#if i dont get too self conscious about portrayal

[divinemackerel]

i didn' t understood too well ur cbedrockbros crit post, Is it meant to be just about the In-dsmp-canon Fanfiction ?? or does it applies to also other Alternative Universes with different Setting outside that the Dsmp world? sorry 4 asking , Got self conscious and dont know if i maybe ive been Writing Bedrockbros aus weird Now 😭

That post is more about in dsmp in-world fanfiction i guess? If the one you’re talking about is the one I’m thinking about.

Though ig I’m generally critical of the fandom’s views csbi?? Especially cbedrockbros.

That feels weird to say though because while I dislike the fandom’s csbi like, different strokes for different folks. Ik csbi brings a lot of people comfort, and I’m not really critical of people having that specifically? I just dislike the fandom portrayals of the characters, as I personally feel they come from folks conflating characters with their CCs and- well, it’s sort of impossible to escape.

I don’t know. It’s kind of complicated, as my cbedrock bros opinions are kind of fandom critical but also just- meta/observations???

You do you though, anon. Write whatever makes you happy, as long as it’s not like- proship content obviously.

Writing cTommy and cTechno as having a good relationship isn’t bad or weird or whatever. I just don’t like it and kind of get incensed about it sometimes because of how much I see how and how I personally feel about cTechno. Which I won’t get into.

[lifedxbt]

THE POSITIVE & NEGATIVE; Mun & Muse - Meme.

fill out & repost ♥

My muse is:   canon / oc / au / canon-divergent / fandomless /

Is your character popular in the fandom?  YES / NO.

Is your character considered hot™ in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK. 

Is your character considered strong in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK

Are they underrated?  YES / NO.

Were they relevant to the main story?  YES / NO.

Were they relevant to the main character?  YES / NO / THEY’RE THE PROTAG.

Are they widely known in their world?  YES / NO.

How’s their reputation?  GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL.

How strictly do you follow canon?

I use canon as a base to grow from. Ofc a lot of my characterisation is HC based, or taking tiny bits of canon and twisting it a little. I try to follow canon where I can on Tseng -- but a lot of that is trying to analyse lines and mannerisms that might mean absolutely nothing.

SELL YOUR MUSE! Aka try to list everything, which makes your muse interesting in your opinion to make them spicy for your mutual.

He has so much depth and detail -- His entire character is based around two ideas; Nothing is more precious than a life AND Anything to complete a mission. The mental conflict is so fun to write and play with, its so fun to pick him apart

He cares so much about the people he deems worthy. He would kill for you, if you make yourself special for him.

Really dark content 

Beautifully composed and controlled asshole 

He’s so fucking pretty like look at this man???? He’s so pretty hes so hot

Now the OPPOSITE, list everything why your muse could not be so interesting (even if you may not agree, what does the fandom perhaps think?).  

He’s very much an asshole and can be quite aggressive

Hes really hard to ship with in a romantic sense if you’re writing anyone other than like... three muses. Even then??

Really dark content 

It’s can be really hard to write with him considering he’s quite... Uncontactable? I suppose. It’s hard to put him in certain situations

Because he’s an important character in the lives of other characters(in particular; Aerith, Zack, the Turks), my Tseng might absolutely conflict with the Tsengs people write into their backstories and thats so valid 

What inspired you to rp your muse?  

I really wanted to write a Turk. I really wanted to write someone within ShinRa because there are so many wonderful ShinRa blogs and I wanted to interact with them from the same side, not as Cloud. And Lazard and Angeal weren’t giving me that so... A new muse. Reno was out because my partner is going to write him eventually -- even if I have to bully them into it. And then Tseng wasn’t going to be my choice either because I know a friend had mentioned writing him once? And i didnt want to step on toes. But Rude isn’t my type and I kept getting drawn back to Tseng. 

So I made a blog for a character I barely knew and fell in love with him entirely

What keeps your inspiration going?

I really love meta. I love having a character I can deconstruct and pick apart and just completely unravel. Tseng is really good for that and.. It’s not overdone? I started getting really self conscious about my Cloud because there are so many Clouds. With Tseng I feel a little less lost in a sea of duplicates. -- I don’t follow any duplicates on this blog because Tseng was such a new muse and I was terrified of accidentally stealing HCs and ideas. 

