#And I'm using it to have a really petty rant about a tv show I'm largely indifferent to

[alastors-antlers]

Why Alastor is good aroace rep after all, written by an aroace

Hello all! I just want to start off this post by saying that I'm one person who definitely doesn't speak for all aroaces, but I wanted to make a post on this anyway, and maybe some folk would be interested in hearing out another perspective?

I'm not really caught up on everything that's been said over the course of HH's creation - only more recent interviews, since I'm pretty new to the fandom. Apologies if I've missed anything, but also I do not have the time to keep up with all the out-of-canon-material backstory unfortunately. I'm working with what we've got here.

So here's the thing:

Alastor is cruel, he's narcissistic, he doesn't care about anyone except himself, he's a serial killer and a monster.

(That's the argument I've heard - please tell me if that's not really what people are going for lol, in which case I've totally misunderstood?)

The issue with aroace rep when it paints asexual people with those traits is that it aims to dehumanizes them. Sex and love are essential to the human experience, right? So why wouldn't someone be interested? Because they're self-absorbed, and cold, and detached. They don't have the capacity to love others enough to feel romance.

And sure, Alastor is a killer, and a schemer, and prideful, and a monster by hell's standards. But no matter how above it all and stylish and in control and provocative he wants to be, he's a very human character, and his aroace-ness never serves to add to his alienation. You could even say that it makes him seem even more personable.

That's what I think is the key difference.

why he's human

Alastor's whole persona is about control, and he basically straight-up says this. He's controlling what his enemies know, what his public image is like. His goal is to be the Radio Demon -- overlord of Hell, charismatic, Machiavellian, and undefeatable. He's not. Despite that smile plastered over his face (a powerful tool, huh) he's so expressive for someone who's constantly pretending.

You see his exasperation with the Egg Bois and with Charlie's ranting; his nervousness in front of Zestial; his frustration with Lucifer and the petty lengths he goes to to piss off the ruler of Hell.

You see his desperation, making that deal with Charlie. He's surprised by the idea of being vulnerable in front of an enemy like Adam, and so close to danger. He drops the radio filter and the affect out of fear, and runs on broadcast TV to let out panic and anger and bitterness in his hideout, where no one else can see him.

He has a smile that tells us he's genuinely happy to see someone; it's a little wider than his default. You see it with Mimzy's greeting, you see it with Rosie. Rosie, especially, serves to make Alastor more human to the audience. More on this later, but for now, I'm just saying that you can see that he at least seems to respect her greatly. Whatever bond they have, we know that he trusts her to touch him, to share history with him, and with support that he trusts no one else for.

He pretends, but he can't pretend it all away. Loads of these emotions aren't even advantageous for him to show. It isn't necessarily how the typical asexual psychopath acts; he's not emotionless or only capable of anger or brutality.

He's so full of emotion that it leaks through, despite all that he does to avoid it. He's not inhuman and aloof, not really - he's so, so human, even when he tries not to be because he thinks that'll be what keeps him above all the rest. In control, and free from his chains.

(If anyone wants to see images about all this, I'll make a separate post - just let me know.)

(I also have another post, talking about why Alastor is at least a little attached to the hotel's residents too, shown via conversation with Niffty. In what way? different question.)

how the aroace part contributes to that

Now, to be fair, we don't hear much about his aroaceness in canon. It's just not relevant a lot of the time.

In the pilot, Angel's proposition ruffles his feathers so much that Alastor blanks for a moment. It's a joke, sure, but that ace panic face is a pretty popular Alastor moment in the fandom - Alastor, thrown off-balance by a sex joke of all things, after so many years in Hell that he should probably be used to this.

It's a moment that makes him more approachable; his aroaceness shows him unprepared for something someone else does for one of the only real moments in the whole episode.

And the other part: the ace in the hole statement.

Rosie apparently knows Alastor so well that she read that he's aroace. That tells us about their relationship; namely, that it is long-standing and genuine enough that she gleaned a piece of real information from him. It's a casual fact that she knows about him before he even figured it out himself. It lends legitimacy to their bond - this bond that shows us a more comfortable and warm side of Alastor that we don't often see.

If their relationship is purely business, isn't this something pretty frivolous and personal? It's not like he has anything to gain by telling her about his life, but she learned about it somehow. How close are they? That's where it adds a layer of complexity and personality to his character..

thoughts on representation

Overall, Alastor's an interesting character who has a level of depth and care and personality (outside of cruelty) that asexual psychopath tropes lack. Again, the moments where he's being represented as disinterested in sex or romance don't make him seem detached. Again, they don't say "look how hostile toward relationships his behaviour is - how separate he is from our humanity". That's what bad villain ace rep is. That's not what the show's doing.

Also: I'm not saying that we need to lower our standards or anything, but even if you think it's not the best rep, I feel like we should be supporting HH's efforts here. I know that on Tumblr we have a pretty queer-friendly space going, which is honestly an understatement lol but

Aces are incredibly underrepresented in fiction. There's a whole Wikipedia page about asexual characters in media, and it's short as all hell, and even if you consider what's on there you see quite a number of one-off characters who are never mentioned again.

In terms of real life business - before the DSM updated their definition of hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in 2013, identifying as asexual wasn't even a recognized thing. If you talked to a clinician about your lack of sexual desire, you could be diagnosed with a disorder. Only in the 5th edition do we now have a little exclusion footnote about it.

The concept of asexuality hasn't been explored nearly as much as other queer identities in our scientific research. We get crumbs in terms of mainstream representation and understanding. House M.D. has an episode where House "disproves" us because he's just so smart.

Alastor isn't going to be perfect representation. There's no such thing as perfect representation, and from the moment he was conceptualized, you could see how people would take him poorly. Still, I think he's a net positive.

He isn't a side character or a token ace - he's a core part of the show, whose personality and character motivations we can reasonably presume are going to be explored much more deeply in upcoming season(s). He's loved by the fandom. Right now, given what we know, I trust Vivziepop to write the aroace representation he deserves, because with the way I've heard the cast/directing/etc. talk about him, they're trying to do the aroace community justice, so I wish people would let up just a little on the whole "Alastor is bad rep".

Let's give him a chance, all right?

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

Am I the asshole for watching a movie as a family without including my dad? Writing it out, I think I know the answer, but this has still been bugging me.

Around Thanksgiving I (30s) visited home. It was also a trip to see for my mom (late 60s) for her birthday, so I was there for a few days longer than a Thanksgiving trip would normally account for. My brother (30s) and his wife (30s) visited for her birthday too. My dad (early 70s) was there as well. They've been married over 30 years. Originally I'd planned to take everybody out to see a movie as a birthday present for my mom...but it turned out there was literally nothing at the theater that my mom was interested in at all. The town is pretty small, and the options were limited. So instead, we started out with a nice dinner, and family board game run-through of a trivia game we all thought we'd have some fun with. My mom ended up winning, which is rare and was not deliberate, and it wrapped the game up way faster than we'd anticipated.

My dad immediately went back into the living room after the game ended, openly a little annoyed that mom had won a trivia game based on something he considers himself the family expert in. He watches old reruns of the show he's seen a million times on a loop every day, and it can be pulling teeth to get him to do anything else. It was just a fluke, but something the rest of us considered a pleasant surprise since none of us had expected she'd win. But he was annoyed. Given that it was still early, Mom suggested we find a movie to watch online, so we could all wind down before bed with something the whole family could enjoy.

Dad said no. Now this feels like important context: I...have a lot of problems with my dad. I love him, but he can be extremely emotionally immature. Downright verbally abusive at times. And very petty. I'm in therapy in no small part due to some of the insecurities he instilled in me over the years. I've worked hard to set basic boundaries with him. He also has multiple medical issues, and I'm pretty sure he has untreated depression and other mental health problems he refuses to acknowledge that contribute to him flying off the handle at a moment's notice. That, combined with the fact that my mom will 100% never, ever leave him, because she was raised in a very specific mindset that she's never been fully able to shake...means my brother and I usually have to grit our teeth when he starts ranting/yelling/complaining during a visit, or we'd just end up ruining the day for our mom. She's done so much for us, and we just wanted her to have a good visit. So, that's what I did for most of the trip. I breathed deep when my dad openly mocked my stutter, and refused to get in a fight about it. I stopped myself from getting visibly upset when he tried to feed my cat table scraps even when I told him the cat needs a special diet. On other days I tried to watch his old shows with him, and ignored the sexist comments he'd make about the female leads, all for the sake of keeping the peace.

But, it was Mom's birthday. And she wanted to watch a movie.

And Dad said no.

He refused to give up his marathon of old westerns from 60 years ago to watch a new movie with his family on the big tv in the living room.

My mom seemed disappointed, so I suggested we watch one on my laptop in the kitchen instead. Without my dad, if he really wanted to watch his show instead. She agreed, and my brother, his wife, my mom and I filed into the kitchen, sat in less-than-comfy chairs, and watched a fantasy heist film that I'd thought they would all enjoy. And they did. My brother was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the movie (I'd already vouched for it being good, none of the others had seen it previously) His wife kept making notes for her dnd campaign. My mom found it hilarious, and liked that some actors from another show she liked were in it.

My dad stayed in the living room, watching his marathon.

Partway through the movie, he came in and asked us what we were watching. We told him, and he passed through the kitchen for something he needed, then said that we were being too loud. More context: the kitchen is right next to the living room, but my dad turns the tv up so loud in there it can get physically painful to be in the room with him. He refuses to get hearing aides, and only recently relented on subtitles. He also has a habit of screaming at anyone who tries to talk for a long time when his shows are on and they're in earshot, even if they're in a different room. We thought he couldn't hear it over his tv, and so when he said something we said sorry and that we'd try to keep it down, but we could already barely hear it through the laptop speakers. We already had subtitles turned on to make sure we didn't miss anything. When we told him that, he got even more annoyed. He asked how we'd like it if he turned the tv up so loud we couldn't understand anything, then proceeded to go into the living room and do just that, just as I was trying to figure out how much more we could lower the volume without losing our whole experience. We called in that we were already turning it down, and he finally turned his volume back down as well. We finished our movie, turning the volume down during action scenes and up during speaking scenes so we could actually hear the dialog. We enjoyed the rest of the film, and then people started getting ready for bed, and my mom went to check on my dad. She told me a few minutes later that he was hurt that we'd watched the movie without him. That he felt left out. I told her that he'd had multiple opportunities to join us, and that is was his choice not to watch with us. And honestly, the fact that he wouldn't give up the real tv for a couple hours so she could have a birthday movie was really upsetting to me.

She still seemed to feel bad that he was left out, and I'm a little worried that he might've sulked for days afterwards, leaving my mom in an even more stressful environment after I left. Am I the asshole for insisting my mom get to watch a movie on her birthday? And would I be the asshole if I told my dad off for what I consider to be extremely selfish behavior?

Also before anyone asks, no, I'm not cutting him off. It's literally impossible to do that without pretty much cutting off my mom as well, and she absolutely doesn't deserve that. And yes, I've offered up my apartment as a place she can stay if she ever needs to. Repeatedly. She hasn't taken me up on it yet.

What are these acronyms?

