#a lot of these changes felt like they think the audience is dumb and don't trust them to understand that it's called the little mermaid

[hollowed-theory-hall]

ok so what are some of the changes you would want in the upcoming harry potter hbo series. and since your blog is Harry centric so I'll ask how do you want him to be portrayed in the series ? what traits of him do you think the series makers should shine more light on ?

Okay, I have, like, a list of things I didn't like in the movies and could be improved upon by the show. The list I have here isn't just about things the show could improve, but also things I want to see in the show in general. I think most of my opinions are pretty common, though.

(Also I'm not sure how good the show will be, like, I'm somewhat hopeful, but also very cautious with my expectations. We should start getting casting announcements around in a few months, which could help indicate where this show is going)

Regardless, here's my list of top concerns for the upcoming show:

Harry's character

This is the one you questioned specifically and one that could make or break the show for me. I want Harry's sass and anger, I don't want him to be a self-insert for the audience the way he was in the movies. I want his actual character. The sass, anger, and tenacity that is Harry Potter combined with his kindness, compassion, and sometimes clueless awkwardness. Let him be smart, clever, and talented.

Harry in the books is so much more than "just Expeliarmos" and the fact people could think that about Harry is a legitimate crime against his character the movies committed. Truly character assassination that Harry isn't an exceptional wizard with the world's lowest self-esteem and cheeky attitude.

(Also, for the love of god, give him green eyes, please. Contacts exist for a reason and it'll be a good way to differentiate the new actor from Radcliffe)

2. Ron & Hermione's characters

I could probably just put a "make all characters like in the books" category since this is true for a lot of them.

Specifically for the other two members of the Golden Trio, I want Hermione to have her flaws, and Ron to be smart. He is talented and smart and just as skilled as Harry and Hermione. He isn't the dumb comic relief and I'm so mad the movies made him such. And Hermione isn't a perfect Mary Sue who can do no wrong. Let her put Rita in a jar. Let her show how much she actually appreciates Ron and Harry and their approach to problems, different as it is to hers.

3. Voldemort's everything

I didn't like Voldemort's design, I didn't like his characterization, I didn't like how he spoke, how he walked — none of it felt like Voldemort to me.

I want Voldemort to be scary, not some odd caricature of himself. Give me a Voldemort design that looks scary. Give him the red eyes, and make him look actually skeletal. And let him move elegantly, talk softly. He isn't shouting and throwing tantrums, usually, he is very deliberate in what he says and does.

Also, give him his weird sense of humor. In the books, he makes bad puns ("Wormtail is here to lend a hand"), I like my villains a little campy with bad puns but also terrifying.

4. Dumbledore's everything

Well, honestly, I have no complaints about Dumbledore in the first movie, my problems started after he was recast.

I want Dumbledore to speak softly. I need an actor who could say "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" and make it work. I want an actor who'd smile like he knows things you don't as his eyes fucking twinkle, but could still look intense and even intimidating for the later seasons. I also want him to look whimsical and dress in the most absurd eye-catching robes you've ever seen.

5. On the matter of robes — wizard fashion

I want wizarding fashion. I want long robes, silly hats, colors, and patterns. I want the costume designers on the show to have fun with it. I want them to go wild.

The wizarding world should look whimsical and campy — that's part of the magic. I want it to look like a foreign world. Even the most purebloods of purebloods (like the Blacks) are more like the Addams Family than any serious drama. They have a sense of campiness and whimsy. Let wizards be weird as shit and show it in their dress and interior design (I mean, the Blacks hang house elf heads and have a troll leg umbrella stand, the Ministry of Magic has paper airplanes flying all around, they're weird).

6. About the more filler-y sections of the books

I want all the silly little plots that were removed from the movies. I think some of the more filer-y things add a lot to the books and to the whimsy of being a student at Hogwarts. I want the trio to sneak out Norbert, I want to see Peeves, the deathday party, all of these things that make Hogwarts truly feel like a magic school.

7. Hogwarts Castle

I love the castle of the movies and that of Hogwarts Legacy. Honestly, I think Hogwarts Legacy did a good job of capturing the feeling of the movies castle while making it its own new unique thing. I think the TV show should do something similar and kinda create a Hogwarts castle amalgamation of all previous iterations that would feel familiar and allow them to still use some of the same merchandise but also be new and unique at the same time.

8. Time period

I think this is a pretty common opinion, but I want the muggle clothes and sets to clearly be set in the 1990s. I want the show to be a period piece. I don't want to see smartphones, or modern fashion, or modern cars — none of that.

9. Age-appropriate casting

I'm not the only one who says this, but as great as Allen Rickman was, he was too old for the role. Part of the tragedy of Snape and the Marauders is how young they actually are. I think it'll just be much more heartbreaking if the actors looked as young as they're supposed to be.

(Including James and Lily in the flashbacks!)

10. Worldbuilding & extra scenes

Since it's a TV show and not a book, which opens up more perspective options, I would like to get, maybe, some extended Pottermore facts into the show. Like, to flash out the world in a way the movies didn't.

Additionally, I wouldn't mind if some extra scenes were added to build up characters we don't get as much of in the books and it could serve the plot. Like, as long as the scenes are added in a way which is like 'they might've happened in the books, we just didn't see them cause Harry wasn't there', that sort of thing without subtracting from anything else and without retconning or contradicting anything. Like, with good writers, this could be really well done, I'm just worried about them adding anything because I don't know how much faith I have in the whole project. But it could be cool if done well.

[thefabelmans2022]

i have so many thoughts about the little mermaid (2023) and it's like. oh my god who cares.

[pnutbutter-n-j-elyy]

⋆˙⟡♡ Redamancy ⋆˙⟡♡ Pt1 - Amo

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Jisung x Fem!Reader

Anon Request: I hope you enjoy, sunshine <3.

Warnings: Slight Cursing, Slightly Suggestive

Word Count: 3.5k

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Stemmed from the New Latin word "redamantia" which is derived from the Classic Latin word "redamō" which translates to "I requite love"; Redamancy is used as a term translated to "a love returned in full, loving the one that loves you". Or in the simplest form - the opposite of unrequited love.

Redamancy: a love returned in full, loving the one that loves you.

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Amo: root word. it means "love". lots of languages use it, most commonly seen in romance languages...te amo...mi amor... mon amour...

♡ Amo: root word. stage one. the art of falling for you. ♡

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Jisung had always considered himself a words guy. The amount of time he spent sitting anxiously led him to be an observer in certain circumstances; and the one thing he always observed was words.

Language was a funny thing to him. How a few letters could change the entire meaning of a word. Or a few words could change the entire meanings of sentences, and sentences monologues, and monologues stories. And how a wrench was thrown into that based on the tone someone was to deliver certain things in.

It was fascinating to him. And it was also fascinating to see how things could change by not saying a few simple words.

It was something he was living through first hand.

In a sense, it felt scandalous to him. Being so close to you, breathing in your scent, having the warmth of your body pressed against his, his hand delicately resting on the curve of your hip, as you prattled on about something that had happened that day.

He could only focus on your lips. He could only imagine how it would feel to have his own connect with yours; they looked so kissable, painted a beautiful powder pink due to the job interview you were in the middle of telling him about.

He adored moments like these, where he could delude himself into believing that you guys weren't just friends. But he had to be careful with delusion, because soon enough delusion would become action, and he didn't think he could easily take back the action of shoving his tongue down your throat while you were in the middle of telling him about having to explain the difference between a buyer persona and a target audience as one of your interview questions.

