Trans megathread for the week of September 30th, 2024 to October 6th, 2024 - Sacred Echoes posting!
Trans megathread for the week of September 30th, 2024 to October 6th, 2024 - Sacred Echoes posting!
When I decided to host the mega again a bit ago, I had no idea what to make it about (of course). So it fell between two topics: a post on the importance of sleep, or a post on just how much I love Fire Emblem: The Sacred Echoes. Well, I felt like the importance of sleep was well-known, and could always wait for the next time I host a mega. I wanted to make sure I hit the Sacred Echoes iron while it's hot, because I've almost finished my play through at this point, and it might genuinely be one of the best games I have ever played.
Sacred Echoes feels so polished, considering it's a fan-made romhack of Sacred Stones, with the goal of bringing the 3DS game, Shadows of Valentia (SoV), to the GBA. Everything about the game aesthetically is very well-done, from the portraits, to the battle sprites, and literally anything else that could be thought of about a game. This includes new character writing, which helps the game in areas where Shadows of Valentia was a little, well, off. That's what I want to go over first, and although I've made a post before, I had only played a little bit of the game. Being at the end, I've noticed more things, and grown to appreciate this game even more than I already did.
Let's start off with the relevant (and interesting) bits: Sacred Echoes actually does a really good job at representing a variety of backgrounds, while also being diverse in a way that doesn't feel like it's simply to have a token character. This game doesn't suffer from the cracker curse, for example. Although most of the characters are white, there is more than one person of color (
) . In terms of LGBTQ+ representation, it's even better. There are many gay/lesbian characters, whose sexuality actually plays a role in the plot and how they interact with others. There's also an aroace character, Lukas, who goes through a whole arc of self-discovery in his support conversations (support Python). It's good stuff, and not things I would normally expect from a Fire Emblem game. I hesitate to bring up the (possibly) only trans character in the game, Jesse. HOLD ON, NO HESITATION AT ALL! I just decided to do more research, and I wasn't just projecting. He is 100% trans, and it's in supports, and it's relevant to his plot and backstory, so it's just like the rest of them, thank goodness, I was worried he was a token. So yeah, support Clive and Jesse. Good stuff, and good luck getting to the end of the game so they can actually meet, one fights for Alm and the other for Celica...
This is Jesse
Here's some dialogue between Clive and Jesse, in the context of a will:
Clive: Only the following will be yours - your mother's wardrobe, her jewelry box, and all corresponding contents.
Jesse: Urgh. Even from halfway in the grave he's trying to tell me what to wear. So yeah, he's still the same tyrant he always was. Hasn't changed a bit.
In terms of character background, it's more diverse than one would think, and it addresses the issue of feudal class. Not all of the characters are nobles, and one of the main characters is a commoner from a random village. The plot regularly deals with the fact that nobles and commoners do not get along. However, it does not try to redeem most nobles. If they aren't proving themselves with their actions, they're probably shitty. Even if they are supposedly "one of the good ones", there's usually some underlying prejudice that comes out when you might not expect it. I love it so much, and I am extremely impressed that the plot doesn't try to redeem nobility as a whole, but rather allows the noble characters within the cast to have character development that feels less like justification and more like re-education.
Pictured is the class traitor Lukas absolutely destroying Fernand
For other details about the story, I'll link my original post. I don't want to drag this on too long, and I mention most of the improvements there. It also includes where to find the patch for the game, and how to play the game for yourself. If you enjoy SRPGs, or are new to the genre, I recommend this game. It has an easy mode for the newbies, and hard mode for those of us who hate ourselves (/s), and a normal mode for everything in-between 
The Echoes cast is amazing, and I love how they interact with each other and the world. Each character stands out, and they feel unique in their relationships with the other characters. Even characters that suffer in SoV, like Faye and the Masked Knight (has a name but it's spoilers), benefit from the Sacred Echoes writing, making them actually enjoyable characters. The villains of the game are also great. I don't want to go too deep, because I don't want to spoil too much, but they aren't just pure evil, and for that I applaud the SoV writers. Berkut is probably the highlight of the game, being the heir to the throne of the empire. I am once again asking you to play the game, because IT IS SO GREAT, and I would not have expected these good of villains to pair with Alm and Celica, as well as their armies.
Pictured is the Masked Knight being a gay little guy. The other guy (Saber) is threatening his life...
Everything about the game design is also amazing. It's GBA Fire Emblem, so the animations are peak and the pixel art is stellar. The maps are improved from the original SoV maps, and they are definetly much better, and much less repetitive. Classes in the game are fun in how they work, each character being able to promote 2-3 times. Mages also work really uniquely and well in this game, with spells costing HP to cast. They learn spells as they level up, rather than by purchasing tomes, which makes for (in my opinion), better gameplay. Sacred Echoes also adds the GBA weapon and magic triangles!
