#I’m checking if there’s an audience tho

[mooseonahunt]

What if 😳 I wrote ✍🏼 a Serennedy oneshot where Luis found a little girl while in Valdelobos and took her in as his own daughter and when they escape Spain Luis and Leon basically raise her together but also Luis and Leon don’t get together until like halfway through the oneshot 👉🏼👈🏼 and then we kissed. Haha just kidding… unless 👀

[liloinkoink]

for serious tho since cherri is advocating martyn read lamplight on stream:

i Genuinely do not mind if Martyn reads Lamplight or any other fic of mine in private OR on stream. i feel if you’re selling your name/face/persona i feel you’re fully within your own right to look yourself up and see what ppl have done w it. if that means opening Lamplight on stream then like. sure, what the hell. my life is funny enough as is. this might as well happen

i DO have one request if he ever does, tho which is. just as a courtesy thing. mr ITLW please check it out a little bit on your own before you open it on stream. please

he is fully within his right to decide Lamplight not his thing, no story is going to be loved by everyone and that is okay! even all my friends who are very supportive of me and my work don’t read Lamplight, and that’s perfectly fine. but, i WOULD be sad if he realized that he didn’t like it live 😭

….also check the tags. Lamplight is a series, and some of the fics at the end are ship fic. you can read Lamplight without reading any ship fic at all. now, if he wants to read ship fic on stream that’s his prerogative but i hope he’s at least aware what he’s reading is treebark before he reaches the romance parts of it ,

otherwise he can do whatever he wants and i hope he has fun. Martyn is a creator i generally trust to be cool abt reading fic (on or off stream), and i also generally trust his audience to be cool abt it on stream as well. so i’m perfectly fine w giving the OK for that

[summerlinenss]

out of curiosity, if Max doesn’t release its metrics, then what metrics are you actually using to make these statements about the show’s popularity? what does “it’s currently in the 99.7th percentile of the comedy genre, meaning it’s in higher demand than 99.7% of all comedy series in the u.s.” even mean? How are you measuring what’s “in demand” - by who? Where? It’s bold to claim that this show was wildly popular (despite the fact that I never hear about it outside of tumblr, tho that’s a personal anecdote) but cancelled just for being queer, so I would be really interested to know where you’re getting all these numbers from. Thanks!

hey anon! first of all i am so sorry for the delayed response. i started typing something up and then i got distracted with something else and totally forgot about this in my drafts.

sure, i have no problem citing sources. i probably should’ve linked some in my original post, that’s absolutely fair.

this ended up way longer than i planned so bear with me, but a quick overview of what i’ll be going over:

1) what are the stats/where did they come from?

2) how is the show so popular?

3) was it really cancelled for being queer?

(also just a disclaimer that this will contain spoilers for the show)

1) first, the numbers

you’re right that hbo doesn’t release metrics to the public. in fact, ceo casey bloys tried to justify the cancellation to the hollywood reporter by saying “the numbers weren’t there,” despite refusing to say what exactly those numbers were or where they came from.

however, there are websites dedicated to researching/analyzing the data of different media. one of those is parrot analytics, who focus on industry insights like audience demand, competitive analysis, and content valuations. they’re trusted as a reliable source by forbes, the new york times, reuters, the wall street journal, and more.

this is what we can learn from them about our flag means death from a basic google search (note that all of this data is relevant to the last 30 days as of january 26 2024):

audience demand for our flag means death is now 33.6x greater than the average tv series in the united states. as explained in the “about demand distribution” section, this means it’s one of only 0.2% of all u.s. shows to fall in the “exceptional” performance range compared to the “average” demand benchmark of 64.1%.

the change in demand for ofmd in the u.s. has increased by 7.5% compared to the average tv series.

ofmd now actually ranks at the 99.8th percentile in the comedy genre in the u.s. i’m not a math person, but in basic terms, this is like a scale of measuring and comparing performances to create an average score. essentially, ofmd is performing at the very top of all comedy series in the u.s.

ofmd has 100% home market travelability. as it says above, the market of origin is always 100%, so in fairness i included the graph of international markets for comparison. some of these aren't super high, however (as explained by parrot analytics themselves) one of the key issues with the international market is accessibility to content, which has been an ongoing struggle for international fans. many people (i guess fittingly) have resorted to pirating ofmd because they don’t have access to max or affiliate streaming services in their country.

there are more stats i could have and wanted to go more in-depth into but it would make this even longer than it already is, so i’ll just leave some links you can check out if you’re interested and move on:

• comparison of ofmd's success to shows like ted lasso, euphoria, and peacemaker

• ofmd's placement as #1 most in-demand breakout series in the u.s. for 8 weeks

• ofmd's impressive 94% critics score and 95% audience score on rotten tomatoes

• how ofmd evolved from sleeper hit to a flagship series at max

• a list of ofmd's past and present award nominations/wins

• praise and recognition from news/entertainment sites: the atlantic (2022); the new york times (2023); tv guide (2023); vulture (2023); forbes (2023); the los angeles times (2022); vanity fair (2023)

2) so why haven’t you (or others) really heard of the show outside of tumblr despite all this success? likely because max did a terrible job marketing it.

ofmd first aired on hbo max (pre-merger before it was “max”) in march 2022. the entire season aired over one month, every thursday at 12am pst. season 2 followed a similar release schedule in october 2023.

season 1’s marketing was almost non-existent, pretty much relying on taika waititi’s name being attached. there was one teaser and one full-length trailer, as well as a few clips on youtube of taika and rhys darby answering pirate-themed trivia, all painting the show as a “silly pirate workplace/buddy comedy.” but hbo max didn’t put any real effort in because they didn’t care. david zaslav and the other higher-ups had no faith in the show and expected it to fail.

most people weren’t aware it was actually a romance due to the poor marketing, and although there were many romantically charged scenes between them, many were still wary to believe it wasn’t queerbaiting until ed & stede confessed their feelings and kissed.

showrunner david jenkins has said in interviews that he had no idea how deeply queerbaiting had hurt audiences and impacted their ability to trust what’s on screen without feeling like they’re being ridiculed, despite the fact that he was calling it a love story the whole time. it wasn’t until people realized they weren’t being queerbaited and that it was a funny, sincere show with a compelling plot that word-of-mouth began to spread. by the time the season 1 finale aired, there was a decent-sized fandom that continued to grow as it received more praise.

it was a fight to even get the show renewed for season 2, and david jenkins and the cast have majorly credited that renewal to the unexpected and massive fan response to the show, which basically forced hbo’s hand.

max didn’t bother trying to properly promote the series until season 2, when they begrudgingly accepted that it was one of their most profitable and successful shows. ofmd had huge billboards in times square, downtown los angeles, and on the side of hbo headquarters. they started accurately marketing the show as not just a workplace comedy at sea, but a heartfelt romcom. max began selling long-demanded merch (which became best sellers) and spent money on an FYC campaign.

i will emphasize, whether they liked it or not, they knew ofmd was their new moneymaker (especially with the recent end of succession, which was obviously a cash cow for hbo).

photo credit: @/bookishtheo

3) now if it was that successful, was it really cancelled just for being queer?

i mean, i can’t say that definitively. no one can. there are several potential factors at play that we may never know, and there have been a lot of rumours and speculation (many of which i don’t feel comfortable discussing in case they aren’t true) since the cancellation.

but do i believe the fact that it’s a queer romcom was one of those factors, especially since max has a history of cancelling and scrapping its most diverse projects? absolutely.

first and foremost, i can’t stress enough that this isn’t just a show with a few characters thrown in for token representation. ofmd is built on a diverse, intersectional cast and narratives, including:

• lgbtq+ representation: 5 main couples are explicitly queer (including mlm, wlw, nblm, and nblw relationships). multiple characters are implied to be poly, and there’s a polycule forming in season 2 that was hinted to be developed more in season 3. beyond relationships, it’s confirmed that (similarly to the way wwdits depicts all vampires as being pansexual) all of the pirates are somewhere on the queer spectrum.