[synchodai]

I will say that the while it's clear issues were present during the making of hotd s2, it's still a shame that the cregan/jace adventures in the north weren't given any attention. I thought they would capitalize on a stark/targaryen pairing considering how popular each respective side is

Also looking at s2... jace just did so little lol because other than his conversation with his mother towards the end, his presence this season was just so lackluster. I can't even lie, but that house Frey scene felt like a bit of a consolation prize for his lack of initiative everywhere else. In my opinion, I think it's easy to like jace after you read f&b and his death definitely adds to his appeal, but I really enjoyed how his actions (that were said to be done by him ig) have extreme consequences even when you could tell the incentive to do them were either for his family's safety or to prove himself. There's just so much more you could have done with that than just his feelings about being a bastard. These were admirable attempts during war, but they were shortsighted as well, and it's interesting to think about how if he had lived, he could have had the opportunity to grow and change

I think he could have returned after rhaenys dies maybe they use his short temper that we saw in s1 that after hearing about luke's death, he tries to do something stupid, but cregan, feeling sorry for him stops him and he stays there until he has his head on midly straight. They could've had some bond during his stay and jace's character could have been plain about any anger or guilt over luke, being a bastard, etc. We could have done more with cregan (like it's funny as a show only you know nothing about his story), but that can be changed when he comes back in season 4 probably

Idk but the prophecy having so much relevance as you finish s1 and s2 just makes me wish for a story where these highly privileged people with dragons acted for reasons for a cause that THEY believed were valid as they dragged everyone else into it including the smallfolk because tbqh even though they waged war all over, you can still feel this immense sadness over the fate of many of these characters

either way, I understand that much goes into making a TV show so I try to take it in good faith about choices they make, but idk I'm still so disappointed about this season

sorry for the word vomit :)

Yeah, there's a whole camp of the fandom that's disappointed Jace didn't get his flirty side quest. That being said, I do like the scenes that we do get of Jace in the show — even waaaaaaaaay back in season one, I loved how they characterized him.

You're right, anon; he IS shortsighted. Way back in the dinner scene in season one, we see Jace can play a political game of nuance and subtle jabs when he invites Helaena to dance as an insult to Aegon, but we also see him be the one to escalate things to violence by throwing the first punch. He's not above throwing petty insults, but he also throws a tantrum when those insults are returned in kind. He's not the innocent, even-keeled political savant some people think he is.

Even when I read the book, I always imagined Jace as a bit of an asshole in the same way a lot of insecure teenage boys are. Every political player in this overly privileged family is some level of asshole. (Which is also why I disagree with a lot of fans who say he would have made for a perfect king but that's another rant for another time.) And that's what makes them compelling characters.

That's why we needed to see that northern sojourn where Jace learns to somewhat chill. There's an obvious change in demeanor between season one Jace and season two Jace, and you can totally attribute that to him being given the space not to be on the defense all the time. The writers could have gone with the Sara Snow story, the Brokeback Winterfell angle, or something else entirely, and any of it would have worked.

Alas, the show's priorities are really obvious at this point. If it's not about Rhaenyra/Dany being the prophesized chosen one, they're not interested.

[disventure-rewrite-takes]

Hello again! (Warning, long rant again)

I'm basically making my own dc au for fun (I have too many writing projects to make another rn)

Adding onto what I created on Tom and Jensen, I wanna switch some of the characters with different ones for All Stars. This is now my au of an okay show plot

I wanna add only two characters, Drew (cause I love him and more details later), and Rosa (also explained later) and remove Miriam and Lake (I'm sorry but it's for reason and I wanna give other characters a chance to win)

The reason why I chose Drew and Rosa for All Stars is for two reasons, Fiore and common sense. For Drew, he's an underused contestant that's gone too early (honestly, glad he wasn't picked for all stars cause it kinda flopped after episode 5) but one thing that stands out about him that not a lot of the fandom bothered to notice is that Drew is a constant supporter of Fiore.

One: He probably voted for someone else (like maybe Miriam or Tom) in episode 1, and he was shocked that Fiore was voted out. Also, at the finale where Fiore was already exposed at a villain, Drew was seen at Fiore's stand despite everything, so a Drew and Fiore dynamic would be perfect because Fiore gets bullied way too much by both her teammates and the writing.

And while she does deserve some of the anger they feel towards her, you have to remember that she's just a 6-8 year old (No, I'm not excusing her actions they were bad, but there's a reason why she's this way. Monsters aren't born, they're made), so having someone who seen her at her worst and yet still cares about her would probably make Fiore realize that she's not a heartless monster like what her mom said, she's capable of love like everyone else.

Rosa is also picked for a similar reason, like Drew, while Rosa did watch DC season 1 and saw how Fiore was acting like a jerk she never really liked her first but later into watching the other half of the season she saw a bit of her daughter in Fiore if certain things happened. So when she joined All Stars, she saw the chance to help the self-proclaimed 'monster' of the Disventure Camp.

Let me tell you, if someone has been told by a bunch that they're the worst and many hateful words at a young age, gains a support system and teaches them how to truly love with time it would do wonders.

(Also, I want Rosa to adopt Fiore after the show is over. (Dis)respectfully, I don't trust Alec around kids based on the few mentions about his treatment towards his own kid)

Now, for Tom, his spy background is what made me like him back in the first season 'cuase I'm a sucker for anything spy-related. But like with any cool plotline, ONC fumbled his background just for what? Petty drama and a relationship that probably wouldn't be the best in reality.

Maybe he gets trauma from getting tortured by the enemy after being left behind on a dangerous mission by his teammates and friends he trusted (make Tom fucked up looking like the Creature from Frankenstein) and scars similar to the Phantom's eye scar and have half of his mouth exposed (just have the right side be messed up 👍🏽) Make him a recluse that learns to accept help from others along with trauma bonding with Jake (trust issues gang fr)

For the last part, Jensen. The mystery man himself: Why is he working on a reality TV show where his face could be revealed with the FBI? What did he do for the police and FBI hunting him down, and what does he gain during his stay at Disventure Camp?

Now, let's imagine this: Jensen used to be a part of this huge crime ring that he, originally named Vladimir, ruled with an iron fist. But someone snitched on the gang, and the police took down most of the gang members except Vladimir. Now, with nothing but posters asking people to look out for him, Vladimir needed to get back on top, so when he saw a sheet asking for help on a new reality show out in the middle of no where Vladimir took the job.

He changed his looks (his hair was black, but he dyed it gray to look older, covered the tattoo on his neck and blinded his left eye), and gained a new (fake) ID and changed his name to Jensen. After being hired by Derek and Trevor, he started his plan to restart his empire by selling the animal corpses he kills by the order of Derek and Trevor (He may have killed some interns and framed it as bear attacks)

When season 1 started and Tom joined (He was forced to take the job after the trouble with his teammates betraying him and his boss on their last straw at Tom), Jensen sensed something odd about him. Sneaking a peek at his bags while the players are at the challenge, Jensen finds out that Tom's a spy looking for him, so he creates a plan to make sure Tom will never catch him.

So that's what I have for now, I might come back with more later. Thank you for reading and gn/gm!

-🌙

ATE DEVOURED LEFT NO CRUMBS WITH THIS

i LOVE the idea of getting drew and rosa back to not only flesh them out more (as they deserved) but to also flesh out fiore and give her a redemption arc. especially drew omg my sweet boy i miss him

and the jensen arc... moon anon we need you on the show rn i can’t watch this knowing it could’ve been THIS /pos

[kim-ruzek]

You know what, I was just minding my own business but that stupid fucking person has really pissed me off, so I'm just gonna bitch for a while because upstead stans are the fucking worse and have literally been saying insane shit for over a year now.

putting this under a cut tho for my lovely mutuals who are upstead fans who are not part of the crazies and I don't wish for them to have to see my extreme bitchy and pettiness.

"Gwen Sigan doesn't believe that two ships can be happy at the same time" - yeah it's called have you fucking ever watched pd? LITERALLY been happening from the start it's not even unique to Sigan. This also really pisses me off because when I complained about Eid not believing in two ships being happy at once it was 'stop being dramatic' 'it makes for good tv' and, my absolute fucking favourite, 'burzek are just too toxic/traumtised for each other".

Oh but when your ship marries out of trauma (thank you gwen for pointing that out) and who's whole relationship was still very new and tested so frequently compared to ten years of loving, hurting and growing, it's oh no sigan is a shit writer.

There's also the fact that JESSE LEFT. I don't think there's any reason why Sigan shouldn't have re-written the divorce plans set from last season, and built up a happy upstead ending now we're also losing Tracy, but with Jesse gone, 'two ships can't be happy at once' CANNOT literally apply, because one half is gone, so it's no longer a viable plot point to the writers' perspective.

It's also not lost on me that upstead stans worshipped Sigan until Jesse left. 'Sigan didn't give upstead a chance' No, upstead stans didn't give her a chance. Which, granted, they shouldn't have to. If half of your ship leaves, it's perfectly valid to stop watching. But they evaluate sigan like they're fucking unbiased and not that they made up their minds about her as soon as the news hit.

(and that's not even talking about how before the news hit they were saying the 200th episode should be upstead focused, but upstead is broken and suddenly it's it should be about everyone).

And the marriage WAS born out of trauma. They had also barely been dating - it doesn't matter if you've been friends first, a relationship is different. And then they immediately went through A LOT at work, and they hadn't even been in the relationship long enough to learn how it would affect it, long-term.

"They're giving us burzek/burzek wedding to distract from upstead" get fucking over yourself.

"Sigan should admit she hates upstead/hates that the actors left" high talk from people who can't even fucking admit their ship is not the end all or be all of cpd. That they've been faced with the reality that upstead doesn't make or carry the show, like they've been delusionally believing. And that upstead is NO WHERE near the most iconic ship of the show.

Honestly, half the time these fucking people make me wish that Hailey is written out through a death/ or the linsteads get what they want - an off-screen reunion - even though my baby erin doesn't deserve that just to fucking spite them and I would HATE if that happened, but spite is a powerful thing.

if you've gotten to here, thank you for listening to my rant :)

[k7l4d4]

K Reviews and Rants: Miraculous Ladybug Season 5! Episode 5

Hello all, I'm back again with another review! Was honestly unsure if I would get this one posted, given I had a rather long run today in regards to work.

This episode... frustrated me. It essentially serves as a roadmap of the writer's intention to isolate Adrien. In how it presented Adrien as being gaslit by Gabe into thinking his dad FINALLY gives a genuine shit about him and pushing him into a yes/no situation where he's forced to pick between staying a Model or letting Gabe use his image for the Alliance Rings, as well as how it just had Nino act like an utter idiot, running his mouth, putting on a very dumb plan to try and spy on Monarch's actions... the setup feels designed to leave Adrien with no one he can trust with his true feelings and concerns but Marinette/Ladybug, and given how tightlipped she is about herself, that's a recipe for disaster in terms of unbalanced relationships.

Anyway, on to the review! As always, warnings for profanity.

Episode 5: Illusion 

Okay, we get some news interviews... and the thing that's standing out the most to me is XY being a completely ditzy moron, which makes the idea that he ever could've been able to set up holograms to do performances in his place during Season 1... SUSPECT, to put it lightly. Really Astruc, if you can't even do something like THAT consistent, you aren't gonna be able to hold together a message about "wealthy elites" or whatever nonsense is running through your head. 

