Feature Chance for Women’s History Month

[ratscout]

Quick question, does our story have to have a lady as the main character, or is it okay to have a guy as the main character, but there's still a leading lady IN the story? Thank you.

[blackorchid]

I think our combined love for the Badass Femmes could topple this world.

How do you feel about World Domination?

[RosesnWater]

Comic/Novel: Netvor: Retelling of Beauty and the Beast

1.

Comic:

Netvor: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast | Tapas

Novel:

Netvor: Beauty and the Beast (written) | Tapas

1. Logline: Aceline Capet is woman obsessed with killing a monster few people believe exists, and she is determined to do it even if the price is her life. It’s only after she is trapped in the palace of a Faerie Lord that she begins to reflect on her dangerous path for revenge, and work towards freeing herself and the man who originally captured her.

2. Quote: “I have no fear of anything, my Lord. I welcome your punishment. I have robbed you of beauty and offered you rot.”

3. I’ve been writing since I was twelve. Mostly, I continue to write and draw because it’s an opportunity to show the kind of characters and relationships I cherish in reality. It can be difficult to express oneself, especially when there are only so many ‘socially acceptable’ ways for women to be in media. I especially like seeing women in happy and healthy platonic relationships with other women and try to make that a reality since supporting women characters are often consigned to having a few lines at best or are pitted against one another. I like creating women that are ugly, angry, loving, passionate and a little dishonest.

[TAMAnnoying]

Looking for Oasis | Tapas

Logline:
Sad man adopted by nice but sad dad lizard, and their journey learning to love and taking care of a developing young lady who thinks she's larger than life.

Quote:
“Ah! The problem with reading and learning to articulate, everyone thinks a well spoken compliment is an invitation to courtship.”

As someone who grew up with a father figure who was very present in my life and a brother who was much older than me I had a lot of positive male influences. This allowed me to interact with more male activities in my life where I played video games and learned to get dirt on my knees even tho mom just bought me nice clothes. Because of these positive role models it helped me get into the mindset of Gender Nonconformist where I could safely be whoever I wanted, and do whatever I wanted. This let me get into fun things like comics, table top gaming and other wonderful ventures that I spent with other males and females because in the end, what my or other peoples' genders are shouldn't get in the way of the simple pleasures of life. Thea is the story of that life with two (semi) positive (sorry Dimitri) role models who do their best to help her find her place without condemning her for her body parts or talking down to her just because sometimes she too wishes to just be pretty- as well as stab some jerks. I want young girls to remember that they can be whatever they want when they make comics. They don't have to just be manly and they don't have to just be girly- they can do both if that's what they wanna do. No one can stop you. Always take the next step.

[DasIstWunderblyat]

Somebody post a BL and not getting flagged, other post their male-led series but emphasizing main female characters. I think as long as you are either identify as a woman or you are pitching a woman-written series it is a safe. After all, it is the staff's decision to feature yours or not, this is just a submission.

Probably you can cherry pick appropriate and relevant character and quotes to support your pick according to the theme to increase your success. I don't know if they will consider it though.

[ThatGayGoat]

A Gentle Touch | Tapas

Logline:
After rescuing a girl at a bar from a scumbag, Sloan finds herself having her first crush! She thought she would never see the girl again after she rescued her, until she is given a second chance when fate brings them together again! Just a couple of girls crushing on each other!

Quote:
"Some asshole drugged you. So, I carried you here. I don't know where you live... I'm just glad you're safe"

Creating this comic is important to me because I find too many men writing lesbian/ girls love comics. I often find those comics fetishy or unrealistic. I just wanted to make a sweet, heartwarming romance between two women where sexuality is not questioned. It is not a straight to gay story, it is two people falling in love regardless of gender identity. I feel like stories like that are rare, so I decided to write my own! Non- fetishized Queer-romance representation is incredibly important. So as a queer woman, I wanted to write that story and share it with others!

Thank you for the opportunity!

[Kittyfox]

https://tapas.io/series/Dreamcatcher1

Logline -
Aerith is an orphan who's only ever wanted somewhere she belongs. On one fateful day, she encounters a magical fountain that changes her life drastically.

