#I was honestly really disappointed when they didn't acknowledge this in the movie

[sailorrdee]

A messy sketch of a scene that I felt was missing from the end of the movie.

Mikey seriously deserves some mad recognition for pulling off that stunt!!

[iichaeyj]

hello I really like your reactions they are so soft and I have been thinking of one… I don't know if you could write a Headcanon when they invite their crush or girlfriend on a Movie Date (as if their partner was one of the silent spectators when watching the plot or in kissing scenes covering up or excusing to go to the bathroom, maybe a partner who likes movie combos and stuff) 🙈 please?

how txt reacts to you when you ignore them at the movies . . . ♡

PAIRING: txt x gn!reader

GENRE: fluff; angst (? not rlly)

WARNINGS: none

WORD COUNT: 1.1k

A/N: i wasn't sure if i understood your request at first, but hopefully this is what you wanted! ty for the request!!

YEONJUN

tbh i think he'd watch you more than the movie

like he'd plan to watch something with you as a cute little date

and you guys planned to just watch the movie and have a casual night

but he literally can't stop looking at you

like he'd try and pay attention, but he couldn't when you were right next to him!!

and he'd definitely try to get you to look at him, too

like if you're focusing on the movie, he'd let out small sighs and shift in his seat in order to grab your attention

and if he picked out a romantic movie

he'd be staring so hard at you everytime something cute happens

like if the main couple kisses, he'd fully expect you to kiss him, too

and if you don't, he'd get all disappointed and upset as he looks back at the screen

like he just looks like a mad puppy

now once you get out of the movie, he'd be angrily crossing his arms at you

and you're probably like ??

you thought the movie was fun, so you didn't understand why he was so grumpy

you'd probably have to bother him until he tells you why he's upset

and you have to hold his hand and shower him with kisses in order to make up for it <3

SOOBIN

ngl i think soobin would focus on the movie

like he'd sit there with his popcorn and genuinely watch it

but he would also like to make little comments throughout it

and when you don't really acknowledge him the first few times, then he would probably try to talk more

he's so confused though cause why weren't you talking to him?? weren't you guys on a date????

and if it was a romantic movie, he'd definitely try and hold your hand

and let's say you accidentally moved it at that exact time

he'd be so ????????

were you upset at him?? what did he do??

if yeonjun's a mad puppy, soobin's a sad bunny

in all honestly, you just really really like the movie

soobin would then probably just watch the movie, glancing between the screen and you

and as soon as the movie ends, he's rushing to get you alone somewhere so that he can talk to you

and when you just ask him how the movie was

he gets even more confused

he thought you were mad??

so when you clear up the misunderstanding, he just pouts and hugs you

"i thought you were mad! i was so scared!"

he doesn't let you go for the rest of the night <3

BEOMGYU

now beomgyu

i think it rlly depends on the movie (regarding whether he'd pay attention or not)

so let's say it's a romantic movie he isn't too interested in

he'd definitely be the type to tease you throughout the movie

like everytime the couple kisses, he'd whisper something like

"i wanna kiss you like that"

just to get a reaction out of you

but you're a movie fanatic so you don't really say much, barely looking away from the screen

like yeonjun, he'd sorta huff and cross his arms

but he also doesn't like giving up

so he keeps teasing you, his comments becoming more frequent and his hands touching yours more often

but of course, you just casually pat his arm once in a while and don't even look at him

so now he's confused

he thinks about it for a good 10 minutes, but he really hasn't done anything to upset you

and when you get up abruptly at the end of the film to get out, he starts trailing after you

he then confronts you, asking why you were upset

and now you're confused

and when he asks why you kept ignoring him, you have to explain that you weren't

he'd probably drag it out, though, once he knew you weren't really upset

he'd go around shouting that you didn't love him

he only calms down after you give him a kiss <3

TAEHYUN

okay honestly i don't even think he'd really notice

like taehyun could watch the movie in silence if he wanted to

so let's just say that you kept leaving during the kissing scenes (like it suggests in the request)

he's very observative so he'd probably notice

he'd wonder if he accidentally did something to upset you or make you uncomfortable

so when you come back, he just stares at you for 5 minutes

that's when he decides to try and make some conversation, unsure of why you kept leaving during all the romantic parts of the film

and you don't pay much attention to him, the film exciting you

so when you don't respond, he just sorta starts worrying

cause he could've sworn he did nothing

he goes into everything he's done within the last week, trying to draw some sort of conclusion

and he's decided that it was either because he forgot to text you good morning last tuesday or because he ate your last macaron yesterday

(not saying you're like extremely fragile or anything but my man taehyun's stressing rn and he really needs some kind of answer to soothe his worries)

so when you're both out of the theater, he just suddenly says

"i know you really like strawberry flavor macarons, i'm sorry"

and you are confused ofc

you say that you just really needed to go to the bathroom

and so he's now extremely embarrassed, sorta muttering an "oh" and avoiding eye contact with you

but kiss his cheek and everything will be alright <3

HUENINGKAI

he just gets really easily distracted

so if you two go on a date together to the movie theaters, he'd probably get bored less than halfway through and try to talk to you

he'd make funny little comments about the characters and scenes, laughing to himself

but if you don't really respond, he sorta deflates and he now feels awkward :(

he likes when you laugh with him

so it felt extremely awkward when you just didn't reply to him

he sorta stays silent for the rest of the film, looking between you and the movie

he's just pouting as he tries to pay attention to the movie

but he's also lowkey an overthinker

so now he's wondering if you were upset or not

and when the movie ends, he sorta goes up to you slowly and asks if everything's okay

and he just looks like a broken puppy :(

so ofc you're concerned and have to reassure him you're not

and he just looks so sad that you have to hug him and pat his head/back

and ofc you didn't mean to ignore him, so you spend the rest of the night holding hands and laughing together <3

[dana-chan-the-control-brain]

So I watched Elemental....

And...

It was surprisingly good, and WAY more mature then I actually expected it to be.

Which, was par for the course. I knew a long time ago not to trust Pixar's marketing team when it comes to their movies. (cus this idiot gave Brave and Good Dinosaur and Lightyear a chance in theatres... what's one more pixar movie under my belt I'm disappointed by...)

But I was not disappointed in this one. And I'm grateful for that.

I'm not sure if it's worth it to see it in theatres. The whole thing is available to watch in 3D now, and the constant motion of the water and the fire does look impressive but I'm not sure if I would spend the extra money to see it with 3D glasses. But the visual effects and lighting was stunning!

Ember being reflected in Wade's face while he's looking at her is a nice touch and I loved those composition shots.

Although, I would NOT call it above Spiderverse this summer. lol. Not by a long shot. Like if you only have money to see one animated film this summer, make it Spiderverse, for sure.

The little short about Carl from Pixar's UP getting ready to go on a date is actually pretty cute. And I'm glad this was Ed Asner's last recorded role as Carl and I thought it was a cute send-off for the character. (I kinda wish the credits of the short acknowledged it) Also, I love that the short actually talks about finding love after your soulmate dies. It's rare it's not seen in Children's animation more, because it DOES happen. (my mom being a testament to that)

Anyway, about Elemental.