And oh boy, having Chloe be the local Strawman again, what a surprise. Like... Dude, Tommy, turning someone you are engineering to be hated by the audience into acting as the mouthpiece for every criticism of the show and characters you dislike, and in the most stupidly reductive takes ON those criticisms around makes you look like a petty jackass! 

Okay, why the hell are the show host dude, Bob Roth, and the fucking BANANA presented as a panel of experts... I just do not have anything to say about that beyond "what the fuck?" Why are they using three randos as "experts" about the threat presented by a psychotic terrorist, and how to stop said terrorist, with one of said "experts" being a known corrupt executive!? 

Honestly, what makes this stupid scene even worse is that literally NOTHING of substance is actually discussed, despite apparently being an important talk show segment about the safety of Paris. It trivializes the overall plot of the season, and the series as a whole by giving the implication that people are so unconcerned about it that a goofy spoof segment featuring a wacky tv host, a sleazy music producer, and a guy in a banana suit about how "serious" it is makes for prime entertainment. 

And honestly? They could've made that set-up WORK by having Gabriel SEE the show and become furious that people aren't taking him seriously, and then plans out something audacious. But THAT would require Thomas to be willing to acknowledge that this scene just makes his "sympathetic villain" look like a complete joke. 

Okay, we get a moment of Adrien being completely pissed off over the Alliance Rings and how they involve his father objectifying his image and voice even WORSE Than before... and decides to use his newly gained confidence to confront him over it. Good for him! Now how does this get ruined? 

And there it is. "Call me dad." ...Thomas, if you were trying to portray Gabriel as sincerely trying to be a better father to Adrien... I honestly think this was the stupidest way you could've done it. Oh, he's only JUST NOW deciding to give a shit about his kid!? SERIOUSLY!? Right after setting things up so that he profits off of his son's image and voice. Combined between just how jarring it is that Gabriel is acting like this, as well as him claiming to take Adrien to school himself... I'm sorry, but this feels like he's gaslighting Adrien to me. 

Oh yes, "disappeared." Not DEAD. Because oh no, we can't ever mention DEATH on a kid's show, no no no, we have to wiggle around the topic, no matter how blatantly we otherwise telegraph it. Better to imply that at best Emilie became a deadbeat parent and ran off, or worse that she got kidnapped or something, because CLEARLY THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT WAY TO FRAME THIS SITUATION!!! Oh, and Gabriel's happy go-lucky "family man" mask immediately starts slipping with him nearly chucking the frying pan he's cooking in across the room. Wow, what a great dad, CLEARLY this is a man without anger and control issues! 

And also, when and how have Adrien and his dad EVER been closer?? Like, apparently Adrien's mom has only "disappeared" since LAST YEAR, yet Adrien is completely weirded out by the idea of Gabriel being a "dad" instead of the cold, demanding father who micromanages his life. Again, THIS LOOKS LIKE HE IS GASLIGHTING HIS SON THOMAS!!! 

And now we get to the crux of the matter... exploitation. Thomas, Gabriel basically profiteering off of his son's image (which could be used against him in some VERY creepy ways, I might add!!), whether it be through having him do photo shoots and model clothing/jewelry, or by having him be the controllable face of the AI rings scattered across the city, IS EXPLOITATION. Him having "more time to spend with his son" DOES NOT MAKE IT BETTER since he seems damn convinced to take advantage of his son and ignore his actual wants and feelings. Heck, again, him justifying the Alliance Rings using his son's image and voice on the basis of "spending more time together" just comes off as either emotional manipulation or gaslighting, since he's pushing Adrien into the framework of accepting one uncomfortable and exploitative situation or the other, while denying him the right to not be involved in EITHER ONE. Him trying to put on the "happy family man" role does not work, he just feels like a creep about it, and the fact that he's making Adrien doubt standing up to him because he's acting "nicer" gives the implication that he's only doing this so he can better manipulate Adrien into doing what HE wants Adrien to do, not what Adrien actually cares about. GAAAAHHHH!!!! 

Okay, we get a scene of Alya and Marinette theorizing about how Hawkmoth is empowering his Akumas with Miraculous powers... and yeah, I can see where their theories are coming from, given their lack of information. Oh hey, Nino showed up! ...This is gonna be the start of the trainwreck, isn't it? 

Alright, so Nino basically blows off his future to be, as he puts it, a "superhero," and seems to meaningfully think he'll be able to help against Monarch. Like... I don't MIND the passion and idealism behind this, but I have the sinking feeling this is gonna go to shit really fast. Okay, just got started up again... and seriously Nino, "Comrade Mayo, Comrade Ketchup?" Thomas, are you even TRYING to make Nino serious!? This... this is little kid shit!! And I don't mean the viewers, I mean this is demeaning!! It's just like that stupid meeting before, it's talking down to the audience by assuming they "won't get it" and using the most childish interpretation of what SHOULD BE a serious talking point for the series!! 

I LITERALLY JUST STARTED THIS BACK UP, HOW DO YOU FUCK UP THAT MUCH IN JUST HALF A MINUTE!? 

Yeah, yeah, Marinette should absolutely be the one to question Adrien about the Alliance Rings, not Nino or anyone else who knows him. Oh, and of COURSE they fucking dismiss the fact that Marinette is FINALLY ACKNOWLEDGING THE FACT THAT SHE HAS NO SELF CONTROL AROUND ADRIEN AS A BAD THING BECAUSE IT GETS IN THE WAY OF "TRUE LOVE" BECAUSE WHY THE HELL NOT!? Ughh... this is getting "better and better." 

Nino, dude, using secret "codenames" in a public setting, particularly dumb ones named after condiments, makes you look like a fucking moron. Does- Does Thomas genuinely believe that this makes Nino look clever or something...? 

Did. Did that literally JUST happen. Did Nino. SERIOUSLY ADMIT. To being a Superhero and then UNMASK HIS GIRLFRIEND in front of two people who he has no evidence have ever had anything to DO with the Miraculouses!? WHAT THE RAGING FUCKWAFFLE ASTRUC!? No. NO ON EVERY LEVEL!! This is the kind of nonsense that makes it very FUCKING OBVIOUS THAT YOU ARE A HACK!!! No, I DO NOT GIVE A SHIT IF THE SHOW IS FRAMING HIS EXPOSING THIS IS A BAD THING, IT IS STILL FUCKING STUPID BECAUSE I DUNNO, WHAT IF LADYBUG GETS THE MIRACULOUSES BACK AND YOU JUST PROVED YOU CANNOT BE TRUSTED TO KEEP YOUR IDENTITY SECRET ANYMORE GENIUS!? Astruc, YOU ARE NOT CLEVER!!! THIS IS THE MOST BONEHEADED BIT OF NONSENSE YOU COULD HAVE POSSIBLE HAVE NINO DONE AND MAKES HIM LOOK LIKE THE LAST PERSON WHO SHOULD BE RUNNING A RESISTANCE MOVEMENT!! 

But then again, given you are repeatedly portraying him as an incompetent and goofy idiot who is taking things too seriously in the worst possible way, I am wondering if this might be FUCKING DELIBERATE!!! I cannot even BEGIN to fathom why you think making Nino the local DITZ is important, and I don't care to, because this is fucking GARBAGE!!! 

FUCK THIS EPISODE WITH A RUSTY SPOON, for it has tarnished the very IDEA of this episode being able to pull off dramatic and serious storylines with this one episode alone. It's one thing to portray a dramatic or serious storyline and bungle it by making it push too far or with improper set-up, but this? This episode so far has TRIVIALIZED the entire series in the worst way imaginable. It's not the worst episode in terms of writing, but the anger I'm feeling puts it pretty high up there. 

"The only ones who need to keep their secret identities are Ladybug and Chat Noir, not us!" Nino... (Breathes deep) BOY!! Wow, it sure is great that there ISN'T a magical terrorist going around, actively looking for anyone and everyone he can use as leverage to fulfill his personal ambitions and who HAS made it a point of targeting civilians he so much as SUSPECTS of being connected to the Superheroes opposing him, even if it's just to use as FUCKING BAIT!! Because that would make this blase attitude and dismissal of personal safety and secrets that aren't his to share UTTERLY FUCKING MORONIC!!! Astruc... get fucked with a rusty spoon. You have shamed the concept of Superheroes. I am very neutral on Nino, and even I CAN FUCKING TELL THIS IS OUT OF CHARACTER FOR HIM ON EVERY FUCKING LEVEL!!! 

You know, something just occurred to me... Chloe had Adrien's Gabriel-decided diet delivered all the way to the Cafeteria and hand-delivered it to him. Granted, it wasn't her hands but still, that is a LOT of effort to go for... well, ANYONE. While the intended takeaway by Astruc is that she "doesn't GET Adrien and is forcing him to be someone he's not!!" she's really not forcing him at all, even when she obviously disapproves, and would've had fuck all ways of knowing that Adrien was unhappy with how deeply Gabriel dictated his life. To her, this was an act of kindness on a whim for her only friend besides Sabrina. Oh, and OF FUCKING COURSE THEY IGNORE THAT CHLOE CUT ADRIEN OUT OF HER LIFE BACK IN SEASON FOUR BECAUSE WHY THE FUCK NOT!? 

Okay, back on, and we get a moronic scene of Nino justifying CONTINUING to talk about his secret that isn't technically his right to share with Adrien... but it also highlights the MANY blatant double-standards going on in this fucking fiasco of a series!! For god-fucking SAKES, what honestly makes this all stupider is that Nino is blabbing about telling a secret that he blabbed to Adrien on the basis of them being "best friends," while Adrien hasn't shared that he is Chat Noir, yet Marinette told Alya HER secret, and both say that she hasn't shared secrets between them... WHERE DO I EVEN FUCKING BEGIN WITH THIS CLUSTERFUCK OF A FIASCO!? 

For starters, not only is this is a massively hypocritical double-standard presented in showing that it's okay for Marinette to share HER secret identity with Alya, while punishing Nino for having told Adrien HIS secret identity, it also makes Marinette look WORSE by showing that, for all his numerous faults and inconsistencies as a hero, Adrien has at least fucking held to THAT RULE TO AN IRONCLAD DEGREE!! Oh no, let's not get into the potential implications of what this would mean for his friendship with Nino if he ever found out later, oh no, let's move on and NOT focus on that, please and fucking thank you!! 

The second aspect to this nonsense is how Nino STILL DOES NOT FUCKING SEE THE PROBLEM WITH BLABBING A DANGEROUS SECRET IN A PUBLIC CAFETERIA!! Even IGNORING this monumentally stupid double-standard (I GET why Marinette told Alya, but it's still a humongous double-standard in that, despite having confided in a trusted confidant herself, Marinette never gave the fucking okay to Chat Noir, since HE DESERVES TO HAVE A CONFIDANT AS WELL!!), it feels like this stupid scene is trying to JUSTIFY this double-standard by making Nino an incompetent idiot who cannot for the life of him keep a fucking secret!! 

And now Lila is showing up, how will this ruin things further...? 

And Marinette is immediately on the offensive. As much as people still falling for Lila's lies is obnoxiously stupid, moments like THIS CRAP make it pretty damn easy to see where the "jealousy" claims come from. It is STILL STUPID, but when you have her go and say "all the seats are taken!!" particularly when the boy everyone claims you are jealous over is there, IT MAKES HER LOOK SUPER JEALOUS!!! Gggaaahhh... Astruc, why are you such a fucking idiot... 