So yeah deconstructing canon is really fun for me. But so is talking to people, plotting with people and building characters relationships. 

And honestly, people keep praising my dialogue and I cannot put into words how much that inspires me to keep writing. Dialogue is one of my favourite things to write and I’m so so glad people think it’s good. 

Some more personal questions for the mun.

Give your mutuals some insight about the way you are in some matters, which could lead them to get more comfortable with you or perhaps not.

Do you think you give your character justice?  YES / NO. - I actually think I do and I’m proud of myself for that

Do you frequently write headcanons?  YES / NO.

Do you sometimes write drabbles?  YES / NO.  - Bully me into writing more

Do you think a lot about your Muse during the day? YES / NO.

Are you confident in your portrayal?   YES / NO.

Are you confident in your writing?  YES / NO.

Are you a sensitive person?  YES / NO.

Do you accept criticism well about your portrayal?

Not really. Mostly because the things I write tend to be based off layers of unseen headcanons and thoughts. I feel like, if I got criticism that I didn’t request, I’d end up rambling and trying to justify myself and then feeling very off. I don’t write for anyone besides myself and my writing partners. There are other Tsengs you can write with if you don’t like mine. 

What I do accept tho, is suggestions. More from people I write with but like ‘hey instead of X have you considered Y’. 

Do you like questions, which help you explore your character?  

Yes please give them please please

If someone disagrees to a headcanon of yours, do you want to know why?  

Theyre welcome to disagree with me but i dont see the point of making that known. I don’t expect everyone to agree with what I write - but I don’t necessarily need them to tell me.

The exception here is backstory. Personally, I have headcanons around Tseng being the one to teach Rufus to shoot. Thats not blog canon because I don’t put people in weird positions. If its headcanon based on other muses and the muns of said muses dont agree, im more interested in that discussion. 

If someone disagrees with your portrayal, how would you take it?

I truly dont mind. I write Tseng how I want to write him and thats that. Though people dont need to tell me they dont like my content. I dont know why people feel so entitled to that. just unfollow me and move on

If someone really hates your character, how do you take it?

I don’t care? People are allowed to hate characters. Just dont like, aggressively hate my muse @ me? 

Are you okay with people pointing out your grammatical errors?  

Yeah but preferably whoever im writing with

Do you think you are easy going as a mun?

Yeah I’m just... chill. Im very low maintenance as a friend too, you dont need to talk to me a lot or anything to keep me interested. 

That’s about it, congrats for filling out!

Tagged by:  @gyahahahaha this was v fun thank Tagging: for once im gonna tag someone cause @unattainabledreams is back and i wanna bully them

[mrgrnch]

* @byteice​ said : ☯ the mun’s interpretation - Is your muse liked or disliked by fandom? Does this affect your portrayal?

       as far as i know ,  anyone in the grinch fandom is in the fandom... BECAUSE THE GRINCH SHWBJSNK....... so i’d say he’s widely liked.   it just lets me know that i’ve got some people to make happy and i just wanna !  be as accurate to his character as i can ynow !   what really brings me down is the people OUTSIDE the fandom....... i get a feeling that a lotta people havent seen the 2018 grink movie because of the bad things people say about it which probably just range from HE’S TOO SOFT or THE JIM CARREY GRINCH IS BETTERRR or they just dont wanna watch it for whatever reason.   i’ve purposefully avoided like.. reading or watching reviews on the movie because i know there’s gonna be shit here and there and i’m a wittle babey who can’t handle havin my feewing huwrt becuz i kin but ynow how it is.   tl;dr it’s not the people IN the fandom that make me self conscious it’s the people OUTSIDE the fandom

[weirdlizard26]

For the ask meme? All of them.

jay,,,

give me a sec to edit this post ok

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans?

wine glasses are like reading glasses except you wear them while drinking wine

i’d say water bottles but only the ones that can handle heat and stuff and not poison your drink with plastic or whatever

2. chocolate bars or lollipops?

i havent had a lollipop in a good while so thats my choice

3. bubblegum or cotton candy?

havent tried either but boy i’d love to try just a little bit of cotton candy at leastonce

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you?

bro,,,,,, that was like 10 years ago, how am i supposed to remember that,,,,,,,

5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups?

i usually drink soda from plastic cups but honestly? nothing beats the experience of sipping that sweet sweet ambrosia from the bottle,,, but also i’d love to try soda in a can some day!