• bipoc representation: the majority of the main cast are people of colour. this includes david fane, joel fry, leslie jones, samson kayo, vico ortiz, anapela polataivao, madeleine sami, samba schutte, ruibo qian, and taika waititi, as well as many guest actors (like rachel house, simone kessell, and maaka pohatu) and extras.

• disability representation: multiple characters have physical disabilities, most notably amputated/prosthetic limbs and visual impairment. a lot (actually most) of the characters also deal with mental health issues, particularly coping with severe trauma and suicidal ideation/behaviour.

• the show has been praised for addressing difficult and serious themes like toxic masculinity, colonialism, and self-discovery, all while still managing to be a witty comedy and not come across as “preachy.”

• the diversity also extends off-screen, with a team of directors, writers, and additional crew comprised of numerous bipoc, women, queer people, and trans/non-binary people.

my point isn’t just the quantity of representation, but the quality. they take great care and respect into every marginalized group depicted on-screen. the actors would often be consulted about their characters’ costumes, hair, tattoos, and the kind of language they use. it’s not a world where discrimination magically doesn’t exist, they just have zero tolerance for it. if a character does something homophobic or racist, you can guarantee they’ll quickly (and often violently) be punished.

so okay, sure, it’s got great representation. what does that have to do max cancelling it?

because they’ve been interfering with production from the start.

i already mentioned the marketing issues so i won’t get into that. it was also revealed in interviews with david jenkins after season 2 that hbo cut their budget by 40%, which is why they had to do everything they could to save money. this included letting go of some of the original cast (and even still having episodes where some of them don’t appear at all) and moving the entire production to AoNZ. the budget cuts also meant two less episodes, so they had to rush to fit an entire season’s worth of plot into eight half-hour long episodes.

but one of the biggest frustrations is hbo’s (alleged) censorship of the show. samba schutte revealed that the entire plot of episode 2x06 was completely different in the original script. before it was rewritten as “calypso’s birthday,” the episode took place during lucius & pete’s wedding and focused on the crew getting sick of the sexual tension between ed & stede and trying to get them to hook up (this aligned with lucius & pete getting engaged and ed & stede deciding to take things slow in the previous episode).

vico ortiz and writer jes tom have also commented that many scenes between jim, oluwande, and archie establishing them as a polycule were cut, including one of the three of them emerging from a bedroom in their underwear. jes has mentioned other elements of season 2 that had to be cut out or rewritten, like the implication of other poly dynamics between the crew and more sexually explicit scenarios and jokes.

considering that ofmd is an extremely sex-positive show that isn’t afraid to be raunchy or taboo, it’s clear that either higher-ups at hbo forced them to cut these things out or they had no choice but to cut them out due to tight budget/time restraints.

in addition to this, a recent article citing an “anonymous insider” has alleged that hbo was uncomfortable with and was unsure how to market the “shock violence” in the show (the same network that aired game of thrones), which david jenkins outright called out as being bullshit. ofmd is rated TV-MA and the posters and trailers all show the audience that it contains violent content. there is literally nothing more graphic in ofmd than any other pirate show — it’s probably a lot tamer than most of them, actually.

violence on the show is most frequently used in a comedic context, in the sense that it’s not meant to be seen as scary or taken seriously. the few instances of serious graphic imagery on the show are meant to invoke a mood shift, like ed’s transformation into the kraken or ned low’s murder. it should also be noted that some of the most graphic deaths are reserved for bigots, like ed snapping the neck of a colonizer who was ridiculing stede’s love letter.

it’s also most often used in a sexual context — not sexual violence, but violence as a sexual metaphor. more specifically the act of stabbing as a metaphor for penetration, as seen with both ed & stede and anne & mary. bearing all this in mind, it seems like the real issue here isn’t executives struggling to market explicit violence to a mainstream audience, but rather explicit gay content.

as much as we joke and affectionately call it the “gay pirate show,” ofmd has always been nothing more than an opportunity for rainbow capitalism for hbo (e.g. the fact that they waited three months to announce season 2 just so they could do it on the first day of pride month). like other cancelled queer media, ofmd was a way for hbo executives to show how “inclusive” and “accepting” they are when it was convenient (aka profitable) for them, but they never actually respected the show or us as a community.

it’s impossible to be certain of what the exact reasoning for cancellation was, especially when they won’t give us a clear answer themselves. and maybe it had nothing to do with ofmd being a queer romcom at all. maybe that’s all a horrible coincidence. but for hbo/max to axe a critically acclaimed and beautifully inclusive show that’s successful by every metric, with an extremely devoted fanbase, especially after casey bloys just had the nerve to ask “gay twitter” to hype up the gilded age? it doesn’t exactly put them in the best light regardless.

in summary, i’ll leave you with this editorial, which details how the campaign to save ofmd isn’t just about one show, but a fight to save the future of all queer art.

[sciderman]

Checked out Deadpool 3's trailer and outside of not being happy that they're putting in the time police, who's tactics seem just as forceful and violent as ever (buncha fashists is what they are, leťs be real), but also feeling like most of the jokes fall flat. (Not to mention my general distaste for the multiverse after being forcefed that shit for the 7th year now, and it not being any better because studios suck and use it for fanservice only.) Maybe i'll be proved wrong tho, fuck i hope.

the thing is with deadpool 3 is though - if this one fails, it could be the death of the mcu proper, I think. if they can’t get a deadpool movie to work (which, let’s be real, should be the easiest thing in the world. the previous movies are no milestones of cinema but they’re beloved by audiences for being stupid) if they can’t make a stupid DEADPOOL movie please audiences then… mcu is literally dead in the water (or should I say… dead in the pool…)

I think disney even knows it - with the “im your jesus” crack - I think they’re genuinely hoping deadpool is going to be the thing that might save the mcu. and what I’m banking on, is deadpool is going to be the thing that will take down the mcu once and for all, killing himself in the process. sorry for the morbid analogy, but from where im standing, wade looks something like a kamikaze pilot. he’s going to destroy the mcu, and take down himself in the process. nobody is going to respect wade wilson after this. this could be spider-man 3 x 1000.

I don’t think Disney fully knows what power they’re trifling with here, but I, personally, cannot wait to see the mcu bubble finally explode, once and for all (it’s been a long time coming) deadpool will show up with his little needle, and POP!

🪡 💥

I hate the tva stuff too. if anyone should be up wade’s ass for fucking the timestream it should be cable. tva get out of here.

[genericpuff]

How am I supposed to find indie webcomics? I’m up-to-date on a handful of them and love them all but I’m just not sure how to find new ones. Most searches for webcomics lead you to the mainstream sites.

I mean mainstream sites are fine in and of themselves if you're following the series you like there (especially if the creators of those comics are trying to opt into things like Ad Rev), but if you're wanting to find stuff outside of Webtoons and Tapas, here are some other methods to do so:

Random Webcomic - About as unbiased as you can get, literally sends you to the website for a comic it pulls at random. All comics in the roulette are user-submitted so for the most part, they're all still active or at least have live sites. Sometimes you'll find the odd broken link tho ;0

Top Webcomics - A collective of webcomics competing for top spots. Offers plenty of ad space where people advertise their comics whether or not they make it to the top of the voting pool. And has genre listings you can browse if competitive listings aren't your thing.

The Webcomic List - A collection of webcomics submitted by users that are then crawled by the site's bots to check for new updates. It has a list for most recently updated, but also sorts by genre. Definitely one of the most "old school" listings to exist.

SpiderForest - A jury-picked collection of webcomics. Once every year or two they open submissions where people can pitch their new or ongoing comics - if they're picked, they get a special listing and features on the site, and can either have their existing website affiliated with SF branding or have a new site created for them by the staff. It's all non-profit and it mostly serves as a community of creators and readers, they are not a publisher, but they offer a wide variety of titles.

Hiveworks - Similar concept to SpiderForest except they're an actual publisher so they offer even more benefits to their selected creators including print deals and merchandising, but as such they're way harder to get into. Their submissions have been closed for a VERY long time but they offer a wide array of comics that typically appeal to general-audiences (i.e. there are no NSFW comics AFAIK).