And we get Nino trying to claim that they are in a secret meeting. In the middle of the lunchroom. Where ANYONE CAN OVERHEAR HIM SINCE HE WASN'T BOTHERING TO KEEP HIS VOICE DOWN BEFORE HAND. Yeah, this is bullshit SQUARED. 

Okay just... just... the metaphor just BARELY works, but it really kills the tension. Adding dramatic music does not make a metaphor about adding and removing honey from yogurt NOT sound goofy and stupid. And when I say "barely," I mean "not at all" because honey would be incorporated into yogurt, meaning you can't remove it, so the simile/metaphor falls apart right away. And then... we get Nino's "plan." I feel that I will be pissed off from this! Oh, and Lila apparently took a photo and posted it on all of her social media accounts, THAT will be fun! 

Nino claims to make an Akumatization happen... and record it... dude. ALL THE FUCK NO!!! If the point of this nonsense is to make Nino look stupid and untrustworthy, YOU HAVE FUCKING SUCCEEDED ASTRUC!! The "magic ladybugs fix things anyway, so no consequences matter" is the logic that is literally used by Scarlet Lady, one of the nastiest Salt-fic takes on Chloe around!! You are actively making Nino use the logic of a sociopath, especially since Nino seemingly isn't taking into account the possibility of "WHAT IF LADYBUG AND CHAT NOIR LOSE!?" There is faith, and then there is blockheaded NONSENSE!! 

Oh, and NO, the Akumatized victims remember FULL AND WELL what caused them to get Akumatized, it's what they were DOING while Akumatized that they don't remember, dumbass. Astruc, how the FUCK did you think this nonsense was a good idea!? 

And then we get Nino dismissing all the criticism on the basis of "eh, I've got you guys, it'll be fine!!" Like... again, this is the difference between having faith in someone and being SUICIDALLY OVERCONFIDENT!! And now a hoard of Adrien fans are storming the place because of Lila's posted photo, of course. Also, it looks like they put in Wayhem but with recolored hair in the front of the crowd. For a guy who is meant to be a fan of Adrien's, he's not so good at respecting Adrien's desire for privacy and space. 

And apparently Nino's reasoning for targeting a parent for tormenting is on the basis of "almost all of them have been Akumatized at some point" while ignoring WHAT IT WAS THAT CAUSED THEM TO BE AKUMATIZED!! Oh, and don't get me started on him glossing over how that label ALSO APPLIES TO ALL OF HIS TEACHERS!! Just... fucking FUCK this shithole of an episode!! 

Oh, started back up again. Nino actually makes a good point about whether or not Gabriel has really changed and if this is just a publicity stunt for the Alliance Ring... but the fact that he is saying this TO GABRIEL'S EMOTIONALLY ABUSED SON makes him look like a fucking idiot and utterly insensitive. And while it's not a publicity stunt, I'd say he's right that Gabriel hasn't changed and this is just performative on Gabriel's part to make himself feel better about being a supervillain. 

Okay, it looks like Nino is apparently acknowledging that he went too far and shouldn't have said something like that to Adrien. But considering how stupid the rest of this episode has made him, it's barely anything. 

Marinette... No. NO!! You should damn well fucking KNOW that trying to deliberately CAUSE an Akumatization is a fucking disaster waiting to happen!! There is no ethically rationalizing this choice, and what is the fucking point of having revealed your secret to Alya if you aren't going to back her up when she's speaking in your alter ego's name on something you SHOULD KNOW IS NOT A GOOD IDEA!? 

Alya, you are right on the money, WHY IN THE WORLD ARE THEY FUCKING GOING ALONG WITH THIS!? Even if it's GABRIEL, you are all literally talking about torturing another human being "for the greater good." Do you have ANY CLUE what kind of BS that is!? There, there is no way to condone this level of insanity!! You cannot make someone look sympathetic when they do shit like this!! 

Oh, and Lila apparently overheard everything and is gonna go rat them out to Gabriel, HOW THE HELL DID THEY NOT HEAR HER FOOTSTEPS!? Them missing her in the chaos of sneaking out of the mob SHE CAUSED I can get, but this!? Nope, not at all, particularly when the only effort she's putting into hiding is standing off to the distance. 

Okay, we get a scene of the Parent-Teacher Conferences and WOW, they did not even TRY to fill the seats in the slightest. Oh, we get Max's mom, Sabine, Anarka, Mrs. Rossi, Roger, Otis, Andre, Mylene's Dad, and Gabriel... but I notice a distinct lack of representation for Ivan, Nathaniel, Kim, Rose, or Nino. Heck, even if they were just nameless background characters, they could've given us SOMETHING TO GO OFF OF!! 

Moving on... 

Okay, they are talking about a file regarding helping the kids figure out what they would like their futures to be, and apparently the school already has them... so what the fuck is with a certain future plot point regarding THIS EXACT SITUATION!? 

...Wow. They are seriously not even TRYING to make it look like they aren't deliberately trying to get Gabriel dirty. Seriously, at least with Marinette, you at least have something resembling an EXCUSE for this garbage, since she has a reputation for being a klutz and forgetting things (both in terms of leaving them behind and having them with her) so her bringing along food from the cafeteria and then getting it all over someone due to being clumsy, at least THAT MAKES SOMETHING RESEMBLING SENSE!! But Adrien literally just turned to his dad, holding a plate of food, and the deliberately PITCHED HIMSELF FORWARD!!! For the love of SHIT, after putting us through this nonsensical hodgepodge of a "plot," THIS IS THE BEST THING YOU COULD COME UP WITH TO EXPLAIN HOW THEY GET GABRIEL AKUMATIZED!? THIS!?!? FUCK THIS NOISE WITH A RUSTY SPOON!!! 

And Alya isn't even PRETENDING to have an excuse or reason for this. Not even leaving something behind. She's also not playing along.... BUT SHE IS STILL GOING ALONG WITH THIS!? And Nino, there's such a thing as "cutting your losses and picking someone else." Insistently attempting to get the result you want on a specific target is a losing battle, and makes you look LIKE A FUCKING MORON!! 

And that was a waste of a perfectly good chocolate cake too! 

Who saw "Adrien gets pulled out of school due to making Gabriel mad" coming? Honestly? ME!! AS SHOULD ANYONE WITH A BRAIN BECAUSE NEWS FLASH NINO, PEOPLE GET MAD OVER THINGS EVERY SINGLE DAY!! JUST TRYING TO FORCE SOMEONE YOU KNOW AND DISLIKE TO GET UPSET TO BE AKUMATIZED IS NOT GOING TO WORK, AND GOING OUT OF YOUR WAY TO UPSET SOMEONE WITH POWER AND AUTHORITY HAS FUCKING CONSEQUENCES FOR DOING SO!!! Dear GOD, if this isn't a plot by Thomas to make Nino look like an idiot, a bad friend, and someone Adrien cannot trust with his secret, then he is an even BIGGER FUCKING HACK THAN I ALREADY THOUGHT!!! 

Marinette, for once, SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT ADRIEN!! You literally have NOTHING TO DO WITH GABRIEL TAKING HIM OUT OF SCHOOL BESIDES YOUR WILLINGNESS TO GO ALONG WITH THIS NONSENSICAL PLAN!!! I have never in my life scene a writer turn their own main character INTO A FUCKING STRAWMAN!!! Because honestly? When it comes to the Love Square at this stage, THAT IS WHAT SHE IS!! She offers up hollow arguments as to why she "can't" be with Adrien that she doesn't actually follow up on, and it honestly just comes off as her whining about how unfair her life is rather than just, I don't know, GET THERAPY!? Because that's what she needs, a therapist who can get it through her skull that the problem isn't that she's "a curse," or "needs to stop loving him," she needs to learn how to ACT LIKE A NORMAL HUMAN BEING AROUND HIM , but because she never puts up a real argument as to why her crush is a bad thing, she just keeps getting pushed back in his direction by Alya with NONE of her actual underlying problems being addressed!!! 

Yup. Gabe is pissed off. He couldn't make it a single fucking day with keeping up the "happy dad mask" and it is as obnoxious as possible. 

And WOW, the "Illusion Gabriel" is honestly pretty fucking stupid, honestly. Like, the dude is supposed to be pissed off at having had a bad day where his efforts to try and bond with his son were squandered, but he has the illusion version... moping about how nobody is accepting his efforts to change!? Astruc, is this meant to be a snide reference to people who expected Chloe to change, or do you HONESTLY think anyone views the situation like this!? Like, if it were just Gabriel's own delusions of being a moral person, that would be one thing, but people are apparently buying it, and it is STUPID. 

"Don't worry, we got the video!" A video that shows literally nothing and "coincidentally" glitched out the exact moment he "got the Miraculous power." Ugh... What's really stupid is that the Illusion Collector is AN ILLUSION, so... like, how did he even FIND Marinette and the others so quickly? He should have no clue they are even THERE yet!! And I just KNOW this is gonna get worse... 

And Nino just blurted out his "secret codename" for the world to hear, AGAIN, this time in front of what he thinks is an Akuma... does he SERIOUSLY THINK that this wouldn't tip Monarch off to the fact that ordinary citizens are plotting against him, and take steps to counter it!? 

And now Monarch gives himself a bunch of powers directly to ambush the heroes while they are distracted by the illusion. To be honest? It's a good plan. Even if it blows open the fact that they are fighting an illusion (which is doubtful, unless he specifically uses Voyage in front of them AS Monarch), it's at least a decently executed strategy to maximize his odds of snagging their Miraculouses. 

Okay, so Chat got Venomed... Marinette, you KNOW WHAT BEING HIT BY VENOM LOOKS LIKE, HOW ARE YOU NOT IMMEDIATELY ON GUARD!? And asking him what he's "afraid of," Marinette, people DO NOT FREEZE IN PLACE HOLDING A POSE WHEN THEY ARE SCARED, RIGHT DOWN TO THE FACIAL EXPRESSIONS!!! GAAAHHHH!!! 

If there is ANYTHING that fucking infuriates me more than inconsistent storytelling, it's STUPIDITY driving the storytelling. Seriously, one MASSIVE recurring point with the Akumas is that they aren't aware of their actions or fully in control of themselves, so Gabe making his Illusion-clone say "it's too late to save me! I've tried to change-" and that's as far as I got before pausing it to calm down MY SHEER RAGE at this nonsense... yeah, no. If anything, THIS MAKES GABE LOOK LESS SYMPATHETIC YOU FUCKING HACKS!!! Because so far, the ONLY Akumas that have been shown to be genuinely in control of their actions are those who were Akumatized WILLINGLY!! You cannot come back from that!! Whatever shit happened in his normal life DOES NOT JUSTIFY TEAMING UP WITH A LITERAL FUCKING TERRORIST!!! 

Seriously, this is FUCKING STUPID!! Trying to make Gabriel look sympathetic NOW, right when he is "mid-Akumatization," even if we DIDN'T know that it was all bullshit... I'm honestly baffled how Ladybug didn't pick up that something was wrong, since the ONLY Akuma that has ever expressed any ability to deviate from their Akuma-derived obsession was Evillustrator... and that was only TEMPORARY before it came back worse then before. Like, does Thomas REALLY think that making it that Akumas are always aware of what they are doing and do it knowingly makes for GOOD FUCKING WRITING!? 