He hummed in acknowledgement of your words, and you shifted in his embrace, the area of his shoulder you rested on being a bit too bony for your comfort.

"I think I got the job. Although, I already know Jiwon is going to be a bitch." You mumbled. "Making comments about foreigners and saying we're incompetent. Excuse me but I don't think you can speak five languages, babo. Pinche cabrón. Cadela. Uderay, iserablemay, insufferableay, itchbay.

The incompetent woman couldn't even understand basic English phrases. Before dissing an entire language maybe try understanding it first. I don't see how it's my fault you can't understand grammar rules and slang. Maybe study harder, isn't that what you're teaching your kids- cause that's how it's portrayed in the dramas! The ironic thing was I actually could have told her that and you she wouldn't have understood any of it." You sighed and then looked up at the ceiling. While your best friend's focus was still on your mouth.

You bit your lip slightly, the place you your front tooth connected with turning slightly red. Han wanted to reach out and pull your bottom lip from your gentle bite. You had drawn blood before, no need for you to do it again.

"That was rude of me I apologize." Your eyes met him through you lashes and oh was Jisung so tempted to lean closer to you, with the dumb excuse of counting each of those long lashes.

Fuck, what are you doing Han Jisung look away.

You watched as his face morphed into something that looked like pain? Disgust, perhaps? And he turned his big boba eyes away from you.

You tensed slightly in his arms, your mind focusing on the wrong things. Like the burning feel of his hand on you hip, your shirt riding up just slightly to where you could feel exaclty where each of his fingertips rested.

The same word that had come up in Jisung's inner thoughts had come up in yours.

Scandalous. Should you have been so aware of your best friend's touch. So...happy being up close to him? Feeling his warm skin against your temple. Smelling his laundry detergent and shampoo so closely it was a smell that you could just conjure up on a dime?

There was so many words you wanted to say...so many things you wanted to tell the chubby cheeked boy in front of you.

But how could you? How could you tell your friend of many years that you wanted to discontinue whatever it was between you and turn it into something more. Something more meaningful. Not that your friendship with him wasn't meaningful.

Rather the contrary. Maybe it was something too meaningful. Was it okay for you to be picking apart every interaction, and weaving in your own little fantasies with them to the point where you yearned for the feel of a reality that wasn't existent?

You couldn't bring yourself to speak any of it out loud. It would be odd of you; to confess. It wasn't something that someone of your status could do, to someone of the magnitude Han Jisung was at. It hurt. Because you ached for his touch to be something more than friendly gesture.

And Jisung ached for other things.

The amount of times you referred to him as a casanova of some sorts.

The way he perfectly formed lyrics, and simple things into grand poetic gestures. Would you like it if it was aimed at you? He wondered.

Would you like it if he spoke his thoughts on a whim?

If he told you everything he noticed; even the slightest differences in neon and bold, ringing alarms in his head and becoming his new hyperfixation until something else about you caught his eye.

You changed your perfume. You always wore warm smells, yet this time there was a slight sweetness to your scent. It was a delicious change. A spark to the primal urges you probably didn't want him to direct at you. Not that he wanted to...he was rather...vanilla, he concluded. The thought of being able to intertwine his fingers into your hand; or giving you forehead kisses, or hugging you from behind, or braiding your hair, or even laying in a bed with a pillow fort separating you did things to his stomach that were 100x more powerful than they should be for a 23 year old man. It was almost childish...but...he loved that thought of chaste moments with you. He would proudly admit that it was the simple, innocent things; the fleeting glances and touches that made the desire grow in him; that turned him on for lack of better phrase. Would you find that strange coming from him?

It was moments like these that the world felt as if it had stopped moving. When Han's overthinking went into overdrive.

He was enamored.

Irreversibly so.

Holding you wasn't doing him any good either. Just fueling his craze.

"How do you feel about a movie night tonight?" Jisung wondered aloud.

You felt him pull away from you slightly so he could gauge your response.

"Will the rest of the guys be joining?" You ask, a smile working its way into your voice. Jisung could tell it was that one particular smile. Where the left side of your mouth upturned just slightly more than the right side.

"Yes. Minho has actually been wondering about you..." The quokka boy hummed in thought. "He said I've been hogging you. I never have known Minho-hyung to be one to step outside of his comfort zone; or even really let people step inside of it. But he really loves you for some reason."

You look at him with raised eyebrows and a smug expression as you pull back.

"It's because I'm simply the greatest person to ever exist." You tease, bringing out yet another type of smile.

The slightly gummy smile that mimicked the boy in front of you's slightly.

I want to kiss her.

Instead he smiled.

Your heart fluttered at his heart shaped smile. The way his eyes narrowed as the fat in his cheeks pushed upwards as his lips did the same. His brilliant white teeth reminding you of his representative animal; possessing you with the urge to take your hands and squish his face further.

Would his eyes widen? Becoming rounder than they already were? Round with wonder, or surprise, or shock...or affection? Admiration? Dreaminess or anything of the sort?

Or would you get to hear that glorious little giggle you loved so much. The giggle you would catch like a firefly and put in a jar if you could?

"You are Y/N." He said with a light chuckle dancing in the tone of his word. "Undoubtedly."

You felt your cheeks warm up, as you searched for any hidden meaning in his words.

We're just friends. He couldn't have meant that as anything more than a tease. Is it bad that I'm so enamored right now?

You got up from your couch. "I'm assuming we're headed to your dorms then? For movie night."

Jisung nodded once. "We should probably stop for some snacks on the way there. I know Lix made brownies but I'm not sure if we have anything around the house."

You smiled, a warm smile.

Your eyes were a little more soft with this smile. Your warm smile...my favorite. Especially when you speak warmly as well... It was little thought like this that Jisung could never seem to keep himself from thinking.

He only had the power to keep himself from speaking.

"It'll be nice to see the guys. Lixxie, Channie, Hyune, BinBin, MongMong, Jeonjeon, Minnie..." You sang out lazily as you pranced to the other end of the room, grabbing your hoodie off of your love seat and headed towards your room.

Your voice was the slightest bit softer when you referred to Minho.

Jisung would normally smile at your interactions with his hyung. He found it endearing how much Minho cared for you. Like you were his little...sister.

As you changed Jisung rested his head back against your couch, against the makeshift padding you had due to your aversion of putting your hoodies away whenever you stripped yourself of them.

He couldn't help but turn his head into it slightly, breathing in the faintest whisper of you.

I love her.

The thought crossed him suddenly; yet he was self-aware enough to know that it was ineveitable for himself to reach this conclusion.

Its as if the l-word was just a waterfall at the end of a river of pent up emotion.

He could see the current taking him to inescapable fall. Yet he allowed himself to float merrily along without focusing to much on the semantics of such.

I know I love her...I just didn't label it as love until now...but who am I fooling?

He sighed as he brought the sleeve of the burgundy hoodie to his face, as if it was some sort of safety blanket; as if it could hide the ever growing warmness of his face.

You don't think these things of your best friend unless it's love. I don't care what anyone says...its just...semantics...

His eyes were half lidded as he focused on the few pieces of stray string attached to the sleeve.

He picked at them mindlessley, one thought in the forefront of his strangely still mind-

It's love. Simple as that.

You thought as you stared at yourself in your bathroom mirror.

"What are you thinking, Y/N..." You mumbled to yourself as you washed your face. You met your own eyes in your slightly grimy mirror. Little flecks of eyeliner and foundation that had somehow managed to find their way onto the mirror glaring back at you.