The movie is not really a "by the numbers romance" as the trailers would have you believe... just kinda showing that Disney did not fucking know how to market this thing.

Sure, it is a romance story between a fire girl and a water guy, and they do interact, solve a small crisis and get closer as time goes on and a good amount of time is done building their relationship and it's actually solid and cute. and there is a 'elements don't mix' but it's more of a saying between their people and not an actual rule or "law" as the trailers would have you think. It's a lot smaller, more intimate stakes then that. And I think for a romance story, intimate stakes work better.

But honestly, did you know that this movie is 100% a story about First World Immigrants that settled down in Element City which isn't built for them in mind so that their daughter could have a better life? And how Family Obligations and a sense of responsibility and love for your family can sometimes make you feel trapped and unable to explore different faucets of your life that you don't even know about until other people point them out to you but your terrified of pursuing something new and different with your life cause you feel like you would be too far away from your family and neglect your responsibilities and feel like a bad daughter because something that you worked for your whole life became the end goal and you didn't know what would come after because you didn't know these things about yourself until now and now you feel the priorities and goals and responsibilities you worked so hard for are now shifting into different responsibilities and priorities and you don't know what to do and feel like you let your family down

Yeah... me neither

LOL sorry that was a bit of a run-on sentence, but Ember is really relatable to me as a protagonist. So if any of that rambling run-on sounded interesting or relatable to you, I recommend you go see it when you get a chance, and I think I sold it far better then Pixar's marketing team, or Disney, or whoever did it.

The movie isn't laugh out loud funny, but there are a few sensible chuckles and puns in there. No real belly-laughs, but there were a lot of "AWWS" from the audience, which indicates everyone was loving the cute romance story. And there was a few scenes that made my sister cry (not me tho cus im dead inside. LOL)

Anyways, some spoilers under the cut and a few scenes I just thought would make the movie stronger

There is this stupid kid dirt child called Clod. He only appears a few times in the movie. Like... a total of two? Maybe three times? about a three minute scene each or so? to be annoying and flirt with Ember who is like... 10 times his age.

And it's supposed to be cute... and Ember does reject him gently... kiiiinda... like.... if rolling your eyes and groaning when he shows up counts as telling him "no" .....(it doesn't and he's like ten and some kids are bad at emotional ques cus kids are in their own head a lot. depends on the kid, but Clod is DEFINATELY one of those kids who only sees the world through HIS lens.)

but honestly...

I kinda wish Ember was more firm with this kid. And told him to stop. Just cus it's a kids movie and it is 2023. Can we stop the cliche of "far younger kid flirts with female lead" it was never funny in the 80s... and it sure isn't funny now... And I just kinda wanted a line or two from Ember, showing kids that this behavior is not okay. Rather then her just kinda rolling her eyes, and shaking him off.

I'm not expecting a full grown lecture moment to stop the movie in it's tracks, cause you can honestly write dialogue that is funny that works.

Like Ember Never tells this little casanova the words "STOP." she just kinda... burns his flowers he gives her and rolls her eyes like 'elements don't mix bud' I know she might be trying to let him down gently, but the kid isn't getting the message, cus he keeps waiting outside the shop every day to hit on her.

Just tell the little dirtclod to stop or ask him if he has school or if she has to tell his mom what he's doing. Like honestly, a small aside line like "I really need to talk to him about personal boundaries"

idk.. give me something... just tell him to stop. lol

Another scene, there's this thing, that if water touches fire, or like... a lot of water, it extinguishes part of their body, and they need to eat wood to repair it.

We got to see Ember and her mother do this to themselves on separate occasions

But Wade never got to see it. :(

Wade and Ember know the danger of dating eachother, and they are scared of touching, and a lot of times, Ember is put into terrifying situations where there is a LOT of Water.

I kinda wanted a scene to happen where.... maybe her leg gets extinguished, and Wade cries heavily, and freaks the fuck out.. and thinks that he SERIOUSLY hurt her. And Ember tells him to calm down, and she has a firestarter kit, and she just needs to eat some firewood, and she'll be okay. Or it could have happened at Wade's family's house...

Like I feel it would be a little cute bonding moment, and it will give Wade a moment of clarity at realizing the gravity of their relationship a little more early

Wade is definitely a "heart on your sleeve" "follow your heart" "be honest with your emotions" character.

Which is great, and I do love how cute their contrast is. But there are a few moments, where Wade just doesn't understand the severity of their relationship, or sometimes just doesn't understand the importance of Ember's people's culture sometimes.

And to be fair... Ember doesn't explain this to him, at least not fully, or properly. So Wade, not having all the facts... Her abandoning everything in her life to pursue an internship far away from her family makes sense to him.

I feel just... having a scene where he SEES Ember get hurt... instead of it being a possible threat of "oh they might get hurt" or just constantly telling the audience "OOOH THEY COULD GET HURT" would actually bridge some gaps in miscommunication, and have him understand the gravity of their relationship sooner.

I mean, it's not like he EVER does... he definitely does and it's not like Wade is stupid. He knows their relationship has problems. And I actually command the guy for getting mad that Ember is NOT telling him or helping him understand some things that she values. Cause he wants to help and get to know her, but if she's constantly on guard he can't do that.

Idk.. I do think that Wade finding firesticks for Ember and helping her after she got hurt would have been a cute bonding experience Maybe I'm just a Wumpy and I want to see it. eghoahef Ember got hurt plenty times by water, so it's not like they're scared to show a woman be venerable... It's just that..... Wade never gets to see that. And it was a shame.

I wanted to see him see it and his reaction to it.

Idk... those were just the things I kinda wanted to see.

Other then that, I enjoyed my time... and Wade is a class Himbo... and Ember is just... super relatable to me, and I understand her so much. I love her.

OH YEAH ONE MORE THING I FORGOT!

I feel the conclusion wraps up a little too cleanly????

Like... it's a super happy ending, and everyone has their cake and eats it too.

Ember's Dad gets to retire, and Ember gets to get her intership, and the Dad just lets some fireguys who are at his shop all the time who feel like family to run the shop in his retirement instead of his daughter?