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear?

idk what half of these would look like but sportswear always wins in my book

7. earbuds or headphones?

ok i actually googled whats the difference and im more of an earbuds person! theyrejust safer i think and it makes me kinda anxious when im home listening tomusic and cant hear anything going on around me

8. movies or tv shows?

tv shows! well, unless the episodes are like 40 minutes or a full hour because its hard to focus for that long kfjsndkfs

9. favorite smell in the summer?

pavement after rain and also. grass.

10. game you were best at in p.e.?

haha thats a funny joke you made there *starts crying*

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day?

just a couple of meat+cheese+mayo sandwiches! if its summer mom cuts tomatoes or cucumbers for us and as they start getting more and more expensive we replace them with pickles!

12. name of your favorite playlist?

sorry i couldnt choose!

13. lanyard or key ring?

key ring!

14. favorite non-chocolate candy?

aaaa i love fruit flavored ones!

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment?

aaaaaaaa i dont remember if it was elementary or middle school but we were assigned this really cool ukrainian book that ive actually read before they assigned it. well, nobody here will recognize it but it was Тореадори з Васюківки by Всеволод Нестайко and it was about 2 boys who were best friends growing up in the countryside and they went on adventures and had fun and their friendship made me so happy,,, i guess i was all for cool friendship portrayal even back then! it was mostly laughs and jokes but some moments were actually serious and hit me really hard and i remember them to this day actually

16. most comfortable position to sit in?

its a myth, sitting was created as a personal attack on me

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes?

my trusty old sneakers!! theyre all black and the sole is very soft and nice

18. ideal weather?

when the sun is out and its just warm enough to show off your new graphic tee and also very soft and nice

19. sleeping position?

i just lie on my left side like a fool

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)?

notebook!

21. obsession from childhood?

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES!!! AND DANNY PHANTOM!!!! i even made a ghost fighting costume once,,,, tho it wasnt much of a costume, it was just fingerless gloves i cut out of paper. they were extremely uncomfortable. but very effective in fighting ghosts!

22. role model?

kfjsdnfk i have a bunch! might sound weird but one of them is bdg i think??? and the other 2 are some online acquaintances whom im too afraid to interact with more often than i do

23. strange habits?

repeating silly lines i hear on tv / in anime/cartoons? and also i never touch food with my right hand unless its plums?? and there are more but. you know. bad memory.

24. favorite crystal?

all of them!!!!!

25. first song you remember hearing?

my grandma used to sing this to me over the phone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUPnqqPXQsw

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather?

go for a walk!

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather?

slep

28. five songs to describe you?

we are the people by empire of the sun

home by cavetown

strawberry blonde by mitski

smile like you mean it by the killers

afterlife by arcade fire

29. best way to bond with you?

wash your hands very thoroughly and make jokes

30. places that you find sacred?

i see nature i go crazy from how much respect i have for it

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass andtake names?

*wearing hinata cosplay* im here to play volleyball and kick your ass and as you can see ive already played today’s match

32. top five favorite vines?

road work ahead

a avocado!! thanks!!!!!

REBECCA THIS IS NOT WHAT YOU THINK

i fell can you help me :(

that vine where ukulele sounds like human voices and people sounds like ukuleles

33. most used phrase in your phone?

idk how to check that??? sowwy

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head?

the stomach meds ad they keep showing on tv

35. average time you fall asleep?

3am? 4am? idk for sure

36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing?

t-trollface…

37. suitcase or duffel bag?

havent used either (cause ive never traveled anywhere too far away) but the latter looks pretty and i feel like it would fit more stuff

38. lemonade or tea?

depends on my mood!

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie?

dont kick me but im not sure if ive ever tried either ;w;

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school?

the school’s cat who hates most people actually kinda warmed up to me even tho im terrible with animals

41. last person you texted?

jay uwu

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets?

afabs cant have both huh

but i want both. please give me both.