All in all, Sacred Echoes is a great game, and even if you never ending up playing it, you now know of its existence. It stands out as a great romhack, as well as a great Fire Emblem game, AND it has the gay. Can it really get better than that?
If you want my original (and more in-depth) analysis, check out my original post. It's mostly about what Sacred Echoes improves upon the original Shadows of Valentia.
Hope you enjoyed my little nerd-out session, and have a good week everyone! 
DOWNLOAD SACRED ECHOES: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/o9v75blehaid1re2i8qou/ALhV8LN1A59jdFIP6HYRH3c?rlkey=d7fl1m8qh9gl7ztmnim33euu1&e=1&dl=0
PATCH TO AN EXISTING SACRED STONES ROM: https://www.marcrobledo.com/RomPatcher.js/
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cw CLASSIC FICTIONAL TRANSPHOBIA SHIT
As a kid I read Breakfast of Champions, and maybe most people hear Vonnegut's name and think of the Dresden bit from Slaughterhouse V. Me, I think of the HARRY WAS A TRANSVESTITE bit from Breakfast of Champions. I think I knew then that it would be possible, even likely, to encounter random pitfalls like that anywhere in popular media.
spoiler
was this by any chance inspired by the literature thread from earlier today?
It was, because I don't think of Vonnegut much. I also don't begrudge anyone recommending his books but that rattled in my brain.
perhaps a slightly hot take
I personally associate vonnegut with late middle/early high school, since that's when I was reading him, lol.
idk as someone who also enjoys my share of Literatureā¢ I do feel like this site is way too elitist about it? like, all media has a craft to it; all kinds of media can be close-read and inspire critical thinking and empathy. it's cool to want to read more books but so much of Serious Literature discussion is about putting other books down (said from the perspective of someone who used to engage in it). also i scrolled through that thread and while there were some ppl recommending non-white authors it still struck me as quite eurocentric
oh hell yeah
I tried posting about books in the literature comm once, ask me how it went! It wasn't about any Great Western Canon lit so
I do think the "slop/treats" discourse can be a bit much on here sometimes. I also view c/literature as being only for theory and Classic Scifi basically. I have slid some Lesbian Murder Horror recs in...
eurocentric
Ngl I kinda view this as a losing battle when it comes to this subject, it's like built in, Idk why. I tend to keep my nose out because yeah, Serious Literature people are SO FAR up their own ass. The thread did not please me greatly either, wish I could disagree with anything you've said...
more takes!
ask me how it went!
so how did it go?
I think the slop/treats discussion is better when applied as an analysis of how people engage with media, rather than the media that they engage with. unfortunately I usually see the latter rather than the former.
I'm guilty of having fallen into the eurocentrist literature trap in the past as a poc myself... I think I'm still working to deprogram myself of it. So I don't like seeing threads on here that reinforce it, especially in the context of all the white people who use this site. like, it displeases me to see a Great Literature thread where a majority of the authors are white and/or men ā says something about unexamined bias, I think. if i read more books i'd feel more comfortable giving diverse recs, but unfortunately reading has been hard for me the past few years due to chronic illness/neurodivergence reasons.
btw i will take the lesbian murder horror recs!
Takes on fire
It went so bad I deleted it within a hour, lmao. The only place I post about books now is the trans mega, which is annoying because there's plenty of queer stuff broadly I'd post about, little bit of a "kink" for queer horror...
Wow, you mean people are just looking at it as another way to feel superior and look down their noses? Big big shock, never seen it anywhere
So I don't like seeing threads on here that reinforce it, especially in the context of all the white people who use this site. like, it displeases me to see a Great Literature thread where a majority of the authors are white and/or men ā says something about unexamined bias, I think.
Y'know, I've clicked onto and then instantly off of threads here because "ooh books!" "oh Ulysses again..." type shit, honestly. I hate to see it. I try to recommend diverse stuff when I can, but to be insufferable for a sec - One of the things that truly surprised me about Nevada is that nobody here has really said that while it's just one book, it sort of sets a tone by being about a relatively-privileged white trans woman? It makes more sense if you know that every book in its wake is the same thing lol. I kind of wanted to talk about Otros Valles for that reason, like it's weird how a bunch of New York dorks published Binnie's novel and then that's just the standard pattern for trans fiction, and almost the only voice we see represented. This thought rolls around my brain constantly but I'm not smart enough to examine it properly.
Lesbian murder horror recs! If you can get hands on it, Girl Flesh by May Leitz is the easy-A for the genre as far as slightly slashery stuff goes, but if you're in more of a Hill House mood I can rec Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey.
yet more taking
The only place I post about books now is the trans mega
And it works, better than any c/literature posting that I've seen anyways. like how many people here (including me) have been encouraged to read orange book now? maybe the way to inspire people to Read Literature is to, idk, just talk about books with enthusiasm, who knew. more broadly ā I think that a lot of the bemoaning about "no one reads literature anymore" could be solved if we just make books a topic of discussion again; and i think books as a discussion topic works better if there's no Great Western Canon-esque expectations attached.