GlobalComix - A platform that, while not new anymore, has been making strides in competing with platforms like Webtoons and Tapas. Has a lot of Western-style comics but their library variety has been growing and I'm pretty sure they're planning on releasing an app soon (if they haven't already).

ComicFury - The final frontier of old school early 2000's webcomic platforms. Run by one guy, this site allows for full HTML/CSS customization, domain hosting, and all those fun little things from an era long gone by. The front page sorting is set to "Recently updated" by default so there's no algorithm bullshit, no editors playing favorites, just classic 2000's era reading.

As a final note, the best part about browsing for comics that have their own sites is that they usually include listings of other comics that are similar to their own. Sites like Tamberlane will often have roulettes of other recommended comics that you can sift through.

There are plenty other comic aggregation sites out there too, of course, but these ones should help you get started if you're looking for other platforms and archives that aren't subject to corporate scrubbing or picky algorithms. It helps decentralize the Internet just a little bit more and rejuvenate what made webcomics so amazing in the first place - independent ownership, accessibility, and unapologetic existence.

Enjoy! <3

[the-crimson]

Gonna be completely real, I’ve been fairly checked out of the qsmp since Purgatory 1 and one of the main reasons is because the story has felt a significant lack of agency for the players for a while. This has always been a problem for the qsmp to a slight degree but it’s been getting significantly worse.

The eggs get handed the Idiot Ball the most and it just makes me roll my eyes and angry in ways the admins/writers don’t intend. Like Dapper walking into @^@‘s trap even tho there is no way in hell Dapper would be stupid enough to do that. Like Empanada running into the fight over and over again just so she could be killed. These are supposed to be tense moments that make the audience and the players afraid but it just makes me angry because I know this shouldn’t have happened at all. Pretty much every time Dapper has been kidnapped required creative mode or character assassination or both - which isn’t good writing!

And idk what the players are supposed to be doing about the eyeball guys like there are no clues to finding Luffy. The players are literally just waiting for the admins to give them something to work with but all they are getting is eyeball worker attacks and egg deaths. There is nothing they can do to progress the plot except wait for the admins. This is what it felt like after the eggs were “kidnapped”/ran away. This is what it’s felt like since Purgatory 1. It’s been this way for so long and the players are making the most of the scraps they are given.

Idk maybe I’m just lamenting my love for the server… it was never perfect but the story telling just keeps getting sidelined for plot and it’s hard to watch… :/

[rockanroller]

it just two episodes so I’m not really too harsh. Animation looks really good, but man no wonder this took 4-5 years they had 4 animation studios working on it plus bentos joint company princess bento that’s operates Australia. So you got bento+SH+toon city and princess bento yeah their budget got fucked

the writing drag this show and it’s so confusing. there’s 6 fucking minutes of exposition dump and lore in the first episode. This is not welcoming to newcomers, especially adult animation you never exposition the shit out the audience with a bedtime story unless you’re target demographic are kids. Character spend so much sitting on couches and talking about nothing. Adam and Valentino are the absolute worse characters but I think Valentino is more egregious since he was hyped so much and he was the biggest letdown and he’s voice is awful I’m sorry to VA.

So what is Charlie’s goal again? Is to fix overpopulation by redeeming demons and sending them to heaven? Give demons a second chance? Or make her mom proud, and empower demons through song? All of the above? Why send demons to heaven when her mom was all about rising above heaven? She is kinda annoying, I hate how stupidly naive and childish she is but I guess that her flaw and her development will be that she has to grow up, but I don’t want to do the writers job where you’re given nothing and have to fill in the blanks.

So Angel moved out but he still works for Valentino, but the show is making it seem like he quit and is hiding out in the hotel but is gonna return to Valentino soon? Why is so easy for Angel to leave and ignore Valentino? Oh wait I forgot it’s because Valentino is a fucking idiot, literally just Stella 2.0. I just hate everything that come out of Angels mouth I forgot how annoying being sexual doesn’t mean witty or confident and just because he’s a porn star doesn’t mean he has to always sexual harass men, and it’s not even the good flirty, it’s bad flirty, but I know they’re gonna go hard on his musical scenes.

I miss pilot Vaggie she still supported Charlie but was also very cautious and a bit controlling but it made her more interesting and flawed and set up dynamics her instead of just being supportive gf aka Millie 2.0. Husk was barely in the episodes, nifty and that cat thing are just there to be cute.

Vox and Vel are really entertaining but they put up with Valentino when be’s the dumbest and least incompetent out the trio and Vox hates being around him. He’s duet with alastor is really fun and kinda wish he had a show on these two than Charlie.

The music is alright not something I’d listen to on Spotify but it’s alright. Overall it was ok, there’s just no charm to it

yeah i agree with most of these points.

animation- shifts a lot between good and bad for me and i think that's mostly due to the over-designed characters, there have been problems keeping them on-model ever since the pilot, but like you say about it being hot-potatoed between 4-5 studios juggling it, it'd be no surprise the budget got fucked, and to me the studio juggling also checks out with how varied the animation is.

writing- agree, i only ever saw the hazbin pilot and occasionally learned tidbits of lore from the critical community and i was still sitting there clueless, i can only imagine what it's like for newcomers who don't even know a *little* of the lore/history.

Charlie's goal- "Why send demons to heaven when her mom was all about rising above heaven" is such a great point. Charlie's goals and motives were so confusing to me bc i didn't really see a connection. i guess you could say this is Charlie's way of continuing her mom's goal of "protecting our people" even tho Lilith seemed to be against Heaven while Charlie is trying to work with Heaven--but as i said previously Charlie also doesn't really seem to "like" her people, as we see her repeatedly show disgust or awkwardly try to laugh off her discomfort and only shows an endearing adoration when they're showing specific change/potential. It seems like she's just extremely naively optimistic, but bc of her aversion it comes off kinda disingenuous or fake nice? she legit seems to act more like a disillusioned church-goer who thinks they're helping you than a kind princess of hell who loves her subjects despite their "depravity" ig? and like you said maybe that'll be part of her character arc, but it def feels weird so far.

Angel & Valentino- yeah the entire dynamic with them is just weird. they're supposed to be a pimp and his prostitute, but why is Val texting/voicemailing Angel like a mopey ex? Val is allegedly supposed to be this big abusive threat but he's just kind of there, and Vox just calms him down really easily? and showing the affect his verbal abuse has on Angel felt so sudden/forced in (yeah those of us "familiar" w/their dynamic know it's there--this is considering the media as a new watcher, that's stuff you're supposed to write into a show for new audiences.) i'm back-and-forth on Angel's hypersexuality/sexual harassments of other male characters bc it's true some victims can act as he does, and it makes him more believable as an asshole in hell moreso than the others, but i also don't trust Viv to handle the complicated subject of abuse with grace / respect knowing her history, and i'm already worried after she had him say his body was "made for exploiting"

Pilot Vaggie- again with the disclaimer i barely remember the pilot; in the first 2 eps Vaggie was weird. idk how to feel about it. i know you said she seemed like 100% supportive Millie 2.0--but to me i couldn't get a full grip on their dynamic. it felt like it kind of swayed back and forth between full support and skeptical support but it all went by so fast i can't make a clear distinction, so you may be right.

The VVVs- agreed that Vox and Vel were entertaining. Val was just kinda there and seemed like neither Vox or Vel wanted anything to do with him, what do they get out of Val being there? does he bring them money or power or anything?? Vox and Vel are stronger characters on their own w/o Val having to be there imo.

Music- i honestly have like...no real opinion of the music. it didn't "wow" me, but it didn't necessarily make me cringe either. it just kinda was there and was fine. i honestly might've like...unintentionally mentally checked-out for some of them. i think Vox & Al's was *probably* the best--and i say that loosely bc, again, everything went by so fast--but it also had me kind of tilting my head like why does Al even care about dishing out "the tea" about this guy?

i *guess* making your big debut "i'm back" speech after being gone for 7 years right when someone is shit-talking you is a good power move, but it just felt oddly petty or "beneath" someone like Alastor to me--i think it would've made more sense if there was a bit in the song where Alastor took some callers on the radio who asked him what he thought about Vox and *then* he makes some casual remark about how little he means to him. idk, just my impression.

ty for sharing your two cents!

