Nonsense and Noise

For this episode, I give a review of several queer webtoons, info is as follows: Crown of Feathers - book by Nicki Pau Preto, Webtoon created by Foxkirin (foxkirin on Twitter)Cape of Spirits by Kris Nguyen (hakuku on Twitter)Asterion by NeverDraws (same handle on Twitter)Heartstopper by Alice OsmanCastle Swimmer by Wendy Lian Martin (wendycomics on Twitter)The Croaking by Megan J Grey (mmegjgrey on Twitter)Jackson's Diary by Paola Batalla (burdiedraws on Instagram)Boyfriends by refrainbow (same handle on Twitter)Osora by Toni Renea (tonirenea_art on Instagram and Threads)To the Stars and Back by pegl0 (pegl0 on Instagram, note that 0 is a zero)And then by nonsense recommendation: Hand Jumper by Sleepacross (same handle on Twitter and Instagram)Follow me on socials @kahtonotkayto everywhere (Twitter, IG, twitch)!

Well howdy! Been a nice long 6 months. Let's back into it!Direct aid for Palestine and Gaza:Care for Gaza (twitter, paypal)eSims for Gaza (twitter, link)Brooms by Jasmine Walls and Teo DuVall

In honor of the Day of Remembrance (marked by the anniversary of the release of Executive Order 9066), please enjoy this episode that I'm releasing from behind the paywall! In this episode I detail my family's experiences during WWII in addition to other pieces of history that surround this abhorrent racist legacy. From the episode: Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki HoustonHotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie FordOmoide IV: Childhood Memories (the book that features a story written by my grandpa)No-No Boy by John OkadaThe University of Washington (UW) page on my grandpa (featuring an interview) can be found here.

She's Barbie! Both of us are just Ken. Vesper Adelaide joins me to talk about a queer perspective on Barbie, focusing on how the movie maps onto gender and trans identities. Links below:Gayming Magazine twitter: https://twitter.com/gaymingmagCovry: https://shopcovry.com/Vesper's twitter: https://x.com/TheMetari?s=20

Looking for another video game review? Well, look no further! This month, I review Venba (spoilers: it's great, buy it). Transcript can be found here, thanks for your patience!Tune in to my twitch to watch me play Ace Attorney with my friend Rebecca (on all platforms with the handle @GeneralAsian)!

Back from a tiny hiatus with a brief rundown of pop culture from June and July, as well as teeny tiny musings on being a QPOC in the gaming world!Books mentioned during What's Your Nonsense:How Far the Light Reaches by Sabrina ImblerThe Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn JoukhadarPatreon can be found here. A transcript for the episode can be found here.

Hey everyone! Sorry this episode is late, Zelda has consumed my life! I went to go see Polite Society earlier in May and had an absolute blast, hope you enjoy this review! The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Happy May! Here's a review of the Shadow and Bone series, both the TV show and the books. A transcript of the episode can be found here. The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom final trailer can be found here, and the NYPL reading list can be found here.

Here's an honest review of the Square Enix RPG Forspoken just in time for the end of the month! Hope you all enjoy and this can help inform a game purchase. The transcript of this episode can be found here.A note: Tomi Adeyemi is a Nigerian American author, and while her series features Black characters, it's important to note that there is an important difference between Black representation and African representation. Adeyemi's work is great, and also it is not the ONLY representation for Black folks in fantasy. It also most likely does not speak directly to Black folks as it pulls more heavily from Nigerian influences. Some links mentioned:Valorant Retake animaticPast Lives trailer

Returning friend of the pod Ro Mangle joins Nathan for a chat on life as a queer person of color, some of the problems we face, and how ideologies can have real life consequences.A transcript for the episode can be found here.The Octopath Traveler 2 theme music can be found here. Between record and release, the playlist was removed from YouTube, sorry about that!

Nathan goes into a deep dive on the DC State of Asian America, and covers the good, the bad, and the ugly.A short description of what is mentioned about disability and superheroes is covered here. This is not the original essay that I came across, but it's a good starting point to understand what I"m talking about with superpowers and disability.Transcript can be found here.

Happy Holidays! Nathan talks about the state of Super Asian America and gives a report card on how Marvel does with representation and diversity in their storytelling. The twitter thread of Indigenous sci-fi stories can be found here. In case you don't have twitter access:Night Riders (on Hulu) by Cree-Métis filmmaker Danis Goulet and executive produced by Taika WaititiRhymes for Young Ghouls (on Tubi) by writer/director Mi'kmaq filmmaker Jeff Barnaby, starring Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs from Reservation DogsPrey (on Hulu) by Comanche producer Jhane MyersBlood Quantum (on Amazon Prime) by Jeff BarnabyThe Rocket Boy (on Vimeo) by Diné filmmaker Donavan SeschillieThe 6th World (on Vimeo) by Diné filmmaker Nanobah BeckerThe Path Without End (on Vimeo) by Irish-Anishinaabe-Métis filmmaker Elizabeth Aileen LaPensée with music by Cree cellist Cris DerksenAnd then there is a list of Indigenous futurist books here!

