Future is now, and while I may not always like where I am, I appreciate that the show that told me where I was going is too classy to scream “I TOLD YOU SO” now that I’m here.

Light Sabers or Tiaras - Why Not Both?

Blog note: I had actually hoped this would be an interview, but apparently my schmoozing skills still need work.  Instead, it’s a review – a review of something amazing.

 

Light sabers vs. tiaras – it’s a dilemma as old as more than a few of us Rocket Girls.  Ashley Eckstein – an actress and the voice of Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: The Clone Wars – has partnered with the Araca Group to take the argument in an unexpected direction.  Her Universe (http://heruniverse.com) proclaims itself “a place for fangirls to step into the spotlight and be heard, recognized and rewarded.”

 

Personally?  I’m buying what they’re selling.  Every chance I get.

 

I first heard hints about Her Universe on Twitter, and let me tell you – the idea of a geek oriented clothing line designed specifically for women was both fascinating and confusing.  I hadn’t really thought about it until somebody provided an alternative, but as fangirls, we’ve become accustomed to the idea of unisex clothing and accessories.  Maybe if we’re very lucky somebody will take a really cool design and screenprint it on a shirt that only fits about a tenth of the female population.

 

And looks good on about half that many women.

 

More often than not we end up wearing the same designs and styles as our male counterparts – and it shows.  We’re an afterthought, and after years of dealing with that reality, you start to accept it as the way things will always be.

 

Ms. Eckstein has definitely gone the road less travelled.  What I’ve seen of her shirts and hoodies to date definitely impresses me.  The fabric is soft, but so far (in the case of my Padme’ Nouveau shirt) very durable.  She’s using the very latest in print techniques, and has already assembled a range of styles and designs that move her firmly into the category of having “something for everyone”.

 

And it’s licensed!  Only Star Wars now, but when I spoke with Ms. Eckstein’s associates at Dragoncon, they told me she is actively pursuing other franchises. (*crosses fingers and prays for Firefly shirts*)

 

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I wasn’t able to spend as much time – or let’s face it, money – as I would have liked at her booth.  I was seriously impressed with the presentation, however.  Everything was neat and professional.  Instead of the standard plastic bag, I was presented my t-shirt in a reusable purple bag, printed with the company name.  In the bag was a rubber bracelet, printed again with the company name.

 

Combined, this is advertising that I will use, over and over – and it gives the franchise a boutique sensibility that you almost never find in science fiction fandom.  It’s a fresh, unique idea whose time is long overdue.

 

In the interest of fairness, and not sounding like a total shill, I do have to report that there one drawback to the Her Universe apparel.  Once again, the shirts run small for those of us that like our clothing a few steps away from “form fitting”.  Unlike other companies’ designs, however, you only need to look at one size larger than what you would wear in a unisex shirt – as opposed to the two you would need to fit in a standard Bella women’s cut shirt.

 

On a more personal and far less objective note, I also have to admit to feeling strange at having things that are beautiful and stylish to “geek out” over.  I’m so used to being outside the mainstream in every aspect of my life that it’s bizarre being able to enjoy something so soft and beautiful and…well…feminine; something that also firmly appeals to my Rocket Girl mentality.  As much as Ms. Eckstein proclaims that she is simply trying to make light sabers available to the girls as well, I think in the light sabers vs. tiara debate what she’s really telling us is that it doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition.

 

I’m still not necessarily sure I’m comfortable with that position, but I know I’ll be looking good in Her Universe shirts while I figure it out.

The Lady is a Tramp

I’m reading Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay* right now.  It’s delightful.  I love Kay’s writing: a great combination of complex plots and beautiful imagery.  And I’m always surprised and delighted at the end.  Unless I’m crying.

But one thing kind of bugs me. 

The book is set in a fictional Imperial China**, and, because of the period, the women in the story get their power through sex.  They’re courtesans, or pawns who are married off for political gain.  The men set the rules and the women acknowledge it.  They survive through seduction, or just by being lucky enough to get a powerful man’s attention.

And I don’t mean to pick on Guy Gavriel Kay.  There are plenty of works in SF/Fantasy where women are weak and helpless, where prostitution is accepted and common, where women are valued as toys and baby makers.

On the one hand, this makes sense.  After all, that was the reality in Imperial China.  And it’s the case in many fantasy novels that have an historical bent.  That’s the way things were back then, so that’s what’s reflected in the stories.  In a time when physical power was supreme, it makes sense that men would have the upper hand. 