Idk... it feels like it wrapped up way too cleanly and it never works that way in real life... Especially complex issues between family responsibilities and pursuing new passions in life that might take you far away from your family

I don't mind the super happy ending and having your cake and eating it too... idk I just feel their could be a better written solution that didn't involve her Dad handing over the keys to his shop to essentially some background characters we barely know....

seems off... but yeah, idk how else I would make everyone happy in the ending lol

Good solid movie

[steveharrington]

can u elaborate abt s4 not feeling like st? i don't disagree but i'm curious what ur thoughts are. i also felt s3 really didn't feel like st, like it's such a tonal shift from the first two seasons (and it has a LOT of issues) but i kind of love it anyway so.

before i try to put it into words i have to issue a disclaimer so here we go: i’m not trying to suggest that stranger things was ever like an indie show or underground or had a small fanbase at all, i know that it’s been insanely popular ever since s1 like i fully acknowledge that. however. s4, to me, feels like it was written to maximize online buzz instead of prioritizing the story, more so than any other season, and it worked which makes the fanbase feel different.

the first three seasons were obviously insanely popular and they did have these big moments that became referenced to death. i mean s1 alone spurred the whole barb obsession, the pink dress blonde wig el halloween costumes, the recreations of joyce’s light wall, the eggo jokes, plus people just went crazy like inviting david harbour to their weddings and shit. but that was all…natural. prettymuchit’s eric striffler talked about this in their stranger things commentary track so i’m ripping from him but he essentially said, in reference to s1, it’s insanely impressive how effortlessly the show managed to create iconic imagery that feels like it’s from an 80s movie in 2016. the duffers know that, so every season they ramp it up more and more to try to capitalize off that success. and sometimes i don’t mind it! i know people took issue with steve & dustin in s3, complained that their dynamic was being strung along just for memes or whatever, but to me their bond still felt genuine and authentic in that season so i personally was cool with it.

s4 just feels…rushed. which is insane because they had 3 years to work on it. purely speculating here, i think perhaps the duffers and netflix knew that it’d been forever and people were starting to forget stranger things, so all those rewrites and added content were kinda written with the idea of maximizing viewership in mind. that’s how we get ideas like: creating a fan favorite character whose imminent death is shoved down your throat so hard that the actual moment just rings hollow, shock killing and then un-killing max, bringing stancy back out of nowhere, starting and then dropping multiple storylines as the season progressed, giving el and hopper the exact same storylines they had in season two, having brenner take up insane amounts of screen time, etc etc etc. just…bad choices! and bad choices that you can tell were manufactured to either go viral (eddie and max) or start debate (stancy) while basically forfeiting the quality of the show in the process.

okay here’s where i’m gonna get bitchy. again i know the shows always been popular, and i like eddie, but eddie….took away a lot of the fun of the fanbase. and this is coming from someone who writes eddie fic!! i love him!! but i hate when any one specific character just completely monopolizes all content and conversation about a show, and among casual fans eddie completely 100% did this. you cannot see a single tweet about ST without thousands of replies all being like “is eddie coming back??? is eddie alive?????” and it just annoys me! i don’t like it! it makes the fan reaction and aftermath of this season just…different than the others and a lot less fun.

i think for me the different vibe all comes down to the fact that i didn’t like season 4. i was really disappointed after i finished it and honestly very sad i remember texting em being like “i don’t want to admit i’m disappointed because then that makes it real” but it’s been 5 months now and i can fully say: i was disappointed. it wasn’t what i was expecting, it wasn’t what i wanted, it was just not the quality of the show i know and love! which again is all subjective! and there’s a lot of good moments from it, but s4 just doesn’t hold a candle to the other 3 and it’s somehow impossibly made me …. not excited for s5. which i didn’t think was something that could happen!!

[gronjon44]

So I have thoughts on the "Chris Pratt voicing Mario" discourse

I don't hate it. It's not good, not by any means, but they gave us a minor clip that honestly, should be taken with a grain of salt.

I'm not gonna get into the entire Chris Pratt discourse as a whole, because I never agreed with it and think it's stupid it's still going on, but also because I'm trying to look at this as just a performance and not as something based on the irl bullshit.

2 big things I wanna address.

1. Chris Pratt isn't a voice Actor

He isn't a VA, we all know that and we've all accepted that. Yes I think they're decision to not just hire Mario's actual VA (who's been voicing him for decades now) is stupid.

But here's the thing that bugs me. Non Voice Actors can make damn good Voice Actors when they need to or have the option to, and it's not gonna stop Hollywood from casting big name actors for animated films.

Jack Black on the other hand isn't just regular actor, he has regular VA experience and has done other VA roles. Unlike Chris Pratt Jack isn't just an actor, he's experienced in both types of acting.

Also, did we all forget that Chris Pratt voiced Emet Brickowski from Lego Movie? A film that everyone collectively loves and enjoys? Chris Pratt can act, and the argument that he can't and Hollywood just keeps pushing him to make money while somewhat true is unfair in regards to the fact that if Chris Pratt didn't have any acting prowess then he wouldn't be getting hired.

The other thing I wanted to say-

2. Stop judging the performance off a 30 second clip.

I mean this with full blunt intent, the fact that so many people are blasting full force at his voice as Mario, all from a 30 second clip, is really dumb.

This ties back to the Jack Black bit, he isn't a voice actor, and I think that needs to be acknowledged a bit better.

You can't just a book off the first page, you have to at least try reading more about it and getting a better picture of it. Judging Chris Pratt's voice performance off a single clip it's probably edited to and it doesn't even go to that scene isn't fair to either the film or the actor.

Listen I'm not a diehard Mario fan, I've never cared for the games and know him more from Smash Bros and the some bits here and there, but I do understand the betrayal/disappointment from the casting, and while the delivery was flat it isn't enough to base the entire film off of.

Not everyone can deliver the same quality as Jack Black or Frank Welker, an especially not Charles Martinet. But don't scramble to hate an actors performance just cause of a single short clip.

Truthfully the best course of action I think is to wait for more footage/clips of the film, and judge more later on. Or hell maybe just wait for the film to release. Maybe we'll like it, maybe we'll all hate it. But maybe lighten up a smidge till the film gets closer to release.

This isn't the same situation as Sonic.

[xerxeswitch]

A New Bear Spirit Guest

-- Ever watched that movie called Brother Bear? It was an all time favorite as a kid -- Phil Collins' phenomenal music and the valuable lesson in that movie where the antagonist wasn't a person dressed in a black cape about to break into his villain score. It lived inside Kenai himself, and he underwent the journey to become what he hated (a bear) to understand them, acknowledge his wrong doings while understanding the journey to becoming the man he needs to be, and embodying love and its messages.

Anyways... I remember the scene where Kenai was boasting on what kind of totem he was going to get. He said something like, "I am expecting a sabretooth tiger for strength, greatness, you know, something that fits me." -- and he ended up disappointed when he got the bear of love totem as his step in becoming a man. He despised what he got saying "love isn't what it takes to be a man." ... ... While it may not be that way in particular with my situation, I had a spirit that has been following me for several months that looked like a bear. Even other readers saw him and commented what I saw too. I didn't think much of it at the time. I will say that the bear spirit didn't look like a normal bear, but this giant anthropomorphic beast trying to make itself look unassuming. ... Suddenly, a few weeks ago, I suddenly got an big head pressure and a voice asking me about this location on where he found himself. It was the bear spirit. I assume it was going to start out majestic or mythical as some make spirit work out to be at times. Nope, he was a very extroverted creature with a "himbo" mentality who wanted companionship. If anything he reminded me of that Security Breach game with Glamrock Freddy, or Perrito from Puss and Boots.