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket?

all of these sound nice but my lazy ass will always go for hoodies

44. favorite scent for soap?

aaaaaaaa im allergic to a lot of soaps but i like flower scented ones

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero?

i love all of them dearly but lately ive been more into superheroes i think. im not sure really sure what exactly i feel

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in?

something really really long

47. favorite type of cheese?

there are different types????

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be?

i hope im a pear

49. what saying or quote do you live by?

become a good person. thats all.

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have?

i dont remember what it was but i remember i was with my friends and we couldnt stop laughing for several minutes and ive never felt happier

51. current stresses?

UNIVERSITY FUCK OFF!!!

52. favorite font?

i like comic sans

53. what is the current state of your hands?

they arent doing so hot tbh, my dermatitis is back again

54. what did you learn from your first job?

i dont have one!

55. favorite fairy tale?

gonna be honest chief, i dont remember too many of them ;w;

56. favorite tradition?

on new year’s we turn the lights off, light up a candle in the kitchen, laugh at president’s speech and only then starts eating

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome?

getting over a lost friendship, passing high school finals and uni entrance exams and coming out to my best friend

58. four talents you’re proud of having?

singing!! being able to learn how to do most things pretty quickly!!! and i cant think of anything else but honestly these two are quite enough for me

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be?

uh oh! guess what! i dont have a catchphrase and im very self-conscious about it!

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be?

im torn between sports anime and slice of life

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.?

because humans dont have wings we look for other ways to fly

from haikyuu

obviously

62. seven characters you relate to?

tsukishima kei from haikyuu

mae borowski from nitw

apollo justice from ace attorney

flame princess from adventure time

donatello from tmnt

sokka from atla

kageyama shigeo from mob psycho 100

63. five songs that would play in your club?

mr brightside, bohemian rhapsody, smile like you mean it by the killers and allof haikyuu ops and eds

64. favorite website from your childhood?

if social media counts, vkontakte i guess?? i didnt really go anywhere else and it still exists and i thriving so im not sure if it should count fkjsndkjf

65. any permanent scars?

yeah, the one from my very first vaccination from when i was a few months old i think and also some traces of when i had chickenpox

66. favorite flower(s)?

idk a lot of flower names but i really like tulips

67. good luck charms?

dont have any at the moment but i’d love to get one!

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried?

whatever fish mom used to buy when we were kids >:(

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned?

bro my memory isnt good enough to remember those,,

70. left or right handed?

im a righty but i had to become a lefty for like a month when i broke my pinkie

71. least favorite pattern?

i like traditional ukrainian ornaments

72. worst subject?

history :P

73. favorite weird flavor combo?

ice cream + fries

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen?

idk how pain levels work but i try not to take meds unless the pain is interfering with studying

75. when did you lose your first tooth?

idk but i had a box full of my teeth for so long they turned to dust and i had to throw it away

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)?

RHNGRHGNRHGRNH EVERYTHING except for freshly made mashed potatoes

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill?

if its green it can stay

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store?

have never had either of those and i hope i never will cause they sound gross!

79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo?

i dont have a license, so.

80. earth tones or jewel tones?

kfjsndfks depends on the mood tbh!

81. fireflies or lightning bugs?

fireflies!

82. pc or console?

i WISH i had a console but this is too broke for that,, i played a couple of times tho and it feels more fun than pc!

83. writing or drawing?

please dont make me choose, ive abandoned both and its making me feel bad

84. podcasts or talk radio?

podcasts :O

84. barbie or polly pocket?

idk what polly pocket is but barbie rules!!!

85. fairy tales or mythology?

i feel like sometimes fairy tales are kinda like watered down myths so i have a right to say i like both

86. cookies or cupcakes?

my heart goes to cookies

87. your greatest fear?

finding out im faking any part of my identity

88. your greatest wish?

get through whatever’s going on right now

89. who would you put before everyone else?

mom

90. luckiest mistake?

when i recorded an undertale medley and got a few notes wrong but it actually ended up sounding better than originally

91. boxes or bags?

boxes!

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights?

fairy lights……

93. nicknames?

never really had many? my bff calls me mr smith sometimes but thats all i can think of fkjsdnfs but also! steve used to be my nickname before i decided my life my own and i get to choose my name

94. favorite season?

spring ;w;

95. favorite app on your phone?

sudoku

 96. desktop background?