You had known you were in love with Jisung for a while. Most people couldn't exactly pinpoint the moment they had fallen in love with another; but that wasn't the case for you.

Those stupid kdrama cliches.

Tying your shoe for you while your hands were full with snacks on a night similar to this. You guys had been headed towards the dorms for a movie marathon.

It had rained earlier, and Jisung being the slight airhead he was had knelt down straight into a murky puddle while wearing light wash ripped jeans.

You didn't even give a second thought to falling for your best friend.

As he softly sung that stupid shoelace song from Shrek while knotting the laces.

In an angelic voice that did not fit such a childish song.

While kneeling down in a puddle of extremely dirty rainwater.

Such a simple moment. That most any would forget.

But you remembered it so vividly. You could remember the exact angle the light of the convenience store was hitting him. The exact feel of the night time breeze. You could even remember the exact amount of pressure he had applied while tying you shoes. And if you thought hard enough you could remember exactly where you felt the warmth of his skin through your canvas shoes as he finished the knot with a soft little pat.

"All done. Double knot. Just like our song."

That was a year ago. How had I held my affections in that moment? You had thought to yourself.

You made your way out of your room and saw Jisung standing at the door. He shook his keys. A little flash of burgundy under his gray sleeve.

"Ready to go?" He asked.

You nodded, feeling a strange tension in the air.

It seemed to only intensify in the confined space of Chan's borrowed car.

It was all you could focus on.

Something is different...Is it because I'm accepting it?

Jisung was resolute in that. It had to feel this way only because he decided to acknowledge that his feelings for you were nothing close to being platonic.

But he wouldn't say anything.

You wouldn't say anything either.

Instead you both were decided in silently suffering.

And struggling to navigate the art of falling.

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Amo: root word. it means "love". lots of languages use it, most commonly seen in romance languages...te amo...mi amor... mon amour...

♡ Amo: root word. the feeling that you feel for Jisung; the feeling that Jisung feels for you; the feeling that both of you are unwilling to share with one another ♡

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@abovenyx @wolfs-archive @oddracha

@iyeeeverydee @parisanmorovati @seungmincenteric

@panbish-1209 @fxiry-vtt @sseawavee

@shuporanporang @amarecerasus @softkisshyunjin

@whoa-jo @meanergreener @rikibun

@ayyonoona @shinywombatcrusade @y4yayael

@skzstan12345 @mariteez @allys-reads

@jazziwritesthings @skzstannie @yongbokkiesworld

@kkkeopi @neverendingstay @moony-9 @minsungsthirdwheel

[autistic-ben-tennyson]

A rant about Jedi Stans from an ex-Jedi fangirl

After some time I've had to reflect on my own behavior as well as my time in the pro Jedi fandom, I decided it's time to call this shit out. Some people take it really personal if someone criticized your favorite characters or their beliefs. Ironically, you all act more like the Sith than the Jedi with how obsessive you can be and insisting any criticism is equal to wanting genocide.

I'm going to start by saying I was in the pro jedi fandom for a few months. Truth be told, I was using it as an outlet for some of my anger issues with my hate towards Anakin, seeing him as similar to a lot of people I've had to deal with. Some of it was wanting more followers and fear of being disliked by the majority. I would pick fights with Anakin fans and was a bit of an asshole and I apologize for that. I still don't like him but no longer HATE him. Seeing how fandoms treat abuse victims who aren't perfect angels like Shinji Ikari or Lapis Lazuli has caused me to loosen up a bit. Many Jedi stans would probably hate those characters for not being “perfect” victims. In retrospect, this wasn't a good community for me. It was very puritanical and I often felt like I was wrong for enjoying media that went against the beliefs Jedi Stans put on a pedestal. Three of my favorite ships (Madohomu, Reishin and Hodaka x Hina) involve "burning the world for one person" and I felt like I couldn't talk about them without being a hypocrite. That and me agreeing less and less with Luca's beliefs pushed me to leave.

It's fine to enjoy a fictional character and defend them if you feel that they're being unfairly criticized. I've done it myself and have written essays defending my faves. The problem is that Jedi stans don't know when to stop. So many are quick to compare the Jedi to minority religions or marginalized groups as a shield against criticism, not recognizing how insulting that can be. Jewish, asian and aroace people are the ones normally used due to the Jedi beliefs being based off Eastern religions as well as Judaism as well as some aroace people identifying with the Jedi.

One thing I noticed about Jedi stans is their similarities to Jumblr which is full of religious chauvinism reworded to sound progressive. Many of them talk about how the Jedi shouldn't have to change their traditions with the times or to accommodate a few individuals like Anakin or Ahsoka. This can be similar to how a lot of people are quick to defend minority religions from outside criticism based on how they were treated by Christian colonists or missionaries. The problem is that this can veer right into ableist or queerphobic territory. You know who else believe that their religion shouldn't have to change with the times to accommodate people? Conservative Christians who hate being told to be affirming of LGBTQ people. Also, schools and parents/guardians do have a responsibility to accommodate kids with disabilities, mental health issues or trauma, even if it may be inconvenient or force you to bend the rules. Claiming they need to just suck it up is honestly disgusting.

This was all a big reason for why I left this garbage pit of a fandom. While there are some who hate the Jedi because they stan the empire or think people need 50s nuclear families to live fulfilling lives, not everyone does that. Believe it or not, some people have faced abuse and bigotry under Judaism and Buddhism. People can also criticize how Lucas presented their beliefs as some Buddhists think he didn't do a good job. Libsoftiktok is a vile transphobe, an Orthodox Jew and her beliefs are said to be fairly common in her community. Many people of color identify with the clones and dislike how even the nicer Jedi treated them. When Obi Wan told Anakin, "It's okay to have romantic feelings, but you must let them pass," that hits different for queer people who have been told similar things from "polite" homophobes. Some queer people do choose celibacy like Side B christians which is fine as long as they don't treat it as a moral failure to want a relationship. There are many neurodivergent people who don't like the Jedi beliefs as they hit close to home. Lucas may have not intended to come off as ableist but the Jedi did with their beliefs about negative emotions. To some people, platitudes like "just let go" aren't helpful and treating it as bad for not living up to those principles is gross.

I deleted the post, but a while back I made a post asking a popular pro jedi blogger their views on adoption since they claimed Anakin not viewing the Jedi as his "found family" was a moral failure. I found their response to be tone deaf and insulting. I responded in a decent way of course, but felt a bit judged and unhappy for wanting to know my birth mother. Adoptees are another set of people this fandom is insensitive and gross to. The Kenobi series I find insulting for that reason too, having Leia be a foil for Anakin and Obi Wan romanticize his recruitment as a child.

Jedi fans are also shitty to those with religious trauma and who faced abuse. Accusing anyone who criticizes the Jedi of projecting their issues with Christianity while simultaneously talking like conservatives as shown above. Tumblr in general has a weird habit of treating religion as if it’s either conservative evangelicalism, liberal reform Judaism and some vague pagan or eastern spirituality with little nuance. Some Jedi stans really come from a place of privilege. Claiming "they can just leave" is insulting to real religious abuse survivors who were raised with harmful beliefs like creationism or homophobia. I'm no antitheist but treating non christian religion as inherently progressive dismisses a lot of people's experiences.

Let's be real, the writing in this franchise was always a bit sloppy. Lucas's issue was wanting to simultaneously create both a black-and-white morality tale for kids based on the fairy tales and serials he grew up and a deep socio-political commentary about the Vietnam and Iraq wars which required some morally grey themes. Thus, along with his terrible dialogue that made the characters seem unlikable, is why the fandom is so divided over whether he intended people to agree with the prequel Jedi.