Even worse, he claims he doesn't like his real form very much due to some bad history, so he decided to shift into that form here and there which made me feel second hand embarrassment. (Nothing against it, I just personally found it awkward) (I'm also going to leave our personal details of his of course) (Just to be perfectly clear on this, I never cared about the characters/no hyperfixations, and I don't get hyperfixations unless it's my own work. Which adds to my confusion...) I wasn't the friendliest person to him because I was very cautious and territorial of my space, and so was my Family. But they ended up not minding his presence later which...shocked me. They'd usually attack anything that comes too close they deemed as an uninvited guest. But. I gave him every reason to just move on as I was acting annoyed and disinterested. Then the image of Kenai disliking the bear of love totem came to mind and I was mirroring his attitude about it. -------- The huge part of me really disapproving this at first was because of the use of using a fictional character as a form to approach me. About 95% of that happening is because the entity/spirit is a malicious/toxic type that uses that to take advantage of a host's interests and comforts, and uses that to get closer to prey on their energy at a better accessibility. I've seen it a lot happening and it's disturbing to say the least. I mean, it's not that far-fetched considering tales of malicious entities taking on the form of something innocent or a past loved one to get closer to their victim and undergo infestation in their lives. It's just been modernized. ... The reason I am letting him around me is because he feels familiar. That strange sense of deja vu. My energy knowing him and feeling alarmingly comfortable. That's honestly how I had made connections with my Family for the most part. He seems to have a sweet disposition and he ... well ... let's say mirrors some things that does remind me of Glamrock Freddy, much to my embarrassment. My pride was cringing. Despite me disapproving of this approach, I still drew him something based off of what he likes, and he turned into that form in the drawing...because he said, "It's specially made for me from you and that means a lot. I'll wear it and cherish it." ...Yuck. Sappy affection. (Family does this to me too though in their own way, and I actually appreciate it)

-- The one thing I noticed in particular about him is his sense of being overprotective, when he has absolutely no reason to be. I checked and vetted many times to see how consistent this is. I am honestly still vetting and this will continue for maybe several months to even a couple of years. (I'm distrustful as heck by nature with foreign spirits and entities, but I'm getting better?) I'm still getting second hand embarrassment about this and I might delete this post later if I feel like it. His name here will be F. (Not what you think) I'm still doing the vetting process intensely until I can debunk this experience or confirm what is happening. Anybody had a spirit/entity taking the form of a modern day fictional being? (Not Randy Stair style) I only had one experience where a current Family member I will call Shad here, took on the form of an existing character when I was a child...mainly to comfort me and not traumatizing me with is real form that I can handle now. But that's really it. He was a rare case. I find this spirit work really unorthodox and just...well...strange.

[maddiesbookshelves]

Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta (August 2022)

The shadow of Godolia's tyrannical rule is spreading, aided by their giant mechanized weapons known as Windups. War and oppression are everyday constants for the people of the Badlands, who live under the thumb of their cruel Godolia overlords.

Eris Shindanai is a Gearbreaker, a brash young rebel who specializes in taking down Windups from the inside. When one of her missions goes awry and she finds herself in a Godolia prison, Eris meets Sona Steelcrest, a cybernetically enhanced Windup pilot. At first Eris sees Sona as her mortal enemy, but Sona has a secret: She has intentionally infiltrated the Windup program to destroy Godolia from within.

As the clock ticks down to their deadliest mission yet, a direct attack to end Godolia's reign once and for all, Eris and Sona grow closer--as comrades, friends, and perhaps something more...

Would I recommend it to anyone? Not to someone who wants to read SF with a little romance (or with no romance at all). Otherwise, not really, if you want to see mechas I'd rather recommend Iron Widow or the first Pacific Rim movie.

Level of (dis)satisfaction based on the summary and my expectations? Honestly, I was really disappointed. I was expecting action and interesting worldbuilding but, uh... yeah.

My thoughts on it? Celebrating Mia (@yourneighborhoodbibliophile)'s return to booklr with some salt ✨:

I saw this review on Goodreads that sums up what I thought of the first book:

“if I had to read one more version of “you do not have my permission to die” in this book I was legitimately going to gouge my eyes out”

I felt like I was reading a fanfic. And I love reading fanfiction, but this was everything that makes me rage quit a fic condensed into one book. First, there was the found family trope with very "funny" dynamics where people run after each other, pulling dumb pranks, hanging someone from a window on the 5th floor threatening to kill them... It wouldn't have been as much of a problem if it had been contained to the main group, but the few interactions we see between the pilots lead us to think that they also had this dynamic. It didn't make sense to me that EVERYONE behaves the same way and it made me think that the author didn't know how to write anything else.

The fight scenes honestly disappointed me. Everytime there was a fight scene, it would cut in the middle and skip to after the fight. It really gave the impression that the author skipped them thinking "I'll come back to that later" and never did. The first time it happened I was so lost, I thought I had skipped a page or that there were pages missing entirely, but no. It was pretty annoying because it happens a lot so it feels like the book was left unfinished out of laziness. Plus, what's the point of reading about mechas if there's no mecha fight?! I don't know if the author is aware of that but she does say in her acknowledgements that it ended up being more of a love story with mechas in it than mechas with a love story, so...

I feel like we only see glimpses of who the characters are, at least for Jenny. The rest are kinda just... there. We know about Sona and Eris because we're in their heads but the others are quite shallow. I don't even remember all of the names of Eris' crew. I also don't understand the motivations behind one particular character's actions, they just don't add up to what (little) we know of him.

All in all, it was entertaining. It gets the job done and I genuinely liked Sona. It was a story that had potential but it deserved to be edited (better?).

French version under the cut

L’ombre du règne tyrannique de Godolia s’étend, aidée par leurs armes mécanisées appelées Windups. La guerre et l'oppression sont le quotidien des habitants des Badlands vivant sous le joug de leurs cruels dirigeants. 

Eris Shindanai est une Gearbreaker, une jeune rebelle effrontée dont la spécialité est de détruire les Windups de l’intérieur. Lorsqu’une de ses mission dérape et qu’elle se retrouve dans une prison de Godolia, Eris rencontre Sona Steercrest, une pilote de Windup améliorée cybernétiquement. Eris voit d’abord Sona comme son ennemie, mais celle-ci a un secret : elle a délibérément infiltré le programme des Windups pour détruire Godolia de l’intérieur.

Tandis que l’heure de leur mission la plus dangereuse approche - une attaque directe pour mettre un terme au règne de Godolia une fois pour toutes - Eris et Sona se rapprochent, en tant que camarades, en tant qu’amies et peut-être un peu plus…

Est-ce que tu le conseillerais à quelqu’un ? Pas à quelqu’un qui veut lire de la SF avec une petite romance (ou carrément sans). Sinon pas vraiment, quitte à avoir des mechas je recommande plus Iron Widow ou le premier film Pacific Rim.

Niveau de déception/satisfaction par rapport au résumé et tes attentes ? Honnêtement, j’ai été très déçue. Je m’attendais à de l’action et un worldbuilding intéressant mais, euh… ouais.

