#because i've never done that before and also i've only seen pedro pascal in one movie years ago

[gaytomwambsgans]

i think i’ve understood what that anon was saying and i’m happy with my reply but i do still majorly feel like i’m missing something with that outfit. i feel like the next time i look at it i’ll notice that there’s a massive rip in his shirt and he’s holding the trousers up by hand because they don’t fit or something and i’ll be like oh yeah nvm and rescind everything i’ve said

[elliespuns]

I understand you, I'm also disappointed with the actress choices. Bella because: 1) she doesn't even resemble ellie a bit, 2) I agree that she's a great actress but there are so many great actresses out there that could have convince us more that she's ellie (and no, I love ashley but Idc what she said about bella, she has her opinion and we have ours. End.)

And I also don't really like the actress choice for dina, for the same reasons someone have put it out. It's like they chose the whitest-looking latina girl to be dina and that's it (who by the way doesn't even looks like dina), amd something I really like in HBO is that they give chance to new or not-recognized-yet actors: Daenerys from Game of Thrones is an example for that, she have never acted before game of thrones but HBO really had a gold finger when they chose her. Same with pedro pascal, game of thrones was the spotlight he needed to be more famous. But Isabela? I have seen that girl so many times, I'm already tired of her face. And even tho she doesn't resemble a little girl, she doesn't look like an young adult either, watching them and bella is gonna by like watching some teenage netflix movie. (like bella) Where are the unexpected choices, the originality?

Nothing will get out of my head that katie Douglas or Kaitlyn Dever. For Dina, Paolina Van Kleef or Melissa Barrera would have been good choices - and I bet there was even better options if they had made the effort to search.

As I said so many times, I don't mind that Bella doesn't look anything like Ellie (even though I am aware of that), because I think they are a great actress and they've done an excellent job at what they've been given. 

What I always had a problem with was what the creators did to Ellie as a character. They made her a completely different person in some aspects, and there are some things I just can't forgive the creators for because I know they did it to foreshadow what was coming, and it was just lazy writing and nothing else.

The best part about the game was that we got this sweetheart of a girl with a foul mouth to fall in love with only to find out what a strong, badass, killing machine she's going to turn into in a few years. Nobody prepared us for it, and it was one of the best things about Part 1 connecting Part 2. What they did in the show was basically spoiling S2 Ellie for us with the 'violent heart' comment, which she doesn't have in the first place, but okay, let those who never played the game believe it. 

I remember being happy about Isabela getting the role because, when I looked her up, she seemed like a good choice for Dina. Then I found out some people were having real problems with this choice because the actress was not Jewish and wanted Dina to be portrayed by someone who is to embrace the role. This was something I never considered before because I wasn't educated enough on the subject, but still, I was not here to hate or dislike this choice. I am entitled to have an opinion, and the only opinion I've ever had was that in some way Isabela looks too young, and it would be better if they made her look a bit older for the later parts (I can't really imagine her looking so young in Ellie and Dina's farm era). But then again, if they'll give us some scenes of Ellie and Dina meeting when they arrived in Jackson, then her young appearance is perfect for the role of 16 year old Dina.

I don't know Isabela Merced at all. I never really heard of her until they cast her as Dina. So, (again) I won't judge. I have no idea what she is like as an actress, so I'll wait to see what she's going to give us in the show. 

Hopefully they'll make the girls look a little older, because who's gonna believe that these 'kids' are going to be able to take down everyone who gets in their way on their own?

[trashquisitor-shirozora]

I saw you answer an ask earlier about the state of the DinLuke fandom in general, and I want to start by saying I'm sorry you, as a POC, have had such a negative experience with some of the content made for the fandom. No one should have to interact with content they'd rather avoid, and tagging is paramount to making that happen. It's cruel of some to refuse to tag knowing the consequences it might have for others.

That said, do you truly believe being "louder and meaner" is the answer? Because, from what I've seen, all that does is cause hurt feelings and worsening relations. It's turned into each "side" of this conflict barbing each other passive aggressively through the tag until the very foundation of the fandom has become hurting the opposition rather than trying to create content you love. The only way problems can truly be dealt with is for dialogue to happen, and it never will if both parties are too busy trying to one up each other in the ever-persisting fight to prove which side has the moral high ground. In an argument that really isn't about right and wrong, at the end of the day, but instead about perspectives and ways to avoid causing harm to each other.

Just my two cents.

Hey.

Hey anon.

Hey nonny.

Thanks for the two cents. I'm adding them to my "fund for next year's Renn Faire trip(s)" bucket.

...... oh yeah, I should probably answer your question.

Uh, YES. Because I have been watching my fucking country fucking crumble over the years because of this proven-to-be-fucking-stupid idea that everything can be solved if everyone agreed to play by the same rules and showed each other the courtesy they want for themselves. One party refuses to engage in civility and disregards existing rules and guidelines for polite dialogue to solve problems. They're digging under the fucking high road the other party is taking to make it fucking collapse, meanwhile the other party is either pretending not to see the worsening condition of the road or fighting with each other over how to fix it/make it better while trying real hard to appease both sides of the debate, whatever that debate is.

I don't give a good goddamn about "hurt feelings" when a subset of fandom is loudly reinforcing harmful racist/heterosexist/gendered stereotypes and fetishizing people, relationships, and dark themes while showing little to no concern about people who are directly affected because of their identities and experiences. If you didn't know about these things before, well you do now. If you want to know more, plenty of other people had and have been talking about the state of the dinluke fandom over the months. If you know and you're feeling hurt, well I could use more coins in my Renn Faire bucket. This fandom has been hurting for a long time because not enough of us had been doing enough to push back and reclaim some of that space. I am part of that "us" because I didn't do enough when it could've mattered more, so I'm trying to make up for it because I love this ship and I refuse to give them up to compromise over "hurt feelings".

Also,

In an argument that really isn't about right and wrong, at the end of the day, but instead about perspectives and ways to avoid causing harm to each other.

what about racism, fetishizing gay men/relationships and heterosexist tropes, and exploiting/not tagging dark themes is "right"????? Pray fucking tell me what is so "right" about characterizing Din Djarin, who is famously polite and doesn't start fights (he ends them) and is portrayed by a Latine man (I'm not touching the politics of being a white Latine man in the US vs in Central/South America, others have done that exceptionally well and google is your friend), as aggressive, hypersexualized, possessive, and brutal? Whatever your fantasies are, I hope you take some time to ask yourself what it is about Din Djarin/Pedro Pascal that makes you want to characterize him in that particular fucking way.

Just... just fucking ASK YOURSELF. Why do your hurt feelings matter more than continuing to perpetuate hurtful, harmful stereotypes, tropes, and trends that have real life consequences? Why are you so desperate to reassure yourself that what you're doing is okay even if it makes other people exit the ship fandom out of fear, discomfort, and disgust?

As for dialogue... lol what dialogue? How do you expect any meaningful dialogue to happen when you get fucking exchanges like this fucking shit?

There is no "both sides" in this debate. We are far past the idea of a "debate". Now is for spelling out what's been going wrong to 1) make it clear to people who've been talking about it or feeling it for months that they are not alone and we are still here, 2) let people vibing with the ship know what's up and what to be aware of, and 3) let that corner of fandom know that We Know.

P.S. I would say all of these thoughts over the past several days had been building up for years since the discourse over and within these two meta fanworks from Franzeska @ AO3 [note: these are locked posts] - "Your Vagina is a Bigot; My Vagina is a Saint" and "Why Isn't Stormpilot Staying Popular?" You'll want to read the comments.