Nathan talks about the good and the bad from Billy Eichner's gay romcom Bros! Patreon can be found here, and transcript for the episode can be found here. Thanks for listening!

Happy 1 year anniversary! Thanks to everyone who has listened to my podcast for its first year, and here's to continuing to make space for QPOC and the stories we have to tell!Follow me at @kahtonotkayto on all platforms (IG/Twitter/Twitch)!

Nathan talks about fanfiction, what it is, and how it can be a tool to help minority communities develop stories of their own.Transcript can be found here. A reminder that the show will be on break next month! See you all in October!

Friend of the podcast Josh Mangle (@steam_hunk on Twitter, @knightlybun on Twitch) returns to talk with Nathan about Fire Island, the movie created by Joel Kim Booster and directed by Andrew Ahn available for streaming on Hulu!The transcript for this episode can be found here.The book series that Josh mentioned (Cat Star Chronicles) can be found here.

Nathan gets into the building blocks of Everything Everywhere All At Once, and how the movie gets its message across.Transcript for this episode can be found here.

Friend of the pod Brynmor Ruiz returns to talk with Nathan about their encounters with the Encanto fandom.Bryn's audiobook can be found here! Also, I forgot to mention during the recording that I wrote an essay on sexual racism in the queer community and that can be found here.The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Nathan is joined by Mallory Cruz to talk about Encanto, what the movie means to us, and how to better connect with stories outside our own cultures.The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Nathan talks (for quite frankly, too long) about the cultural building blocks of the universe of Avatar the Last Airbender.The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For the final (for now) episode in the Boys Love series, Nathan is joined by Vesper to talk about the Netflix movie, The Yin-Yang Master: Dreams of Eternity.The transcript for this episode can be found here.The ending song audio and lyrics (with translation) can be found here.

For this episode, Nathan dives into one of Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's other works--Modao Zushi (The Untamed on Netflix)--and compares it against Heaven's Official Blessing.Transcript for the episode can be found here!

For the second episode in our series on Boys Love, Josh joins Nathan to talk about Heaven's Official Blessing and their experience with the Boys Love genre.For more on the Norse stories that Josh mentioned, you can look up the Gudmundr saga. Freyr is the Viking god of fertility that was mentioned as well. As for the story about Lancelot, it is the Knight of the Cart by Chretien de Troyes. The transcript can be found here. The Nintendo Indie showcase video that was mentioned at the top can be found here.The trailer for Everything Everywhere All At Once can be found here.

Switching gears, we're diving into another topic proposed by the patrons: BL or Boys Love! I talk about the history of BL and how we interact with it. Transcript of the ep can be found here!

Nathan talks about the Asian American experience and how Shang-Chi builds two different narratives for these experiences through Katy and Shaun. Next up: an exposition on BL or boys' love! The transcript of this episode can be found here..

Episode 5 is now out! I talk fight choreo and how Shang-Chi builds on some major pieces of Asian and Asian-American media. I think I've got one more solo episode left for Shang-Chi and then we'll be moving on to other media!Transcript can be found here.

Nathan talks about romance in Shang-Chi, the absence of it, the precedence established in the MCU, and where he wants to see things go. Transcript for the episode can be found here.

Episode 3 is out! It's just me this time, talking about Shang-Chi and its portrayal of Asian American masculinity.As a note, Shang-Chi's portrayal of masculinity does NOT align with the thoughts espoused by the MRAsian movement (which are rooted in white supremacy and misogyny). Asian American women don't owe you anything!Transcript can be found here.

Bryn (@SoldiersShields) joins Nathan (@kahtonotkayto) for a discussion about diversity, origin stories, and a critical look at Marvel's performance handling both through Shang-Chi in this episode. The transcript for this episode can be found here.Asian American comedians/creators to check out: Andrew Ti (twt/ig: @andrewti) Joel Kim Booster (twt/ig: @ihatejoelkim) Mitra Jouhari (ig: @mitrajouhari) Bowen Yang (ig: @fayedunaway) Youngmi Mayer (twt/ig: @ymmayer/@feelingasianpodcast) Brian Park (ig: @itsbrianpark/@feelingasianpodcast)

For the inaugural episode of Nonsense and Noise, Nathan gets into the history of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Transcript of the episode can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ocr93dGO_UF1nYkFf8hLEtCHykg3dGcEikvyf-1gKqA/edit