Avis sans spoiler ? On célèbre de retour de Mia sur booklr avec du sel ✨ :

J’ai vu ce commentaire sur Goodreads et ça résume assez bien ce que j’ai pensé du premier tome :

“if I had to read one more version of “you do not have my permission to die” in this book I was legitimately going to gouge my eyes out”

J’ai vraiment eu l’impression de lire une fanfiction en lisant ce roman. Pourtant j’adore lire des fanfic, mais là c’était un concentré de tout ce qui me fait rage quit une fic. Déjà y’avait la found family avec une dynamique “drôle” où les gens se courent après, font des farces stupides, font pendre les gens du 5ème étage d’un bâtiment et menacent de s’entretuer… Ça aurait pas été un aussi gros problème si ça avait été contenu au groupe principal, mais les quelques interactions des pilotes entre eux laissaient croire qu’ils avaient aussi ce genre de dynamique. Ça me paraissait pas logique que TOUT LE MONDE ait la même attitude et ça m’a donné l’impression que l’autrice savait pas écrire autre chose.

Les scènes de combat m’ont vraiment déçues. A chaque fois qu’y avait une scène de combat, elle était coupée et on avait une ellipse. Ça m’a vraiment donné l’impression que l’autrice les a sautées en se disant “j’y reviendrai plus tard” mais n’est jamais revenue en arrière pour les écrire. La première fois que c’est arrivé j’étais perdue, je pensais que j’avais sauté des pages ou qu’il en manquait carrément, mais non. C’est énervant parce que ça arrive souvent donc on a l’impression que le livre a pas été finit par flemme. Puis quel est l’intérêt de lire une histoire avec des mechas si on a pas des combats de mechas !? Je sais pas si l’autrice a conscience de ça mais elle dit dans ses remerciements que c’est devenu plus une histoire d’amour avec des mechas que des mechas avec une histoire d’amour, donc bon.

J’ai l’impression qu’on a eu quelques aperçus de qui sont les personnages, du moins pour Jenny. Les autres sont juste… là. On connaît Sona et Eris parce qu’on est dans leurs têtes mais les autres sont pas approfondis. Je me rappelle même pas des prénoms de toute l’équipe d’Eris. Y’a aussi un personnage dont je comprends pas les actions parce que c’est pas en accord avec le peu qu’on sait de lui.

De manière générale, c’était divertissant. Ça fait le taff et j’ai vraiment aimé Sona. C’est une histoire qui a du potentiel mais ça aurait mérité d’être (mieux ?) édité.

[bedtimestoriesforbrokengirls]

I tried to get my mother to watch the first half of TRW Homecoming, the funniest part is this woman used to watch marathons of TRW with me when I was in middle and high school (I'm in my late 20s) and apparently missed all of the points, and didn't go well...she didn't even last a full minute into it when that convo.....super fun.

I also just finished the last few episodes a couple of hours ago and Norm and the LGBT+ issues they bring up too, especially bi-erasure which are super personal for me....I ended up sobbing....I didn't really keep up with it after 2013 but TRW (not road rules or challenges, actual RW) was one of the only good things left on mtv in the 00s and it was the ONLY good thing they had left after TRL was cancelled and MUSICtv -officially- died and it was always just so impactful and raw and it's as necessary now as it ever has been and yeah...sorry to just gush about it but no one IRL for me understands why I keep suggesting the homecoming or how it could be anything other than "tYpiCaL mTv dRAmAAaAaaA" so it was cool to see someone reflect on it...okay, sorry again for my novel, hope you have a wonderful mornin/afternoon/evenin/day...

  (This reply is, like, a few years late. It's been sitting in my drafts. At this point, even TRW Homecoming: New Orleans is a distant memory. Sheesh.)

Your mom disappoints me. How she raised someone sweet and thoughtful, I have no idea.

Honestly, I should have seen this shit coming. The Boomers did the same fucking thing... they were progressive as hell in their youth, and then did a hard 180 back into the I-got-mine-motherfuckerism that birthed them. My generation, meanwhile, was never particularly awake politically —we were too busy playing video games and disrupting things that bored us— but I never figured so many of us would suddenly shrug and join our parents in their pseudo-religious, authoritarian circle-jerk. I sincerely thought better of us.

Here —as in many things— I point to Bill Clinton, and my generation’s stupid contemporaneous defense of him. We all —self included— excused the fact that he’s a weak, sleazy, brilliant, charismatic piece of shit, and in so doing, inadvertently lowered the bar for the dignity of the Oval Office. He lied and smirked and left a young woman to drown in public, and we all felt like we were in on a clever “fuck you” to the petty moralists of the world. Why wouldn’t a generation like mine look at a lizard-brained, orange troll and say, ‘I wonder what would happen if we gave him a rhetorical flamethrower?” I sincerely thought we were liberating humanity by connecting everything together, but we were really just building a massively complicated framework for screaming “FUCK YOU” into the void.

Anyway, back to Becky...

I doubt it would work, but I’d like to sit her down and try to explain how simple all of this could be for her. It’s like, Rebecca, I know it seems like there are lots of scary new things you’re being asked to learn, and that you’re uncomfortable with a future where you’re expected to acknowledge the flaws people find in the things you love, but you know what would really help? Shutting the fuck up. You can pretend to listen while some half-baked, shitty song floats through your head, and just nod appreciatively when appropriate. You're old and white and comfortable, so you can just fucking coast the rest of the way. No one needs your opinions, and if you don't voice them, we won't assume you're a jackass. Everyone wins! And how do I know this? Because I watched a movie about psychics, and now I can see the future. (You insufferable asshole.)

[shortkingshapeshiftr]

Ok, So I Rewatched Brother Bear II - Let's Talk About It!

Alrighty, so I just finished re-watching Brother Bear II. I recall viewing it almost a year ago, but I didn't have many positive things to say about it. But what do I think about it now that seen both the first and second movies recently? Well, let's get into it! It's gonna be a long one, lol.

Starting off simple, I'd say the animation is decent enough. The backgrounds are, arguably, the closest to the original movie. There are some moments where the character models do look off, giving that sense of "direct-to-VHS Disney movie vibe." When comparing it to other low budget Disney animated sequels of the 90's to 2000's, it doesn't look half bad. Not as pretty as the original, but still good-looking!

Music-wise, I found the discography to be rather forgettable and disappointing. Perhaps this is a hot take, but I wasn't entirely a fan of the soundtrack in the original, either. Now, that isn't to say that the first didn't have fantastic songs! The song "Transformation" is easily one of my favorites, and I find it to be emotionally very moving. It just feels like some of the songs, even if they mean something to me, are under-cooked. And maybe this is another hot take, but I'm not big on Phil Collins music, either. No hate to Phil! Getting back to the soundtrack of the second movie, I can't really say that much about it. It's rather boring in my opinion, and I find myself not resonating with it. The first movie had songs that meant something to me, but I do acknowledge could've been tweaked more sonically or lyrically, "Welcome" being an example of this. Brother Bear II's lacks any bite. So in short, the OST for the sequel is pretty mediocre and didn't spark much in me. Definitely a downgrade compared to the original.

Next up is the story/plot elements. Maybe this is just bias, but I personally didn't find the story or plot to be that interesting. It is a rather generic love story; one about two long-lost lovers who start off disliking each other, only to get together in the end. Many of the plot elements felt more like mindless filler than intentional story/character development. The scene with the raccoons being the prime example of this. In general, I would say this is much more of a "silly" movie compared to the original. This film is definitely marketing towards a younger audience, but in a rather cheap, half-baked kind of way. Now I do understand why scenes like the raccoon scene exist, it gives a reason for Kenai and Nita to bond with each other and eventually fall in love. My issue is just how it's handled, that's all. It feels... disingenuous? Forced? I'm not sure how to describe it, but Kenai and Nita's relationship and how it's handled leaves me feeling... odd. I don't know, just in general I feel like it could've been fleshed out more and, again, have a little bit more bite like the original.