 97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized?

my own and my mom’s

 98. favorite historical era?

eh im not very fond of the past because not every time period had soap

[diaboundkernel-blog]

do you have any tips for one who might want to get into rp?

honestly the biggest tip i could give you is to just go with your heart! like. hmm

ive been rping for pretty much as long as i can remember both on and off tumblr. when i started i was literally just doing these little speech [action] type rps in a physical notebook with a friend of mine. but it was just so fun and freeing and it was something i would do just about every day. from there i went to rping on forums to skype rps and somewhere along the way i landed on tumblr. tumblr imo is a great way to get started with rping since you can keep things pretty organized and that takes a lot of load off

honestly though? every time ive joined a tumblr rp community ive gotten super nervous! im always worried about meeting new people, scared people wont like my portrayal of a character, things like that. it takes me days between wanting to make the blog and actually doing it, and then getting it out there to interact with others. ive had god knows how many blogs over the years and i still cant shake that anxiety, and if youre anything like me im sure that would scare you too

but i can assure you once you get going and start to get comfortable around people it becomes really fun and even when im just lurking around i love to see what other people are writing and doing! it also kind of helps to know someone already (i was lucky enough to know someone in this comm already but in every other one ive been in i was on my own) but even if you dont the ability to collaboratively write with someone and see where your combined creativity gets you is really. fun!! and people (like me) will be around to help you

this kind of got sidetracked but as for actual tips like. biggest one first, looking at other blogs already active and out there is really helpful in like. figuring out what you like/how you want to rp and format things (you dont have to format things all fancy if you dont want to of course, i think its cool but i personally dont have much of the patience to do all that, id rather just write). and stick with what you feel is right with how you want to portray your character too! everyone interprets things differently, and in my own experience its pretty easy to get self conscious seeing how other people portray the same character, but dont try to change yourself to be like anyone else. youre you, its your blog, and you can do what you want with it. dont let anyone try to tell you otherwise

[seafoampeach]

The Greatest Showman

It's been awhile since I saw this movie and since I’ve had time to truly think about it, I just wanna write down what I think. If you enjoyed this movie,I did but I have more respect for movie making, or are some defend to the death fan, this is not the review for you. There's a good reason why the critics didn't like this movie, and that's because it was bad. Like, real bad. 

The best place to start is always the beginning. The opening to the film was very strong and extremely promising, and by that I mean the first forty seconds or so. Just like the rest of the movie, as soon as the base dropped it was just generic and disappointing. A real shame since I think everyone can agree Hugh Jackman was killing it. 

The exposition was solid, showing Hugh Jackman/Barnum’s life up until the actual meat of the story. Id come in thinking this movie was going to be about the circus, but at least the first hour give or take was just Barnum's childhood and his relationship with his wife. Fine by me, it was nicely done to show his and her characters as loving parents and how he is driven to provide for his family. The scene that really stood out for me in this section though was when the woman gave young Hugh Jackman an apple when he was out on the street. Any good writer would bring that back in a character, that's an act of kindness that clearly didn't go unnoticed. It got its own screen time, it must be important? Right? She looked like an outcast maybe that's connected to why he starts the circus! No, you will never see this woman or hear her spoken about ever again. It was just a pointless waste of time. 

Instead, Hugh Jackman tries opening a museum when he loses his job, but oh no nobody cares and instead of bringing back that act of kindness from forever ago its his child that suggests he gets “live things” in his museum. Okay, that's a pretty legit suggestion. Why he thinks of “freaks” is never explained but he does and starts to recruit acts.

This is where the movie starts to derail.

About halfway into the film we meet the actual circus performers, the outcasts. Except we don't ever really meet them. We see their faces and they sing for us but dont ever expect to actually get to know anything about these people because you never will. Basically we’re just told that these people are outcasts an nobody accepts them. But we’re never shown that. Its the classic case of show don't tell. 

