Feature Chance for Women’s History Month

https://tapas.io/series/Brain-in-a-Jar1

Isolated for years in a virtual laboratory, a young scientist wakes from a self-induced coma with the answer to a worldwide radiation threat. She believes the worst is behind her, but in her absence, the world has changed…

“If we… If I stay here… I’ll be turning my back on everyone out there. Running away from them.”

I recently watched Forbidden Planet for the first time (an old science fiction film). Produced in 1956, its cast of over 20 characters featured a single woman, and not one person of color. That’s what science fiction was, a boy’s club. Not only science fiction, but many genres (Fantasy, Action, Mystery, etc.) were often built around exclusion. As content creators, our responsibility is to do exactly the opposite. Independent webcomic artists (and webnovelists) have the opportunity and freedom to foster an environment of acceptance, featuring characters and stories that everyone can connect to regardless of gender and demographic. I have an opportunity, as a woman in the webcomics industry, to create stories that welcome women into science fiction rather than push them away, and the responsibility to do just that is one that I embrace with open arms.

1)

2) A healer's apprentice with a hidden power becomes entangled in the world of a cursed Prince and a kingdom on the brink of collapse.

3) "You are worthless to this family! You will never be half the man my father was!"

4) Being a woman in the webcomic industry means that I get to tell the stories of women that I would want to be or to know. Women whose stories I want to read about and who our little girls should read about. Strong, confident, capable women whose stories may otherwise go untold.

@victoria1

2 logline
A talented tailor is down on his luck when a handsome young lord pays him a visit. Could this chance encounter be fate ?

3 "Enough! I will not have you talk ill of my friend" Lady Raspberry in the High Tea Court

4 This series has a lot of things I hope change for the better. As a female creator, I want to showcase a lot of different women characters including trans woman who are real woman too. The Kingdom of Leaves is run by the powerful Queen Matcha and King Dragonwell. Princess Sencha is a trans woman who is incharge pf the High Tea Court. She is true to who see is. Lady Coco is a goregous black woman knight who is the strongest swordsman. Lady Sage is a witch and a talented writer. Lady Raspberry is a fighter who is equality passionate. Maybelle is soft spoken who loves to bake to warm others hearts. This comic is made to create an inclusive world where anyone can read and say I can to relate to this person. A world where love is love and being yourself does make you stronger, Being a comic artist, I love being able to share my stories with the world.

https://tapas.io/series/Scissors12

Logline:
Working in retail can never be easy, and it doesn't come any harder than to Josie as she fights against coworkers and customers alike in order to make her statement on where she lies within a predominantly male company.

Quote:
"Sure, I can call my manager since you like hearing the same thing twice so much."

What Scissors means to me:
Scissors was originally made to be a coping mechanism for me while a worked at a certain office supply store. I'd doodle these little characters on sticky notes while working register, and it soon evolved into a still-developing series. It's a parody of the business I was in at the time, and highlights issues within the industry, as well as the retail atmosphere in general. While working there, I found myself facing disadvantages due to my gender, such as withholding positions from me because they needed a 'pretty girl on register.' While the series is mostly comedy now, I plan to ramp it up after awhile and highlight the deep issues rooted in most retail settings. There are so many problems I'm looking forward to bringing to light in my series.

1. Essence of Time: https://tapas.io/episode/20568191

2. Hyvan, the world of mortals, is protected by the Great Spirits of Mana. But what will happen to this once flourishing world if the last summoners able to call upon their powers go extinct?

3. If it needs to be from a published update: 'That's okay. Two guys shouldn't trust a lone girl in the forest alright.'
   If it can be from mini stories of the series: 'If we all just sit back and wait for someone to save us, we deserve to be lost.'

4. The story of EoT has accompanied me over half of my life. When I was a 12 year old child, I created my main character Ary for the first time as my role model: How did I want to be as an adolescent. A self confident, witty woman that is on the one hand grateful for the help she receives from the people around her that love and support her but also can stand her own ground when she needs to fight for herself. She was my super hero and gave me confidence when my real self felt weak and useless. Almost two decades later I am a different person, my story and characters evolved, but creating my comic is still my save haven. I have to work with a lot of difficult customers on a daily basis and creating my comic, the story and lore surrounding it and putting it down on virtual paper is my way of calming down and dealing with stressful life. The fact that I am able to share this story with others through the medium of comics is incredible. The resonance I am getting from people all around the globe is empowering and making me want to spread the characters and stories that used to be stuck in my mind with the world out there.