To wrap this up, I found the pro jedi fandom to be a terrible experience. It was a mix of faux progressivism mixed with fear of judgement for disagreeing. I ended up editing a post I made, and eventually deleted, comparing Yoda with Garnet from SU because I included a tiny bit of criticism and didn't want to get backlash. As long as it’s not gross or bigoted criticism of your favorite characters isn't the end of the world. People don't have to like George Lucas or his beliefs and put them on a pedestal. I feel like the fandom's worship of George comes in response to OT purists who claimed he "raped their childhoods" but there's fair criticism to be made. Just like how not everyone who criticizes Disney SW or any Disney media in general is an "anti woke" grifter. To the pro jedi fans reading this, here's a suggestion. Just block and ignore people, write an essay if you feel it's important, but don't act like an entitled bully if a blog or even a SW writer disagrees with the Jedi, interprets the story differently or criticizes your favorite characters.

[sora-of-uranus]

The removal of the sexism pisses me off not because it just affects Sokkas character but because it has ruined almost every woman in the show.

Suki takes off her make up often, as if it isn't a large part of her cultural identity and personality, as if her being a kyoshi warior and her destinctly femenine clothes are something to be ashamed off or that hinders her. Because its only her that gets this treat amongst the warriors, and shes the only main kyoshi warrior for the audience.

Yue's entire character is removed. It is replaced with what I think is meant to be a sympathetic princess to the people, she joins the nans in the kitchens and make deserts for the children. Like a disney princess whose quirky and silly and held back only by her title of a princess. Gone is the battle between her desire to help and her duty to be a water tribe ideal woman. Gone is her realising that the best way to help her people is to not be an ideal woman, but to take action and to do what no one else can, to become one with the moon so that she can forever help not just her tribe but the entire world. It is depressing, it is deep, it isn't fair to her but when has the world ever been fair?

Katara aswell. Her bending is forever unlocked by men (Aang and Jet), her defiance of authority is lessened and her naievety is also changed. A lot of her motherhood role is also completlty gone since they have changed Sokkas sexism into elder brother smothering. Her fight with Paku holds a lot less significance since she has no RAGE behind her. No rage that has built for YEARS as time and time again people have said no to her face for being a woman, for being weak, for not being enough simply because of who she is. that doesn't exist for her anymore because the water tribes are just...nice. We see one bad person in the water tribe and its Hadoka and he's mean to sokka! Kataras rage comes from Paku saying no to her, and whilst thats swell, it changes her entire "I'm a master now" moment into just...lame girlbossery. Thats kinda how the entire last 2 episodes felt like for her character. A common girlboss character without the emotional depth to make it femenism.

I think my main issue is that both shows set themselves up as being femenist by nature. The og show wanted to tackle issues with sexism, using book 1 as its main demonstration with it, but the theme still follows throughout the narative. netflix's show outright said they were removing the sexist elements. When you place youself onto that pedastal, any sexist writing you have becomes emphasised.

The og show undoubtably has sexist moments! Irohs comments to June are the most obvious to me, a long with a couple comments from Zuko later on. You can certainly argue that the extreme lack of GOOD mother figures is an issue (Kat and Sokkas mother is dead, Zukos is 'dead', and Toph is awful and rather quite compared to her father). Theres other examples, although currently my brain cannot think of any since I don't often write indepth critisms.

The live actions main point of sexism is its female main characters. we literally meet Yue in the kitchen! Women can be in kitchens but that is certainly a choice! Theres this strange hatred for make up aswell, yes with Suki but also with Sokka. His war paint is removed. Its like saying make up cannot be worn by strong fighters which is rather sexist. Speaking off: not putting Sokka in the kyoshi outfit is just...dumb? If you want to show him learning the style, having him wear the outfit. Its an aspect of the style and philosophy. A man wearing make up and a skirt doesn't emasculate him yet the show makes it feel that way with the refusal to do it. "Oh but then you'd have Sokka and Suki kiss in the kyoshi outfits" who cares. "it will look like lesbians" it won't. Even if it did, who cares? you can't be 'femenist' and anti-lesbian. Putting Sokka in the Kyoshi outfit, having him respect it, is just as important as having Aang learn the other elements, or Iroh creating lightning redirection. Why? because it shows a respect of culture, and how you can blend that into your own way of thinking. It's cultural extchanged based on respect.

When you name yourself femenist, yet have explicitly sexist writing, your GOING to get dogpiled with critism based on that 'femenist' msg.

[ca-suffit]

I hated the revisiting of the abuse scene that didn't even sound like louis ik he's still the victim of the situation even if he fought back but lestat looking worse and bloodier than louis i don't believe that the scene just felt unnecessary and a way to appease the fans what did you think of it

It sounded like Louis to me. We saw parts of this in 2x5 when he confronted Armand (while on drugs thru Daniel's blood but still) and we saw what kind of mother Florence was to him, which is the origin for a lot of this. This is the side of Louis that he doesn't like to be conscious of. Louis is a great, complex character and this only adds to it. It seems like a lot of the fandom struggles to understand these characters as they're a spectrum of emotions and actions, alongside the faulty memory issues. This is real life tho? U are the villain of someone's story just like ur the angel in another. None of us is ever a static identity of "good" or "bad." Emotions are neutral things. Anger is not a negative thing, but the actions taken while angry can have consequences (just like actions taken when happy can have that too, it's across the board).

I knew how the fandom would react to the scene, so I didn't like it for that part, but for itself as part of the story I didn't mind it.

It's again another Rorschach test for the audience. We already generally know what happened and that Lestat is the one responsible for crossing the ultimate line. The fine details of who did what otherwise don't matter at all. Lestat having injuries as well and Louis yelling at him don't change anything of what we already knew. A lot of the audience is looking for a way to actually tally the fight step by step or dumb shit like "mutual abuse" when that's not the thing to be looking at.

A lot of ppl want Louis to be more guilty just bc he's black, lbr. Lestat is the fandom favorite, this goes beyond the show into the book's histories. He's Lestat and he's white and the books don't hold him accountable for much of shit so the show doing it makes ppl feel a lot of things. The ways they want to lash out and defend him is similar to what these different angles of the fight are commenting on too. When u feel hurt, scared, unlovable, whatever, does that mean ur anger is justified to come out in ways that attack others? Especially if u think they're beneath u somehow or just wrong? Is there ever justification for hurting others? A lot of Lestat defenders are not asking these questions and instead are still seeking reasons why Lestat couldn't have been responsible for this himself, why Louis "had" to provoke him more or maybe have started it first after all. Ppl need to look at why they're bothered by this scene and ask what they're rly looking for in it, what feelings they're trying to soothe by doing that, and whether racial biases color those feelings too.

