#imo the shows style itself is like. fine

[lockandkeyhyena]

listen. say what you want about hazbin hotel. god knows i do. but i have to side-eye all the cis people calling angel dust a stereotype of trans men. like. he’s supposed to be a cisgender gnc gay man and if your first thought upon seeing that is to go ‘aha must be one of those transgenders’ i gotta question that

[problem-of-ros]

im trying to pinpoint how mysterious lotus casebook gets to you because what happened to me was that i watched it in maybe 10 days and i thought i was fine. i thought for a full 24 hours after finishing it that it was a pretty enjoyable and well-made show with a poetic ending that nonetheless didn’t have a lasting impact on me. this was a month ago and ill probably never be normal again but my point is. not even watching it prepared me for how good it was. and i think it’s because mlc takes itself lightly, in a mid-budget sillyserious manner. it’s not wearing its prestige tv outfit, it’s wearing sweatpants and a graphic tshirt with a meme on it. but why is it that compelling then!!! and i think my answer is that mlc is an anti-story. to me!! this is not intended as meta im just journaling. walking up and down clutching my head and typing. so <<there are two quite different emotions: […] the heart-racking sense of the vanished […] ; and the other the more ‘ordinary’ emotion, triumph, pathos, tragedy of the characters […] forced on me by the fundamental literary dilemma: A story must be told or there will be no story, yet it is the untold stories that are the most moving.>> says old john ronald. this is the asylum they raised me in or whatever kids say nowdays. and here’s another one, a poem that is very very li lianhuacore but i have to translate it to english fml. the title is they say or people say. << i was born with knife in hand— / people say this is a poem. / surely the knife wasn’t enough, that’s why he grabbed the pen / [but] i was [simply] born human.” etc etc there is an insane dog motive line that’s sadly irrelevant to the point im trying to make etc last verse: “i am sealed by dirt [soil] and eroded [crumbled] by the sea— / people say i’ll die, / but I stay silent. / you hear all manner of things all the time.” thank you józsef attila sorry józsef attila. translating this took audacity. what i MEAN is that beyond the metanarrative pun that is a string of murder mysteries leading the detective to the realisation that his own death ten years earlier was actually a mysterious murder (which is already pretty elegant imo) . but beyond that, the complete plot and the whole show itself is a cover story for li lianhua’s private little suicide narrative that we know nothing about. and i want to be very clear llh isn’t fabricating the cover story purposefully, unreliable narrator style. he isn’t narrating shit. mlc doesn’t have a narrator. closest thing is actually fang duobing, as we the viewers are trying to get to know llh through him— except, unlike fdb, we have just enough additional information to understand that he is NOT getting any closer. he cannot. people smarter than me have said that llh is mother; he surely is unknowable like one. the closer you are to someone the worse the blind spots feel. if zhiji can be (as i understand) something like ‘knowing myself is knowing you’ then maybe having a mother is sometimes like ‘understanding myself is understanding you, but always a decade too late’. for me, fanghua is a synthesis of these two things. fdb either knows but doesn’t understand or understands but doesn’t know. same logic as the infamous masks. you stand on the shore with a letter adressed to you but not written for you and you know nothing, fang xiaobao. i haven’t fully seen GoT but this is how i imagine that line. but for someone with fdb’s brain and soul, not understanding is everything. let me rephrase, not understanding is sexy. in fact i’d argue that what makes lxy/llh irresistible for every tastehaver that ever fell for him is that he is shrouded in mystery. like a bride and like the dead. and ironically, dead brides with their shorter and prettier semi-transparent veils are but a frivolous subcategory of sheet ghost. goodbye

also not to quote contrapoints, but the lover(detective)-barrier(mystery)-beloved(truth) triangle. fanghua is all about yearning and anticipation and it’s a tension that never breaks. the resolution is beyond death (plot) beyond the end of the story (narrative) beyond the barrier — which is the story itself (metanarrative). it points us to an unanswerable question, and that is its depth. and that is what i love: cover stories that let me palpate something vanished and silent

[four-bastard-bustle]

Rant about ANYTHING about the Eddsworld fandom (if you want to)

Hang on i know it just said I don't have any hot takes rn but i just remembered one i do have rn

So uh. Feminine matt right. Generally he activates my fight or flight response however I've been thinking about feminine matt lately bc of that one artist that's blowing up rn, you know which one i mean (probably)

I think by itself the concept of feminine matt works just fine but i think everyone I've ever seen try to do it gets it completely wrong. Very much a personal opinion thing and not even remotely something based on actual canon. I think. Mostly because I'm alone on this.

