Feminism Done Right

I saw on one post earlier this week that "unfortunately", diverse content (poc, queer, lesbian, ect) from Indies are not enticing because it's A) not readily accessible and in their faces, and B) not as high quality as what they're used to.

DO NOT. BE. THAT. PERSON. Straight people, especially Cis White men voted with their wallets. We should have done that a lot more with the Indie scene. Yes, that means searching for it. Yes, that means doing more than reblogging a cool little project and putting your dollars where your mouth is. Indie creators can't GET funding if even those who demand such content won't.... support it? Vote with your wallets. I promise you, there's no better victory for a racist White guy than seeing us complain that the content isn't there, then coming up with whatever excuse is on that overused dartboard for why you turned away from the content you swore up and down you wanted to see. Because that "high quality" content can't be built on nothing, and they have to start somewhere.

So let's not vote the same exact way a man who spams "woke" like some pissant. "Thoughts and prayers" was a GREAT phrase to describe reblogging and doing little else. We have to be ready to BE more for the people creating this content we want. Like, follow me en masse if you REALLY want someone to find the stuff for you!

Anypoo, I'm just a little salty that we have this classical painting of a visual novel with AN ALL BLACK CAST about to fail its campaign because too many people thought just sharing it on social media was enough. The production value of the demo is INSANE, given the creator funded it with a Walmart payroll. And they're giving the first game out for free. I can't fathom what more some of you could want!

Vote with your wallets. Not (just) with a repost.

SPOILERS FOR THE WOMEN OF XAL II KICKSTARTER DEMO.

That's right, the shit that I'm about to tell you is so radically unexpected that even my petty ass dropped spoiler warnings. This is part 3 of my commentary for the visual novel. Use those beautiful little fingers and look at my feed for the other two parts. Or play the demo and back the game before the Kickstarter fails. Just turn those pretty words of support into action and you'll be supporting real artists, real writers, and that queer content ya'll are so parched for. Anypoo, let's talk about this fucked up part of the demo.

When we last left off, Xjena was left a message over Xicanna's dead body. Written in blood. For those of you who played the first game, this is an obvious, dangerous escalation from everything faced prior. Now you've been named. Marked. Targeted as an enslaver. With nothing left to do, you head back to the castle on xragoon-back.

Xjena, on her way back to the castle, talks to Liz about how Xuna didn't have all these unique problems, and that she needs to sort things out before it's too late. Liz cleanly states that she's just there to make sure Xjena doesn't die. Xjena, bless her cute ass, really said she won't die because she has vague foresight powers. Bonkers MC energy, but I digress. The sky's crimson hue mixing with purple is BEAUTIFUL. The artist that replaced the original CG artist? Chef's kiss. Bro really saw the original art and the story and cooked a full course meal. Something that, by the way, costs money. I hope none of you think that Black creators can just have money fall on their lap for your consumption all the time. (Fund the Kickstarter if this is your jam)

But returning home wasn't... normal. Everyone's gone. Sentries, friends, lovers, staff. All those lovely fucks. Gone. Liz and Xjena's phones are acting up, and Liz immediately summons her broadsword. Something is terribly wrong.

When I got here, and the option to save or rollback before this moment vanished, I was locked the fuck in. This wasn't the cutesy murder stuff from the first game. This was something genuinely unsettling and brought no end of questions for me. Because there's nothing in the lore that explains a suddenly abandoned castle. There's nothing connecting the events of the demo leading up to this point. Only the fact the sky was becoming increasingly creepy throughout the scenes. Something I didn't really notice until the ride back. For the first time in the series, I genuinely felt uneasy. I kind of chuckled when I realized that Women of fucking Xal had me hesitant to continue ahead. I was afraid of jump scares or frightening imagery. And that's when I decided that this demo might actually make me a full fledged fan of the series.

Xjena and Liz walk into the castle...

Part 4 gets into heavier spoilers, so maybe play the demo before then.

Shortly after Liz tells you there's a dead body outside with your name on it, she also tells you that the messenger refused to divulge in the details of the message's contents. Well that's weird. No one would dare do that Xuna~ Anypoo, Clanice interrupts and gives a VALID warning that Xjena shouldn't be complacent, and that things are unsettling in both timing and actions. Now, she's being a bit prissy and clever with it BECAUSE SHE'S JUST LIKE THAT, but she is telling you VERY good advice. Derailed by Axay crashing into the conversation making a Steven Universe reference. Appreciate her intrusion for what it is, because this is the silliest this demo gets. The happy Women of Xal I energy dies with her departure from the demo.

