The Syndicate

thellama73 wrote:As a writer, I like to let readers interpret things however they like. In some cases, I feel like when the Word of God tells readers "things are this way and only this way" it can limit enjoyment. For example, there is a character in one of my novels (which one? I'm not telling! You have to buy them and read them.) that I wrote with the intention that he was homosexual, but I never came out and said it explicitly. If readers pick up on it, great. If not, that's fine too.

I tried a similar approach with my screenplay starring Detective Gaylord Liberalpants.

Epignosis wrote:Mulan was born a person but now identifies as a place.

Fine, that was funny.

Golden wrote:I completely agree. I've considered scriptwriting as a career at times, and I've always felt that my vision is mine. Characters enter my head whole. If I start writing a character based on demographic traits such as sexual identity, I'm starting in the wrong place as the writer.

I also think it's good writing if you can interpret things differently, so the fact you are able to have this take on Milan and I can see how you got there without seeing it the same way is a sign of good characterisation I think.

The same way I can see the themes of gender role/identity you were talking about and agree on that


Also you should write.

Golden wrote:i don't think it's incumbent on Disney to represent everyone anyway. It's up to Disney. I find it frustrating that Elsa turns into some icon for representation - why? Let Elsa be who she is.

But then I often have issues with public activism. But there's no doubt it is important sometimes. So what do I know.

I get what you mean. It's sort of a minefield topic really. Just as an example:


Say I wrote a comic book with a main character who, through their actions, implied or strongly hinted at not being heterosexual. Suddenly I'd have people on both sides saying different things. On the one hand, you'd have people who are up in arms about a "gay" comic book character, and on the other you'd have people from the gay community or the LGBTQ+ community or whatever trying to put a "label" on a character they had no hand in making. I, as the author, would just prefer people let the media speak for itself and not put a label one way or the other on it, because people get pissed way to easily on both sides.

Which, to my larger point, I guess means that, from my perspective I see Disney's Mulan as having transgender themes. I don't know if I'd be 100% comfortable saying Mulan the character is transgender, but I'm pretty sure she's not...what's the word... gender normative?

I dunno. I don't want to say "This is who she is" or w/e.

(Yes I get that dressing like a man, or in the case of the soldiers later in the film, dressing like a woman doesn't make you trans but they ARE Disney after all it's not like they were going to get into the weeds)

Golden wrote:I'd need to read the source material. I don't think Disneys version is though. I think it's about gender stereotyping. In some ways, if it is about a transgender woman, I think that would undermine the message about gender stereotyping significantly.

I mean the Disney Movie, if that wasn't clear from my opening post, sorry. See, I dunno. Maybe you're right and it's just about gender stereotyping. But this song has some interesting context if you think about it from a trans perspective:



I dunno, I just thought about it since a lot of people give Disney shit for no queer/LGBTQ+ representation within their stuff, and it's like...Mulan in retrospect seems pretty LGBTQ+ to me.

I dunno how to fit this into anything but its own thread but I've had this thought for the longest and I need some other thoughts on it I guess.

Am I tripping or is Mulan about a transgender woman?