She enters a place where she meets a shy baker, a magical cat-girl, an aspiring actress, a determined general, and a mischievous spirit who goes a bit too far...

Quote - "I swear, that (spirit) is going to get their just desserts!" (Luci, vowing to overcome the spirit that keeps trying to take over her mind)
From a future episode - "I don't need anyone to save me! I've taken an oath to protect, not be taken care of like someone's pet!" (General Kitsune Tanaka)

Being a female in the webcomic industry means that I accept that there will be people better than me, but I just have to keep improving and growing so that one day, I can be as successful as them. A lot of successful comic creators are men, in fact. That means if I succeed, I can help show younger girls and women that they can overcome the gender gap, make their voices heard, and that they can do anything a man can and more.
(The stuff that was here previously is irrelevant)

Edit: I accidentally @'d victoria because I misread the first post, but I removed it. Sorry!

[krashville07]

At What Cost | Tapas

• The story is about a female protagonist named Reed who gathers some friends and tries to figure out the truth behind the government they are trapped under. Reed also has her own self journey as she comes to terms with her reflection and the scars of her past.

• "In order to love who you are, you cannot hate the experiences that shaped you." -Andrea Dykstra

-I have numerous stories that are all intertwined in the same universe, kind of like the MCU. I want to be able to tell all of these stories and hope that readers can follow along and see all of it tie together. Not only that, but I get to see my storytelling and art grow along with each story. Being a woman, I have always seen male authors of famous manga or comics, and I want to be at the same rank as them.
While I can only make smaller chapter right now because of school and work, I hope I can be able to grow enough to be able to make longer chapters.

[Corpupine]

1. https://tapas.io/series/NemaTale/info
2. *if we're not giving up down here . . .
   *don't give up wherever you are, ok?

The King of Monsters is dead, and everything has changed. What will the monsters of the Underground do when it seems that all hope of escape has been lost forever?

. . . and what will they do when the next human falls?

1. "One day things will be better. You should be around when they are."

2. Being a woman in this industry means the same thing to me as just being myself: it means there's a story only I can tell. I know that sometimes, society puts pressure on people to act a certain way, and there's a lot of fear of being seen as "weak" or "soft-hearted." But I firmly believe that there is power in being kind. There's power in reaching out to the people around you and helping them, even when it's hard. Being a woman in this industry to me means telling that story, over and over again, in my comics but also in everything I do. I want my every action to scream that I'm going to be kind even when it makes me seem weak. The hope isn't to make other people think or believe like me. The hope is, people--women, men, anyone--will see what I make, and they'll say "I want to tell my stories too." That would be amazing.

[thebvqa]

Predatory Loan | Tapas

Logline:
Rooming with a serial killer isn't good for his health, but it's pretty amazing for his bank account. And hey, at least if his roommate kills him he doesn't have to worry about classes anymore, right?

Quote:
"Oh no, the serial killer thinks I'm a loner. It's not like there could possibly be any other reason I don't want my friends meeting you."

Predatory Loan is the very definition of a passion project for me. I developed the series specifically to cater to my wants and my wants alone, which is something I haven't always felt free to do. Society tends to deride whatever's popular with women, just because it's popular with women, and will viciously mock fans of boy-bands or YA lit or whatever slash pairing they can get their hands on in time for an interview with an actor. Because of this, I've often felt I have to prove that whatever I enjoy is worth other people's attention, or even worse, that it's worth mine. But sometimes, at the end of the day, you just want to write a self-indulgent comic about hot vampires murdering people, and you want to stuff that comic to the gills with your own particular flavor of queerness. Predatory Loan is me letting go of whatever fears I had that my interests were too niche, embarrassing, or disgusting and simply writing whatever I feel like– and as a woman, the freedom to just let it all hang out isn't one I'm often afforded in day-to-day life. I'm glad it gets to be a part of my art.

[ivanskilling]

Wow thank you so much for the opportunity!