HOW THE FUCK DID MARINETTE NOT NOTICE THAT GABRIEL WASN'T SOAKING WET DESPITE HAVING FALLEN INTO THE WATERS OF THE SEWER!? And it was AFTER he had "rejected the Akuma," so if the authors try and spin some BS I am going to call them out on it!! 

One more one last thing. Apparently Nino and Alya think that a glitch in the video is a "magic lightning bolt" that sends and retrieves the Miraculous... and it ends with ALYA apologizing and going along with Nino's nonsense. No having Nino learn a lesson about being going too far even for a good cause (which would at least have been SOMETHING to make this less cringe-inducing), oh no, we have it that ALYA, the only one in this "Resistance" who has been talking sense this episode, realize that "Nino was right all along!" Because CLEARLY getting a crappy video was more important than having potentially traumatized someone!! NOW I'm moving on. 

Not gonna mention this latest bit of stupidity coming forward involving Nino basically admit to this nonsense... nope, not gonna do it. Not gonna give into the anger.

[tangerinecherrygal]

Small S&B S2 rant for my two followers or; SOC and S&B shouldn't have been combined (opinion)

Hi, this is my opinion and if anyone here enjoyed both seasons then I'm so happy for you. There are things that I enjoy that my friends don't and them pointing that out isn't a personal attack on me. Different strokes for different folks :)

Ok, first, since season 1 I hated that they combined both series. The story between Alina and the crows was completely different and felt disjointed.

I do wanna say I have read the first S&B book and I don't think I'm finishing the series because, i didn't like the way it was written. I also couldn't finish season 2 for some of the reasons I'm going to list now. However, I'm still able to critique how the show felt and it felt messy.

The relationships: (Season 1 mostly)

The relationships between everybody but Mal and Alina felt very forced and sudden. Like when she kissed the Darkling I was like, you've talked for a total of 45 minutes??? and it feels like those were their only interactions. In the book it was also like that but I feel like if they just focused on the s&b storyline then the writers could rectify this.

Also the 15 minutes of Nina and Matthias and then they're in love?? Even if this is a backstory that isn't in the books they could explore it in a different show. That storyline was so interesting and could've easily been a show by itself. The same for the rest of the crows.

Kaz and Inej's interactions mostly involved Jesper (who I loved). So I didn't really feel the chemistry with them. Buuut... the friendship between them felt very real and was so fun to watch. These actors are so charming and suited the characters I think.

The pacing (Both):

Because they combined the storylines they couldn't explore the relationships much like I said before. Also, they couldn't show much development, especially Alina developing her powers. In the books they explained why she was so weak but didn't in the show. I think it was a nice point. (The analytical part of me wants to say it's a good allegory for how suppressing parts of yourself can wear you down. Since this is a YA series I feel like it still has life lessons so that's how I took it). They could have given us more time with Mal and Alina's friendship too, instead of those flashbacks. Alina getting 'over' Mal also felt like it came out of nowhere.

In season 2 it's even worse. Already in the first episode it felt like we had no time to settle into the new situation. Of course, it's going to be fast paced bc they're on the run. I'm talking about how it feels like I'm watching a a playlist of under 5 minute s&b then soc videos. I saw someone say that they were trying to combine all 6 other books. In the 8 episode slots that stupid Netflix gave them??? Ok guys.

Things they should have changed: When Alina got mad at Mal for not responding. It makes their friendship seem less authentic. Yes, I know she's quite young and scared (me too), but she's also able to be a bit rational. It's unbelievable that she wouldn't consider there may also be some other reason that he hasn't responded even if it's for a moment. If she maybe thought that he might not have been able to respond or if he was outside of the base camp and he couldn't get the letters yet. Then she could realize that she can't rely on him so much and needs to support herself. This would also make her confidence later feel more reasonable because it feels like she's working on it for herself.

More time with the Darkling in the first half. In the books I was annoyed that she went from being terrified of him to trusting him implicitly without much reason. Maybe if he was more involved with giving her advice then she might feel like she would be able to trust him.

Genya's hair. I can't deal with bad tv wigs, I think since I started being more interested in drag. This is a more petty thing but in the words of drag queen, Katya: If you have a fantasy show you're adapting for the screen, you can pull it together. If there is a fantasy world that you're adapting, [you've] got to say one thing, "this world is not real." This is not Ken Burns, we can take a little bit of liberty. We can do a low light, do a bang, we can experiment with some texture, we can make it whatever we want. Just make it look good. People get hung up on the good part. Like they could have at least given her some side swept bangs to hide the hairline. That was so twisted and evil I think. My girl was done so dirty.

This is more of a question. Why isn't Alina's surname Starkova?

The dialogue: What the hell? The downgrade between the writing from the previous season to this one. I'm not going back to watch and find exactly what I mean. But some of the dialogue felt so unedited and cringey. They are capable of snark and one-liners, they proved that in the first season. I think it was Nikolai that was the worst so far and the actor was working hard to make those lines work.

Finally, I hate you Netflix: (impromptu netflix rant)

I understand that most of the problems I mentioned could be fixed if they had more time. They could have a better chance of making the combined stories work. The other option is to keep the eight episodes and just adapt s&b.

The 8-10 episode format can't work for everything. GOT could do it but it takes a lot to pull that off for a fantasy show and not every production can do that with the constraints.

Also netflix clutches it's purse tight when it comes to non Stranger Things related content. $28m? For a FANTASY SHOW of a hugely successful book series? That's less than a single ST episode. Netflix open your purse girl, we know you have the money.

It's obvious they crammed a bunch of stuff into this season so if netflix cancels it, then they could have appealed to all the fans and wrapped it up. At the expense of quality :/. If netflix wouldn't cancel all their shows after one or two seasons, then i believe this wouldn't have happened. Idk how they expect to make legendary shows if they won't take that risk and let the fanbase gradually grow. That's how GOT, the office and breaking bad etc became so iconic.

I liked season one and thought it had a lot of potential. I was so disappointed that i didn't like this season.

[the-busy-ghost]

Alright here’s my belated Thoughts on that latest TSP episode. I should add again, I am in no way saying people shouldn’t like this show, I just need to be petty on my own blog. 

- Stafford’s Performative Masculinity is a bit Much, even for a sixteenth century man

- Katherine doesn’t want Wolsey appointed chancellor because that would give him too much power and the chancellor is apparently the second most powerful man in the kingdom... so powerful in fact that I’m not even sure we’ve seen the current chancellor on screen, except in his ecclesiastical role as archbishop of Canterbury

- Ah the migrating towers of Holyrood. They weren’t there for the last two episodes and they won’t be there next scene either but they’ll be *theoretically* here all week folks.

- It is mildly hilarious that this show seems to think that every single moment in Scottish politics took place in one wee house in Somerset “Edinburgh”, and the only people who are ever involved are two dozen stereotypical Scottish noblemen, and one Englishwoman (and no clergy? Which is extremely weird given how heavily involved they were in royal administration).

- Not to mention they imply Holyrood is meant to be Edinburgh (it is now, then it was actually in the burgh of the Canongate but close enough) and yet the burgh skyline of Edinburgh is never visible in the background of these shots, just rolling fields and a nondescript hill that I assume is meant to be Arthur’s seat.

- Ok so we’re portraying Angus as the poetic soul instead of his uncle, that’s fine, that makes no sense but it’s fine.

- Who the fuck is Bishop McElroy. Setting aside the fact that McElroy was more common in Ireland than Scotland during the sixteenth century (and there were no major noble or even influential lairdly families bearing the surname), why could they not have just done a google search and found out that, oh yeah, there were Real Life Scottish Bishops in 1515, anyone of whom would have done. And I don’t know why they mucked about with the timeline but if they were going to muck around with the timeline anyway then then how about maybe even, dare I say it, Gavin Douglas, bishop-elect of Dunkeld???

- Also I didn’t quite catch the full line so I may have misheard but I think Margaret states that they got married in the kirk of South Queensferry? I mean tbh this only confirms my belief that the writers think everything happened in the vicinity of Edinburgh (and that they didn’t even bother to think to TRY and find out where the marriage might have taken place, just started tossing a few Scottish place names out there as if that would do. The Ferry’s not even that private, it was on a major pilgrimage route and an important crossing point over the Forth). It’s also a bit irritating because there’s no reason for the inaccuracies? They didn’t have to show the wedding so they didn’t have to change the location or characters for ease of filming or anything, it’s just a throwaway line, there’s no reason for them to make up a bishop and unlikely wedding location? Anyway join us next week as Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn conduct their affair in the middle of London Bridge.

- Also excuse me while I make an unconvinced noise at that line about how the Douglases (i.e. all of them, not just the Red ones) have always ‘licked the balls of England’. While their notoriety for being Shady As Fuck and occasionally siding with the English was certainly well known, no sixteenth century Scotsman worth his salt would have sullied the name of the Good Sir James just to score points off the Angus branch of the family.

- (Maybe this is a bad time to point out that they’re not technically licking ‘balls’ in this instance either...)

- I take it back there was one (1) woman very briefly in that scene where Margaret and “Angus” rushed to grab the bairns. She was promptly never seen again. Confirmed Cryptid.

- Also where did all the other bairns (James IV’s ones, not Margaret’s) go. I mean they were actually there last episode I think, so it’s not like they were implying that Margaret got rid of them as soon as she could. Have they FINALLY grown up?

- How quickly do letters travel in this world? How long have they been in that cellar? Are they still there?

- Wait so now Katherine of Aragon knows his name is Archibald??? Why has everyone been calling him ‘Angus Douglas’ then, even when his dad (and presumably grandfather) was alive?

- Lol @ Henry ‘after all I’ve done for her’. Do tell, what HAVE you done for Margaret.

- Hang on so Thomas Boleyn is Earl of Wiltshire already and yet his father-in-law Thomas Howard still isn’t duke of Norfolk

- Second LOL @ an archbishop of York willfully summoning a naturalised Frenchman to Scotland without the king of England’s permission, as if Scotland lay in his gift and as if that was in any way a good idea, even for some political point-scoring

- “Margaret’s sons must take the throne”- Katherine are you aware that James V was crowned King of Scots not two weeks after Flodden, and approximately seven months before his younger brother Alexander was even born.

- Again, HOW LONG HAVE THEY BEEN IN THE CELLAR? Angus has grown a BEARD.

- He’s not the future king he IS the king. A tiny toddler king. You help him go potty you disrespectful shite, I don’t care if you’re having a nervous breakdown. (May I just point out again it is CRIMINAL that David Lindsay isn’t in this)

- We all pause for An Exaggerated Whispering Scene, that great period drama staple. I mean are we sure they’re gossiping about Henry and a *woman*, because the way people are talking about Wolsey at that dinner once again makes it look like he’s the real Mistress

- So wait how is this ‘letting’ Margaret go with Howard thing supposed to work. Is it like knock-knock special delivery for the duke of Norfolk, here you go please take your princess back.

- And when exactly did Angus do all this negotiating when he has supposedly been stuck in a cellar for weeks. Gavin Douglas has a lot to answer for, and not just the sheer length of the Eneados.

- ‘Bog-fuckers’ - not a bog in sight in this west country version of Scotland. Also er, just how does one fuck a bog. Asking for a friend.

- I’m just being pedantic, Howard’s foul mouth is actually the only genuine piece of comedy the writers can come up with in this tv show.