[umbraastaff]

I'd love to hear your general thoughts on the new gn! I personally think Wonderland was a little rushed, but I loved reunion tour.

was fun in some ways and fell short in others! i overall i agree with you on that as well. more specific thoughts, in no particular order:

some really really cool visuals in this book. lucretia in the hourglass at the start, some awesome panels with space and the hunger and stuff... barry regaining his memories on page 212 is probably my favorite page in the whole book

the choice to make the Chug & Squeeze be painting instead of pottery is baffling to me. the title of the place made sense with the original… the choice to change it so that it doesn't fit, and then also make fun of that, feels a bit like i am being made fun of as a fan/audience member, regardless of whatever the original intent was

(compounded with the total loss of the original depth in this scene… no vulnerability from taako, just a good 'ol fanservice kiss…)

similarly bizarre, the choice to make lucretia lose 30 years instead of 20...? 20 not bad enough? she needed to be 60 instead of 50? what's happening lol

i feel vindicated on a spiritual level for being the only person i can remember drawing mullet ponytail barry - like 95% of fanart i see draws him either short haired or with long hair free n out like in HTBG graphic novel... never ponytails. im winning

more bafflement with magnus even THINKING on the question of forgetting julia... the kalen thing is a much more interesting conflict to me given (a) it makes sense to be uncertain about and (b) relates directly back to his love for julia. and they established AND NAMED kalen in eleventh hour, why not use that...

feels like they swing back and forth on how much they trust the audience to pick up subtext... being hit over the head with magnus continuing the "id hate it shut the fuck up" thing to rly look at the camera and wink and tell us how much he loves julia, but then the comic version of the "love barry trust barry" was VERY dependent on picking up cues and seeing taako's attitude change

speaking of, i did really love the "love barry trust barry" scene. and both times lup jumps into barry's arms is so cute ugh

i know it's a product of how rushed everything has to be putting 10+ hours of audio into a singular COMIC book, but for fuck's sake, removing KEATS..........?????? so now lydia & edward have no depth??? & no parallel/foreshadowing for the way liches work??? OKAY???

mannequin magnus design and the way they enabled him to do expressions was preddy good. enjoyed it. also the whole possession + wonderland final fight action is cool and fun

while i am disappointed the bell is all fancy and weird instead of being a very plain and small thing as it was described in canon (which felt more in character for barry), i DO really really really like the flower on top... the wither-and-bloom motif... tasty

oh yeah griffin disappearing is such a great way to foreshadow a thing beyond planes coming down to consume... ahh i love playing with meta stuff

so so much good barry content man. so much. thank god we got so much good fun reunion tour stuff. hes so dumb as rocks i love him

actually pretty cool they more explicitly canonized the explanation for barry physically attacking davenport. also barry/lucretia interaction so so so so good

as cute as the original scene is with them planning and writing the note for magnus' body, i think the way they split the party in this version was smart

i dont need to contribute more to the pool on fan feelings on blue twins, BUT given there was no choice but to have her be blue, lup is very cute

taako falling to his knees instead of like pointing the staff at lucretia... :/ eh

given how much literally this entire series has suffered from being so scrunched up, i'm also not SUPER looking forward to stolen century and S&S being condensed into one book, but ohhhh wellllll

TL;DR i don't really read these books because i have a lot of faith in the way they Tell The Story, but it still had a lot of fun moments and scenes and visuals that got my heart! fun to see thorough visual takes on my fave podcast.

[pyromanicsghost]

I genuinely don't understand why people hate the new season. Spoilers to follow.

To start, the Five and Lila subplot was shit. I won't front - it existing outside of the plot made it easy for me to just act like it didnt happen. Diego and Lila and Five deserved better and it sounds like the actors knew it. But if a bad romance subplot could ruin a whole show, I'd hate a lot more things.

I'm on the fence about Klaus's plot - felt like sidelining him and was questionable. But also a natural part of Klaus's life. Lila had her kids, Allison had Claire, Diego his family, on and on. Klaus's whole life was avoiding being sober and then a huge focus on sobriety. This is his thing. All y'all loved his drugged antics and it gets messy and sad especially when facing it post rock bottom and change.

I see a lot of Ben being unimportant complaints - Ben was always auxilary and a mcguffin there to bond or split the group - Umbrella Ben was a concept, a guilt source, Klaus's conscience, Klaus's id...never a character and dead before the show ever began. Sparrow Ben was literally never part of this family and plot about the family embracing him would have been nice, but him having his own solo quest because he is alone in this world was also fine. Jennifer was a plot device - and in a comic book show about another apocalypse thats not neccessarily a bad thing - especially with a group of dynamic characters I care about on the board.

I see a lot of complaints about the lack of fun villains. What was Sy (I know who was in him but that performance was fun)? Gene and Jean? Those are classic villains that are right up there with the Swedes and the Handler. Hazel & Cha Cha are still standouts but thats not cause these guys sucked.

I see a lot of ending complaints - going from "it was all for nothing" to "it was harmful". If it was harmful for you please be safe and that's a personal decision each time - but also that's media sometimes. It wasn't an irresponisble move like The Magicians or 13 Reasons or other things that just don't consider the audiences needs in order to gain shock value and I don't think they did anything irresponsible with it.

(I am a survivor of unalive attempts, one right after magicians so I get it. And I'm a year sober re: Klaus stuff.)

But, I loved the ending. I don't think it was all for nothing. They saved thier families! They saved everyone! The whole world! Universe! Future and past! Their moms! Hundreds of people who died in their fight to save it, on either side because without the conflict caused by them they're lives were different! I wish the Flash, or Winchesters, or anyone else who keeps ruining lives and causing death and strife sometimes on an apocalypse scale or multiverse timesplit scale had, at literally any point, said "Actually we should value this over my mom/brother/self"...like the scale was apocalyptic. That has a cost. And wow they fixed more than even I hoped. The families? Nice. Hazel and his diner wife are where I got emotional - very nice touch to show everyone.

Why isn't there a kugelblitz? Either the deletion of the timelines and that energy removed the issue Golden Compass style or its a fun comic book show with time assassins and a new element called marigold.. take your pick. It's never been that deep.

The marigolds at the end were probably not thought about as much as anyone on here has. I thought it was just a fun finale goodbye, like getting a bouqet at curtain. I liked that Ben and Lila both had one.

Genuinely confused and had to write to the void and see if I'm alone or crazy. I recommend a lot of people read and watch more media for literacy and stop hoping for plots that are fanservice as they often tank good things and fanfiction and your imagination remain goated, often better, or touch grass and realize the silly fun comic book apocalypse multiverse romp may just be a lil dumb and that's okay...if you read all that I'd love feedback 🩷

And I loved so much more than this stuff! Claire being an actualized young adult and loving her uncle and mom and being a teen? Viktor getting the validation he craved. Diego getting his skills and lust for life back. The fucking cut from baby shark to "He's dying" and so many shots/editing/music choices that highlight the dark comedy this show is.

[moviesludge]

finally scrounged up the nerve to watch SPEAK NO EVIL. actually it was more like a FUCK IT! situation because I didnt really want to make a whole thing out of choosing a movie to watch on the treadmill.

I had a sense from somewhere that it would be a rough watch, and I wasn't wrong. really compelling. really good performances. if you haven't seen it, there's mild not-really-spoilers below the break

there's a scene that breaks the tension that has been building and releasing through the whole movie and it was pretty devastating in the moment. I had a feeling like my heart was falling/dropping off a building. That never really happens to me but it passed and once the shock wore off and I got what the movie was going for, I felt a lot better. But yeah, super dark.

I was reading reviews of the movie afterward and saw a lot of people comparing it to THE STRANGERS and FUNNY GAMES.

I don't agree with either of those assessments. My most liked review on LB is my screed about how much I hated FUNNY GAMES because the point of it is so dumb and obnoxious and insulting to the audience. The most SPEAK NO EVIL really has in common with it is a downer tone and maybe like one other thing that I won't say because it's a (real) spoiler.

But SPEAK NO EVIL actually tries to make a valid point and it seems to make more sense the more you think about the movie. And then of course it isn't deliberately trying to piss you off all the time.