Onto the character stuff! Again, similar to my previous talking points, the characters just didn't live up to the original. Throughout the movie, I just kept yelling in my head: "JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER ALREADY, COMMUNICATE!" That happened a lot in this movie, moments that easily could've been solved if you just... talked honestly for like two seconds. It was a smidge frustrating, given how easy some of the tension could've been lifted. I also feel like Kenai's constant flip-flopping between Nita and Koda to be a bit off as well. In the beginning, Kenai is clearly jealous that Koda is getting along with Nita (Nita isn't romantically interested in Kenai, which Kenai is upset about.) Later on in the film, this is flipped, so now Koda is jealous/upset that Kenai is hanging out with Nita. My issue is how quickly Kenai forgets about Koda, given what happened in the first movie. Kenai is responsible for the death of Koda's mom, Kenai knows that Koda looks up to parental/familial figures in his life. Kenai understands that he owes Koda so much and has to look out for him, but in a short span of time practically ditches him. It just felt kinda of off, given that the end of the movie was literally about Kenai becoming the titular "brother bear" to Koda and being responsible for him, loving him. That massive element of Koda's character, his emotional attachment to a parental figure, really only comes up later in the movie. I felt like this could've been expanded upon a smidge more, perhaps through... communicating with the other characters. As a side note, I also find the moose characters to be kind of unnecessary. To me, the comic-relief moose in the first movie were one of the weaker parts, so considering they got significantly more screen-time in the sequel just made it a bit more annoying. In the end, they get the girls who magically lose their self-awareness, regardless of how manipulative they were. It's ok, the story and plot is ok. Nothing to ride home about.

It's all just middle of the road, that's the best way I could describe Brother Bear II. It's not as good as the original, and I feel like it has many pitfalls. It doesn't really expand much on the world of Brother Bear, and it is rather generic. Again, it's just an inoffensive, mid movie that I can't bring myself to get that mad about. Not much else to say about it.

That's all I got for now. Thank you for toiling through my long-ass, late-night post. There will be more bear stuff to come! 🐻

[undeniablycandycane]

Watched NATM:KRA. Here are my thoughts.

Heads up: there will be spoilers, and a considerable level of negativity, so if you're not up for that I recommend scrolling past.

Off the bat, the animation is really smooth and looks nice. Doesn't look at all what I expected it to before the trailer hit.

Honestly a lot of things really were not what I expected, so it really threw me for a loop.

They did not include Ahkmenrah AT ALL. That's just offensive to me. His tablet is literally the whole point for these movies. They included his evil brother as the main villain, though.

I really like Seth. He's my second favorite addition. He and Kah didn't flirt enough for me. I expected more flirting. I do think Seth likes Kah though...

They could have done without the fart jokes. It's not too out of character for the movies, considering all the times monkey piss was involved in the franchise. I'm glad they acknowledged that everybody toots, even gods. That's a question answered right there, that I probably never would have thought to ask lmao.

Jed and Tavi? Their designs were cute, and they've legitimately grown on me. They're so so different from their live action looks (I know probably to avoid paying to use the old actors' likeness) and I wish we could have had more of them (including the classic running gag of them screaming). Plus, there wasn't much flirting going on? Octavius being annoyed by Jed was cute, but I consider it very OOC.

Joan of Arc is a great addition and my favorite new character. I love her so much!! And it seems her and Sacagawea could have had something going on. Just sayin'.

Some of the jokes I legitimately laughed at (more often the ones with Jed and Tavi) but some just didn't get me at all. Hit-or-miss, no laughapalooza but had some of the awkward charm of the previous films.

There are several inconsistencies with the main films that make it impossible for me to consider this film as canon. It's a cute off-canon project, but it just doesn't fit in with the other movies to me.

Nick has the cutest crush on a girl, it's honestly adorable. His jazz DJ thing was really creative and cool, and I loved how that was incorporated in such a neat way.

I'm glad the writers at least acknowledged that it wouldn't be a Night At The Museum without a dance party at the end. The music was really cool and I enjoyed the sequence a lot. It was a great way to end the movie.

OVERALL: I'm honestly,, underwhelmed. There's just too many things I don't like/ inconsistencies/ etc. for me to love this movie right off. There is a not-insignificant chance my feelings will change, but fresh after the first viewing, I don't see myself rewatching as much as I did the first three films. Like I said, I'll consider this as a non-canon offshoot of the main franchise, but it doesn't hit enough marks for me. I may make an update after some time or a second viewing if my feelings change, but more than anything it just makes me want to rewatch the other three films.

Sorry if my response was a little disappointing to some of you, but I want to be honest about how I feel. I just don't think it's for me that much. I was more "that's not right/that's not how it works" when watching the film which made it a less positive experience for me. My expectations almost certainly affected my response which is why I'm going to give it a grace period before going all in on the details, because there's a decent chance I'll feel different about it as time goes on. I just don't feel great about the whole thing right now. I'm sorry.

I still respect people who found it enjoyable, and I like to see that some people really really liked it. I'm happy for them, and pretty jealous lmao. generic outro that I can't come up with right now cause I'm tired and have depression.

[kimtaegis]

i hope many people who feel like you and i and others will see your asks and know that it's okay not to listen to/support a song. i listened to angel's teaser when it came out, i really liked it and was so excited for it. i wasn't really active between the announcement and the teaser drop, so i only got to know about the other people *after* i listened to it. i genuinely didn't know who they were, but needless to say my excitement dropped after that. so yes, it's okay not to support the song. it won't make you a fake fan. and i think it's okay to feel disappointed. like i said, i was so excited for jimin, i loved his part, loved the song's vibe. but after learning about the others, i just don't want anything to do with it. and it made me sad, because i wanted a new jimin song, i wanted him to make songs for movies and get even more recognition, but i'm sorry, not like this. so yes, it's okay not to listen. it's okay not to support, and i hope everyone who has doubts about this will see your asks, annie.

I had the same experience as you. I haven’t heard of any of the other artists before and only found out a little later about the specifics. and I don’t know if it’s too much of a reach to say that, when you’re active in the fandom space, you kind of can’t escape to find out about these things one way or another? I honestly can’t say if I would have googled each artist if I hadn’t found out about it through mutuals’ posts…but I think the important thing is that I (or better, we) didn’t ignore it, didn’t brush over it but let ourselves be educated through others and then changed our perception and actions accordingly. I feel that unfortunately there’s a lot of people out there who know just as much as we know now and choose to ignore it for jimin’s success with the song, and that’s really not the way to go imo.

and I also want to add that, even when there wouldn’t be something as severely, morally wrong with a release, you’re still very much allowed to not listen and support a song, simply because you don’t like it. it’s music, it’s subjective, it’s okay to dislike it. there doesn’t have to be a grave reason to not stream or buy or whatever, it’s literally only up to you if you want to do that, based on your liking and taste. please don’t let anyone ever pressure you into having to enjoy something you don’t, pleeeease please please acknowledge and embrace the individuality of interests and personalities, it’s what makes people much more fun, don’t let anyone else make you think the opposite. we are not a cult or dictatorship, this is a fandom!! and it’s a hobby!! and it’s supposed to bring you joy and nothing else!! 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

[greatqueenanna]

Do you think Frozen 2 should've won the Oscar? I was honestly very disappointed that Frozen 2 wasn't nominated, and wasn't really recognized as much as Frozen.