[writingmochi]

ｌｏａｄｉｎｇ ｉｎｔｅｒｆａｃｅ．．．

you have reached year 2

lissie: greetings, visitor! this is your flight director speaking~ welcome to the two-year anniversary of this blog (freaking awesome if you ask me). thank you so much for reading, indulging, and/or interacting with this blog, me, or my works. the sentence before cannot describe the gratitude i'm expressing towards all of you. this is a yearly recap for me and maybe for new visitors who come to know what has happened on this blog for the year.

before we get to it, i'm doing a survey to get to know my audience better (and more research). if you have spare time, do fill in the survey so that i get to know more about the visitors, the works, and the audience on tumblr in general! (average time is around 3 minutes~)

survey link! (survey closed)

leggo!

all research done (read: works written and released)

troubled pixies | txt's taehyun (2 parts; 52k [novel])

smirch episode 2: jay | enhypen's jay (27.4k [novella])

isobel | txt's soobin (43.3k [novel])

pizzeria run | enhypen's sunoo (17.9k [novella])

total: 4 works (1 two-shots, 3 oneshots) and 140.6k words written

all the navigators connected (read: mutuals i got within the year. check last year's recap if you didn't find yours!)

@it-rains-blue (via @itz-yerin)

yerin! the other biggest bamtori i know here! gosh i hope you're doing well irl and online... hope for the best for your confession cafe >> check it out folks @the-love-cafe

@heart2beom

hey jazmine! i notice you haven't posted in a while now. so i'm hoping your doing okay, okay?

@tyunlatte / @wave2tyun

alex! if you are lurking, i hope you're doing so good irl! live your life for the best (edit: alex's back!)

@lovejoshua

1/6 angels: ilem istg! hi! you've been like one of the constant presence when i check the discord server. hope you treat yourself well!

@junniieesbby

2/6 angels: whenever i see a heart, it always reminds me of you, angie. i think you're busy currently, so the best i can say is that hope you have a good rest cause you need it and always hydrate ;)

@hanniejie

3/6 angels: hey lex! i just saw the band au teaser on your blog and i wanna punch myself for not noticing that sooner! /j hope you have a great time writing that one :D

@txt-yaomi

4/6 angels: sof!! i gotta have to consult you more for street spirit cause just the way you work with the album for angel is just *chef's kiss*

@talesofyuan

yuan~~ ngl i can't wait to read your kei lovesick series (tho i'm hoping to staying loyal to yixiang) can't wait to see more of your &team fics. check the blog out for &team content, folks!

@choistick

5/6 angels: saph !! thanks for the tag and hope your hiatus is treating you well~

@robin-obsessed

6/6 angels: lee~ i've just seen that you also like riize like akfjbaieufiw okayyyy i hope you have a good day/night whenever and wherever you are!

@dido-of-the-endless

hi nida! tbh you have so many side blogs i'm confused in which one you post your writing (so i'm tagging your main account). feel free to consult me if you have any wips you wanna let out lmao >.< n thanks for joining the txt hub server, i won't know you if not from there...

@pyeonghongrie (via @pyeonghongrie-main)

rie! thank you so much for letting me in the cult (mueheheheh) and hope we can interact more here or on the server

@aduh0308

welcome to the roster, ada! thanks for letting me join the soobin collab and nice to see you!

director's journal entries (read: all the rants i have thought out the past year. some are genuine, some are sarcastic):

wow… i freaking broke tumblr huh

i shouldn't have been too ambitous fook me

bruh my body's crumbling…

i swear i hate college for not allowing me to write

i broke tumblr twice w/ a txt fic alsnskdams

tumblr can’t handle things :(

is my mind running too fast or is it just harder for people to understand me? annoying much…

i’m literally a step away from going out of the kpop fandom. this kind of fan behavior is sickening

^ and the fact is: i’ll probably survive

kinda wish someone could appreciate my writing just like i do for other people here

is there something wrong with how i write asks? i should have put more tone indicators…

the desire for me to revert back to web 1.0 is crazy. like, me owning a blog? ughh yes pls!

i’m getting freaking frustrated!!!

AGGHHHGHHHHHHHH

… will i ever … :")

*queue yoda's voice* you pushing back more wips i see

how the fuck have i made fewer works yet the wc is 20k away from last year's result? (166k for 12 compared to 140k for 5 works)

^ it's quality over quantity now darling

^^ and the fact that the year 3 count will get higher because of the fics you've delayed

notable moments from the past year

established @a-dream-bookmark, a rec blog + kpop writer & reader network

reaching 200!

started writing for ateez!

joining @kflixnet, @k-labels, and @cultofdionysusnet networks

what’s next?

lissie: if you haven't seen it, i'm starting a new big-scale series called terra incognita for enhypen's jake, do check it out if you like cyberpunk, or dystopian fics! also, i an doing the wips that i promised will be released this year (will prioritize evaluation and subterranean homesick alien first)

lissie: once again, thank you so much for following me on this journey! cheers~

[accio-victuuri]

apparently, i’m not done clowning. I did a bit here ( now edited for correction 🍊) but there a few more that has come up. specifically a galaxy cpn about toy/model planes. sooooo.. let’s go! 💪🏻

The most obvious one is from ZZ’s weibo post of course. They only know seat number 5 and I am here for it. 🙏🏼

to add on the cpn post i linked about wyb knowing how to cook — there are photos going around of someone who was able to take photos of his stuff ( allegedly ) that’s being transported out once a project has wrapped up. you can see pots & pans and a mini washer. This adds to the fake rumors & his co-stars stories that he cooks.

this might not be as sweet to others but i’m personally invested in it. it’s the change in wyb ever since he got to know xz and them being in a stable relationship. some fans still love to identify him as this bachelor who can’t cook and does the bare minimum to fend for himself. and that may be yibo before but certainly not now. I love seeing him grow and be a more responsible version of himself. I’m not giving all the credit to XZ, but i think he helped a lot for WYB to go into this direction. Cooking for himself and making his workplace feel like home even if he is stuck in hotels.

NOW LET’S TALK ABOUT TOY / MODEL PLANES!

The story starts in the last few months before 2021 ended, the CPN about the toy plane they both had. ZZ was using his on a vlog and then it magically appears in WYB’s hand in a NYE photoshoot. His performance that night had nothing to do with planes or flying. It was even black and white so we can’t see the color.

Tho some people were thinking this is a clue for his new project, which is BTF. where he plays a pilot. Which actually has a point but the thing is he can use just about any kind of toy plane! Not the same one as his sworn rival XZ! 😂😂😂😂

Our CPN here is that XZ gave it to him, we’ve seen fake rumors of how they give each other the most mundane stuff ( example the toy night light ) so this kinda checks out. It can be a joke and also a random, “hey this plane is for you cause you’re gonna be a pilot in a film.” ( and well paper planes have always been their thing )

2023, during the BTF roadshow, one of his co stars shared a story about WYB ( as requested by the audience ) and the gist is, on the last day of filming with the planes ( this is Yanliang end of April ) they were sad cause they will miss it. Then Yu-ge said that he saw a shop that sells plane models and everyone was just “okay”, in the meantime, Yibo was all — “ really where is it?” 🤩🤩 Then as soon as Yu-Ge arrived in the store, WYB was already there and he had his mask on. He can’t call out his name so he just said “Lei Yu” and WYB looked so excited and captivated by the models. I mean, we know WYB and his love for them right? Yu-ge said WYB bought all models. and that WYB said he will give it to his friends.

There was a big j-20 model that yu-ge wanted but the shop keeper said they don’t have stock cause the man ( yibo ) got it already 😂😂😂. WYB then told yu-ge that it’s okay, he can ask the shop to order for him and they can ship it to beijing directly so it will be easier. but yu ge really wanted it and said, wyb can do that himself but wyb said he got it and he will take it with him today. this gremlin boy honestly.

We can actually end this story here and even without the CPN, this is a cute story! It’s WYB being the collector and wanting a piece of Pilot Lei Yu with him.