Logline:
Being a cosmic entity born from a star and a black hole is no easy feat, especially when she's the first one of her kind! However, her problems are merely just starting, as she accidentally falls in love with the most beautiful girl at her brand new school... Monsters and Heartbeats is a wholesome story about love, friendship and the curve-balls life can throw at us. Updates Thursdays

Quote:
I love you and only you, Kate!

I have absolutely no idea if I can put my webcomic here since I am a transwoman but I am giving it a shot since I believe every woman in Monsters and Heartbeats are strong and do not need any man around.

I've began writing and creating M&H when my life was in a slump, getting fired from my job for my life choice and general difficulties in going outside due to the other person opinions. Making this webcomic made my life have a meaning and helped me have positive interaction with others. Around 1 year later and stuff changed for the best for me but I am still going strong with my webcomic. I love cute stuff and I want to keep telling a story that will make people smile and happy!

1). https://tapas.io/series/Feral-Born-Viciously-Yours-12

2). Kaiya is a wolf shifter much different than others of her kind. Seen as monstrous and an abomination, she must fight against a group that wishes to see her kind extinct. Now, if only she didn’t have a confusing Beta causing her to feel things she doesn’t quite understand.

3). Pushing his head back roughly, I warned him, “I am not a domesticated shifter and I will not bend to your dominance.”

4). Creating a series to me means giving a voice to the under represented modern woman. Too often the main female lead allows herself to be talked down to or seen following along with the male lead, not to mention overly girly. Creating a series means I can showcase a modern female lead who is just as vocal and violent as her male counterpart. The women in my series don’t need saving and they don’t need a mate, they’re independent and not afraid to get their hands dirty. The damsel-in-distress characters have never appealed to me and I’m sure they don’t appeal to many other women either. Being a woman in the Webnovel industry means I can create novels with female leads that women are craving to read about but are having trouble finding like I was.

LONGLINE:
Sugar is a girl known for being a delinquent at school, she has two best friends. Sugar has an unknown pact with sarcastic incubus, even with all that, she doesn't believe in demons.

3.An inspiring/powerful quote that showcases the characters’ strengths
“No,,was worts than a hooligan, she's very weird! even had a cross tatto on the face.”Ep 7

4.Tell us what creating series means to you as a woman in the webcomic/webnovel industry.
for me, being a woman who writes and draws comics is a challenge, I have always loved Japanese anime and manga and have always been inspired by them, but I never felt represented, and I always felt that my gender was something weak or inferior to that of a man, wow culture, movies and comics built us and makes us feel that way.
That is why for me it is a challenge, to write a story where a girl has a non-feminine behavior and appearance, where women are not glamorized beings and are prone to errors, where they are humanized.
for me this comic represents everything I wanted to watch in the anime or read in the manga.

Logline:
Midori wakes up lost amidst the hi-tech metropolis of Centralia. Without memories, her only connection to this place is a mysterious girl from her dreams. As Midori searches for this girl, she finds the city is not what it seems…

Quote:
"And if things get bad... we're still a team, right?"

With the mainstream comic industry so traditionally geared towards a male audience, I believe webcomics are a key space for marginalized voices to shine. As a female creator working with the cyberpunk genre, I find this to be especially true. Cyberpunk has long been dominated by male, typically white and cisgendered voices. For a genre meant to explore and critique societal flaws, it doesn't make sense to repeatedly see stories from the least-marginalized groups. Centralia 2050 is a comic with a female lead who isn't a sexy badass action hero or brimming with "girl power", but is down-to-earth and more than capable in her own right. The comic features women who are powerful in different ways, showing that there's not a single "true" way to portray a strong female character.

Logline:
Violet, seeking a new, independent life, flees her hometown for the flashy lights of Las Vegas. Hoping to find herself, she instead finds a part time job full of quirky co-workers, cranky customers and... romance?

Quote:
"You are a strong, independent woman! You are awesome! You stopped yourself from eating a whole carton of ice cream last night!"

OR

"I'm not a damsel in distress okay?! I don't need you to save me or fix me or ANYTHING!"