Firstly, I personally do not hold the Oscars in high regard - especially when it comes to animation. They typically do not actually watch the animated movies, and will almost always default to Pixar, Disney, or any film that might've been really popular that year - rather than the actual quality of the film. They have been getting better, but I still don't really trust their judgment (not to mention the academy's very problematic history in general). So, honestly, It didn't really matter to me whether or not F2 was nominated.

While I also wish F2 was more recognized and won more awards, we have to acknowledge that F2 had a very tough competition. HTTYD 3, Toy Story 4, Klaus, and Missing Link were monsters in terms of technical achievement, praise, or franchise bias. Frozen, on the other hand, had very little competition. The only film that held a candle to it was The Wind Rises - but that poor film was done dirty because Disney released it for only a short period and no one in the West really had a chance to see it - The Academy wouldn't have seen it either way haha.

I wouldn't be too sad - F2 is actually steadily growing a cult following that is comparable to Toy Story 2 - another sequel that wasn't really liked when it first came out but was more recognized after Toy Story 3 got huge praise. I would know - I was there when Toy Story 2 was in theaters...God, I'm old.

[castiellesbian]

It was obviously a comedy but do you think but Henry should gotten more flack for forcing his child to develop special observational skills or do you think it's not that deep?

First of all, keep in mind I've watched most of the episodes only once so I may be forgetting something.

In theory, I don't really think it was too bad for Henry to teach Shawn to hone his observational skills. Parents make their kids go to piano lessons or join soccer teams, this just stands out more because it's not a traditional skill. And as far as I remember, he never withheld Shawn's needs as punishment/reward for building those skills. I just watched the pilot last night and for example Henry was pressuring Shawn, but only at the expense of cake at a diner. It wasn't like he socially isolated Shawn or refused him affection if he got it wrong. While his father making him "train" could and to an extent did create resentment for Shawn, it never overrode his relationships or other interests (he still hung out with friends, went to conventions, etc). Compare that to John who isolated his children, prevented them from forming stable relationships (or any sense of stability at all), and put them into actual dangerous situations.

Henry's issues are less about making Shawn form observational skills and more about what was behind him forcing Shawn to do that--his expectations for Shawn's future, that he would follow Henry's footsteps and join the police force when he was older. He never asked Shawn what he wanted to be, just assumed it was going to be the same as his own life path. And when Shawn didn't go down that road (at first, and eventually only unconventionally), he made sure to let Shawn know how disappointed he was, which really affected their later relationship. What I really think Henry needed to get some flack for wasn't making Shawn hone his skills, but the way he treated Shawn simply because he didn't follow Henry's expectations. Honestly, what I REALLY wish they had made Henry apologize for was in the second movie when he snapped and told Shawn that he couldn't wait to see him fail at fatherhood. Like damn what a shitty thing to say to your son. He acknowledged that hurt Shawn, but never really apologized for it which bugged me.

tl;Dr I think Henry needed to get more flack for how he treated Shawn, but the observational training is mostly a product of a bigger issue

[blubird513]

Thoughts on Encanto? Favorite Character? Thoughts on what if Mirabel honestly left?

LUISA IS MY FAVORITE. HANDS DOWN. FUCKING GORGEOUS!!

I screamed in every scene she appeared in with a "LUISSSAAAAA!!!"

She really makes my Bisexual show IWEJFERWL-

Slight Spoilers ahead:

She's got a lovely personality, I loved her song because I relate so much to it as an older sibling in a very complicated and not healthy family dynamic, I love that the writers didn't de-feminize her because she has the often masculine-coded trait of being strong and muscular, she's just a joy in every scene she's in, she looks like she gives good hugs which I'm a sucker for, and-

She could carry me like one of those donkeys and I'd let her. :)

As for Mirabel.

My baby should've left that household. She should've, she really should've.

A child should not have to feel like it's their job to "save" anyone in their family, physically or emotionally. And even if that job is self-appointed by the child, the fact that they feel like they need to do that is an unhealthy mindset. A child should not feel like they have to "measure up" to deserve love and inclusion in their family, that is neglect.

Mirabel is in too close of a proximity to an environment that belittles and pushes her aside, and I felt that, though it was nice that her grandma apologized, the issue of this constant bad-feedback loop having been present since she was FIVE is too big of an issue to be swept aside. That type of shit is traumatic to hear that you're not special enough to be loved or that you're not useful to your family when you're a goddamn toddler!!

Regarding Bruno: SPOILERSSS

And (Though I do not understand that mass love for Bruno, I left the movie with a "who even was Bruno?" feeling. Sorry guys :) That final scene did not do him justice.

How the fuck do you drive your son away from the sheer amount of disapproval and disappointment you direct at him and take him back with a hug. You don't even apologize first!

And Then Pepa, whom I love dearly but, WAS THE BIGGEST ADVOCATE of We Don't Talk About Bruno, then act like she missed him and has the audacity to accept and FORGIVE?? Bruno with his explanation in song and erase all that shit she spouted.

(The situation of the wedding day was ambiguous about the fault. I think all parties were a bit at fault over what happened that day)

I don't blame any of the kid characters for being wary of their uncle cuz NONE OF THE ADULTS BOTHER TO SPEAK A GOOD WORD ABOUT THEIR UNCLE.

This family is was a toxic one at the beginning. There are a lot of mental health issues within it and lots of neglect, which is a form of abuse, and unhealthy complexes formed in that household.

I understand that this dynamic is rooted in the culture, as many people have pointed out, but dismissing abuse because it's a culturally accepted norm is not an okay thing to do.

I felt very strongly that Mirabel, Luisa, Isabella, and Bruno should've been given the chance to distance themselves to be able to see what's wrong with the treatment they receive in the family and acknowledge that they deserve better.

I am all for happy endings! And I don't think Encanto says to forgive toxic family members. But it is a Disney film that does make the family change their ways at the end, which makes forgiveness and a better future possible.

Innately, I felt that a household like this in real life is a harmful one and would want the members of it to get some distance from it to reflect and heal.

TL:DR : Culturally accepted behaviors and past/generational trauma are not an excuse for abuse, and never should be. The ending was too quick to stick a good landing and the message was very messy. I think the people hurt by this family dynamic should have put distance between themselves and the family, to heal.