- Howard putting up a good front here but come on there’s like six of them and about two dozen Miscellaneous Scotsmen. I know that the English were very practised in quartering Scots whenever they liked but eight to one is not good odds, even for the victor of Flodden.

- Yeah that whole scene is not how the history worked. At All. But let’s let them ride dramatically away across a field as if it’s at all plausible. (Also why is it always fields- I know Scotland’s roads were bad in the sixteenth century, but seriously they were at least *technically* roads when you got near Edinburgh)

- And there was definitely no Isabella Hoppringle, which is again, criminal. I mean I expected it but it’s still sad. Mind you I suppose that might imply that Scottish women are real creatures and not cryptids which, as we know, is totally unrealistic.

- Even weirder though, they’re not including Margaret Douglas? Why?

- Only one man has ever been in the king’s rooms? Seriously? You expect us to believe this, not only from a historical accuracy perspective, but also from the tv show that gave us implied Wolsey/Henry?

-  The Great English Midwife Shortage c.1509-1516

- Do NONE of the many many grown-up people at the English court understand the lottery of birth and that you can’t just like, assume the baby will be a boy even if you hope it will. Wishful thinking is one thing (and common) but this wholehearted belief thing is frankly unrealistic.

- It’s also unfair how they’re treating Mary as unloved by both her parents. We know Katherine loved her daughter in some way, and it’s also not really fair to say that Henry VIII was anything less than a doting father in her early years.

- And the record for fastest churching goes to Katherine again. Cracking cape though.

- Katherine all ‘he won’t visit his daughter’- you won’t even look at her either though. How is this a sympathetic depiction of Katherine again? Don’t get me wrong, it’s absolutely understandable if a royal mother didn’t always want to hold her daughter but really? After every other negative light they’ve shown Katherine in and called it Empowerment?

- Hey I don’t know much about English customs but seems to me that inviting the French to intervene in Scotland without consulting the king might just be a beheading offence Wolsey. AND THEN HENRY COVERS FOR HIM? THE PAGES OF ENGLISH HISTORY BOOKS ARE NOT STAINED WITH THE BLOOD OF CIVIL SERVANTS EXECUTED FOR FAR LESSER OFFENCES FOR THIS KIND OF NONSENSE TO BE ACCEPTABLE.

- Thomas Boleyn, dad of the year

- People do kiss, Margaret Pole. That was a common thing. MEN kissed each other goddamnit. Not really good enough. I mean by your logic Katherine should have broken up with Henry after her dad laid one on him in the first episode.

- How is it that Thomas More, of all people, has the Goss. 

- Oh and apparently there was also a National Laundress Shortage in 1516 too.

Ok so it was about as meh as every other episode but I think this one really brought home to me how poorly thought out Margaret’s storyline was. I mean usually these period dramas have to insert Drama for no reason to keep people interested, but Margaret’s life was FULL of drama and they had so much to work with. Instead they seem to have actually stripped most of the drama out to tell an utterly incomprehensible story about a bunch of stereotypical Scotsmen, who all live in the same house in Fake Edinburgh, chasing the only woman in Scotland into the cellar, and then posting her off back to England a few weeks later.

[still-a-morosexual-help]

Regarding the new characters in obey me; im super happy their giving us more gender diverse characters. We love that representation

However… to be blunt about it- While i like how the mc can be imagined to be any gender, ethnicity, sexuality, appearance, etc; if they were really going for inclusivity and diversity, they shouldve already had female, non-binary, trans, etc characters from the start and not just adding them in later on. It just feels cheap to do that now. There are characters in the cast that couldve been female or non binary or even trans and the story will be unaffected if not even better. Hell, it would make so much more sense if asmo was gender fluid or enby.

I can understand how some people who didnt pay attention think that this was just any other otome game targeted to a mainly female audience because the entire cast is composed of all cis males. (Unless canon states otherwise and i missed it) but its not. It really infuriates me how petty some people become with just seeing a feminine silhouette. We dont even know much about the new characters and their role in the story yet.

Tldr; solmare should’ve given us the women and enbys from the start of the game. This drama couldve been avoided. But its better late than never i guess.

Sorry for making you read my rant, Thank you and goodnight

Ps: I dont know if this is a real hot take or i just need to chill. But oh boy do i have alot of grievances to the story and gameplay already

Okay so about Solmare not giving us nb, female and trans LIs from the beginning- I completely understand your frustration and I would have loved that However:

Look, I'm not trying to defend Solmare or whatever but you gotta consider their side of things too:

1.) I genuinely don't think they had a concrete plan to add more LIs than the brothers. The game advertises romancing the 7 brothers and that's it. Usually an otome game would advertise their large variety of male LIs. I don't think they expected OM! to grow so popular in such a short period of time (specially considering they have loads more games that never reached this level of popularity). They probably did have a plan of maybe making the side characters dateable but I feel like 13 and Mephisto were both (relatively) rushed jobs?

2.) I don't what the situation is like in Japan - ik being gay is not illegal but I don't know what the actual situation is like there when you're creating lgbtq+ media. I do however live in an Asian country and I do know that getting any type of lgbtq+ media that isn't all awfully stereotyped is hard. I do know that even in Western countries where things are supposed to be generally more accepted that creators can struggle to get lgbtq+ relationships out there. That (though this is somewhat outdated) they had to fight to let Asami & Korra hold hands, or to let Ruby & Sapphire get married (& that in certain dubs Ruby was voiced by a man), that they had to keep hints of Catra & Adora and Marceline & Bubblegum subtle until the last episode. That the producers of Gotham (the tv show) kept referring to two female characters who were canonically in a relationship and who had slept together on the show, as "best friends" despite the writers insisting they were girlfriends, that they had a canon gay character and his possible love interest referred to "as brothers" within the show itself. I have no idea who heads Solmare or who greenlights these games but I can't imagine it wasn't an uphill battle.

3.) Look at the end of the day OM! is an otome game and they are known for having a tiny fair skinned MC with long brown hair. Anime itself is not really the most inclusive of lgbtq+ relationships (and though this has changed recently and there have been more realistic portrayals of them - for the most part they have been either a.) completely ignored b.) used as the butt of a joke c.) grossly fetishized d.) weirdly noncon/dubcon for no reason). So OM! first of all giving us a MC without a confirmed gender who uses they/them pronouns within the game is huge!? I played this game thinking it was gonna be about another petite girl and that I would delete it after about a month and when I realised MC used they/them pronouns within the actual game it felt like I got hit by a speeding train? It was amazing. And now they're adding a nb character with a feminine aesthetic as a LI????? Like hello??? Is no one else impressed? If OM! keeps getting popular they may follow wizardess heart and add more LIs (after all Michael still isn't there yet) meaning potentially more diverse characters. Maybe it's because of what the situation is like where I live (aka being gay is still illegal and - though the law has never been implemented - punishable by 10yrs in prison) and so maybe I have low standards but to me this is a lot and I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and let them have their slow start (specially considering Solmare has never done anything like this before and they're breaking their own mould and I'm generous enough to let them stumble and take baby steps. Hopefully other new otome games will see om! and its popularity and follow in its footsteps while also improving and picking up OM!'s slack)

Yeah I've been annoyed at people too cause of how they're reacting to a feminine silhouette but I don't really think you can blame anyone else but those people if:

a.) They have no reading comprehension when the game clearly states in the description that it was for all genders

b.) They can't read the note next to the silhouette which says the new character is for people who would prefer them and that they're not there to steal away the other LIs

c.) They're facing some weird internal misogyny/bigotry and are now demanding that anyone who wants a variety in the LIs' gender should get their own game. <- Look if someone is saying this I AM NOT gonna blame Solmare or the OM! team. I'm gonna blame that particular person for being a grade A asshole

Here's a link to a post I made about people feeling anxious about 13 and reasons why they don't have to be, it also touches on some of the stuff I said here -> here

EDIT:

Tldr: all my points basically add up to this ->

[supermoviemaniac]

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT MOVIE SPOILERS...

Don't worry, there's no spoilers in this post - just a rant about people's insatiable need to spoil things.

If you're reading this, it's probably because you're a fellow movie enthusiast. Entertainment by any means has the ability to bring people together. We can anticipate and experience things, then discuss and share said experiences. Sometimes we have to wait an agonizing amount of time - often seemingly forever... but when it finally arrives, we're happy we waited, and most often than not, it's usually worth waiting for too.

As a kid, spoilers were never really a risk I encountered, partly due to the internet being not as, let's just say, socially collosal and expansive as it is today. I was able to enjoy movies, games, TV shows and comics from start to finish and get surprised along the way. The duration between a piece of media being announced/confirmed, and the time it took for it to release and be ingested was never a spoiler minefield, partly because such a minefield didn't exist.

Flashforward to present day, and we all have the same social media apps installed. We use these apps to discover content and stay updated with friends and family, though for some reason, in the last few years, all I seem to encounter on a daily basis are just spoilers for things I care about. The argument could be made that the algorithms are attempting to tailor content to me for convenience. I'm not denying that this is a beneficial system in theory, but when I'm forced to see spoilers against my will purley due to it relating to something I'm interested in, it gets a little annoying.

Another argument could be made that I don't have to use these apps, which is certainly true, but I shouldn't have to deprive myself of near-infinite entertainment that I do care about, just because a portion of people/organisations make it their mission to recklessly splurge out exclusive content for the sake of views.

These spoilers range from rakishly explicit images, to implicit news headlines trying their hardest to be allusive, though fail to realise most people aren't stupid and will probably know what a cryptic headline is implying, without needing to read the actual article. I've seen screenshots from upcoming movies that I would've rather not seen, I've seen people posting pictures of merch and figurines for things before we've even seen a trailer. Yes, merch/toys aren't always accurate, but they still give you a good idea of what's in store.

I miss being able to just sit and wait for a trailer, enjoy the hell out of it, wait in anticipation for the movie to release, and then just be able to f**king enjoy it when it's out! Now, everyday just feels like I have to dodge spoilers no matter what I'm doing. If I get a whiff of a spoiler, I have to double down on my vigilance to ensure it remains unspoilt. I have to make sure that remains the case right up until release day, and then let out a sigh of relief when I finally rest my cheeks on the cinema seat. If you're excited about something, why the hell has it become an obstacle course to make sure that remains the case?

I understand that some people are okay with spoilers, and I understand that some outlets try to share spoilers with some sort of security attached, for people that don't want to inadvertently see things, which I definitely appreciate... but to some degree, you have to acknowledge that there is nothing stopping a fellow reader taking that spoilery information and passing it along without the same degree of care.

Posting spoilers is easy content. It comes with an element of exclusively that is bound to pull in a larger audience, but I dislike this severely. If you have encountered a spoiler deliberately or accidentally, it is your responsibility to make sure others aren't forced to learn about them. If everyone else around you is posting spoilers for views, don't worry, it doesn't suddenly make you uncool for not taking part. If anything, I find it admirable if you're making the conscious effort not to participate in sharing spoilers.

At the end of the day, seeing spoilers isn't life or death, and in the grand scheme of things, this issue seems petty, but when you're passionate about something, you want to be able to enjoy it properly. If you bought a new book, you'd be annoyed if the person next to you skips to the last page and bellows out the ending. If you're queuing up to watch the final of a football tournament, you'd be annoyed if a time traveller teleported in front of you and spoiled the outcome. The irony of these over the top examples is that we're actually encountering this for movies/shows, however they're in the form of mundane social media posts.