My co-writer/sister and I are stay-at-home moms. Not only does the webcomic industry grant us the creative outlet to keep our sanity intact at home, but it also gives us the opportunity to pursue our dreams and have it all! (something I thought impossible until I discovered Tapas!) We've never met a more welcoming community that embraces and supports it's female creators- no matter what their background may be.

Quote: "I refuse to live in fear anymore, thrym." (from a future episode)
This quote was by Gunhild's younger half sister. She had been forced into an abusive marriage, and she refuses to be mistreated, and holds her abuser accountable for his actions.

As a woman in the webcomic industry, creating a series means a lot to me. Most stories about norse mythology are aimed at a male demographic, and most are just the author's power fantasy. I wanted to create something that everyone could enjoy, and to include a variety of characters, so everyone could see themselves in it. I wanted to write an empowering story about overcoming fear and adversity, and how individuality should not be feared. I included a range of female protagonists, all of which are individual. My main character is a lesbian (as a hetero ally to the LGBTQ+ community, always like to see representation.) To summarize, I want to be the change that I want to see in norse mythology based fiction, and write a story for all.

2) After hearing the Midnight Melody - a summoning song for young witches - our bubbly heroine Karta Kloss gets tossed into a completely new and magical world where she immediately gets into trouble on Day 1. Thank the Mother that pretty girl was there to help her at least...

3) Episode 28.2 "It might seem silly to be so invested in a newfound crush, but I've had enough of letting things just happen around me. I finally feel like I'm the one in the driver's seat."

4) I'm a little worried I might not be able to accurately articulate how much creating my comic means to me as a woman - one that loves other women at that. While I was writing and drawing the first drafts for Diamond Dive, I constantly felt like it's not gonna be successful, because it's "too feminine" "too soft" "too female-centered" "too emotional" "too me". Add into the mix that back then I was still in the closet and extremely over-analyzing every decision I made about my comic. "Is this too girly? Is there enough action? Should I add more male characters? Should I add a male main? I don't want to, but I feel like I should." Little did I know that I was in fact a lesbian, and compulsory heterosexuality exists, and it stems from the same societal expectations and limitations that we women experience in every single aspect of our lives. Creating my comic helped me overcome that and I slowly allowed myself to enjoy my life and my comic the way I wanted it to be. It's really true that your art is an extension of yourself, and every single time I look at my characters, I'm so thankful I didn't end up changing them to fit into a mainly male-dominated landscape. Women are great and I intend to create content that celebrates them for the rest of my days.

Quote: (I think, the biggest strength of a main character Aster is her intelligence, but it is really hard to find a quote to show this, because it's just shown throughout the story, and has a meaning mostly in context of a story, idk) "Fine, we are both nerds."

It's pretty common to hear something like "women don't belong in science/engineering" or "wow, it's so cool to see a woman in STEM", and I don't like both of this phrases, because I think, it should be seen as normal. When creating my stories, I show characters never questioning each other's qualities based on their sex/gender, because I think it should be that way. I want more people to see this possibility not to belittle or praise, but to see things as they are. Everyone can like or dislike something, to be good and bad at certain things. Women can like science and be good at engineering, and it's normal, and I would like to see more of this perspective in media.

We are sisters Rei and Amanda, we have a joint project.

1. Folie

https://m.tapas.io/series/Folie2

2. Logline: It's a story about working on relationships, being able to solve problems and finding compromises.

3.Quote Andrei: "There is no place for selfishness in relationships."

4. Rei: "I have dreamed of drawing comics since I was a teenager. I walked towards this dream for a long time. I had a different profession before I realized that I love drawing more than anything else. I think the comic book industry is one of those fields where women and men have equal rights and opportunities which is extremely rare in our world. And I am happy I can realize myself in this field. I think it's time for all of us to stop dividing people into black and white, men and women, heterosexual and homosexual, thin and fat, etc. We can only assess the actions of people, but not their gender or appearance. We must pay attention to ourselves first of all, develop ourselves, help others, inspire others, create something new, be an example. I try to convey all these ideas through my work."