This CPN may seem out there but please stay with me. LOL. So it’s been a popular CPN that as soon as BTF was finished filming ( Tongchuan on 5/12 ) WYB drove to where XZ was working ( Huairou, Beijing ). Which is sort of explained over here and the whole covid test fiasco on 5/13. The speculation is, XZ is one of the “friend” that will be gifted with an airplane model and WYB wants to hand deliver it to him. The photo i shared above ( right with the boxes ) was something posted before, of a person saying it’s the closest they can be to wyb. and those are most likely the model planes he bought to be delivered. I’m not saying all the models are for XZ, but he will get one. Possibly the big J-20, cause the boxes on the courier all seem to be the same size. && in the story, the big j-20 is what he will take with him.

If it’s just for WYB/friends they can all be shipped right? So why did he insist to take it with him? Another question, If i’m one of those “friends” in yibo’s circle, shouldn’t i show off during this period that WYB gave me a model plane years ago? so far no one has posted. I’m not doubting that he has friend and lord knows this boy is so generous, but i’m just wondering.

this is one of those cpns that i think will get clearer as time goes by and if we get more information ( and it’s okay if we don’t really. ) & crumbs like :

1. If we spot a model plane that looks like one of those in BTF in any of XZS vlogs. Which is highly unlikely, but let’s see cause sometimes they wanna troll us. 🤡

2. If WYB tells the story about these models himself and what happened.

I’m just in this state of thinking about WYB who wanted to secure a nice J-20 model to give to ZZ as soon as they can meet in Beijing. ZZ gave him a literal toy plane and now WYB will exchange it for a better one, A J-20 that his character used. ♥️

reference source.

[daringdarlingdt]

Ok I have some Thoughts™️ about Trapper’s leaving m*a*s*h and how it was handled which I really want to throw out into the void even tho there’s only a very small, concentrated fandom for this 50-year-old show… so bear with me.

Is Trapper leaving without a goodbye scene heartbreaking??? Do I wish, for Hawkeye’s sake, that he’d at least left a letter?? Are the first 15 minutes of Welcome to Korea just gut-wrenching and painful? Yes. And this, dear friends is because of good writing!!

One of the things that’s great about the way Trapper leaves—suddenly, no note, no goodbye, just a proxy peck on the cheek for Hawkeye via Radar when he returns to camp and finds Trap gone—is that there’s no way to be justifiably mad at Trapper for disappearing. He was discharged suddenly and did everything he could to contact Hawkeye, unsuccessfully. Yes, obviously he could have left a letter for a more satisfying, cathartic departure but realistically… there is more to say than could ever be said in writing between Trap and Hawk and I think they both know all of the things that are worth saying, so it wouldn’t accomplish much even if he’d tried, especially since we did get that goodbye scene in Check Up when it looked like Trap might be leaving, then didn’t. No, the reason Trapper’s leaving without a proper goodbye feels so unfair is because of all the irreplaceable in-person stuff that we, the audience, and the characters are cheated out of. Looking into each others eyes, some final wisecrack and parting words of brotherly affection, one last embrace. A wave as the chopper takes off or the keep drives away. I think the proxy kiss is left as an attempt to encompass all of the love and melancholy and bittersweetness that those moments would have conveyed.

I don’t think anything else the writers would have done for that moment, except if Wayne Rogers would’ve stuck around to explain his character’s exit in the first episode of season 4, could’ve really packed the same punch. The abruptness of his leaving is quite emotional and sends Hawkeye on the tense chase after him to try and get some cathartic goodbye and we’re all disappointed for a second time when he misses him at the airport. It’s all the more painful for Hawkeye because you can imagine how guilty he feels for not being there, for not answering the phone, for allowing the one good thing keeping him sane (or something resembling it) in the war to get away without his even seeing him off. It’s really effective and the kiss as a goodbye really speaks volumes by saying so little!!

Like I said before— we’d already gotten a goodbye scene, and a one-sided letter wouldn’t have done justice to Trapper and Hawkeyes friendship anyways!! The kiss is so wonderfully ambiguous in its meaning but also so delightfully unambiguous and all-encompassing. Piercintyre is one of those ships I’m chill with shipping kind of casually. Actually I really like them as a couple and think if they just kissed a little.. cuddled sometimes… y’know, the works— that it would actually add so much to their relationship and homies should kiss sometimes, actually. But regardless of that they canonically just mean so much to each other as friends. Beyond the things that they say out loud in Check Up, it’s evident in the way they take care of each other, how well they know each other and joke with each other and would do anything for each other. Their casual physical contact, they’re matching dress up. It’s all right there. They’re best friends they’re family they’re bonded forever by the horrible circumstances they have endured and attempted to make enjoyable together. Regardless of how you, the audience, or they, the characters (if they were sentient), define their relationship. They love each other. And the proxy kiss on the cheek communicates that.

I’ve seen some people say that they wouldn’t have been able to have that kiss on the cheek if it hadn’t been framed the way it was—through Radar who’s obviously uncomfortable passing it along. That if it had actually been Trapper we wouldn’t have that peck on the cheek at all. Idk that that’s true. Hawkeye kisses Henry on both cheeks in Abyssinia, Henry and he very very casually and briefly gives Trapper a little peck in Kim when he gets the letter from his wife agreeing to adopt the little boy. It’s part of a whole celebratory hug/embrace there and it’s just the best ever and I think a more subdued, sweet, melancholy and maybe even a little lingering version of that could have been a part of an in-person goodbye. And that would have been fantastic. If we could have had a proper goodbye scene between them… just a really brief one, not drawn out like Check Up is. Like if everything was the same but Hawkeye just caught Trap at the airport and he had 30 seconds to say goodbye and hug and deliver or receive that peck on the cheek. I think that’d be the bestest ever.

But as it is, with Wayne Rogers not being in the episode at all. I think the writing choices are as good as can be expected to deal with the abrupt departure and it pivots really tidily into welcoming BJ (although I wouldnt have minded a brief grieving period like if he’d shown up the next episode instead of the same episode or smth like that). Like I hate from a psychological, shipping, character supporting perspective that Hawkeye didn’t get something more concrete and permanent and explicit from Trapper, like a letter. But the fact that I feel that way and that I’m so so sad on Hawkeye’s behalf is an indication of good writing choices. And it does the thing. The thing mash is always trying to do. Which is remind you that it’s a show about war which is constantly and infinitely unfair, arbitrary and abrupt and doesn’t care about your feelings.

So in conclusion it’s really sad and thinking about it brings me great psychological and emotional pain but I’ve made peace with that fact and I applaud the writers for making me feel that way.

[unitchiefs-blackbirdphoenix]

Coffee, Please? Thank you

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: F/F

Fandoms: Criminal Minds (US TV), Criminal Minds: Evolution (TV)

Relationship: Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss

Characters: Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, Emily Prentiss

Additional Tags: idk just cute stuff, emily is section chief, takes place sometime between the series finale and evolution, will and jj are divorced but he is not mentioned, no spoilers tho

Language: English

(Story also available on AO3)

JJ never was a late person. Her attendance in classes and soccer practices were a testament to that. She lived by the phrase, “Early is on time, and on time is late.” JJ supposed it was why she was already at the office before everyone else, including Hotch and Emily, and it never stopped when she transitioned to the profiler role. Only rarely had she ever been late, even after having kids.

Apparently though, she slept through her alarm half an hour after she hit the snooze button, which to JJ’s delight meant she had to get out of bed finally (late), wake up the boys, make breakfast, get them ready, and drop them off to school. She thought that by now she would be used to that, but Henry was in a rather chilly mood this morning, even more when he began shouting at Michael for bothering him.

JJ ran her hands down her face. She did not have time for this.

As soon as she had dropped the boys off to each of their schools (and separating them far from each other, so nobody ended up hurting each other and she could talk to each of them), JJ quickly said her farewells and kissed their foreheads before speeding off.

She would’ve gone to the nearest coffee shop this morning, but all of a sudden, the universe decided to make her morning worse once she saw how long the line was. Shaking her head, she decided to skip the line and go to the office instead. At least there’s some coffee there.

