Feature Chance for Women’s History Month

1

https://tapas.io/series/roseforshurinai1

Henlo! Thank you for this opportunity!

Gale Shurinai has been through hell since the death of their friend and the resurrection of Corruption. Even worse, Corruption wants them back... Alive.
Will Gale finally awaken as the Azure Oracle, or will Corruption consume them once again?

It hasn't been revealed as of yet, but Gale is actually a woman who's glamoured herself to be male. As time progresses and she undergoes a period of growth, she becomes comfortable with her identity, while also awakening as a powerful figure in the War Against Corruption.

"I stopped the virus from commanding you once. I CAN DO IT AGAIN."
-Gale Shurinai

It's a scary world out there. The industry's dominated by males and ladies are mocked or ignored unless they change their pen name. But I mean...come on, ladies can (and HAVE) create stunning works, too! I've always wanted to tell a story through webcomics since I was a young lassie. Imagine my surprise when my art teacher told me I could create whatever story I wanted. I could have a voice! I could share my vision with the world! But most importantly, I could show other women that their work is valid, unique, and amazing, and that's a great message to send.

Creating a webcomic, writing a story, all that good stuff...it helps me cope with many things that upset my mental illnesses. I can cope with death, I can set abusers straight, and I can comfort those in need and help them discover the strength that was within them the entire time.

So in short, being a woman and being a webcomic creator is one of the most important steps I took in my life.
Thank you again for this opportunity, and ladies, you are AWESOME!

https://tapas.io/episode/1559020https://tapas.io/episode/15590202

1. The Island of March is divided in half by a chalk line and many controversies.
   But Morsel has a plan to make the chaos stop, stipulate a peace treaty between the opposite parties, constantly at war. It all seems to work until the owner of the island comes back.

2. "Look a girl has better things to do than wait for prince charming! I want a break from this mindset, I want to read, study, think, I want to grow as a human!"

3. All of my series talk about the condition of women, I am a historian by trade and specialized in this topic and like to showcase all forms of freedom and strength along different historical periods. Even when showcasing them in regular roles of wives and mother it is important to show what they went through an dhow they pull their lives together: some of them have the foresight in the marriage and adapt, other take care of everything and everybody, others feels no need for redemption and go on with their live embracing the "villain role" assigned to them, some wish to have a few minutes to be able to sit on the toilet in peace or go through painful miscarriages.
   My theme has always been "women conditions in history" even when I establish a tycoon in The Flower and the Nose, there is always the subtext on how people perceive Lani's being distant and feeling superior while coping with the loss of her own roots. Whether it's The Pirate Balthasar or The Mark of Cain, women are often judged, not care for, not listened to (like Cassandra), kidnapped, raped, forced into marriage and when they hold power and knowledge they are witched like Circe in The Pirate Balthasar. But it is their health, mental and emotional, that get the romance engine running, that gets the pragmatic lifestyle going, hold things together or not, because sometimes they break down too and it takes them a while to figure things out.

2: A strong-willed girl in a world of magic is chosen by the god darkness. Afraid of what the dark magic is doing to her body, she sets out on a journey with her companions to be chosen by the goddess of light instead. However, things are not as they seem, and many comedic adventures await them.
3. The main character has a tendency to remain quiet and take action immediately instead, whether that be walking away or punching her way through. Therefore, it is hard to find a defining direct quote from her, but I think this one will do: “My, my, Magnus. One would think you don’t know me at all! Have you ever seen me do something that wasn’t profitable or that wasted time? Creating a beautiful masterpiece that can search for money – well, actually anything, but preferably money – I have successfully concluded that this palace and its Lord are dirt poor, as well as the location of the map!”
4. For me, creating this or any other series is an outlet for my imagination. If I had to include how being a woman factors in, it might be related to the kind of characters I like to create as main characters. Fearless, strong, and can do anything. Women that go after what they want and stay true to their desires. It means sharing my created worlds with others, hoping they enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and that I might bring a smile to their faces. If it inspires others, women or not, to be stronger as well, that is a plus. To be honest, I never thought too deeply about it, as I write simply because it brings me joy.

I have rarely see this done, especially in the webcomics industry, where genres like action, sci-fi/fantasy, and romance are king, but knowing I have a different message -- the reality of being a woman -- is really empowering. I've heard feedback from trans, gender non-conforming, and cis folks alike that either this story deeply resonates with them or helped them really understand the struggle in exploring one's gender identity. I've also gotten a lot of negative comments that this character's identity is "disgusting" which, as a woman artist is even more empowering to keep disrupting the status quo. I love the fact Square Hole is providing a platform to voice what many women identify with but have never read in a webcomic. I've heard my comic feels like a breath of fresh air to so many of my readers in having their voices and true experiences heard.