What’s more, a character needs to have hardship to have a story.  It certainly is interesting to see a character in a situation where she has no power find a way to get what she needs through her intelligence and beauty.  What’s important is a good story - I’m not going to buy a book where the main character is empowered and respected all the time.

And, truth be told, Kay’s female characters are well-rounded and interesting, with flaws and challenges.  They are more intelligent than most, and find ways to get past their limited roles in society. 

So what’s my beef?

One of the goals of a novel, particularly a fantasy or science fiction work, is to create a world that we want to be in, at least to visit.  We feel deprived of that world when the book is over.  So what is that saying when that world is one in which women are sex objects?  When the society represented does not recognize women as people? 

Science Fiction and Fantasy, at their best, challenge us to imagine things how they could be, so we can better determine how they should be.  I’d like to see these imaginings to go beyond these historical, misogynist roles.  There are other ways to create drama. 

We need to dream bigger.


*on my new Kindle!  Which I adore!  Although I keep wanting to update Facebook from it.  Not sure why that is.

**Kay does this.  He’ll pick a historical period, change names and details, and then add in some magic.  It’s really a cool concept.

Savior, Breeder or Fodder

It boiled down to this question:

After the apocalypse, are you the Savior, the Breeder or the Fodder?

And I considered the question carefully. First, it depends on what type of apocalypse. War-torn wasteland is very different than a population of zombies. Then it depends on where I find myself. I know how to survive in an urban setting much easier than a rural. And lastly it depends on who is with me. My sniper husband gives me a better chance of survival than if I'm going at it alone. So if it's a war and I'm in the city... I probably end up as the breeder. But if I'm in the country, or there are zombies, then I'm totally the fodder. But that's just me.

Aside from Fallout 3 (where Moira is the merchant-queen of the universe) I haven't found any other roles that women fill in the post-apocalypse world. Please, I'm happy to be proven wrong. But I can't think of any instance where we're plucky side-kicks or even major/minor villians. Does the war/zombie horde target all women? Is that what happens to us? Or did women all throw up their hands, shout, "Screw this!" and run off to a few lost islands to sip mai-tais until the end of days?

'Cause I'd much rather be on the island rather than stuck as the breeder or the fodder.

Anyone? Any examples of films or games with a woman in a different post-apocalypse role?

Love and Robot Monsters: Can Love exist in SF?

I’m a big Pixar fan, and I recently found out that one of their upcoming films, Newt, has been cancelled.  (definitely check out this link - you'll get to see the beautiful concept art)

Kind of a bummer, but that’s the creative process for you.  Not everything works. 

But the story is intriguing, especially from a female fan perspective.  The basic story is this:  Newt is the last blue-footed newt in captivity.  He’s been studying a mating ritual chart in the lab where he lives, waiting for his mate to come along.  When they finally capture a female, Brooke, they don’t get along.  And then they end up in the wild.  Newt tries to win Brooke’s heart, and Brooke is responsible for saving their blue footed hides, since she’s the only one who knows the real world.

Innocent, romantic boy wins the heart of daring, adventurous girl.  Girl gets married in the end, as my friend Bamm would put it. 

First of all, this sounds a lot like the love story of Wall-E.  Perhaps that’s why it was canned. 

But there’s something in this that kind of bugs me.  Wall-E bugged me the same way*.  The girl is awesome, making her a better prize for the protagonist.  It’s another “Strong Female Character” who gets married at the end.

But what if we switched it?  Let’s say Brooke is the protagonist: last blue-footed newt in captivity, reading a mating chart so she knows what to do when her man comes along.  Newt is a swashbuckling adventurer who sweeps her off her feet and protects her in the wild.

Ugh.  Maybe not.

So I think we have a few lessons here:

    1.    You can’t make a sexist** story not sexist simply by switching the traditional roles. I think that’s what they were trying to do with Newt (and Wall-E) by having a more dynamic female character and a more emotional male character.  The problem is, those are stereotypes, no matter which way you turn them.

    2.    Love stories need to be about more than “getting the girl” or “finding a man.”  Love is not an end unto itself.  One of the characters ends up being an object, and it’s usually the woman.  Either she’s a prize that the hero wins or “getting a man” is the most important goal she can achieve. 

Are Love Stories out of vogue?  I don’t think so.  But I think when a character’s goal is “to be in love,” then it doesn’t work.  Because then people are defined by their gender roles, and that’s just annoying. 

And in Science Fiction, the love story can often take a back seat to the Science and Action, so it gets watered down into “find mate.” 