I get why people compare SNE to THE STRANGERS but I don't think there's much of real connection between the thing people point out about both movies. It's hard to make my point without giving something away, but I'm sure you know what I mean if you've seen both movies.

I would say SNE is more like Brice's CREEP or Kusama's THE INVITATION if anything. And it also brought to mind spineless suffering protagonist comedies like MEET THE PARENTS.

but anyway yeah. I just found out recently they're doing an american remake. I wonder if they'll change the movie significantly

The whole thing got me thinking about sad vs happy endings and how important it is to have one or the other. From a writing perspective I don't think it's all that important as long as you make your point resonate.

[drugstore-love]

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

so many people, including those who say they are fans dislike TTPD and refer to it as lazy but I find it to be some of Taylor's best work. I appreciate the metaphors and how vulnerable she is with the narrative. She's not hiding; it's poetry. It's about emotion and the musicality really does come second.

Here's my song by song break down of things that I enjoy (and don't like) about the album for my own future reference so that I do not cave into peer pressure and start to hate the album on principle. Here are my personal interpretations and what the songs mean for me.

In no particular order The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived:

I think people keep calling this album lazy because it's really about the ending of relationships and the changes that you go through personally when a relationship end. They may be different relationships but I think people wanted a narrative change and that's not really what most albums are about?? Like unless they are complete capitalist ploys (which.......I digress) and Taylor now has the fanbase and the freedom to write whatever she wants, so this album, to me, was therapy.

Anyway, this song is when you see a completely different perspective of a person and your relationship once said relationship is over. I hate the production on this song and I'm usually an Aaron girly but the drums and strings feel forced and while I appreciate them for production value within the Eras tour they felt jarring and misplaced during the album listen. I think that they were went to convey emotion and raise the listeners blood pressure so they also felt agitated with the subject but the way they fade out with the song leaves a lot to be desired and kind of feels like the author is fizzling out during what, lyrically, can be argued as the most empowering part of the song. They succeed in capturing the audience's attention after the lullaby nature of the rest of the song but honestly are a distraction from the lyrics. However, I love the piano, especially at the beginning where it's almost a staccato, until the notes are played rhythmically together, it truly feels like poetry set to music. Lyrically, I find this song to be one of the most honest and telling. It feels like a letter one would write to their former partner with no intention of ever actually giving to them.

Was any of it true?

Gazing at me starry-eyed

In your Jehovah's Witness suit

Who the fuck was that guy?

You tried to buy some pills

From a friend of friends of mine

They just ghosted you

Now you know what it feels like

It feels like you were playing me this whole time. All the shit you said, the way you looked at me, fuck even the way you dressed. I thought that I got to see the real you, I trusted you, I believed you and the way you left reinforced what everyone else told me about you that I wrote off as untrue. (Insert vampire by Olivia Rodrigo)

Also appreciate the dig about this person being addicted to drugs because I interpret that line as "Oh you got ignored when it came to something important that you love? Karma, because I loved you and you ignored me"

And I don't even want you back, I just want to know

If rusting my sparkling summer was the goal

And I don't miss what we had, but could someone give

A message to the smallest man who ever lived?

All the effort that was put into wooing the author and winning them over and learning them and "loving" them. It feels like everything was a game, a joke, a plot in a rom-com that the protagonist was too dumb to figure out at the time.

I could never go back to what we were and if I thought you'd listen openly and respond honestly I'd ask questions, but mostly I'd ask why

You hung me on your wall

Stabbed me with your push pins

In public, showed me off

Then sank in stoned oblivion

'Cause once your queen had come

You treat her like an also-ran

You didn't measure up

In any measure of a man

You made me feel like the prize but once you had me you treated me like shit behind closed doors. You made me feel like your insecurities were my fault but it was your choice to stop considering me once you had me. You promised me better than my ex and then didn't fulfill that promise and made it my fault.

And I don't even want you back, I just want to know

If rusting my sparkling summer was the goal

And I don't miss what we had, but could someone give

A message to the smallest man who ever lived?

This bridge is pure poetry.

Were you sent by someone who wanted me dead?

Did you sleep with a gun underneath our bed?

What was real? Were you just waiting for me to let my guard down?

Were you writing a book? Were you a sleeper cell spy?

What were your motivations? This is almost begging for clarification

In fifty years, will all this be declassified?

And you'll confess why you did it

And I'll say, "Good riddance"

'Cause it wasn't sexy once it wasn't forbidden

The only rationale I can think of is you got bored and I know I'll be better off without this but even 50 years from now, even when I don't care anymore I'll still read your reasons. Once again reiterating that I only wanted what you promised before we were actually together and once I was yours, it wasn't worth it to you

I would've died for your sins

Instead, I just died inside

I would've done anything for you, and you're the one who stabbed me

And you deserve prison, but you won't get time

You'll slide into inboxes and slip through the bars

The way you made me feel should be illegal but instead you'll continue on as you did before

(really driving in the feeling of inadequacy one can make you feel, especially when you're a person who people idolize and then are disappointed in when they meet the real you. this is exactly what happened here, taking out speculation what's discussed in the song is: before we got together you praised and complimented and lusted after me and once I gave my actual self to you and opened up it wasn't what you wanted and that is detrimental to one's self esteem)

You crashed my party and your rental car

Never having to take accountability for your actions, you ruined good things for both of us

You said normal girls were boring

But you were gone by the morning

You said I was what you wanted, that I was different and as soon as I gave in, you left (giving into the discord:this is exactly how H describes Matty so..)

You kicked out the stage lights

But you're still performing

You ended this, you wrecked us and yet you're still lying you're still placating and manipulating me trying to save your own skin

And in plain sight you hid

But you are what you did

You never disagreed with the rumors but you really had me fooled about who you were. However, at the end of the day actions speak louder and when a person shows you who they are you should believe them. I always should have known who you are

And I'll forget you, but I'll never forgive

The smallest man who ever lived

I'm gonna move on, I'm gonna grow, I'm going to be happy but it's for me and I'll never forget the way you treated me.

[pink-strawberry-kissess]

Do you think Ada crossed Leon’s mind when Luis asked him, “What do you think, Leon? People can change huh?” In RE4R?

yeah

change is a major component and theme in re4r

every character has some sort of flaw or fault that they mask in some way or relish in another. even though leon and ada interact a similar amount in re4r as opposed to og re4, i felt as though luis was used more as a plot device rather than a character

he sure had an expanded background (good), but it felt as though he wasn't really anything other than just something to move the plot along. all the characters have some sort of change in them (except for ashley i argue) and luis' change is.. weaker in my opinion? we know that he wants to "do good" but we never "see" why. and i think that's maybe why i feel as though luis' redemption arc is unwarranted since he "wants to do good," isn't enough for me.