Shackles | Tapas

Logline:
Follow Empress Wu Zetian's treacherous journey from the hands of enemy Tufan soldiers back to the Forbidden City where she battles foes from within her own kingdom.

Quote:

I can forsake my heart and my life… but I cannot forsake my people.

What creating series means to you:
As an Asian woman, I've always wanted to bring my culture and experiences to the world of webnovels. In all of my series - from romance to scifi to murder mystery - I strive to add a different cultural touch to it that other Asian (and particularly, SEA) can (hopefully) relate to. I believe the struggles that we face as Asian women, while similar in some aspects to women of other races and religion, are also different in many regards. I want to bring those struggles to light so that more people will understand what it feels like, and so that we can come together as a supportive community.

More generally, I also think it's important to have stories that show the inner (and external) strength that women have because we're not just flat Mary Sues or damsels in distress who require saving. We can save ourselves and we deserve to be treated as equals. That's what I hope to convey in Shackles (and my other stories)!

[KJBatson]

The Sea and the Wolf | Tapas

2) A woman with an incredible ability to make her future anything she wants, and a lonely man cursed with werewolfism. Together the two must work together in order to secure their own futures, and have hope of ever finding the peace they both want.

3)Glancing behind her where the milk and sugar station stood, there was a man fiddling with the lid of his cup. If she had kept going without looking, she would bump into him, and his drink was going to spill; she could sense it. Hali turned her attention back to Conan and pointed over her shoulder, “You better clean that up.”

He gave her a questionable stare. “Clean what up?”

Conan’s gaze drifted to the station and watched as the man’s lid popped off and coffee spilled all over the station and the floor. Conan’s eyes shot to Hali, giving her a shocked look. “How did you know?!” She shrugged and waved to him as she headed out to class for the day.

4) I come from a small town where the idea that being a novelist as a woman is just romance. Those over the top cringey romance. I love all genres and write a good mix between them all. I wanted to rewrite the first novel I wrote and write it for a new generation, but also write something that is a lot more than just "romance" Being an writer, espeically in the web novel industry allows me to have a certain bit of ontrol over my work and lets me push any boundries that I want to with my characters. I want to write not just power women, but male characters who are also equal. Characters to really bring equality to the table. Being a woman in this induestry means I want to be someone people can be happy to hear from week after week. I want to be that author who people can't wait to read every week, just like all the other amazing authors and artists I read daily.

[avrilguarino]

Hello!

https://tapas.io/series/The-Adorkables

The Adorkables is a diary comic about two married dumbasses

"I'm already lit"

I love the freedom that creating my webcomic gives me. I don't see any difference between me and any male webcomic artists. We're all artists in the grand skim of things and that's what I stand for. I'm witty and I can make a joke works in 4 panels. That's what's important right now. I love creating comics, I love being able to introduce myself as a webcomic artist as a woman. It confuses some people, but that's what really rock my world.

[MeltingCORE]

Hi, everyone! I am an author named Emily. I have been working on my series "Red Shift" completely by myself for over four years. I do all the art, writing, and music for it. One of the central characters of "Red Shift" is Stellar: An astronomer employed by the government in the search for exoplanets for her world's military to conquer. Disgusted by her original compliance in this and horrified about what really happens to other civilizations, she decides to throw a wrench in the operation: Even if it costs her everything. "Red Shift" is a series that tackles sociopolitics on alien worlds, the impact of corrupt science on biology, and the idea that sometimes you can't save everyone.

"If you revoke your feelings for me, that's fine. But I will never stop loving you. This is a sacrifice I have to make. I can't let you through. I'm sorry..."

Creating a series as a woman is rewarding but challenging. Especially as someone who does manga-style art and writes science fiction. I have been stepped on and ignored by many simply for being a woman who participates in these genres. My work has been built from the ground up around something I love and I'm proud to say that I finally have an actual readerbase. I work hard and at this point in my life, I know my stuff is good. Being content with my own creations is a fantastic feeling whether I have 20 readers, 200, or 2,000. And I'll keep going because nothing can stop the love I have for my work. I am a force of nature: Hurricane Venus.