One of the things that truly surprised me about Nevada is that nobody here has really said that while it's just one book, it sort of sets a tone by being about a relatively-privileged white trans woman? It makes more sense if you know that every book in its wake is the same thing lol.
other people have said it better than me, but the publishing industry is truly a hot mess and I think it's possible that the trans litfic world kind of got a stroke of unexpected luck? or maybe it's a case of a small scene getting an unexpected spotlight (esp in recent years w detransition baby getting huge), kind of like grunge was just a small pnw thing that blew up? my trans lit prof is assigning us books by akwaeke emezi and rivers solomon and camilla sosas villada, which is cool. so the books by trans authors of color are out there, it's just a matter of time before they blow up as they deserve to. (edit: I also think that the trans litfic scene is still pretty niche even though there have been breakout successes from it; and that's within the niche modern literature in general, so it's a niche within a niche)
yay for lesbian murder horror!!
moar
like how many people here (including me) have been encouraged to read orange book now? maybe the way to inspire people to Read Literature is to, idk, just talk about books with enthusiasm, who knew.
Aw it's just yapping, uh probably ten people? About that... It does seem like the PEOPLE DONT READ ANYMORE is always crashing against the Great Western Canon thing. People don't wanna talk about what they deem "slop" and of course the only thing not Slop is capital-L Literature as defined by the English Lit courses they took at Idk, Harvard or something. That's why even though I would pretty much never defend "Booktok" and its novels specifically, uncritical disdain for "Booktok" seems deeply sus to me.The dumbest part is, even the Great Western Canon guys are capable of passionate interesting discussion... hmmmmmm...
other people have said it better than me, but the publishing industry is truly a hot mess and I think it's possible that the trans litfic world kind of got a stroke of unexpected luck? or maybe it's a case of a small scene getting an unexpected spotlight (esp in recent years w detransition baby getting huge),
Oh yeah, like to me the current wave of Trans Litfic things that descend from Topside books, that's literally all just that specific New York trans collective thingy. It feels weird.
my trans lit prof is assigning us books by akwaeke emezi and rivers solomon and camilla sosas villada, which is cool. so the books by trans authors of color are out there, it's just a matter of time before they blow up as they deserve to.
That really struck me in a good way about the class, also shame again because I haven't read Emezi or Solomon yet... I relate to the exhaustion/neurodiversity reading issues, I have not read anything recently, rip. I would love to see any book by a trans person of colour really blow up, I guess Light From Uncommon Stars is by far the most popular. Have you read Berrout's lil essays by chance?
It is a niche within a niche, it blew my brain out when places like The Observer or Vogue or LA Times were writing about Orange Book... big media push for small novel...
ah stabby dykes
Lesbian Murder Horror
You fuckin' know it. I want more, and more trans murder lesbians in particular.Me too
queery
Thoughts on Rocky Horror Picture Show?
I genuinely don't understand the cult following Rocky Horror has among queer people. I've seen it. It's just Transmisogyny: The Movie.
wait, maybe that's the reason...
As a queer elder, perhaps I can explain. Ash is right insofar as it's a cultural thing.
Yes, the portrayal is problematic, but the majority of people who like the movie (queer and not queer alike) find Frank N. Furter to be a magnetic, charismatic, sexual, and commanding character.
To show someone likeable who is completely and utterly defiant of cis heteronormative culture (as a foil to Brad and Janet who are mega cis hetero) was enough for a lot of people to really latch into it.
It was slim pickings in pop culture
It may be a generational thing, but honestly I know a lot of people in my generation who like it too. I think this is just one of those things that flies over my head.
It's also a cult film for cis people too
queeery
Never seen it but I have negative views, unsurprisingly. I tend not to yap because A) I will not subject myself to Tim Curry playing a transphobe's idea of a trans woman B) it is kind of a cultural thing and very important to a lot of gen x queer & trans people. I doubt I'd be able to constrain my furious screeching if I watched it but uh, I ain't gonna
Classic Ash
I have a whole secret screed about checks notes every single film to ever depict a trans person. It's a whole thing.
Did you watch the TV Glow?
I haven't seen it yet
Actually deeply hateful take
I lose credibility
No because it sounds like bleak sadness porn but for trans women this time, which y'know, fine. Cromalin spoke of it constantly but I figured I'd skip watching it for the benefit of literally everyone else. Those sorts of "I'm sad in the closet trasition is scary" things, I dunno. I had enough of those Very Special Episodes with Being Emily, I feel like most of the insufferable litfic and really most of the genreslop even are past that.
you're right about it.