This issue is just getting worse by the day, and I imagine every new movie that's set to release will just breed more and more spoiler content. I think there needs to be greater consequences for the initial leakers, and more of a deterrent for the people/outlets that are itching to share them. I'm not a tech whiz of any kind, but why can't we have something similar to an AdBlocker which censors potential spoilers? Silly, I know - ideally though, it would be nice to not have to suggest desperate ideas to avoid things I don't want to see. These are first world problems for sure, and I'm not denying that in the slightest, but it still sucks. It shouldn't have to be like this. Why is there such a need to declare you know something before other people? I honestly don't remember the last piece of content I experienced that hadn't had an aspect of it spoilt. I watch the trailers, featurettes and interviews as it's the quantity the content makers want me to see prior to the movie. I look at the poster because they want me to visualise what's in store. It should stop there. This is what we should discuss, speculate on and get hyped about and nothing more.

What are everyone else's opinions?

[bourbon-ontherocks]

💭 - What do you think about how the French/France are portrayed in American and British movies/TV?

Hahahahaha, why does it feel like only you could send me this question lol???

Okay, so, I'm going to answer for the American media first, and the short answer is "stereotyped and cliché and realistically inaccurate", BUT I want to tamper this down by saying that this also applies to any non-American nationality portrayed in American shows/movies. Beth Boland's "Jane is learning culture and she loves India" is also symptomatic of the way anything that is not American is this cute little folkloric thing that will be portrayed in an extremely caricatural way.

Be it Italians in Eat Pray Love for instance, Spanish people in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Germans in Community, Swedes in Brooklyn 99, or French people in Emily in Paris (I'll come back to that later), foreigners in general and perhaps especially Europeans (although I might be completely wrong on this) are always depicted as if the content creators had heard about these countries in books but never actually met anyone from there (which... might actually be the case lol).

To circle back to the case of France and pick one of your favourite topics, the only people wearing berets that I've ever seen here were a) American tourists who think they look fancy b) Coutryside grandpas driving delivery vans. However, EVERY piece of American media having some action set in France that I've seen included people wearing berets. And the list goes on and on, and once you've scrolled down the entirety of it, you basically have the whole script of Emily in Paris (fyi the show was unanimously mocked and criticized here and I could rant for HOURS about it because I'm still SALTY that there are SO MANY very interesting threads about actual cultural differences between us - and of all people, you know what I'm talking about :) - that could have been woven in and adressed in an entertaining form, and yet this show has only but wallowed in the most caricatural ridicule).

Now obviously we have our share of responsibilities. I never understood what the guys who wrote Amélie were on, but clearly it was a national disservice to export such a cheesy and factually inaccurate vision of Paris to the rest of the world. And that's where the cultural clichés are insidious, because despite the inaccuracy, they actually come from a kernel of truth. People used to wear berets. In the 50s. There is traditional music played on the accordion. But nowadays we prefer Beyoncé, like everyone else. And so on.

Basically, to answer your question a little deeper, the way France and French people are portrayed in contemporary American media is a nostalgious fantasy of some aspects of France from almost a century ago. It's like I was writing a French movie set in New York and everything looked like West Side Story.

You also asked me about British media, and I'm not sure that I've actually ever watched a British movie or TV show that included a French character or scenes set in France, so I don't really have an answer, but I would tend to assume that it would be more about neighbours jokes and a different kind of caricature. For obvious geographic reasons, we have a more tangled history, so it would be less of this fantasized, Disney-ish vision of Europe and more like petty familial jokes, or a village quarrel if you will, the our-ancestors-fought-each-other-for-some-random-reason-five-centuries-ago-so-let's-keep-doing-that-for-no-reason-at-all kind.

After that, if you're still here and still wondering what the fuss is all about, the occasion calls for a little parody on the French stereotypes in American media:

Milestone asks (you can keep sending these if you wanna!)

[reinahwanggg]

I Miss You》 Park Jisung

credits to gif owner

pairing: jisung park x reader

word count: 1.9K

warnings: slight angst (not really)

genre: established relationship, idol au, fluff, slight angst, jisung being a caring boy, boyfriend!jisung, reader misses him, but doesn't wanna admit it

a/n: i envisioned myself in this position haha, sorry

"good night honeybee. i love you."

"good night angel! i love you always."

jisung sleepily replies, yawning into the phone, before he closed his eyes to be guided into slumber. although he knows comeback seasons does take a toll on his body, and sometimes mentality, he makes sure he calls you every night. whether it be to tell you he'll be in the dance studio until the next day, or before bed, he always tries to find time for you in his extremely busy schedule, especially since he is quite worried about you.

although it's been a few months since the entire debacle, he always wants to make sure you're safe and well. he knew that you didn't mind all of the sudden attention, and you didn't care about what everyone thought about you and him together, but sometimes he just wants to make sure you're okay.

it's obvious that he's the more vocal one in the relationship; always saying what's on his mind, telling you whenever he felt you should say or stop this, or whenever he felt angry about something petty and wanted to say it to get over it. he just has more experience in expressing his feelings to those close to him.

you, on the other hand, always kept everything bottled up inside, not necessarily saying anything, even when it bothers you, because you wouldn't want to be a bother to others, unless it ticked you off. you were always the one to express your anger for some complicated situations, but rarely to others. you find yourself as your own confidant, as your own provider, as your own push to help you through the tunnel of life.

the way you handle things, often than not, got you in some heated arguments with jisung. he just wants you to tell him when it's too much pressure. especially that day when the camera crew came in, setting a gazillion cameras inside your house, saying that the fans would love to see how you and jisung interact. he saw how uncomfortable it made you, and seeing as it's been two weeks, and you still jump when you walk in your sleepwear at 7am and see the camera following you, it's enough evidence.

yet, whenever he asks you, you brush it aside. ''i'll get used to it'' you'll always tell him, knowing fully well, you sometimes can't stand it. waking up, and pretending to be a youtuber making a get ready with me video, only for it to actually be posted, it ticks you off. yet, all you tell him is that you'll get used to it.

this situation, was no different. for the past three months, jisung has had activity after activity to go through, while trying to record content for this stupid youtube segment. most times it would split videos of him and you on the phone, laughing about some stupid meme you saw on twitter. you know, every single piece of your body misses your boyfriend; dying to be back in his arms, and snuggled with him on the couch, watching random TV shows while he randomly kisses your hair and pulls you closer.

you know that you miss him, and yearn for the day he comes and tells you that promotions are over and the frequent break in between has begun, but you don't tell him that. you don't tell him how much you miss waking up in the morning to see him dancing around the kitchen to a video of you singing one of his songs in the best voice you can muster, unintentionally burning the eggs on the stove.

you don't tell him how much you miss coming home from an interview with other artists, only to see him fixing his hair, humming puzzle piece, smiling goofily at the thought of you. you don't tell him how much you miss your rant sessions; him ranting about how close fans get sometimes, and you ranting about how much you wanna punch your coworker in the throat for her unbearably cocky attitude.

you don't tell him how much you miss last minute packing for a day trip to the other side of the country. you don't tell him how much you miss sulking on the couch, only for him to plant a million pecks and kisses on every corner of your face, until you smiled and playfully pushed him away.

before you knew it, you're sitting up in your bed, crying to yourself about how much you miss him. and for once, you want to let him know, desperately throwing away your pride and wanting him to know how much you ache for his presence, and his quirky habits, and his killer smile, and just everything he has to offer. you miss him so much, your cries get a little too loud, your breath gets a bit too heavy, and your body shakes a bit too much, but you don't care, you just miss him so much it physically hurts you.

the little lamp in the corner of your room shines a somber gold around the room, you oblivious to the fact that the cameras are on 24/7 and is catching this very moment, of your vulnerability. you are also oblivious to the fact that he didn't hang up the phone, him obviously being too tired to actually hover his finger, as he was out like a light, his little snores in the background evident to the entire thing.

"honeybee, i miss you so much. so much it hurts."

you start, your voice choked up, coming out cracked, and scratchy.

halfway through your rant, jisung wakes up, blinking a few times to himself, trying to adjust to the bright light amidst the dark room, the slightest sound of hiccups ring in his ear, an extremely nasally voice ringing out sobs and muffled words, and he automatically sits up in concern. he wants to immediately ask you what's wrong, but instead just listens to what you have to say.

"i miss how, every time you hug me, it feels like placing the last piece of the puzzle in its rightful place. honeybee i just miss how much you check up on me when i'm sick. how sometimes we take turns nightly to sing each other to sleep, you laughing when my voice cracks, or me teasing you with praises for a run you mastered. i miss playful mornings, both of us being too lazy to move, but somehow ending up dancing around the room to various artists and songs. i miss when i wake up, and you're already staring at me, the loving gaze in your eyes as you slightly smile, immediately going to plant a kiss on my big ass forehead. i miss pushing you away, and telling you to brush your teeth before you could give me a good morning kiss. i miss when you and the boys would all pile up in my house, and i would get to show you a bit of my country's cuisine, and laughing when you guys scarf it down like you haven't eaten in years. and i want to tell you all of this, but i don't want to be a burden to you. you already have a lot, with some overbearing fans, promotions, and the occasional run ins. i don't want you to focus on me only and put your feelings on the backburner like i always do. i wish i just had to courage to tell you all of this."

by the end of your rant, jisung has to wipe a few tears from his eyes, smiling sadly on the other end of the phone call, wanting to just pack his overnight bag and come to hold you, tell you that he misses you just as much, and scold you for keeping everything bottled up, like he always does.

he goes to check the time, 2:16 am it says, and he knows that he has to be up by 4am in any event, and he suddenly thanks literally everything for the sudden off day his boss gave them, because he knows for sure, after what you just confessed, he's going to surprise you. he hears some ruffling on the other side of the call, the sound of bedroom slippers hitting the tile floors, and a door opening and closing. he just hopes you're okay.

you, on the other hand, walks into your kitchen, quite starved after crying your heart out for what feels like all night, which in truth was about three hours. you flip the switch, your kitchen suddenly illuminated, and you put your hand in front of your eyes, the quick headache taking effect, and you blink repeatedly at the sudden light. you then smile, before going to your dishes, taking out your favorite bowl, and pouring some lucky charms to the brim of the bowl, before going in your refrigerator, and grabbing your milk, pouring it in as well, and grabbing a spoon.

you walk back towards the exit of the kitchen, towards the corridor that connected both the living room and the stairway in separate mazes together. suddenly flinching once you see the infamous moving camera, following you, and you roll your eyes. 'do they not need new batteries or something?' you thought to yourself, before walking upstairs to your room.

you look up at the camera on top of your vanity, and smile and tight lipped uncomfortable smile, before showing the big bowl of lucky charms and chuckling.

"cereal hits different at 2am after an emotional breakdown."

you say, chuckling once again, and happily eating your food, humming along to love again, as it plays inside your head, liking the way it sounds, and suddenly asking alexa to play it for you. it's not as loud as it would usually be, considering what time it is, and the fact that your neighbor just came back home from her long ass business trip (which you're lowkey suspicious of, because her boss came looking for her halfway through, saying if she didn't come in tomorrow then she'll be fired) and doesn't like k-pop for the life of her.

you rest your bowl by the foot of your bed, honestly too lazy to go back downstairs and place it back inside the sink. you then go to your phone, and open it, seeing as it was still on the book you were reading before jisung demanded for your attention, only to then fall asleep on you ten minutes later. you read until you notice the sun up, suddenly hearing my first and last playing around you. the doorbell ringing frequently, and you check the time.