Now, what do I mean by that? We meet the bearded lady first? I think? Whose name I couldn't remember but she was played by the wonderful Keala Settle. (I don't remember anyone's name but Barnum, cause that's how much character they clearly had) We’re introduced to her working in a laundry factory with a bunch of other women. Hugh Jackman finds her because he hears her singing through a window and as soon as he enters the room all the women warn him to leave. He doesn't and find Keala washing in the back covered by a sheet. Now, this scene could've been a really good opportunity to show Keala’s struggle as a bearded lady. Everyone thinks she's ugly and all that. But it doesn't. Instead, when she’s revealed the ladies laugh and that's the end of it. Its not even that bad because immediately after Hugh Jackman is like ‘I think youre beautiful come to my circus’ and for some fucking reason she agrees even though she’s clearly self conscious and wouldn't want to be thrust in front of people but for the sake of the plot okay.

The only other character we get to see Hugh Jackman personally confront is the man with dwarfism played by Sam Humphrey. Not much happens to characterise Sam since its in a private place and actually, before that scene, Hugh Jackman had already seen him in public. Literally nobody said anything about his height, everyone just went about their day like there's nothing different about him. If you're going to try and make these people seem like outcasts, SHOW ME THAT. Don't just fucking tell me that they’re outcasts and expect me to believe it because to someone like me in twenty eighteen I don't look at someone like that and think ‘wow they're so weird and funny looking’. If you don't show me it in the movie, I'm not going to think it on my own. See the problem? 

Then there's a little time sequence where Hugh gathers all the other performers but none of them matter because they'll always be in the background unless they’re Zendaya or Keala. 

Then we get to meet Zac Efron, who isn't that bad but doesn't really do anything substantial in the film except fall in love with Zendaya for no reason. Anyways, we meet him at some play thing where Hugh Jackman talks about how he admires his work and the Zac Efron compliments his work and they bro it out enough to go get drinks together where Hugh tries to convince him to join the circus business with him. From what I remember I think Hugh wants his status? Or something? And Zac Efron wants to be free from all these elitists and together they re hash the song “I Don't Dance” from High School Musical 2. 

Zac Efron agrees to join the circus after a drunk debate and that's that. All that stuff he sang about, all the things he worries about, it doesn't matter because none if it comes back to haunt him the rest of the movie. 

Which brings me to the one scene that pisses me off. It's a bit of a jump ahead so to back up a moment, Zac Efron and Zendaya have this forced relationship which we never really get to see at all. They had this laughably cheesy love at first sight moment when Zac first walks into the circus theater and then nothing ever happens between them, except I think the writer just wanted you to assume there was?? I have no idea and I hate it. I want to love these characters, but they’re non-existent and so is their relationship. 

In fact Zendaya character is even more non existent than Kealas. For starters shes given me no reason to assume shes an outcast in this society other than the fact that she's black. Her only reason to be part of this group of people is because she's black, but, because this movie for some reason doesn't want to talk about race shes given no motivation for being here. Not once is someone outwardly racist to her (Except in the scene that pisses me off which Ill get to in a moment). That's so out of the time period! Do you see why this is such a confusing mess? On one hand the writer wants it to be the late eighteen hundreds cause that's when the story takes place, but on the other they want it to resonate with the twenty seventeen audience. So basically they want to make outcasts in the eighteen hundreds, but don't want to acknowledge why they’re outcasts in the eighteen hundreds. News flash, its racism, sexism, and bigotry. Apparently we can't write anything like that in twenty seventeen because people will just get offended. Fuck off whoever wrote this and get the balls to give it the depth it needs. 

The one time that someone is outwardly racist to Zendaya's character is when shes on a little date with Zac Efron and he meets up with his parents walking opposite ways on the stairs. His parents express concern for him and then call Zendaya “the help”. Which makes sense for the time and is clearly racist, but like really? That's it? And then Zendaya doesn't even get the scene! She gets upset and storms off which gives the scene over to Zac Efron and his struggle with his parents rather than Zendaya's struggle as a black woman in the fucking eighteen hundreds! 

I just cant be sympathetic for characters I don't know. These people don't feel real, their struggles feel synthetic and tacked on as their only attribute. Some might think that the protesters are an accurate portrayal of how their treated in society. I disagree. The protesters aren’t protesting the performers, they’re protest the show, which leads me to believe that they care for the performers. I know that's not true and that's not what I'm supposed to be lead to believe. Just some more bad writing. 

