larzard:

regardless of whether or not you like the last jedi you have to admit two things.

1. it is truly beautiful that the last thing mark hamill will ever say on screen to carrie fisher is “no one is ever really gone”

2. it is poetic and significant that luke skywalker’s journey started and ended with binary sunsets

the Bechdel test, the Ellen Willis test, ALL THE TESTS: or, a handy guide to feminist critiques of narrative

jennirl:

(reference for when i am trying to explain these to people and they are looking at me like “huh”):

• the Bechdel test: does the story have a) more than one women, b) who talk to each other, c) about something other than a man.
• the Ellen Willis test: if you flip the genders, does the story still make sense?
• the Sexy Lamp test (courtesy of Kelly Sue DeConnick): can you replace your female character with a sexy lamp and still have the story work? if yes, YOU ARE A HACK.
• the Mako Mori test: there is a) at least one female character, b) who gets her own narrative arc, c) that is not about supporting a man’s story.
• the Tauriel test (which i made up in response to The Hobbit 2 [which passes] and Skyfall [which fails]): a) there is a woman, b) WHO IS GOOD AT HER JOB.

and in justification of my recent TV obsessions, i would like to note that Scandal, The Vampire Diaries, Buffy, and Nikita (ALL HAIL MAGGIE Q) pass all of these tests with flying colors.

UPDATE: i just discovered the Finkbeiner test and it is FANTASTIC.

FURTHER UPDATE: these were noted by oranges8hands and are EXCELLENT and add some much-needed intersectionality:

The Deggans Rule: a) At least two POC characters in the main cast, b) in a show that’s not about race.

The Racial Bechdel Test (I first saw it laid out by Alaya Dawn Johnson): a) it has two POC in it, b) who talk to each other, c) about something other than a white person

and then I offered an amendment to the Bechdel test: d) both women have to be alive at the end

marypsue:

hopelesslehane:

ladyeternal178:

saladmander:

ok but like when did self-sacrifice become synonymous with death? writers seem to have forgotten that people can make personal sacrifices for the greater good without giving their lives. plots about self-sacrifice and selflessness don’t always have to end in death. suffering doesn’t have to be mourning. you can create drama and emotional depth on your show without killing everyone. learn to explore the meaning of living rather than dying

Death. Is. NOT. The. Only. Way. To. Advance. The. Narrative.

Fun things to sacrifice for your loved ones in your free time that don’t include death and actually set up for a whole new season of high level drama:

- humanity (mostly applicable to sci-fi/supernatural genre)
- memories (mostly applicable to sci-fi/supernatural genre)
- love for that special someone (mostly applicable to sci-fi/supernatural genre)
- emotions (mostly applicable to sci-fi/supernatural genre)
- rank/position/
- yourself/your brain/your skills (give yourself over to bad guys and become their brainwashed agent so your loved ones live)
- years of bloody ruthless traditions to make way for peace (hi lexa and fuck jroth tbh)
- freedom (includes that of speech/mind/will)
- your grandpa’s fortune
- hell even material possessions have that girl sacrifice her goddamn house so they can pay off her gf’s student loans or whatever juST STOP KILLING CHARACTERS TO FURTHER YOUR PLOT

Other things to sacrifice:

- your most sought-after goal

- a strongly-held belief or conviction

- your own chance at happiness