REMOVE YOUR LUIS SIMPING GLASSES NOW

but if he was ugly and dumb or whatever. and you had no prior knowledge of this character. try to analyze why you think it's deserved (his redemption arc.) we as an audience with outside knowledge know what he had done. and we see him "wanting to do good," but we don't ever see an actual motive. he "feels bad," but why.

when analyzing characters remember why a character does things and for what reason. he has this "urgenecy" to help leon and ashley because it, "makes him feel better."

and to me, that's not good enough.

and SURE the game can only be so long and we can only have so much to explain characters and their decisions and motives. but luis had always felt like a character that was used more than fleshed out.

hope that makes sense

sorry for the luis tangent lol

I STILL THINK HE WAS A LOT BETTER IN THE REMAKE I JUST QUESTION IF IT'S ENOUGH

also i don't want to answer too much pertaining to ada since it'll be part of my separate ways post and i don't want to repeat the same things

[biomic]

Bad news, Rob. He clarified and what he meant was “take all the cool parts out”

i mean... i get it? not sure what he specifically means by "sped-up action sequences", i don't think PR's action is the thing that's holding it back and could easily be transported over to whatever reboot they wanted to do, but the other things ARE generally seen as corny in a bad way by general audiences. im certainly not happy about that but like. it's just the truth

again, japan was introduced to tokusatsu and suitmation techniques through genre-defining works like godzilla and ultraman, made by people who took the material seriously. america was introduced to it through often goofy (or just straight up racist) kaiju dubs from people who didn't get it and power rangers, which im guessing the original crew thought would be some dumb forgotten flavor of the week before it became a worldwide phenomenon. power rangers evolved as it went on and produced some great, iconic (certainly iconic to ME 😤) seasons of kid's television, but that's not what people remember. people remember the kiai noises tommy would make when he did karate, the cheesy acting, and bulk and skull falling face-first into a giant cake at the end of every episode. and to them that's all it'll ever be, unless something new comes along to pique their interest

i know people say "well, power rangers has succeeded for 30 years under this formula!" but... when was the last time it was actually relevant? i think it got a brief blip from the original cast returning for that 30th anniversary special, but before that? nickelodeon pushed samurai hard when they first acquired it but ever since then it's felt dead in the water. from anecdotes i've heard it seems like a lot of kids think power rangers is lame and something their dad used to watch, its days as must-watch kid's tv have been over for a good long while now. it's survived not by continuing to be a hit but just through sheer momentum. hasbro could work something out with toei and make Power Rangers Beast Cubers or Crystal Guardians and it could be the most incredible season we've ever had, surpassing all the greats, but i still don't think that'd be enough to get anyone who's not a longtime fan to care

power rangers has had an unbelievable run, by any metric it should not have lasted this long. but it's not possible for anything that goes on 30+ years to continue without change. super sentai's not like it was in 1975, kamen rider's not like it was in 1971, ultraman's not like it was in 1966, and power rangers can't be like it was in 1993. whether they go for another movie franchise, a teen netflix reboot, or an animated series, it's clear that the direct adaptation process is over. if it turns out to be good, we're in luck! if it sucks, well, we've got 30 years of Classic™ power rangers and TONS of tokusatsu to go back to. there's worse ways for a show to go out

[destinyc1020]

sorry destiny, i am huge tom fan believe me, but i agree with what the anon said, i understand that u can like a movie that others dont thats not what i am saying but out of the MCU and throw in uncharted, tom's acting skills aside because we both hes fantastic, his projects have been misses, in terms of overall quality, reviews & numbers, TDATT, CW, Cherry, TCR. yes u may have liked some of them but numbers were bad, in a sense they flopped. most of these projects he chose when he was still pretty young and green and the only project he chose post covid was i think TCR and it was amazing but people weren't patient and it was slow at first. and i think since then he has grown a lot more and u can tell, its obvious the way he views things and the way hes picking his projects are diff now so hopefully things go well for him in the future in terms of success outside popcorn movies.

I mean, we can all have different viewpoints on films or actors, and that's fine! 🤷🏾‍♀️ I don't think anyone doubts that Tom is talented.

I understand some fans haven't enjoyed his projects in the past several years. I know for me personally, I've enjoyed 90% of Tom's films....whether they were successes at the box office or NOT. Most of his work I didn't even see in theaters. I saw at home.

The only films of Tom that I've actually seen in theaters are The MCU films (of course), The Current War, The Impossible (before I even knew who Tom Holland was lol), Uncharted (of course lol), and Spies in Disguise! Everything else of his, I've seen at home.

RE: TCR....

I actually enjoyed TCR, but if I had one critique, I would say that Akiva took a little TOO long to get to the point and kind of treated us as viewers like we were too dumb to get the "twist". Most of us knew or got the twist w/in the first episode lol. He really could have spent more time focusing on other things imo. Don't get me wrong, I actually think Akiva had a very ingenious, sympathetic, and creative way of showing what's actually going on when someone suffers from DID (and why they may end up having it), and it was done in a way I'd personally never seen done onscreen before. But I just feel like he should have given us as the audience a little more credit. We could have known from the very beginning that he suffered from DID, but maybe not know who exactly his alters actually were. There were many things that could have been done differently. And I think some of the critics purposely gave TCR LOW reviews to spite Akiva, because apparently he didn't even want DID or "multiple personalities" to be written in any of the early reviews coming out for the series, in order to preserve the "twist". But umm.... Everyone saw it coming a mile away bro lol 😅

So...I really think his tactic of trying to keep the audience in the dark felt a bit laborious after a while, and it's like, "WE GET IT man... we've already figured it out!" We didn't need several episodes prolonging things. But hey, I still enjoyed TCR Summer last year lol, and it was very enjoyable to watch Tom in a series (for a change) every single week! 😊

[catgirl-catboy]

Hey! I watched the new total drama season you send I enjoyed the new season I must say

Did you enjoyed it? What is your opinions?

I really did enjoy it, but I also think it had the same flaws as the rest of the total drama series, as expected. (the danganronpa ask is sitting half completed because I got a case of the TD brainworms!)

Namely, that except for gen 2, every generation has a character whose personality is 80% fart jokes. Now, I love me a fart joke as much as any self-respecting 12 y/o boy, so its not that I don't find them funny. But I also think that a character shouldn't just be gross-out humor, and should have some other qualities to them. How does Ripper's bullying affect the goal of the game. Why is he on total drama if his main ambition in life is something else? He clearly feels insecure, but so does his designated victim. Explore that!

One take I saw floating around is that Emma and Chase's relationship is repetitive and annoying. That was the point! You aren't meant to ship them, and Bowie's thoughts on them are meant to mirror the audiences! That being said, I hope they change up the dynamic in season 2 because doing it for another season would get stale.

This is more of a personal preference than a complaint with the writing, but I found Raj's arc in this boring. "realizing you are gay because of a crush and then kissing him" is really overdone, and it felt like the main players in the Rajbow ship were Bowie and WAYNE. This isn't a bad thing, but I hope he becomes a more distinct character in season 2. Maybe Bowie can teach him game strategy and he betrays Wayne to stay in the game longer tee hee hee.

I also don't really agree with the take that Bowie is bad rep because he's a very stereotypical gay man. A lot of total drama characters are based off stereotypes, like Lindsey being the Dumb Blonde and Heather being the Mean Girl. They evolve beyond those tropes throughout the reason of the show, and we actually see that with Bowie in just the one season he was in so far! After Raj got eliminated, he did a whole bunch of plot relevant shit that didn't involve him and was a compelling character outside of his romance plot. I call that a sign of good writing, but this is total drama so who knows if it will last.

And I don't think that TD is saying all gay man are stereotypical, because we have Raj, who is very much not that. He's a dumb jock that happens to be gay, and falls into the jock stereotype more than any gay one. I really respect that writing choice.

Pryia is one of my favorite TD characters, but season 1 Court still takes the number one spot. (even if she is hanging on Hall Monitor coattails!) I adore her! She totally deserved the win.

They made Axel too much like Eva and it felt like a really missed opportunity. We already have Eva and Jo, can we have a more GNC gal character that isn't totally aggressive? I'd like that. Hopefully, she becomes more of a player in the second series?