This war between the two plots, the Barnum life plot and the performers life plot, makes this movie a confusing struggle to watch and the longer it went on the more I just found myself gagging and just wanting to walk out of the theater because it wasn't worth the rest of my time. 

Especially with Rebecca Ferguson's character whos an opera singer who doesn't sing any opera. She is the most pointless character in the entire movie. You could remove her from the movie entirely and it would still be the same movie. 

We’re introduced to her when Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron go to meet the queen and have a fancy dinner and Hugh manages to convince her hes fancy enough to host a show for her in America. She agrees and they have the show and she kills it with the only decent song in the movie because it's the least generic pop song out of all of them. Even over the ‘This is Me’ song which is completely random for its placement in the movie and doesn't drive home the message it's trying to because, psa for writers, to have a powerful message you need to start with powerful characters. I want to feel for these characters, I really do. Kealas voice is so emotional and passionate but I can't get behind it because the song was poorly timed and generic and also none of the performers have character. 

Woah, going off on a tangent a little, but back to Rebecca Ferguson. Her character had two purposes for the plot that I could figure out. One being the scandal with her and Hugh Jackman to create a rift between him and his wife which was..stupid. I have no better word for it because why the fuck did she think they were going to fall in love? Like bitch hes a married man and this is a business trip why are you making a move? Not only did she make an inappropriate move on Hugh Jackman, but she got fucking upset when he refused her too. Like what did you expect to happen? Honestly what did you expect? Then she proves shes a bitch by forcing herself on him and creating the scandal after their picture gets taken when she kisses him. 

Of course said picture gets in the papers and for a moment I perked up and thought ‘oh finally some plot drama’ I was desperate for anything good. But don't get too excited. You might think ‘oh no his wife is going to see that and leave him because he's cheating’. Yes, that does happen. For about twenty minutes. Then they sing a song together and everything's fine and the scandal is never brought up again. Apparently nobody cared and everything is sunshine and rainbows. 

Except! For plot point number two that Rebecca's character provided which was the rift between Hugh Jackman and the performers. Which, I don't know why they thought he should be around twenty four seven because clearly hes a businessman why would he just hang around. But anyways, the performers get a little miffed when he chooses Rebecca Ferguson over them to make money. Literally nothing happens with this plot point.

The performers are shown being angry with him and his choices, but they never try to confront him about it! Barnum is never challenged as a character because nobody challenges him. Everything just works out in the end. He comes back after leaving Rebecca Ferguson in the dust and it's like nothing changed. The performers just forgive him and when the theater burns down they all have some cheesy heart to heart like nothing wrong ever happened. Nobody ever confronts anybody and everything is happy and right because family or something.

Making Rebecca Fergusons character a pointless waste of time because both of her reasons for existing in the plot are POINTLESS. 

Which brings me to my final points about the movie that mostly centers around the fact that none of these “characters” change in any substantial way. The main character, Hugh Jackman, always has everything work out in the end no matter how shitty hes been and everyone just forgives him unconditionally. The performers never really had any tangible obstacles to overcome. The audience was constantly told that they had soooo many hardships in life, but was never shown that on screen or even in dialogue. There was absolutely nothing for these characters to apparently overcome. Which is just boring.

The historical accuracy was non existent. There was no racism or sexism or anything of the like. I don't like seeing that as much as the next guy, but if that's the time period..that's the time period. You can keep it tasteful and accurate and still relatable. 

Tacked onto that is also the music. It was disappointing and too modern. Like I get bringing modern into the past, but at least make it something innovative. Not just generic pop songs that were put through the Fall Out Boy factory and supposed to be “so emotional”. 

This movie is jumbled and confused and lacking in a lot of areas. Its hollow where I'm supposed to feel empowered and its shallow where I want it to be meaningful.

Basically, I can see where the critics are coming from. This movie is garbage with a lot of wasted potential. Why did it do good with audiences then? Probably because they're just looking for good entertainment. This movie did that. Surface level entertainment and nothing more. But for a critic? Someone whos seen so many movies good and bad and know the ins and outs of a truly magical movie, this was bad and held nothing of value. 

Such a shame because it was such a good premise.