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.

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

1.

Comic:

Novel:

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.

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.

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!

https://tapas.io/series/Dreamcatcher11

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!

• 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.

1. https://tapas.io/series/NemaTale/info3
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.

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.

Wow thank you so much for the opportunity!

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)!

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.

Hello!

https://tapas.io/series/The-Adorkables1

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.

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.

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1. https://tapas.io/series/From-Dating-To-Wedding/info17
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!
   

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1) https://tapas.io/series/JesusandMe/info4
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.

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.

let's hope I do this correctly! thanks for this!
Stupidly Beautiful Vol 2: Summer1
(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.

1. Series link: https://tapas.io/series/The-Cat-The-Vine-and-The-Victory/info2

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.

Valmet jones an insecure teen trying to find herself, she is not strong, shes smart but not strong, why im submitting her for this... valmet knows she needs help example is in the short story welcome home

https://tapas.io/series/Marina-Mafia-Welcome-Home1

i think it takes a great deal of strength to know your weaknesses and to accept them, it takes strength to admit defeat and ask for help and to not blame others for your choices. she is not the perfect main girl that finds love, she found her love but that does not motivate her to move the story.
what defines her is the people around her gives her strength knowing she is loved by her father juneper and her boyfreind steven, that she can tell them she doing drugs to ease her emotional pain and they will help her when she feels the strength to say enough is enough.

strength is not defeating a villain, sometimes its as simple as taking that first step to being a better person. i want to create this series to show anyone can have strength to overcome and move forward in life.

our main series

i knew i could not make it alone despite me being an artist so it took strength to admit i can not draw a comic well enough to do it justice so i employed a team, we made team UWU, now its a perfect series made with the love and time of amazing artists whom i trust my series with, it has nothing to do with being a women, but everything to do with me accepting i needed help.

https://twitter.com/TeamUWU9

An inspiring/powerful quote that showcases the characters’ strengths (max 100 characters)

"ï dont regret anything that has happened until now papa, i thank you for everything we have, you take care of me, you feed me, you keep me safe and, thanx for that."Valmet, Welcome home

Series link:
Heroes Never Die2

Series logline:
Setrina has always wanted to be a real hero - just not one of the Heroes, the police force on Elarthe.
In a world where the definition of heroes or villains are blurry, our heroine will have much to learn about what it means to be a real hero.

Inspiring quote:

Setrina: "You're not getting away with this!"

Creating series as a woman:
One of my earliest exposure to comics was the shounen comics like DragonBall and Rave. I've had a liking to action comics with carthartic violence, and I don't see many women authors with that kind of work.

So here's my attempt to do such comics - along with including many kinds of women - the angry, the violent, the giant, the heroic and even the gentle. Where women just -are-, instead of being defined entirely by their role as love interests or as a rescue objective.

Genre: epic poem, romance, fantasy, sci-fi

Status: On-going posted daily

Each episode has less than 300 words and 2 illustrations.

When Death meets Chaos

Series logline: "-Chaos is born, and what a disgrace for the human race."

Quote“
-Where did your father go?”

“-To the store, we played a game, and he lost.”

“-What game did you two agree?”

“-Truth or dare, and I won!!”

I'm a 36-year-old woman, I never let my gender or my "weakness" stop me. You can't do it! This is a job for a man! Opening a pickle jar, fixing the electric board. I have won in a field where most of my colleagues are males. So besides the monthly tampons, I have to buy, my femininity has never stopped me to go further. And that is exactly what will happen to Chaos. Regaining her crown for a usurper King.

1:

2: When two people find their soulmate, all they want is to spend time together, but time is a curious thing—how they can be together if it shouldn't even be realistically possible? Because you see, time breaks everything apart.

3: “He couldn't bear the thought of losing... us. And neither could I... but I'm a coward.”

4: I think the web is the best platform to do feminist/feminine art and stories as a woman. I base my stories and characters to my own experiences as a woman, and this being said, Moments Between Frames is especially personal to me. Every story of mine has a female lead, and I never create female characters who aren't "strong". However, being strong has nothing to do with masculinity, but rather being a woman in the way you want. Soft and girly isn't a synonym for weak or conservative. Comic as my choice of storytelling allows me to uplift women in a realistic way visually and storywise. I want to create relatable woman characters from inside and outside. Beauty isn't one size fits all.

Series link:

Logline:
After waking up with no memories Flare has spent the last few years trying to get any clue on who she is. Her draconic like appearance doesn't help either, but she refuses to give up. After a fateful meeting with a stranger, Flare gets the first clue that sets her on a journey to uncover her past, while also unveiling a terrible danger.