I also wish they gave Julia a different strategy than Heather. If a character needs constant immunity to stay in the game, then maybe they deserve to leave the game at that stage. Its overdone. I also feel like Julia showed skills in turning people against each other, which could have easily been her M.O. That being said, my favorite Villain Elimination by a longshot.

I really liked the energy brought to the jokes about Zee's leg. It doesn't come up often since my hearing aid isn't too visible, but if I have the opportunity to joke about my disability, I will take it! He's probably one of my favorite disabled rep besides Toph, and I'm glad that he wasn't looked down upon by his team during challenges. He didn't struggle with any challenges, and his leg actually helped at one point!

(one time, a teacher asked in frustration if anyone was deaf in here. Saying "Yes :)" was my crowning achievement and one of the best jokes I ever made. Its not relevant, but c'mon.)

I wish he had more of a character outside of comic relief, but still!!!

[watermelinoe]

You're bi correct? Do you mind, when did you realize you were bisexual? Has it been easy or difficult for you?

i started questioning my sexuality when i hit puberty, around 12 or 13. the thing was that i was a pretty online kid. and i was unfortunately exposed to a lot of fetish content bc of my interest in webcomics (sites like topwebcomics didn't separate adult comics from general audience comics) and that made it really difficult for me to figure out if i was actually attracted to girls or just seeing other girls as sexual objects. the other thing was that i didn't really know you could be bisexual. i knew you could be gay. i read yuri manga and webcomics like "i was kidnapped by lesbian pirates from outer space" and i drew original female characters in lesbian relationships. but my impression of bisexuality came from maureen from rent and whatever was going on in rocky horror picture show. it seemed purely sexual.

i was really frustrated that i was sexually into girls but romantically interested in a boy. it was confusing because i knew i liked this boy, but with my girl friends we'd have sleepovers and we'd sleep in the same bed and i thought about what it would be like if we kissed, and meanwhile i didn't really think about kissing the boy i liked? i designated all of my female friendships as platonic, by the way. the kissing thoughts were just thought experiments, i guess. i tried dating a different boy who asked me out in middle school and it just felt embarrassing and burdensome and the intimate moments we had made me feel unclean. i just thought my feelings for boys and girls should be the same if i was really bi, and they weren't.

i think by high school though i was thinking of myself as bisexual. i didn't really ever have to come out to anyone that i remember. i was the only girl in my class with short hair who didn't wear makeup. some other girls were uncomfortable with me, i knew, especially when we had to change together in p.e. or choir or theater. my haircut was even a point of contention with the directors in one of my extracurriculars because every other girl in the performance had long hair and i ruined the homogeneity. i tried to grow my hair out my sophomore year and even wore contacts and mascara, i couldn't stand it and had it all cut off again before it even reached my halfway down my neck fjhgksfjdg

(as an aside i'm forever grateful that the trans social contagion was only a point on the horizon when i was k-12 bc my crossdressing ass might not have gone unscathed)

but as i touched on before, i really struggled to recognize when i was attracted to other girls. i would draw boys (or male celebs) that i found attractive, and that artistic motivation seemed obvious. meanwhile i had a close friend and i once named a piece after her because some drops of ink spilled on it and reminded me of her moles. we exchanged portraits of each other. yet i was oblivioussss i fumbled her so hard, i was dumb as hell.

it got difficult again when in college i discovered i don't want to look at or interact with dick in any way, and i had to reconcile that feeling and decide if i thought you could be penis-repulsed and bisexual (yes bc all forms of attraction count toward your sexuality)

tl;dr i probably realized when i hit puberty, the inconsistencies in my feelings really bothered me for a long time and the sense that i wasn't like other girls had me feeling alienated on some level, but i had some really strong female friendships and that helped me. the fact that randos can look at me and tell that i'm into other women makes me anxious abt their reactions and it frustrates me when people act like all bi women look straight. being bi is kinda difficult ngl but i am happier w my sexuality now than i've ever been

[singofsolace]

Thoughts on Jenna Ortega Roasting Wednesday's Writing

There's a clip making the rounds on twitter of Jenna Ortega saying she was "unprofessional" on the set of Wednesday because she would change lines and put her foot down when the writers made choices that felt completely out of character. In light of her also being made an executive producer on the show, I have some thoughts I'm trying to work through.

But first, the quote:

Jenna: "I don't think I've ever had to put my foot down on a set in the way that I had to on Wednesday because it's so easy to fall into that category [of needing smiles and kissing scenes to relate to the lead character] especially with this type of show. Everything she does, everything that I had to play, did not make sense for her character at all. Her being in a love triangle made no sense. Her going--there was a line about this dress that she has to wear for a school dance and she said 'ohmygod I love it. ugh. I can't believe I said that. I literally hate myself.' And I had to go: 'no.' There's no way--there were times on that set where I even became almost unprofessional in a sense, where I just started changing lines. The script supervisor thought that I was going with something and I would sit down with the writers and they would be like 'wait, what happened to that scene?' And I would have to go and explain why I couldn't do certain things. I grew very very protective of her, but you can't lead a story and have no emotional arc, because then it's boring, and nobody likes you. And Wednesday as a teenager--when you're little, and you say really morbid, offensive stuff, it's funny and endearing and 'oh, you don't know any better' but when you become a teenager, 'oh, well now you're being nasty and you know it,' and there's less excuse."

First of all, I hate that some industry people see voicing concerns about maintaining the integrity of the character you're playing as "unprofessional." It's not. Actors aren't just mouthpieces without brains; they're allowed to have opinions about the writing of their characters. Jenna was cast because she understands Wednesday as a character, so why would it be unprofessional to then stand up to the writers when they made her say and do things that felt out of character...? I get that refusing to do a scene as written might be seen as being "difficult to work with," but male actors do it all the time...? Why can't Jenna? (rhetorical question).

Her saying that she hated the love triangle is valid and I love her for saying so. I think it's great that she's so fearless in speaking her mind and airing her grievances... but I'm slightly worried that she's going to get herself into trouble if she continues down the path of roasting the writing of her own show (even if she's right!). Saying "everything she does, everything I had to play, made no sense for her character" is a pretty bold statement that I imagine the writers/producers will take issue with, considering Wednesday is a wildly successful Netflix show, and not only are the people who wrote it/created it under fire there, it's essentially calling the audience dumb for liking it, if all of it was so out of character that Jenna hated "everything" she had to do.

Being made an executive producer for the show may protect her in some respects, since she'll have more power over the writing and portrayal of her character, but she's going to burn a hell of a lot of bridges in the business at just 20 years old if she openly hates the writing of the show that made her famous. (Robert Pattinson got away with it, yes, but will Jenna? Misogyny and sexism would lead me to say "probably not".)

But it also makes me think...is this why Gomez and Morticia's characters feel so "off" to so many people? Is it because Luis Guzman and Catherine Zeta-Jones didn't try to fight the writers and producers for a more accurate writing and portrayal of their respective characters? (Not that they should have to! It goes without saying that part of the writers' jobs was to do justice to these characters without the actors having to go rogue and/or fight them to change things). Did they just do as they were told, unlike Jenna, who was constantly fighting for the internal logic and integrity of her character to be maintained...?

It makes me so annoyed that the writers seem to have had a completely different vision for Wednesday than what would make sense for The Addams Family characters. I don't know who dropped the ball when assembling the team who created the show, but it's clear someone did. Why not make a completely new show, if they wanted to throw away such fundamental aspects of what made that family and those characters great? I know the answer is "money" and "nostalgia," because nobody is willing to spend money on an "unknown" project when they can just make a million sequels and reboots instead, with built-in audiences... but still. It bothers me.