When she passed security and tried finding an available parking spot, she finally got out of her car, slamming the door close and locking it absentmindedly, all the while checking her watch and muttering under her breath about how she was already late. The blonde pressed the elevator button, watching the numbers go by. Slowly, she may add with a roll of her eyes and the doors opened once the elevator stopped. Impatiently tapping her hands on her thighs, JJ waited for the elevator to pass each floor until it reached the sixth floor. She was glad no one else was in the elevator with her because she huffed out a breath. “I’m going to be late.”

As soon as the elevator doors opened, she couldn’t wait any longer and immediately walked out. Her first stop was the kitchenette in the bullpen. She was subtle in her steps towards the kitchenette, so no one could catch her in a rush. A frustrated groan came out when she found out there was no coffee left in the pot. She didn’t have time for this anymore, she had to meet her boss now.

Making her way upstairs, she found the door leading to the designated meeting place already closed. Damn it. Deciding to accept her fate, JJ quietly twisted the knob and cracked the door open slowly. She was met with ears perking and heads turning towards her direction, and of course, the slow turn of the person leading the presentation on budgeting.

JJ stared into familiar brown wide eyes and plastered on a polite smile. “I apologize for the intrusion, ma’am,” she said with a nod.

Emily nodded back and gestured for her to take a seat, but not without raising a sharp eyebrow before turning back to her presentation. When everyone turned their heads back to attention to Emily, JJ shut her eyes as the humiliation quietly settled in, and she sat down on the nearest chair.

———————————————————————

After the meeting, JJ was sure she was going to receive a lecture from her boss. The other unit chiefs made their way out the door, and Emily waved for JJ to follow her out and into her office. Once JJ walked inside Emily’s office, the other woman closed the door.

JJ sighed. “Sorry I was late, Henry was-”

She was quickly stopped by a hand holding a small thermos for her. She slowly took it in her hand and sipped, easily sighing once her taste buds were acquainted with the even better and richer tasting coffee.

Emily smiled. “I figured you had your hands tied this morning and that you would kill the person who got the last fill of the coffee.”

JJ raised her cup in appreciation. “Thank you.” The coffee was warm enough for her as she took a few more gulps. Her cheeks turned pink when she caught Emily staring at her with a smile on her face. “I didn’t have time to make any coffee and I remembered we had a meeting this morning.”

Emily nodded. “I forgive your tardiness, Unit Chief Jareau, and I trust you won’t do that again,” she said, putting on her professional voice.

Tilting her head to the side, JJ stepped closer into Emily’s bubble, placing her coffee down. “Is there any way I could make it up to you? Perhaps a candlelit dinner, a bottle of wine…?”

“That sounds a bit inappropriate, Agent,” Emily replied in a low tone, but not pushing her back.

“I think we crossed that line four months ago,” JJ chuckled and stepped back to grab her hands. “I really am sorry, though. There was a lot happening on my way here. But if you don’t have anything tonight, saying all goes well, I was thinking we can go out, just the two of us.”

“Saying all goes well,” Emily repeated and nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

JJ smiled brightly and turned to open the door.

“Just don’t be late this time,” Emily playfully warned.

“You got it, boss,” JJ saluted with two fingers.

[lady-of-the-upside-down]

Notes on Hamilton International Tour (Manila, Oct 28, 2023 matinee)

No list of who specifically in the cast was on for the day, the programme only had the full cast list.

Act 1 notes

-Deep voices, deep voices everywhere

-They kept the “Laurens I like you a lot” line for international!

-I love the lighting! Some of the lights even create polygons

-Laurens was so drunk by the start of the toast

-Angelica had such a pretty voice

-Everyone enjoyed the King. YBB was delivered in such an angry incel kind of way

-“I’m so blue” *the King stomps and the lighting turns blue*

-The transitions during the wedding and toast are so beautiful and smooth, it almost felt magical

-DOUBLE SPINNING FLOOR

-Burr’s “How does a—-“ narrations really reek of his jealousy

-Desr Theodosia was so so good, mmm the vocals

-Some USA-specific references weren’t that understood by the audience, understandably

-Washington’s voice is so perfect for the role, I love him.

-The war scenes were so well choreographed I loved them!

-I can sometimes hear undertones of the actors trying to approximate the OBC’s voices, especially with some of Alexander’s lines

Act 2 notes

-Jefferson had no drawl (he had some tiny French accent as Laf tho)

-Sally didn’t show the letter near Jefferson, instead she held it above her head like she wanted Jefferson to work for it to read

-“Whatever the hell it is you do at MON-TI-TELLO!”

-“These ~VIRGINIAUUUGHNS~ are birds of a feather!”

-Philip was as fun as usual, and also he’s taller than his dad

-“Angelica tell my wife Vice President’s not a real job anyway” earned a lot of laughs because we currently have a shitty VP (Look up “Sara Duterte Confidential Funds”)

-Say No To This, oh boy (They kept all the scenes for international!)

-Congress is fighting over where to put the capital: “GEORGIA!”

-Daddy’s calling got a lot of laughs

-The King was as insane as ever, shifting from sad to angry to jolly. What Comes Next was fun

-That was my wife you decided to fuuu- got laughs

-The Philip death arc still brought me to tears even if I already listened to it a million times before

-Someone said out loud “Aaron Burr is a loser!” after election of 1800

-“Weehawken” became “Jersey”

-I love the choreography during Ham’s duel monologue, it was so creatively done

-WLWDWTYS was Emotional for sure

Thoughts

The overall pacing was really like as if you were listening on a music app, save for some instrumental interludes and some lines of dialogue. Some of the songs had parts that were slowed down for some actors’ own spins, such as the Laf/Jeff actor going a bit slower in some of the lines.

Admittedly the Angelica actress overshadowed Eliza a bit but tbh it kinda fits, with her being the “leader” amongst the three.

Overall it was a magical experience, and the seven-year wait really paid off. I have been a big fan of Hamilton since I was in high school, and now I’m on my last year of university. It really felt so rewarding to be able to watch this.

This cast was composed of actors from varying places, mostly Australian and American. I really recommend checking out this international tour as they were really a blast to watch, and definitely live up to—even exceed—expectations. Their next stop after November is Singapore iirc.

[jackiekashian]

no one reads these anymore right? Maybe i should post on wordpress…

I won’t be with Maria outside Pittsburgh tonite.

You know when you want to be mad at yourself even though it doesn’t matter and it becomes some sort of theater?

This week in scattered thought and action… not complete: I flew to Columbus Ohio and in the cab from the airport I left my airpod holder/charger and the portable brick charger attached. i got a new airpod holder charger but not a brick bc i have a backup.

I was flying to minneapolis the next day and misplaced my wallet to the tune of six witnesses and 90 minutes of scramble and me remembering witnesses to bad behavior, while technically, could be turned into an audience of my tragic death scene… they didn’t buy a ticket. So i was pretty good (tho not perfect… i was a little teary eyed and so mad at myself)… i thought i was rewarded for my patience by finding my wallet.

I go to Minneapolis and get to the airport early. So early I use up the charge on my other brick charger so plug it in. I missed the flight to Pittsburgh bc I left the charger and WENT BACK FOR IT. It’s not a fellow Marine… it’s a $100 charger. But I asked the people to call the gate and ran for it but the door was closed. So I missed the flight. And i had a small temper tantrum and cried and - it wasn’t the worst - like it wouldn’t go viral. But it was embarrassing and there was no way to get there on time for the show. So the agent has to find a new opener for Maria. My luggage is going to Pittsburgh. And I’m flying back to LA.

I am now trying to parse why I still want to hate myself for forgetting so many things this week. I want to still be mad at myself and have people be mad. Maria gave me extra money. I think - I HOPE it was the bump from last night’s show and not just sick pay:) but I’m not good at not accepting money. So I’ve taken it. I know Maria gets it. She has missed and forgotten things. But I’m just so mad and scared it’s the end of my brain working. But it’s also - A. OVER… just keep swimming Dory. And B. So many moving parts and not sleeping a lot. So chill kashian.

