I've just released Persephone's 2025 Metroidvania Corpus as a PDF! I did this to allow for easier accessibility using Adobe's bookmark system. The corpus combines "From Master's to PhD" with my earlier postgrad work on Metroidvania, "Mazes and Labyrinths," merging them into a single, larger document alongside extra material (originally 74 pages, v1.0; currently 185 pages, v1.22).
Editor's notes, 1/6/2025: The corpus is SFW (no nudity). You can download it on my 18+ website, or access the latest version directly by clicking this download link.
Current edition, v1.22 (7/12/2025): Wrote a new essay for the corpus: "Joy Under Fascism."
Older Patch Notes
v1.21 (7/4/2025): Proofread the entire the corpus (again); i.e., to prepare for reading it on my YouTube channel (for archival purposes). Various small corrections throughout, including fixing broken hyperlinks and adding links, in the PDF version, to the source images; i.e., for anything with tiny font; e.g., the Twitter screencaps. Expanded the opening to "Metroidvania (all definitions)" for additional historical context. Moved "About the Author" (reprise) to the back of the document. Revised the PDF's front Table of Contents.
v1.20a (7/1/2025): Resized the Amazon illustrations in "Regarding My Amazon Research."
v1.20 (6/21/2025): Expanded "Regarding My Amazon Research" to give the document more poetic analysis, versus its primarily historical approach; placed it after "Content Warning." Tweaked "What Are They (my definition)?" Several other small changes made throughout.
v1.19 (5/27/2025): Tweaked some formatting. Placed "Metroidvania: What Are They (my definition)?" at the start of the corpus. Updated some incorrect dates, added some small definitions and other paratextual details.
v1.18 (5/11/2025): Added a further reading section that covers Persephone's research parallel to Metroidvania, including Tolkien, ludo-Gothic BDSM, and Amazons/the Medusa and Amazonomachia (the monstrous-feminine). Added some additional coverage on Karl Jobst at the start of "Those Who Walk Away from Speedrunning"; e.g., him losing the lawsuit and his racism, which feature in a 2025 write-up/compendium on Karl, one where I expose him based on my and others' investigations: "Karl Jobst: Still Racist (and Fash), in 2025."
v1.17a (3/27/2025): Added some additional definitions to "Persephone's Academic History": "the euthanasia effect (rabid token Amazons)," "mirror syndrome," "Amazonomachia (Amazon pastiche, subjugated/subversive)."
v1.17 (3/23/2025) – Expanded on "Summarizing Persephone's Metroidvania Praxis" in "From Master's to PhD"; i.e., to feature "ludo-Gothic BDSM," but also to discuss more of the history that occurred for Persephone between 2018 and 2023. Includes new interview portions with Scott Sharkey. Also added new essential glossary terms to "Persephone's Academic History." Not all mention specifically in this corpus, but do relate to my Metroidvania work as a sex-positive device, post-PhD; i.e., regarding my activism surrounding the universal liberation of sex work (thus all work) using Metroidvania as a holistic and flexible teaching device.
v1.16 (1/15/2025) - Recorded a live reading for "Doom Eternal (2020) Review: No Girls or Trans People Allowed," but also respond to the years' worth of transphobic hate mail that review received: "Persephone's Metroidvania Series #6" (2025). Added the links in this corpus. Some small typo fixes and corrections.
v1.15a " - Recorded a live reading for "Those Who Walk Away…" and added the links in this corpus. I did so because the reading also includes a full response to speedrunner Karl Jobst's old pick-up artist video; i.e., by breaking it down and critiquing his bad dating advice, sleazy antics and predator grifter behavior: "Persephone's Metroidvania Series #5" (2025).
v1.15 (1/13/2025) - Added "Those Who Walk Away from Speedrunning" (and its historical 2020 companion piece, "Postcolonialism in Doom") to address how speedrunning—although still important to my work—is something I, a trans woman an-Com, ultimately walked away from; i.e., while keeping my interest for Metroidvania (vis-à-vis ludo-Gothic BDSM) largely intact.
v1.1 (1/7/2025) - Expanded "Persephone's Further Reading (on Metroidvania)" to include ancillary research to her Metroidvania work, namely on FPS games. Includes reviews and on write-ups on Ion Fury, Blood and Doom Eternal (among others), but also additional interviews with game devs (e.g., James Towne and Yellow Swerve), filmmakers (e.g., the cast and crew of "Alien: Ore") and world-class speedrunners (e.g., FrostyXen, CScottyW and King Dime). Full changes are under "Further Reading."
v1.0 (1/6/2025) - vanilla release
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Persephone van der Waard is the author of the multi-volume, non-profit book series, Sex Positivity—its art director, sole invigilator, illustrator and primary editor (the other co-writer/co-editor being Bay Ryan). Persephone has her independent PhD in Gothic poetics and ludo-Gothic BDSM (focusing partially on Metroidvania), and is a MtF trans woman, Tolkien and Amazon enthusiast, anti-fascist, atheist/Satanist, poly/pan kinkster, erotic artist/pornographer and anarcho-Communist with two partners. Including multiple playmates/friends and collaborators, Persephone and her many muses work/play together on Sex Positivity and on her artwork at large as a sex-positive force. That being said, she still occasionally writes reviews, Gothic analyses, and interviews for fun on her old blog (and makes YouTube videos talking about politics). To purchase illustrated or written material from Persephone (thus support the work she does), please refer to her commissions page for more information. Any money Persephone earns through commissions goes towards helping sex workers through the Sex Positivity project; i.e., by paying costs and funding shoots, therefore raising awareness. Likewise, Persephone accepts donations for the project, which you can send directly to her PayPal, Ko-Fi, Patreon or CashApp. Every bit helps!
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