Quote:
"I won't put people in danger for just one petty assh*le"

I've been reading all kind of stories since I can remember. Growing up as a girl the early 2000s means that, despite the slow change in media, I was expected to love princesses, dolls, and by default, stories where there's always one defenseless maid that need to be rescued. Welp, guess I never fit those expectations. I never had dolls, I had dragons.
Being like that when I was so small, it was only a matter of time that I grew into the person I am today. Don't get me wrong, I don't make comics because I want to defy the old status quo. I make comics because I love doing that. Just one thing, don't expect me to write any girl that can't fend for herself. Being strong doesn't mean hating men, not being feminine or I don't know, lifting 50kg with one arm. For me "strong" women can be vulnerable, soft, harsh, more feminine or not, the thing is that they won't let anyone tell her how to be a woman. And that's the kind of character that I aspire to write in my stories.

Hi, I'd love to take part in this.

1. https://tapas.io/series/CUT-LOOSE3 (I suggest you start from https://tapas.io/episode/17994551)
   I am planning on redoing the first bits.

2. "Lea is one of the main characters and has a personal vendetta which she is focussed on. Her friends try to be supportive and go along with all her plans to help her move on. To be on her A-game she takes all precautions and has a trip by a doctor for a regular checkup. It goes wrong when the side effects of a certain medicine aren't the regular ones. Slowly the characters notice weird changes. They feel as if they have gotten an ability but with major side effects. After some time they finally stumble upon a group that can help them and uses them to investigate the strange events happening in the current government."

3. "Fawn standing over the body of her dead coworker: Men and their toxic masculinity, it's deadly around me."

4. CUT LOOSE is a story that is based on the personalities of my friends and I. Everything that happens I run by them and they decide how the character reacts. This comic idea has been lingering in my head for years and at the end of 2019 I finally started posting.
   I often feel that only a certain type of character gets shown in male-written comics and it's mostly overly sexualized characters. What I find important is that all kinds of female characters get shown in different situations like being in power, handling trauma, having a weird but stable friendship.
   I love all my characters and hope you see the potential.

https://tapas.io/series/ANTRAS2

Logline:
A wall divides the kingdom of Antras, separating its people into 2 totally different societies. Kaira, inhabitant of a chaotic, poor and lawless Antras, will live a day that'll change her life completely.

Quote:
"Whatever happens today it will be better than my current situation."

I've always liked creating characters and giving them "a life", a story, and being able to translate that into a comic that everyone can read, being able to empathize, get emotional, even feel identified with those characters is great. And being able to bring diversity of any kind to these stories, being able to reflect the strength of women in an invented world is one of the things I like the most about making comics. Sharing what I like is the best thing about being a woman who draws comics.

1. https://tapas.io/series/The-Knight-by-Pepper/info2

2. "In a medieval world, a destructive force is about to drown every little sparks of life in the darkness. Only one chosen Knight would have the strength to fight the Evil."

3. "Do what you want I don't care! I'll become rhe Knight no matter what!"

4. Growing up as a woman I often was frustrated by the lack of representation of strong female character. It became such an annoyance that I preferred being the prince or the male hero of the story instead of the girly character. Why women could only be the love interested, or the weak one? I didn't see myself as such and didn't want to grow up like this, being a damsel in distress who the only option in life was to be a mother and a wife? That was plenty stupid, and of course it's still plenty stupid now. So I started creating story, with strong and complexe female characters. I want to show that women aren't just the trophy or boobs and butt of a story to look pretty on a cover. They have their flaws and strength and they sure can make great protagonist for any kind of story.

1. When Life gives you lemons, you make lemonade--lots and lots of lemonade. The daily life stories of a girl who lives as she chooses.

2. "I'm weird, not an idiot."

3. I think it shows that anyone can make good stories. Everyone has an idea. What matters is whether they are willing to bring it to life for the world to see.

1.

2.

Phyllis, a twelve year old apprentice healer, befriends Marcus, a young Roman soldier, and soon gets him all wrapped up in her ploys to defend Mesmer, the school that might prove to be a better fit for him than it is for her.

(ongoing, bi-weekly updates, full draft completed, Historical fantasy)

3.

“He thinks he can stop her. And I doubt that. I really doubt that.”

4.

I’ve always had a love for stories dated back in time, but as a reader of historical fiction, the amount of abuse of female characters I’ve had to stomach has been harrowing. I also like to read banter and comedy, and find that female characters are often portrayed as the voice of reason in YA. Women tend to be written out of history, especially in stories set in the Roman Empire. With ‘Phyllis’, I aim to write them back in, and let female readers have fun in my realm while I am at it. After all, if you could force a mansplainer to hold his tongue, wouldn’t you be tempted to do just that?