And I’m still in a skyclub. I’ve told the story to too many Delta reps and can’t face telling it to every friend and family member. To each person asking “so you couldn’t get another flight and make the show.” “There wasn’t another early flight?” I probably would have taken it. “The plane was there but they wouldn’t let you on?” I probably would have gotten on it. “So your luggage is on the flight to Pittsburgh? You checked it at Minneapolis?” That’s how checked luggage works.

“You knew the flight was boarding and Minneapolis gates are really far, why didn’t you just abandon the charger? The charger costs $100 - you would have got to hang with your friend, watch her work on her set, work on your new jokes and make more than $100?” And then I want to get defensive and explain tired and I already lost one… And I KNOW the questions aren’t there to make me feel worse - just people thinking out loud to get the problem and either fix it or offer ideas of how not to do it in the future. Hell, that last has not even been said to me… that’s the Parole Board Committee meeting that’s being held in my head right now. And you’ve just read the minutes. Sigh.

No sympathy is required, just venting and others might need to hear my brain and know they aren’t alone.

[sandraharissa]

So I haven’t been in this fandom for YEARS but I just came across smth that always bugged me so ig I’m venting.

So the fandom has always been very critical of Odin but I always found it to be to a fault. I’ll generally see very exaggerated, not canonically supported takes on Odin that paint everything he ever did in the worst light possible. To the point where it’s just extremely boring to me. Odin being pure evil is infinitely less interesting than him being gray flawed-but-loving parent. Now I realise a huge chunk of the fandom would love a ‘Loki realizes Odin will never love him and gets over him’ narrative but I find it 1) personally extremely emotionally unsatisfying 2) waaaaay beyond a story that could ever be handled well and with enough nuance by the mcu 3) a bit too not complaint with the first movie and in general with the framing in all of these movies to truly stick the landing.

For example, ppl would often try to turn the information that was stated in canon that ‘Loki got adopted’ into ‘Loki got kidnapped’. The problem with that is that it’s solely based on headcanon. From a Watsonian perspective you can try to argue that Odin could be lying but from a Doylist perspective this is the only time we’re given information on that matter, and if the truth on such a crucial aspect of the story was different then it’d be extremely important to reveal the real truth to the audience at some point, but the writers never do that. Actually there’s a deleted scene found in the script where Loki reveals to Laufey that he’s his son, where Laufey explicitly agrees that he abandoned Loki, calls him weak and ‘a bastard son’. Now this is a deleted scene so it’s not canon, ig we could say it’s soft canon, but either way it gives us insight into the writers’ original intent behind writing the whole script including the vault scene and it presents the more fleshed out version of the story, where such a crucial information as Loki’s origin is indeed double-checked by Loki with the ‘original source’.

Next matter, the writers never thought through the story nearly as much as the fans do. The worldbuilding, history and lore of this world are next to non-existent. We don’t know anything about the Jotun culture, so who knows maybe leaving someone of royal blood in a temple was done for their own protection or maybe it was a sacrifice to their gods or smth, or maybe it has no meaning at all and he was simply left behind anywhere when others were fleeing. Similarly we don’t know anything about Asgardian customs so maybe the party at the end of the movie was smth disrespectful toward Loki’s recent presumed death or maybe it was exactly how they do it. We’re just left to either take the framing at face value even tho the framing is sometimes noticeably faulty or come up with headcanons.

And speaking of that party scene, along with weird assumptions about Asgardian culture I’ve also seen weird reading of Odin’s behavior. Now Anthony Hopkins clearly never cared about this role and in most scenes he barely even moves so I know that probs doesn’t help the perception that Odin the character doesn’t care about what’s happening around him, but we also do get some things out of him like this:

He's shown alone and isolated from the rest, staring blankly at the Bifrost where everybody thinks Loki died and it seems he can barely speak, but that somehow translates into ultimate proof that he’s happy/indifferent that Loki is gone, like ??? Absolutely bizarre takes. I would often see ppl scrutinize Odin’s behavior like this like they’re body language/human behavior “experts” or whatever, as tho it’s not the case that all the characters often appear to be underacting/underreacting when intercut with Loki’s drastic and often very realistic looking displays of emotion. And even with that in mind there’s always enough obvious cinematic language used in those scenes that you can clearly tell the authorial intent. Like you’d think somber music and sad faces and staying away from the party, in contrast to all the partying guests, would make it clear enough that Loki’s family is mourning. But ig they’re not mourning visibly enough for some ppl’s liking.

There’s more scenes like that that really convey the love between all the different family members, but then we also get these confusing scenes like ‘your birthright was to die’ or ‘am I not your mother’ or ‘That hope no longer exists to protect you. You betray me and I will kill you.’ that just kinda happen but then nothing ever gets explained or resolved. Unfortunately it’s likely the writers just think there’s nothing wrong with this kind of behavior and that the characters were justified/right in saying those things. So the fandom’s stuck not being able to just ignore the worst of it, and for me also not being able to ignore all the framing and writing that conveys real love within the family that I want to root for.

In broader strokes I would say the first movie is the most defining for the franchise and the characters and that’s the one that has me rooting for Odin and Loki’s relationship. Then came TDW and it was the real beginning of the end, not TR. This movie was the first that tried to simply sweep under the rug all the interesting drama the previous movies built. They find a way to get rid of Frigga, they get rid of Odin and rush his arc to its end (originally with no intention to bring him back ever again, according to interviews) and they also tried to get rid of Loki for good and rush his arc to its end. Leaving Thor free from having to deal with all the family drama ever again that ig powers that be decided no one wanted to see, until changes were made. With the third movie continuing to axe everything that’s left from the Thor franchise and continuing the task of writing out Thor’s family members, bringing Odin and Loki back, giving them both more flattering conclusions and then killing them off again. And what a pity cos the bones for great arcs for these characters are all there. If only there was a single cohesive vision for the franchise that allowed for continuous cohesive arcs throughout the trilogy.

Anyway, ig I still had some mourning to do for all that development that never happened and that at this point we’re way beyond ever getting.

[danothan]

@cessmaga i felt like this could be its own post!

this is so funny bc i've said this all before but for some reason it hurts me to read it </3

incoming pondering

i have mixed feelings. the punching bag portrayal of hal definitely feels… selective compared to other characters. lauren faust has said that the way she figured out everyone's personalities was to take their most popular iterations and exaggerate them into distinct roles. and it honestly works well for the show! yes even when it’s ooc! superman being a proud hotshot? well he did have a bit of an ego on him when he was younger, and this superman is 19-20, so that checks out! wonder woman being a fish out of water? i mean, she was even the audience stand-in for g1, it makes sense from a writing standpoint! hell, even "playboy bruce wayne" and "theater kid oliver queen” feel random and ooc, but it’s hilarious and plays on some recognizable tropes of the characters, so i’m definitely not complaining. it’s more important for an adaptation to hold up on its own than be a 1-to-1 reference to the source, and i think there’s smth for both comic fans and first time watchers to enjoy

but hal is more complicated. i didn’t get this impression from him when i first watched dcshg. i can see why they chose him for the jock character, someone had to fill that role after all, and i can see how his moments of silliness in the comics can add to the Dumb in Dumb Jock. like i get where they’re coming from. but it became more abt making hal fit the jock role than making the jock role fit hal

i don’t think it’s all bad tho. his debut ep endeared me upon my second watch. like hal was SUCH a senior, it was mean-spirited, but seniors are just like that 😔👊 sometimes it felt like they were pushing it, but it serviced karen’s character. they’re not making a show called dc superhero GIRLS to make it abt the boys (and i’m certainly not asking them to). so there’s definitely a right way to do it, but i feel like they lost the plot somewhere down the line. how did he downgrade so hard lmao, i can accept the premise but you have to actually like your oc too

this problem isn’t just a hal thing ofc, other decisions felt questionable to me too. like why is diana boy-crazy. the whole “she came from an all-girls island so she fell for the first boy she saw” thing is WILD for her specifically. she came from an all-girls island, connect the dots.

but i do feel like hal consistently gets the brunt of it. maybe it’s just my hal vision, but it feels targeted. how come barry gets to have all these barry-specific quirks and references, but hal is just some generic jock. they’re best friends in the comics! if you know sm abt barry, SURELY you knew that too!