9:48 am it reads, and you realize you read about 10 books in the span of seven hours. you shout that you'll be down in a minute and make sure jisung's hoodie is low enough, before placing your bedroom slippers back on and walking down the stairs, turning into the living room and left, towards the separate entryway (it's kind of a big ass house), opening the door, before tears blurred your vision, and you immediately scooped up from the floor, and spun around on your porch, inhaling the scent you missed for the past three months. quite happy that you were in jisung's embrace again.

you didn't question it one bit, in fact you didn't question anything, just told him to come inside and told alexa to play the song louder. coincidentally, it was Quiet Down, making both you and jisung laugh boisterously, before walking into the kitchen, and dancing to his songs, as you both made pancakes and gossiped about anything and everything, just like you missed and loved.

[elizabethrobertajones]

I'm so freaking tired of anti Mary fans. I was in a heated argument with some of them (no hate, we're all on good terms with each other), & it's just, they don't wanna understand, they think that the writers had NO REASON to bring back Mary (like, wut?), & that she was a bad mom & HOW DARE she leave her grown ass children that she doesn't even know. & ofc the writers are out to destroy my fave tv show & j2m know their characters best & should teach the writers there job apparently *sigh*

*fart noise* I’m sorry you’re running into that with your friends :( 

If it can help at all, can you go with the angle that it seemed clear that Carver’s vision was to bring back Mary all along, stretching way back, and it’s possible they were always wondering if it was possible but this was how they found to do it. There was a lot of meta after season 10 and in the beginning of season 11 about Mary and her relevance to the current arc… For example without going delving into more complicated places, I trawled my 1x01 tag and found these posts about Carver’s loops back to the start which show an increasing awareness that with hindsight you can see that we were pretty bang on with understanding the thematic reasons, but largely assumed that if Dean was going to confront Mary it would be in a symbolic way - e.g. the photos in 10x23, Amara as a *spectre* of the Original Fridged Woman without actually getting back to her. In fact as late as 11x22 we were writing about how Amara came across as The Original Fridged Woman and her angry ranting was exactly a commentary on what had happened to Mary - and we were in no way ready for her to actually come back and put money where their mouth was on this theme! So a year later Berens got to utterly rip our hearts out by having the actual words spoken to the actual Mary instead of via symbolism…

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/94087411528/dustydreamsanddirtyscars-starborndean-crowley

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/127722435903/rainbofiction-rainbofiction-but-i-cant-stop

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/128772693689/themegalosaurus-sam-not-knowing-his-mother

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/130898528313/dustydreamsanddirtyscars-season-1-vs-season-11

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/131013833113/oh-i-just-thought

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/132800927293/green-circles-101-vs-1105

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/133128335053/postmodernmulticoloredcloak

After Mary came back there were a lot more posts making the actual connections with the hindsight and explaining it all over again but with the context that Carver era had been a build up to bring her back for the real emotional conflict that needed to be played out, and those posts were in my tag too but I picked posts from before that specifically because it’s so intriguing to me how close we were in some ways about the thematic reasons she would come back, or for events which were linked to her and her story, and how none of what has happened with her since she returned is some new wild thing, but all addressing stuff based on past canon, themes built up for years beforehand and always rooted in the very based of the show (hence pulling these posts from my 1x01 tag just to be most petty when I could have gone 10x23/11x01 and found a lot more). 

Knowing the history of the themes of the show feels really important to me in the sense that I never think old meta is wasted or outdated just because more canon has come out, because saying something really astute without knowing that Mary is coming back is often in some ways more evidence for the worth of bringing her back than the actual argument of why she should stay now that she is back from the POV of knowing it happened and arguing with the decision about if it was the right one or not. 

When I say that Mary is really firmly embedded in the themes of the show, I know she is because we’d been explaining them for years, and years before I got here as well into fandom, and so when she arrived, everything that she stood for was ALREADY understood by those of us who’d thought about it already and nothing that’s happened with her has actually been that wild, and all of it has been covering long over-due character interactions and reckonings and whatnot. Stuff that was built deep into the DNA of the show. I can think of dozens of examples off the top of my head which I won’t go into that reference Mary in season 11 that might not have been in the tag I looked through but I can tell you where else she “was” in season 11. Because they were building up to her arrival, and it was all done in Sam and Dean’s characterisation. 

And this is all just rambling very specifically about themes and not really going into other stuff like the intelligence of bringing her back and using Amara to set up her arc with the story of her as the original fridged woman and the inherent misogyny in denying her her story, and of course Amara’s sympathy to that as she chooses to bring Mary back to give Dean his own reckoning just as she had needed to confront her brother, so Dean needs to confront his mother. It wasn’t about GIVING her to Dean just as a trophy, but in the character building it would give him to address everything about what Mary had become to him. 

So even viewing Mary through a very narrow lens of what she gives to Dean or Sam in their missing parent they want back she’s actually doing exactly what she’s supposed to and the show is approaching it with the correct themes. In order for Mary and Sam to come to an understanding, they brought back yellow eyed demons and then moved on to Jack, both of which confront Sam’s original arc, but allow Mary a chance to experience this stuff for herself, and what she did to Sam. 

It’s inherently thematically solid, even if people don’t like the character, or the writing when it comes to dialogue and decisions, or whatever else. As a part of the story, she BELONGS, and it is being well-told on a structural, thematic level, which more than justified why they would bring her back and why they needed to, years before she ever showed up. 

I think I’ve made more than enough rants about how to sympathise with her, but maybe this will help with the whole reason for bringing her back and how she actually does have a purpose and is a real part of the story and fits comfortably if you let her. :) 

[apinchofsanity]

Why the hate on Joss Whedon? Did he do something? I'm out of the loop so I'd like to know. Thank you.

No problem, thanks for asking :D My personal opinion on Joss Whedon is that he has a very strict vision of what writing women entails, and fair enough in the 90s and early 2000s that vision was refreshing to see on mainstream tv, he had a multitude of strong female characters in Buffy and Firefly which I love and will continue to love throughout my life. BUT!!! my problem is with his treatment of women, both as characters on screen and as real people in his life. 

My number one big issue is his continued use of rape as a plot device, fair enough some of my issues with this are indeed personal (which I won’t go into detail), but you can’t deny that there is a worrying trend. This is very prevalent in his show Firefly. Joss Whedon himself said a few years after the cancellation of the show that he planned on having a “gang-rape scene” featuring one of the main female characters Inara, conducted by the cannibal monsters in the show Reavers. Not only do I have a MASSIVE problem with this horrific idea, but I also find myself extremely uncomfortable with the idea that a so called “feminist” writer like Joss could write such a scene with the INTENTION of using it as character growth for the lead male character Mal. He also used the threat of rape during the show on an episode called Objects in Space, where a bounty hunter Jubal Early boards the ship to kidnap River for the reward. He threatens the female character Kaylee multiple times with rape throughout the episode in order to get her to do as he says. 

Rape is once again used as a plot-device in Buffy in order to further the development of a male character. This time in the form of Spike and the episode Seeing Red, where Spike attempts to rape the main female character Buffy while she’s incapacitated. Not only does he force viewers to see something so traumatic he also makes it all about Spike? like forget the traumatizing of Buffy but let’s just focus on the fact that Spike feels #superguilty and thus runs away in self-disgust to “find his soul”. Also, the story apparently came from a female writer of the show who shared her experience in forcing herself sexually on her ex so they would get back together and her subsequent guilt about it. So not only did Whedon use rape as a plot device, he decided it was better to reverse roles? as if men can’t get raped by women?? I think if he used the original story he could have done a lot of good in raising awareness for male rape victims and help battle the stigma surrounding men being “unable” to be raped by women.

Next up is his particularly rotten treatment of a female employee. Christina Carpenter has said during the 2009 DragonCon that because she fell pregnant during the filming of the tv series Angel, Joss became noticeably more hostile in his attitude towards her. She believes full heartedly that her pregnancy was the reason behind this and that her becoming pregnant interfered with his “vision” for her character, which let’s face it is like a giant man-baby throwing a fit when people don’t play like he wants them too. She wasn’t even notified that she wouldn’t be returning for the fifth season which is petty as fuck from a writer who considers himself a “feminist icon”. 

(takes a deep breath, oh man I still have so much to say)

Moving on to the complete character butchering of Natasha Romanoff (I will forever be pissed about this ffs). Ignoring the fact that he has a male character in the first Avengers openly call Natasha a “whining cunt” throughout the movie Age of Ultron he single-handedly manages to embody everything that ISN’T Natasha Romanoff and force it down out throats. Number one, Natasha would NEVER! NEVER! date Bruce Banner, they have a good friendship in the animated series where Bruce trusts Natasha but it’s a friendship and a partnership as Avengers. That is ALL it should have ever been, not only do they have the combined chemistry of two inert gases, but the “romantic” scenes between them were so cringe-worthy I nearly died. Whedon was literally so BUTT-HURT over Clintasha and desperately wanting to be “unique” that he created a whole imaginary fucking farm family for Clint and forced two of the most unlikely characters together. In Avengers we see Natasha who is scared of Bruce and the Hulk and is only JUST at the end of the movie beginning to become comfortable with him. But now all of a sudden in Age of Ultron we’re supposed to believe she wants to have a romantic relationship with him?? No, just fucking no. Friends yes, teammates who trust each other yes, but boyfriend and girlfriend? fuck NO!! I’m not even going to touch the whole “I can’t have babies so I’m a monster like you” thing with a ten-foot fucking pole because I probably don’t have enough time. Other than completely demeaning Natasha’s character with a shitty romantic subplot, he also makes her the damsel in distress for Ultron, where she has to wait to be rescued by Bruce. Natasha fucking Romanoff does not wait to be rescued by anybody, she’s a feared ex-KGB assassin, one of the best might I add, a SHIELD agent and a general fucking badass!! She does not get rescued. 

Last but not least on my massive Anti-Whedon rant is the Wonder Woman script that was leaked online. Oh lord, oh my god. I can not express how happy I am that they didn’t let him direct, bless all the Gods, bless them. In the script, he manages to write a completely out of character Diana who is a loving, kind, strong willed and kick-ass female into a cold hearted warrior which basically goes against EVERYTHING Wonder Woman is about. He wrote Steve Trevor as a giant fucking condescending dick-wad who made grossly sexual jokes about Diana and who basically treat her like shit but she still falls for him? NO THANKS! 

SO… to wrap it all up. I am never going to see the Batgirl movie, my heart physically aches for the amount of shit this overly entitled self-proclaimed “feminist” is going to put my beloved Barbara Gordon through. 

Other people can see it that’s fine, other people can like Whedon and his writing that’s totally fine. I don’t judge, I don’t hate on people for what they like, even if they don’t share my opinion. 

Maybe, just maybe Whedon will wake up one day and stop being such a deep-friend douche-nozzle and actually treat female characters decently, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon. Until then you can count me out for anything that man writes. 

THE END :D 

P.s this ranting felt really fucking good, thank you! :P I needed to let off some steam after taking a statistics exam yesterday :D