Because that dead body is GNARLY. Xicanna lies dead in the corner, and a message in blood reads "HERE LIES XJENA THE ENSLAVER". The thread is clear. Someone, or more likely, an entire faction, wants Xjena, you, dead. And labeled you a slave owner. Which is true, but you're one of the good ones! Xjena even heavily implies as much when she voices her frustrations! Wishing they'd not target her when she's trying to help from within!

And this is where it gets delicious. The first game VERY VERY VERY slowly leads you into its themes. Dabbles then lets you go on your way. The sequel's holding onto everything and sinking its teeth in, putting its foot down. Your media literacy quiz has begun. Naxia and Merixa make their appearance and give their perspectives on the group that killed Xicanna, Xicanna's sins of gross neglect, and why Xjena is a target but Xuna never was. But Xjena is overcomplicating it: Own slaves, get targeted. But she's about to find out that the demo's pacing is fucking rapid fire because

Anypoo, the sequel immediately opens more moody and cinematic. A mysterious woman sings in an isolated dark place as the title screen appears. It's relatively private. Personal. Full of an emotion you cannot confidently name. Something was immediately off and almost tragic. I was immediately raising an eyebrow. Because THIS is the kind of vibe I wanted to see.

Then the clock sounds play and you're thrown in Xjena's shiny new office. Just woke up. Probably doing the dream loop thing again. Not that you know; all you got was a vaguely threatening line of text from the game. But the music plays, it's cozy and low-key, the characters are cute and clever as always. Valimer fixed his unfortunate hairstyle and Velvet is slightly less impulsive, all is chill. The vibes are immaculate.

Anyway, dead body. There's news of a dead woman in an alleyway with your name etched in blood. It's Xicanna's, the hot freckled woman with the muscles. Owns Nox, the hot brat with glasses.

This is that sequel pacing that I ADORE from this writer. Instead of the slow build we get in the original, it's intrigue and escalating pacing with compelling mysteries five minutes into the damned story.

Alright buckle up. I'm about to tell you what the visual novels Women of Xal and Women of Xal II are about, since the latter's campaign is running cold. Ignoring the diversity and inclusion stuff. Full disclosure, I like the first game but I GREATLY prefer Mesto Accelerando and Vijiri's Path from the same writer. However I don't want to be the bitch who talks about wanting to see games like Women of Xal succeed while contributing nothing worthwhile to making that happen. So here's the breakdown, from a fan.

When you start the first game, you're immediately going to have to deal with media literacy and subtext. There's no getting around it. It starts literally immediately. Playing as Xjena, you try to learn about how to best become the next queen bae as well as the world you want to make social changes in. But it's clear early on that things are off. Tensions are high, magical maiming, you can get murdered for just putting your hands on the current queen, men are enslaved, half the cast are emotionally damaged, someone put a hex on your power of foresight, you might be in a time loop that isn't actually a time loop, murder is okay, and, of course, we can't forget about the kidnapped children.

Someone is kidnapping children by the masses for unknown purposes on top of everything else you and Xjena have to deal with. So good fucking luck trying to make a compelling case for why you should be the next capable queen while sorting out all that trauma people have. And unless you are doing a second playthrough and know what you're doing, you WILL have to prioritize. Impress the queen with your competence, or talk to a woman who still remembers having to almost choke a child to death and having trauma from that. Teach a man to read and discover an actual joy for creation for the first time, or train your magic. Be a literal bad bitch or a beautiful blushing disaster (or something that mixes the two.)

Did I give too much away? Well now you know why the creators are typically mum regarding the story. I didn't even tell you about escaping the dark timeline plot. There's a lot of shit there that I didn't even touch on. Like the nuanced gender politics, the reason most players don't have the exact same playthrough ever, how dark and real this game gets and feels, and how silly and compassionate the game can be at the right times.

So you there, casually wondering why fans of this series have been getting louder and louder: It's because we're trying to lead thirsty horses to water and well... we want creators and especially this one to be recognized for the quality and effort he put into the two games. The Kickstarter for the sequel is, to be blunt, projected to fail. And I don't think that sends a good message. First game is free during the campaign, has WAY more content than I mentioned (seriously just click the link and see for yourself!), 100% positive reviews on Steam, and there's a free demo of the second game. (Which fucks so hard. I immediately preferred the tone, art, and writing of it over the original game) So what I'm trying to say is...

CLEARLY THIS KICKSTARTER SHOULD HAVE WAY MORE THAN 200 PEOPLE INTO THIS SHIT, RIGHT???