Amanda: "Creating a manga is a way of self-expression and an opportunity to share your thoughts and feelings with others, to convey your ideals. This is an occupation that truly brings me pleasure and joy, I am passionate about it and want to devote my life to this. I hope that one day I will be able to succeed.
For me, it's also an exchange of energy with my readers, their feedbacks and comments help me get better, inspire me to work hard and I know I'm on the right track"

My series is about love/romance with drama, comedy. But I put a lot of effort into my female lead. Because I was used to in her situation.
She is just a normal girl, no strength, no power. For me, a strong girl doesn't necessarily have physical strength. Asha has a very strong spirit, despite being wrapped up in chains, she keeps shining.
Contrary to her innocent appearance, I have built her up with very high stamina and smart.

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Logline:
Asha is the youngest princess, she lives in the harem. She is always bullied by the queen and the princess. Her bigest wish is seeking for a chance to get out of here. She wanna live in freedom.

Quote:

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Logline: Her gifts set her apart, but are they enough to survive the Invisible War?

Quote: Nothing about this job was going to be easy. It was scary. It was awesome. Rose couldn't wait to get started.

Growing up, I loved to read. Books with dragons and spaceships were the best! But there were so few women on the page that I could look up to or emulate. It was so hard to find any characters like me. Professional success is one thing, but when my niece reads my book and loves it, I feel like I've done something incredible and given her something that I never got to have.

Logline: At 28 years old, Neera starts falling again for her high school sweetheart. Their love has a price, she soon finds out, but magical powers and a prophecy are not what stands in the way of their love.

Quote: “THEO!”
Everyone in the room held their breath and looked at Neera, who was trembling with fury.
Theo, though his eyes were aflame, tried to maintain a straight face. “What?”
“This is my choice.”

What drives me: I'm an Italian migrant and an English Literature graduate, among other things. During my degree I learned to dissect written media as well as other communication means; it's as if since I mastered literary analysis I can't take off this metaphoric pair of analytic glasses! And so I have started looking at things and reflect on them in a multilayer-way, leaving behind (or, better: revisiting and filing away in the 'learn from the past' drawer) prejudices and other conditioning ways to see the world that I have inherited from my parents, school, friends, etc.
I'll get to the point. One of the main takeaways from all this personal growth has been to say what I think without being afraid of being judged because whatever I believe should not get in the way of what you believe and viceversa. I'm still working on it of course, but I'm starting to shed all this fear of being judged I've always had. Breaking free from mummy-like bandages, it's what it feels like.
Writing helps me with that, because, although it can be frustrating and challenging, it's what makes me feel free the most: free to say what I want, the way I want, in the language I want.
It also makes me feel incredibly proud, because it doesn't matter I'm part of a minority (immigrant, woman): writing webnovels means I'm part of a larger community of passionate authors and readers from all ethnicities, backgrounds, believes, styles, etc. Each and every one of us reads/writes webnovels/webcomics to share, enjoy, laugh, feel, and we all deserve to be here.

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1. Series link
   Frankie and Hayley

2. Series logline
   When a struggling coffee shop owner receives aid from a shy artistic customer to host a creative event, their relationship becomes more than just friendly.

3. An inspiring/powerful quote that showcases the characters’ strengths (max 100 characters)
   “The only thing I’m seeing that no one wants is your fucking homophobia.”

4. Tell us what creating series means to you as a woman in the webcomic/webnovel industry.

Creating allows me to bring stories that are needed into the world. Not only am I a woman, where mainstream representation is only marginally beginning to improve (and continues to centre white women), but I’m also queer. Stories about queer women are few and far between, and when they do exist, they’re either traumatic, sexualised by male creators, or tell only the most palatable story to engage straight and cisgender audiences. I want to tell uplifting stories about queer women falling in love. I needed to see queer women falling in love when I was younger to help me realise my feelings were valid. I want my story to help people feel validated in their own identity. Creating means I can craft the story I’ve always wished to see, and it brings me the greatest comfort.

Megan x

Logline:
Gwynn is a happy-go-lucky young lady off on adventure with her grumpy elf companion, ready to befriend whomever or whatever crosses her path with her unyielding optimism.

Quote:
"Why are you all alone here in the dark?? It's ok, you're not alone anymore."

Artist:
Growing up I think it was hard to find female characters in media that I could relate to, or really look up to. Nowadays, it's wonderful to see the amount and diversity of strong, unique and realistic female characters, and I'm happy to be able to add to that. I think a larger diversity in anything is really a good thing, and with webcomics/webnovels it's great that anyone can put their own uncompromised work out there.