Thank u for saying
you got it. it honestly pisses me off that it was lauded so much among our community when it is just a rehashing of extremely tired tropes about how being queer/trans is ultimate suffering no joy etc. it's not revolutionary. it's not even particularly interesting and while it was a technically impressive flick I found it didn't really resonate with me at all. make some stories about queer and trans joy please not this stuck in the 90s suffering porn shit.
rehashing of extremely tired tropes about how being queer/trans is ultimate suffering no joy
This is my issue with the current climate around trans media, cinema is a trash fire and always has been. I wish we could nove on from the misery and get more varied stories. We should realistically be past this kind of stuff by now. It is frustrating staying in this rut, it's as tired out as the "character is trans shock value" trope that crept up in the 80s/90s also.
I don't relate to the majority of it, it would be great to see more tans masc or enbies for once too that isn't also misery porn, and fucking show how fun and quirky it can be being trans. At least books have moved on and grown up a little in that regard.
I think for many people it was literally the first textually trans media they had ever seen. You do wonder if they'd react similarly to Boys Don't Cry... The fact that it is literally stuck in the 90s makes it double funny/annoying.
The whole "I CRIED SO HARD IT BROKE ME" did make me think of stuff like Boys Don't Cry or even A Little Life as far as reactions to queer-suffering narratives go. We can do better...
Classic Ash
You gotta admit, though, the tragedy seems to have scared some eggs into transition
No.
I mean to start with, I don't really think that bludgeoning eggs into doing something about their gender with horror-movie-style "YOU WILL DIE LIKE THIS" rhetoric is the right way to go about it. Not always, necessarily. I know some people truly do just need that boot, but I think a lot of people won't be receptive to it. Heaven forfend anyone take time to think about it, no let's fucking scare 'em with visions of BEING A MAN LATE IN LIFE. It also sounds astoundingly, painfully neurotypical and aimed at binary transfems, which whatever, aren't they all. It seems like the film has this reputation as the All-Seeing Egg-Cracker and like, yeah, maybe if you are a 90s-era trans woman living in a small town. But that's not even the majority of transfemmes, imo. It has a very overbearing reputation, I find. Doesn't it sort of center this narrative that You, the Trans Fem Viewer, must be in immeasurable sadness and pain and only the light of Coming Out will Save You?
I think I'm gonna have to balk at this idea that a film trumpeted as "the most transgender thing ever" is shooting for being a PSA about how sad it is to be in the closet and You Need To Get Out Now, and that's seen as a good thing. Puts me fondly in mind of all of the tragic media about sad gay men and all that, truly our very ownvoices suffering porn in a sense.
Anyway now that I've utterly crushed any sense that I could ever have a good take, you can feel free to disregard all of my other ones.
THANK YOU
I saw a ton of glowing praise (heh) for that movie and you really hit the nail on the head of what was turning me off about the whole thing
I feel like the premise had way more potential than it delivered on too
Like the whole thing centers around a fictional cult classic TV show... SO ACTUALLY SHOW THE SHOW YOU MADE UP ON SCREEN
MAKE THAT COOL AND LET THE AUDIENCE SEE WHY THE CHARACTERS ARE SO INTO IT
It's like a whole movie of telling not showing that bludgeons the audience with its message in a really sophomoric way
There's some cool atmosphere and shots in it but people online were acting like it was the best thing ever when it came out and idk, I remember thinking "hey good for Jane Schoenbrun coming out and getting to make a feature film that's an on the nose dysphoria allegory, I hope she gets to make a much better movie eventually if this does well"
THANK YOU
Waow you're welcome! āØ
SO ACTUALLY SHOW THE SHOW YOU MADE UP ON SCREEN
As far as Lynch-inspired fake-TV-show transfemme-stories, I vastly prefer Little Blue Encyclopedia by Hazel Jane Plante :3
whole movie of telling not showing that bludgeons the audience with its message in a really sophomoric way
Most of the afterschool-special trans-PSA stuff is like this, sadly! I hate to see it!! Jane Schoenbrun was on track to direct the Nevada movie until managerial interference shitcanned it.
Anyway now that I've utterly crushed any sense that I could ever have a good take, you can feel free to disregard all of my other ones.
Trying to preempt the internal logic of your takes has become a puzzle for me to solve
This thing is problematic, so Ash won't like it. Oh no no no, she likes some problematic things, but they need to be problematic in particular ways
I don't think I'll ever comprehend the eldritch knowledge~
Perhaps I have actual nuance and thought in this goofy fucking skull, alongside strong feelings? Fwiw I could give any other trans film a way harsher beating than TV Glow. Bit is a movie I really like which sucks really badly.
I don't have an ideological opposition to TV Glow's existence, more a problem with how it's positioned.
What problematic things do I like?
I don't like it either
