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Welcome to the Side Characters Podcast, a podcast about diversity in nerd culture. Every week we take a deep dive into a different topic involving diversity and nerds.
Episodes
Dec 31, 2020
Dec 31, 2020
1 hr 51 sec
This episode we cover a topic that encompasses most of what we have been talking about up to this week. Tokenism, the act of adding representation just in-order to check off a box. Does tokenism just mean African American characters who are seemingly out of place, or is it much deeper than that? Enjoy this weeks episode!~
If you have any questions, comments or want to continue the conversation you can email us @: sidecharacterspod@gmail.com
You can check Jordan out on his other podcast World Shop @: https://worldshoppodcast.podbean.com/
Jordan's recommendation of the week: Webtoon Crumbs
Leah's recommendation: Alice in Border lands
Some Helpful Links:
https://www.media-diversity.org/tribute-or-token-lgbtq-media-queer-black-activism/
Dec 17, 2020
Dec 17, 2020
55 min
As part of the push for a consistent schedule we are recording shorter less involved episodes while we prepare our much bigger episodes. This episode we are taking a look back at one of our favorite series and putting it to the scrutiny of current times. Does Full Metal Alchemist still hold up based on current values, or does it fall short? Find out our opinions on this weeks Side Characters .
If you have any questions, comments or want to continue the conversation you can email us @: sidecharacterspod@gmail.com
You can check Jordan out on his other podcast World Shop @: https://worldshoppodcast.podbean.com/
Dec 3, 2020
Dec 3, 2020
1 hr 29 min
This week we are joined by guest and friend of Leah to talk about mental health in nerd culture. We cover topics such as how mental health is portrayed in media and how we would like to see it portrayed. Thank you for listening!
Media mentioned: Gris, Night in the woods, Breath of the wild, Bojack Horseman,
Leah has been watching: Schitts Creek
Jordan has been playing: Spiderman: Miles Morales,
Mariane has been consuming: The His Dark Materials Series, Legend of Zelda Age of Calamity, Star Wars Clone Wars Series.
If you have any questions, comments or want to continue the conversation you can email us @: sidecharacterspod@gmail.com
You can check Jordan out on his other podcast World Shop @: https://worldshoppodcast.podbean.com/
Nov 12, 2020
Nov 12, 2020
55 sec
Quick Update! There is no new episode this week, but we are working hard to make sure we can hold a more consistent schedule in the future!
Thanks for listening!!
If you have any questions, comments or want to continue the conversation you can email us @: sidecharacterspod@gmail.com
You can check Jordan out on his other podcast World Shop @: https://worldshoppodcast.podbean.com/
Oct 29, 2020
Oct 29, 2020
1 hr 7 min
This episode we continue down the line of talking about wanting characters with agency. This time we cover the trope of fridging, in which a female character is brutalized in order to forward the plot or motivate a mail character. This term was coined after Green Lantern #54 in which green lanterns girlfriend was killed and stuffed into a fridge in order to create a plot point and motivation against a villain. This same idea continues in media today, with the murdering or kidnapping of female characters.
What have we been consuming:
Leah- The Gardens Between
Jordan- The Old Guard by Image Comics and on Netflix
Below are some helpful links:
https://www.lby3.com/wir/
Jordan Recommends: Among Us, Dorohedoro and Saga
Leah Recommends: Cherry Magic....... Howl's Moving Castle and Terry Pratchet
If you have any questions, comments or want to continue the conversation you can email us @: sidecharacterspod@gmail.com
You can check Jordan out on his other podcast World Shop @: https://worldshoppodcast.podbean.com/
Oct 15, 2020
Oct 15, 2020
58 min
Genki Girl Wikihow as mentioned in the episode: https://www.wikihow-fun.com/Be-a-Genki-Girl
We continue down the line of exploring tropes in media, focusing on tropes that funnels women into a singular idea, including the "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" and the "Genki Girl". The Manic Pixie Dream girl is an idea of a women who exist in order to enlighten a man's life. The Genki Girl is a female character with the singular personality trait of being enthusiastic. How have these tropes damaged female representation in media, and what do we really want out of our nerd media representations.