Red Shift | Tapas

[Yatska_comics]

1. https://tapas.io/series/From-Dating-To-Wedding/info
2. LOGLINE: Barely recovering from the divorce, the cat Kate began to build her new life, discovering new facets of her personality.
3. Quote:
   "Life after divorce exists!"
4. This is a great opportunity to express the events of my female life!
   

[kaylahrasmussen]

1) https://tapas.io/series/JesusandMe/info
2) Everyday adventures with Jesus condensed into a series of small boxes.
3) "You can't talk to pastors. That's, like, wrong."
4) I like that I can share my beliefs as a Christian in a fun and humorous way and be heard by others despite being a woman. I don't have to be a white male or change my name in order to be heard. I can make my character a female and share experiences that are unique to being a biracial female Christian when in the past that was something not as common. It was especially common for Christian women to showcase themselves as subservient and focused on marriage so it's amazing that I can show a Christian woman not focused on those things. Rather, she has her own adventures with Jesus and isn't focused on relationships, but rather navigates the hairiness of the Christian life in the US.

[ButterflyEmpress]

Love Me, Deity | Tapas

Logline: Upon starting college, Akina realizes she is a reincarnated amnesiac goddess and that there are others like her. As they regain their powers and memories, they uncover the truth of their trauma, rocky relationships, and why they died in the first place.
Quote: "I'm an adult now. I have to start acting and thinking logically. No more running from things that aren't real."

I've always liked making stories, especially ones about girls like me with super powers, going on adventures, and fighting monsters. I had journals and notebooks full of these stories hoping one day they'd be published and available for others to enjoy. As I got older I learned how male dominated creative fields are and how difficult it is for women to tell their stories, especially women of color. In the webcomic industry, I can easily publish my own work and find other people like me to share and communicate with. I can write the stories I want to see in the world without an authority figure telling me "no" because of my identity or my characters' identities.

[Azifri]

If we're talking about a historical context, I want to ask, @victoria1, wouldn't it be fairer to include assigned females as well? After all, if you identify as let's say non-binary but are assigned female at birth, your identity is irrelevant, your problems will still be women's problems. When you grow up, you are still assumed female, or when you fill in legal paperwork, the boxes are still man/woman.

[LocalLilKid]

let's hope I do this correctly! thanks for this!
Stupidly Beautiful Vol 2: Summer
(can be read stand-alone!)

Logline: A sweet summer polyamorous love story featuring a star-obsessed butch girl, a brooding boy secretly in love with lace and roses, and the sweetest hockey-playing barista in the world.

Quote: “Excel out of spite”

As a woman, I’ve never felt like I fit my gender by the type of media girls are portrayed in. One of the reasons why I love creating stories is to show different sides and perspectives, and specifically Stupidly Beautiful is my love letter to everyone who doesn’t feel like a woman or a man because the media we consume has such strict guides and rules to it. I want to dismantle and deconstruct that. Girls can make the first move. Boys can be emotional. Gender is on a spectrum and not on a binary. To me, creating stories is validating ones that don’t fit in. It creates communities of people who thought they were alone. It helps people discover secrets about themselves they never thought was possible. And ultimately, it reaffirms and validates my own beliefs and experiences.

[ryoko]

1. Series link: https://tapas.io/series/The-Cat-The-Vine-and-The-Victory/info

2. Logline: Puking fire isn’t normal, but Victory is soon to discover just how unordinary she is. Faced with the wrath of a dragon, being pursued by mercenaries and the cunning mind of an evil vixen, who else can she call upon to help her other than her sister, a pond monster and, of course, her pet cat.

3. Quote: “We torment ourselves by thinking that we must face everything alone….but we don’t have to.”

Fantasy adventures have always been my favourite genre for books and comics alike, but I was often disappointed with the lack of strong female characters taking the lead roles. This was especially true when those stories included dragons. Being female and part of the LGBTQ+ community, I do my best to reflect those aspects of my life into my characters. I hope that it encourages other young creators to tell their own stories in their own voices.