[chrsa]

okay okay i just watched encanto and oh my god

it was a great movie - near the end i was kinda wondering how mirabel would save them and i thought there would be like an adventure so i thought i was gonna be disappointed but honestly when it got to the end before i knew it i was actually really happy about what happened

i was also worried that they'd reveal that she had this super powerful gift all the time and the family was always like that for no reason at all but i'm glad it didn't happen and she just stayed who she was (although i'd like to read a fanfic about that it would be really satisfying)

(also i was honestly expecting that there'd be a gift reveal where she like controlled the casita the whole time - i feel like that would've been interesting but also predictable - i'm not very sure)

im not gonna lie at the end i was still pretty mad at the abuela. mirabel is a way better person than i am i would've just slapped her and left (that family is so lucky that she loves them so much oh my god)

even after the grandmas backstory i was still mad at her cause even if she didn't mean to or realise what she was doing, she was pressuring and controlling their family the entire time (i'm aware she's capable of change and obviously that was shown - she made a mistake and she fixed it and i acknowledge that but that doesn't make me like her any better that's just my opinion)

also i saw a tiktok a while back that said 'you're either attracted to the stinky rat man or the strong buff sister' and they were completely right i love them both (can someone please find this tiktok for me it's been stuck in my brain for days)

lastly

the music

is a fucking masterpiece

that's all

[kitkatopinions]

honestly in my personal opinion, the weirdness around crwby's handling of queer characters comes back to their core sentiment of "queer people have to earn their rep," which was said by monty iirc. which is just an incredibly outdated & homophobic opinion anyways because like you pointed out in your ask, the heteronormative relationships didn't have to earn their existence. characters are assumed cishet by default, they're seen as the Standard & therefore don't have to earn their place.

queer characters & queer romances go against that heteronormative standard & have to be "earned" in the eyes of mostly cishet creators. kiersi is queer but well, she's not a point in the right direction for mkek considering her writing of nonbinary & asexual people.

it's even more disappointing to see this parroted by queer people in the fndm, that mkek are right, that we have to wait when ... why? cishets didn't have to wait for three separate heteronormative relationships in tandem.

Hey, sorry this has taken me so long to answer. My blood has been boiling over 'queer people have to earn their rep.' What a homophobic sentiment... and honestly, that really makes me think that Bumbleby was not planned from the beginning. Which of course isn't to say that MK was wrong to go with BB, but it's certainly annoying that people involved in the project are claiming it's been planned when the creator of the show was of the belief that 'queer rep has to be earned.'

Like... How? Someone please tell me how LGBTQ+ people can earn representation in media when I can't think of very many pieces of media (especially popular media) that doesn't display at least one opposite-sex relationship. I just looked through the collection of movies myself and my sisters have on our shelves, and outside of a couple of movies I don't know, every movie on our shelf but two depict opposite sex relationships (the two that don't btw are Bolt and Kung Fu Panda 1, which both include single parents, but no depiction of romantic relationships at all iirc.) I defy anyone to list one cartoon Disney movie that doesn't include a straight ship (even if it's just married parents.) How are queer people supposed to earn their fucking representation? Why are queer people thrown scraps and then told to shut up and stop complaining?

There's explicit bias in company's even like RT, who depict same-sex people, but always do it in comfortable ways or always in only small ways or always in hints. It's still homophobia, especially when it's very clear that their lack of inclusion isn't about the media just not being about any sort of romance (like Bolt or Kung Fu Panda 1 could say,) because they have relationships featured, just never LGBTQ+ relationships. RT has no problems forcing a love triangle between Jaune, Weiss, and Neptune despite none of that being believable or developed. RT has no problem introducing Sun with romantic theming for him and Blake, having them go on an explicit date, having Pyrrha in love with Jaune for who knows what reason and kissing him right before a tense fight scene to further the plot and freaking dying. RT has no problem with having 'boyfriend meets girlfriend's over protective and unnecessarily rude dad' esque jokes shoehorned into volumes 4 and 5 when it comes to Sun and Blake, or having Nora and Ren kiss in the middle of a high-stakes political rally right before a bunch of murders happen. RT has no problems making Ironwood flirt with Glynda in his first introduction, making Qrow talk about "the size of the waitress's skirt length" in like, his third scene, making Roman flirt with Cinder, making even characters like Penny and Ruby who have story plots that have nothing to do with romance or relationships talk about 'cute boys' at least once. Straight people get rep at every single turn, and yet gay people have to earn even an acknowledgement, even a passing comment.

What it is to me, really, is 'queer people have to prove we can get a profit out of their rep.' That's all I'm hearing. 'We're not ever going to do this because it's the right thing to do, we'll only do it if the pros of the money we can squeeze out of you outweigh the marketing risk of alienating homophobes who will turn off our show.' 'We'll only depict what we know is still comfortable to the casually homophobic viewers who are fine with a dash of gay here and there to appease people without 'forcing it down their throats,' or who are comfortable with seeing gay girls since that's been fetishized for straight men, but wouldn't be comfortable seeing gay men because they consider it a threat to their masculinity.' That's what I'm hearing.

It makes it even more annoying when I see fans talking about 'we should be grateful for the beautiful rep RT has given us.' NO THANKS. I'm not going to be grateful for the fact that MKEK are trying to queerbait me and other LGBTQ+ people into shutting up about the 'bmblb' song and Clover's death by trying to make us buy their fucking jackets and convincing us that Blake and Yang are already confirmed. I'm so sorry to get so heated over this. XD I'd thought I was calm, but this 'earn your rep' thing has gotten me so steamed. When have straight people ever been asked for the same? There are content creators fighting tooth and nail to be able to depict same sex relationships in their shows on bigger networks, and it really seems so very brazen of MKEK to still be holding back on confirming Blake and Yang and trying to convince us they're still champions of the LGBTQ+ community and our friends, and are selling pride merch with our favorite *non-confirmed* girls on it.

Adding onto that, the only rep we've officially gotten is girls. Ilia, Saffron and Terra, and May. And then heavily hinted Blake and Yang. The closest we've gotten for representation for men is Clover (a wink, a couple lingering looks, tweets suggesting he and Qrow will be together, only for him to be murdered,) and this picture.

This freaking nothing picture of two nameless guys with a heart shaped plant in the background of one shot in Mistral. Like, don't get me wrong, I'd like to know more about this unfashionable couple, and I'd like to know if one of them has a semblance that lets them control plants or if the heart-plant is decorative and was a gift from Sandy Hair over there... But my point is, no one should have to latch onto two rando background nameless punks and their fucking plant to be able to see themselves in media. This isn't representation for men in the LGBTQ+ community. It's honestly just tiring. I don't think I'm asking for too much to say that if companies are going to advertise 'pride,' that they commit to actually representing queer people and not just through the lens of what's comfortable to their homophobic or heteronormative audience members. May was a step in the right direction and I know that there are a lot of trans people who felt really validated seeing her in action and as a more important character during this last arc, and that the way that MKEK handled the in-universe confirmation of her being trans was respectful and well done. That's great. But it's 2021, if they're going to post 'pride merch' and claim to be for us and that they're trying to be inclusive, they need to stop queerbaiting Blake and Yang, and they also need to step out of the comfort zone of only portraying women on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. Male LGBTQ+ and non-binary and genderfluid people ought to be able to get representation too.