What have we been consuming:
Leah- The Gardens Between
Jordan- The Old Guard by Image Comics and on Netflix
Below are some helpful links:
http://www.bdcwire.com/the-definitive-list-of-manic-pixie-dream-girls-in-film-and-television/
https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/manic-pixie-dream-girl/
https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2020/03/what-is-a-manic-pixie-dream-girl/
https://www.popmatters.com/166677-no-manic-pixie-dream-girl-for-video-games-2495788784.html
If you have any questions, comments or want to continue the conversation you can email us @: sidecharacterspod@gmail.com
You can check Jordan out on his other podcast World Shop @: https://worldshoppodcast.podbean.com/
Oct 1, 2020
Oct 1, 2020
1 hr 6 min
This week we cover something a little more topical. The topic is the 2020 Mulan Live action remake and the nefarious underworking behind the scenes. Turns out the movie was less about representation and more about capitalism and pleasing China. Then the discussion turns to the question of should we support media that has representation, even if it that representation is through negative means? There may not be a solid answer for this question, but we discuss so we can receive more insight.
Below are the articles mentioned, and the Rotten Apples site.
If you have any questions, comments or want to continue the conversation you can email us @: sidecharacterspod@gmail.com
You can check Jordan out on his other podcast World Shop @: https://worldshoppodcast.podbean.com/
Sep 17, 2020
Sep 17, 2020
1 hr 51 min
We are back from a short break with a new episode! This week we decided to change things up and focus on happy things, diving deep into nerd nostalgia. We talk about beloved properties of the past and give a little bit of insight on who we are as nerds.
Properties mentioned in this episode:
Reboot, Hey Arnold!, Cousin Skeeter, Doug, Dragonball Z, Smart Guy, Gundam, Rurouni Kenshin, Full Metal Alchemist, Meteor Man, Recess, Arthur, Fruits Basket, Bleach, Naruto, Kare Kano, Mars, Skip Beat, Cho Bits, Harry Potter, Blue Sword, Wizard of Oz, Terry Prachett Novels, Dragonriders, Lord of the Rings, Red Wall, Soul Calibur, Gauntlet, Pokemon, Static Shock, Atlantis, Wish Bone.
If you have any questions, comments or want to continue the conversation you can email us @: sidecharacterspod@gmail.com
You can check Jordan out on his other podcast World Shop @: https://worldshoppodcast.podbean.com/
Logo design by gfx_mania
Aug 20, 2020
Aug 20, 2020
1 hr 30 min
"You mad?" Did this question trigger your anger as much as it did ours? Have you ever had your feelings invalidated, called crazy , or even your entire argument crushed based solely on your race or gender? Then you might be a hysterical person just like us. This week we deconstruct more stereotypes, focusing on the "Angry black man" "Sassy Black woman" and "Hysterical woman" stereo type.
If you have any questions, comments or want to continue the conversation you can email us @: sidecharacterspod@gmail.com
You can check Jordan out on his other podcast World Shop @: https://worldshoppodcast.podbean.com/
Logo design by gfx_mania
Aug 6, 2020
Aug 6, 2020
1 hr 10 min
Sometimes the Scariest thing in a horror movie isn't the demon possessed psychopath or the evil sludge monster. Sometimes the true horror comes from the tropes that define the genre and have a negative impact on diverse representation. That's where the Side Characters step in to discuss negative tropes in Horror. On this episode we will take a deep look at the tropes: The black guy dies first, hellish mental hospitals and sexy horror killers. Will our Side Characters survive the night of the living horror trope? Find out here!
If you have any questions, comments or want to continue the conversation you can email us @: sidecharacterspod@gmail.com
You can check Jordan out on his other podcast World Shop @: https://worldshoppodcast.podbean.com/
Logo design by gfx_mania
Recommendations from this episode:
Get Out
Us
Ready or Not
Alien
Hush
The Babadook
Last of us/ Last of Us Part 2
Where your eyes Linger