I am a female creator! xox MJ

My Comic: The Alley Cat2

Logline: After a tragic break up with his girlfriend and the sudden disappearance of his beloved uncle, Hunter Shade struggles to put his life back together under the pressures of also being the local super hero, The Alley Cat. Will he be able to win back Caroline and find his missing uncle all while keeping his identity a secret?

My Leading Lady is Caroline Gates. A quote that showcases her strengths:
"Not only are you a wicked artist, but you have this charisma that makes everyone and their grandmothers love you. Not to mention your talents with a tennis ball - something I'll never understand."

Hello Tapas!
Making this series as a woman means a lot to me because it gives me the opportunity to represent my favorite characteristics and strengths about what makes a woman beautiful. My female lead show cases her beautiful feminine characters by having so much love, forgiveness, wisdom and both internal and external beauty. She is a strong woman emotionally, as well as physically! She has a lot of stamina from being a great tennis player, and she is also a talented artist and independently living on her own. I want to share the characteristics that I value the most in woman I know personally and that I look up to. I want to teach other girls to have all the love and forgiveness in the world for the people you care about...just like them.

"Yuna fancies herself a princess and lives alone waiting for the day her royal family finds her. Things aren't as they seem though..."

"Even when it rains the sun is so bright"

I created this short story to be a bit of a dark satire on fantasy tropes of the damsel in distress and roles of femininity in society as well as metaphor for not giving up on a dream even if its fruitless.

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[LOGLINE ]

Shamed, belittled and considered inferior in every way- Princess Suren slowly drags herself out of the earth she fell upon and walks with her dimmed light to find the fuel to set herself ablaze for the sake of her people. As Suren's journey unfolds, many of her kin she finds suffer from the same treatment in the Jade Kingdom culture and she realizes its not just a mere prophecy coming down to end her species.

[QUOTE ]

“I wonder what would make Councilor Clemency think...”

And Suren turned to peer over her shoulder, and keeping her saccharine smile asked, “...that her blunt knives would ever land into my back?”

[BEING A WOMAN IN THE INDUSTRY ]

The main reason I began writing my stories and making my own art, was to let my own voice be heard without being silenced. I build my own domain, writing the story I need to be able to speak out loud so I can give myself healing and acknowledgment. Growing up, I was raised in a household dominated by male oppression and it left my family with emotional scars we still are struggling to heal from.

My novel Jade Kingdoms is my outcry to having that culture thrown back into the abyss it ever dared to crawl out from. It's why my main character is a woman with soft strength, because I refuse to be told that being soft and timid are weaknesses. They are strength, enduring is strength and just because a woman is soft doesn't mean she's incapable of being empowered.

Hearts of Gold and Blades of Steel

Series logline:
7 women of 2 mercenary groups are forced together after a monster-slaying contract goes awry, but not all the women are strangers to one another. Matilde and Eudora once rode together as sword-sisters and lovers; reunited they must find a way to work together and keep both their teams in check to survive.

Quote: “I’m no lady.” Matilde snorted, dismounting and handing him the reins of her large mount, Alina. “But you treat my horse like one and we’ll get along just fine.”

What this means to me as a woman:
Being able to share stories of women like me, when there has been a real drought up until now, is something I am very grateful for. I love being able to show women of all strengths/sizes/colours/sexualities/personalities/etc in my stories/series because women are more than a two-dimensional cardboard standee. As women, we have great stories to tell and I love being a part of that. My stories are for everyone, even if they mostly feature women. I feel that online series/novel/comic platforms have really opened up the floodgates for tales of women that don't always get shared in mainstream media and it makes me so happy to see them become more and more popular.

It is also Black History Month (Happy Black History Month & Happy Women's History Month, everyone!) so I'm going to nominate @surenlicious for both her comic & novel Jade Kingdoms. https://tapas.io/series/Jade-Kingdoms

Other women I'd like to amplify, from various backgrounds:

@sarahmassey998 - Prometheus Reanimated (novel): https://tapas.io/episode/1633712

@neidarous - Burning Tears (novel): https://tapas.io/series/Burning-Tears

@brilliiant - Artifakt (comic): https://tapas.io/series/Artifakt

@elisabeth_ist - Hannah, Not the Wolf (novel): https://tapas.io/episode/18396541

All of these creators are wonderful (many others above, too). I celebrate each of you and encourage all women everywhere, particularly creators of colour, to continue in your craft. You are so appreciated. You are also needed to change the world and face of literature to reflect the diverse tapestry of the human experience. The road may have some bumps, but you can do it. Keep shining!