bad characterization aside, my main problem is his (mis)treatment in the show. it’s straight up unpleasant to sit thru, he’s a metaphorical AND literal punching bag. the contrast going between an episode for hal vs anyone else is crazy, it’s like someone read only the worst versions of him and decided to punish the character for being poorly written. oh my god it’s like zack snyder making a superman movie. waittt it’s exactly like that oh god 😭

design-wise… he’s so ugly, every friend i’ve shown a picture to always responded in disgust 💀 and after watching g1, the choices in his redesign speaks volumes to their view of his character. but here’s the thing…

it’s actually rly grown on me I KNOW I’M SORRY. like, okay, his hair style is not doing him any favors (idek what version of him it’s supposed to be inspired by??), and anyone that changes brown eyes to blue/green is my personal enemy. buuuut… he still has his signature cleft chin <:) and his raglan tee is a clever translation of the cut of his GL suit <:)

idk, going from g2 to g1 back to g2 gave me more of an appreciation for the tooniness of the style. we think g1 is better bc it’s inoffensive. it’s bland. i def think the slapstick for hal in g1 felt like laughing with the character instead of at him, and his overuse of constructs is sooo classic hal, but in terms of visual personality, i didn’t get much just by looking at him. i miss that damn jacket tho, no idea why they didn’t keep it

but picture daze wrecked me so bad that it gave me rose-colored glasses and now i can’t remember what it was like to ever think he was ugly

is it so wrong to think he looks like a sweetie :( a silly little guy :(

sidenote, i haven’t seen this ep before but wth is this:

this is not a 17-18 year old highschooler, this is a 30-smth divorcee. i think that might be the joke, but tell me why his hair looks more recognizable here than the default 😭

all of this to say: world’s biggest hypocrite over here defending dcshg hal after talking essays worth of shit abt him LMAO. i accidentally gave him a consciousness and now it feels like he’s the victim of bad writing rather than the perpetrator of it. i’m not even mad that they made him a dumb jock anymore, i just want him to be happy ☹️

[heartsgallery]

ricky’s development and how is connected to gina

long post sorryyy

let’s talk! hottest topics on the hsmtmts fandom right now: “ricky liking gina ruins his character development” and “the feelings came out of nowhere”

so i wasn’t really gonna involve in the discussion because i’m sure ep 5 and the rest to come will speak for themselves but it’s been repetitive and i just like to talk

claiming ricky liking gina is character regression might be the craziest thing to say. ever. and SPECIALLY if you ship rini of all things. ricky’s character arc has been build up throughout the seasons and it has always been focused on one thing: ricky is scared of change. this is a fact. ricky’s life in s1 start to crumble when two pivotal things in his life change: he’s not with nini anymore, and his parents are divorcing. this is how the show presents his struggle. that is the thing he is put to overcome throughout the show: accept and embrace change. and in the middle of this, nini is presented as stability.

gina, on the other hand, is the embodiment of change. not only from ricky’s perspective but her persona and history in general. gina is the opposite of stability. gina is always on the move. gina is unexpected, and new and different to what he’s known. gina changes everything. that’s the show’s words, not mine. now with this description… sounds very fitting to the arc we just mentioned for ricky, doesn’t it? doesn’t that sound like the perfect character to help ricky overcome the struggle the show has presented for him? and not to make all about ricky even tho it’s about his character the statement i’m trying to refute, but ricky’s also the person gina needs and wishes at that point of the show. someone that stays the same.

so let’s do a recap because it looks like it’s needed. eventually, red tells ricky to put himself out there. to change, to stop being stuck. because ricky insisting with nini meant for him being stuck. and that night gina kisses him on the cheek and it changes everything. this is interesting to remark but after that kiss, and between the moment gina finds out she’s leaving, rini stops interacting. they end up only having two one on one scenes: after rehearsal, where ricky ends up checking if gina is upset and goes running to sit next to her after, and the next time, they talk on thanksgiving, and the second gina walks through the door after him his focus turns back to her. ricky is moving on. ricky is with someone new and doesn’t hate it. ricky starts to think that maybe not all change is a bad thing. he’s probably the happiest we’ve seen him in that season because he is one step closer to the goal the show has for him.

“and just when you’re used to things changing, they change again”. and suddenly gina leaves, and the only thing ricky thought it could give him hope change wasn’t that bad is gone. and change is THAT bad again. gina is not there anymore. gina is officially out of the equation. not because ricky decided to take her out, because the situation did. they thought they wouldn’t see each other ever again, and even if ricky tries to reach out, gina is the one to shut him down. so a new door opens with nini and he takes it because he needs it. because he needs to go back to how things were. because he tried change and ended up hurting again. THIS is when, purposely, ricky’s character regresses. because he gets further and further away from the goal that has been, plot wise, presented for him in the first episodes. he is as far away from embracing change as he has ever been. the main purpose of his character arc. his regression is explicitly said in the show under the words: “maybe i’m back to who i always was”. he was back to his old self the second gina left. gina means per se character development for ricky. he doesn’t see it by then, but we as the audience do (well only some of us looks like lol). but ricky needs to hit himself against a wall to understand😭 and that wall will be the failure his relationship with nini is gonna be, because, as said in the last ep of s1, “not all couples are meant to be together, sometimes people change”.

rini breaking up shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone. it did wonders for nini’s character too but since we’re on the topic of ricky, the storyline basically showcased everything i’ve said before. rini was a product of ricky holding on to the past. i’m sure they loved each other while it lasted but just not in the way it had to. rini was more something they needed that something they WANTED. ricky is away from gina, the most important person on his life to help him accept change, and he basically goes 90 steps back. he is as reluctant to change as he’s ever been, to a point it basically asphyxiates nini and that he doesn’t recognize who he’s becoming. if you want to talk about character regression the first thing you want to talk about is THAT. but let’s think about it a little more… guess who pushed him away from her life (and she was in the right tho) when ricky started going downhill? guess who wasn’t in his life when he split as far away from his main goal as a character? may i say,,,,,,, gina? not a coincidence at all. if you think it is that’s your issue but the show’s been giving you the signs. gina is PIVOTAL in ricky’s development.

gina doesn’t understand what made ricky change like that, she can’t understand his behavior because she’s the other side of the coin, and it ends up in misunderstanding and hurting and what we all know that went down in s2. the showrunner of the show said it himself: ricky was not ready to show his feelings back because he was clinging to the past. because his character development was STUCK. because he was in a stage of regression. he couldn’t be with gina or show feelings for her at that point of the show because his state of mind was far far away from what gina represented in his life.

he breaks up with nini, slowly shows signs of progressing again but still by the end of the season he’s just “getting there”. but in the first episode of season 3, he sings about being free of the old things that haunted him, he shows he’s progressed and that he is once again closer to the goal that has been planted for him since the start, the goal where the figure of gina was always closer to. and now, his feelings showing up when he is so much better personally and emotionally absolutely makes sense. because now, his headspace aligns with the position and what gina means in his life. because now again, he finally sees forward and not back. and gina means moving forward to ricky. always has, since the very first season, and always will, as seen in s3.

so yes, ricky showing his feelings for gina is absolutely not a sign of character regression but the completely opposite, based on the character arc that the show canonly gave ricky since the very first day. the feelings were always there, ricky just needed to be standing in the right place to embrace them, in which he is now. and please don’t come to me saying it’s character regression because he is doing what he did to ej/nini in s1 when he’s not. he’s not making absolutely any moves on gina. every time he feels bad or jealous (he’s allowed to feel like??? he can’t avoid that) he leaves the room and keeps it to himself. the only thing he’s doing right now is wanting the girl he likes/loves to be happy and to have the opportunity to have her moment. he isn’t going behind gina talking shit about ej or begging her to take him like he did with nini. he’s trying to be as dedicated as he’s ever been only so she can shine. that is not a crime, that is not homewrecking, that’s not making moves folks, that’s just being purely in love. and no one can helps what one feels.

hope this cleared out some things and we’re all start being more serious bc 😭 the takes i’ve seen. sorry for this long post if ur reading this bc you read all of this you’re amazing and ily