What are some SF movies or books with really great love stories?  The Princess Bride, Han and Leia, of course,  are what I can think of off the top of my head. 



*Don’t get me wrong - I loved Wall-E.  I just felt that aspect of the love story was stereotypical.

**Maybe Sexist is too strong a word.  Say “gender role stereotype reinforcing” perhaps.  But that’s way too long to write.

In Which I Have Deep Thoughts at Dragoncon...

It was Saturday night at Dragoncon, and despite an earlier bout with severe dehydration I had roused myself to go downstairs for the Browncoat Shindig.

 

Marion Call was on stage (and if you haven’t heard this woman sing yet, wtf are you waiting for?  Go!  Shoo!), and the crowd was at that perfect point between large and HOMG the fire marshal is going to have a heart attack.

 

There also weren’t a lot of “frat boy” drunks (an increasing problem at Dragoncon for another time and another discussion).  The atmosphere was social, and happy – exactly the way the best events at Dragoncon tend to be.  And given how unforgivably absent I’ve been from this blog for the last few weeks, I started to look at things through the lens of a Rocket Girl.

 

For those reading this who might not be aware, Dragoncon is an entirely fan run multi-media convention that takes over downtown Atlanta every Labor Day weekend.  The guest list is really only beaten by the San Diego and New York Comicons, and discussion wise there is literally something for everyone.  It also has a very large musical presence; the band tables literally take center stage at the Marriott Marquis.

 

I only semi-jokingly refer to it as “Geek Mardi Gras” – imagine a party with all your favorite things in life, and between 40,000 and 60,000 people to share it with.

 

The Shindig is a dance hosted every year by the Browncoats (fans of the television show Firefly), and the featured band for the past several years has been Emerald Rose (www.emerald rose.com) – a Celtic rock band from North Georgia.

 

There is an indescribable comfort in finding out that you’re not alone in the world.  At Dragoncon, you can throw off your normalcy and revel in your strangeness…nobody really judges you for it.  Wear a costume, don’t wear a costume – nobody really cares.  The woman in the black PVC dress, spike heels and demon wings might be a kindergarten teacher at a parochial school in her “real” life, but at Dragoncon nobody asks.

 

In their own individual ways, science fiction conventions are the outward expression of why women enjoy science fiction literature, television and movies.  You can take yourself out of a life you may not be entirely satisfied with, away from a society that may not be comfortable with the you who doesn’t fit in.

 

For a little while.

 

For a lot of us, this can be a huge deal.  Even around our fellow geeks a lot of times our interests are dismissed or cause confused looks and dismissive attitudes.  In a setting like Dragoncon, however, the teenage girl who’s saved her money to buy the Pathfinder source book, the twenty-something professional engaged in a discussion of Heinlein, and the middle age mother dancing to Emerald Rose like she’s having an epileptic seizure are the rule, not the exception.

 

Compared to that level of personal validation, reality a lot of times just doesn’t measure up.

 

Of course, that would be why we have our Heinlein connection, our DVRs, and our weekly gaming nights…and the knowledge that the next convention is typically around the corner should we need that validation reinforced from time to time.

MADiD: Mothers Against Damsels in Distress

For me, it all started with the game Parasite Eve. I'd been playing Super Mario Brothers since I was seven... and didn't have too many more games worth noting. A few racing games, the Ninja Turtles arcade game... but we didn't buy too many more when all I'd do anyway was play Mario Brothers for hours on end.

Then for some reason I received a Playstation for Christmas (1999) and the game Parasite Eve. I really don't know what prompted my parents to select this game out of the myriad of games available, but I'm glad they did. Suddenly I saw human characters that weren't trying to save a princess (or April O'Neal) but rather a female police officer who was kicking mutant butt led by a crazy soprano opera singer. (I sing Alto, btw. Sopranos are generally crazy.)

My mind was blown. I'd certainly read plenty of books with active-shape-your-own-destiny female protagonists, but I'd never seen one in a video game before. I ate the game up. My brother and I played that game all Christmas break until we beat the final boss in a flaming Statue of Liberty. It was awesome. That was when I noticed that all the games I owned before Parasite Eve had no active female characters. And I was confused.

It's different now. And we're better for it. But I'm not going to tell my daughter that she can't be a Ninja Turtle. I'm going to read her Not One Damsel in Distress by Jane Yolen... and explain that not all Princesses are like Princess Peach. And when she can handle people spontaneously combusting, then she and I will play Parasite Eve together.