But like. Matt can totally be feminine and that can totally be cool but it's gotta be like. A different kind than what everybody does imo. Everyone rn is drawing feminine matt all like cutesy and uwu and one leg raised up cutely and peace signs and ^w^ faces and short skirts and stuff and i do not think at all that's the kind of feminine he'd be. I think he'd be one of those "trying to be a proper lady but actually just being a huge brat" type of ladies. Think rarity from mlp fim. Think Jessie from pokemon anime. Think fancy long skirts and make up and hair that's been styled for hours and think ladylike English accents and finely tuned melodic tones in the voice with the occasional voice crack when he starts screaming.

Think of this thing that's so cental to matt's character IN MY OPINION where he tries to be fancy but then ends up failing and showing an immaturity he doesn't want to admit tp himself he has. I think that's what a feminine matt should be. But also do not let this think I'm policing anyone i do not want to force anyone to change their headcanon

That's kind of why i've been sitting on this take for a while, because I feel like I'm the only person thinkinf this. So i feel like I'm wrong. But also this is a strong feeling.

[doubleddenden]

The Epilogue dropped today: Mochi Madness. Its not a DLC, but rather an Event that's like a tad more complicated version of past events on the DS and GBA games- Such as how you'd obtain Victini, Darkrai, Shaymin, etc.

Although, I'll be honest, I wouldn't call it an "epilogue" because all it really does is introduce the friend groups to each other and then have a fun side adventure. Think of it like a fun, campy OVA or special episode to a concluded season. An "epilogue" would have done something to tie up the final loose ends of the story, imo.

But I'm not going to be a downer about it- This was fun, hilarious, and honestly what I've always wanted Events to be before they became mythical pokemon handouts. Although, I would have rather had some more to do, such as some of those strange structures deeper in Oni Mountain or just delving deeper into the connections between Ogerpon, Pecharunt, and the Lousy Three- although they were at least decent enough to provide small easter eggs to it, such as Ogerpon crying out when you bring her out to battle Pecharunt, Pecharunt crying out when fighting one of the Three, and Carmine talking about how Pecharunt and the Lousy Three were "definitely connected."

Its a campy little side adventure, and that's fine. I would have loved to see Carmine have more interaction with the gang, and to see the gang enjoy the festival or explore more of Kitakami, but as I figured with the end of Indigo Disk, I figured they just wanted to be done with Scarlet and Violet. Kieran had a great "redemption?" arc kind of, or at least we were able to actually work together with him and get some quality time with him in his right state of mind, and honestly I'm just thrilled to know that Arven considers us his best friend to the point he gets jealous of newbies.

Oh, and now Kieran and Carmine will appear randomly in the BB Club Room- it's a bitch and a half to get them to show up, but you can speed up the process slightly by using the system calendar to go forward a day until one or both show up. Nemona, Penny, and Arven are part of the coach system now, so all you need is about 1800 BP to get them all maxed out, and you can rebattle them on command. They also have fun interactions with each other and other characters, such as Arven learning about how "Toedscruel" from other regions can swim, Penny expanding on the facility Blueberry Academy is attached to, and Nemona actually offering up some more of her own backstory.

As for Pecharunt itself- I'll admit. I'm very let down. I thought the way things were played out before that it was building up to be this mastermind behind everything, but it's just a little runt. That's fine too, in the end, I love a good little gremlin bastard child. Its ability is pretty insane, too, automatically stacking Confusion on top of Poison status you inflict on your opponent.

Perhaps there was a much, much bigger story planned out involving it, Ogerpon, and the Loyal Three, but ultimately time, like usual, was something they sacrificed to get it out the door. Perhaps this was always the plan. Who knows.

As it wasn't DLC and it was just an extension of Indigo Disk's DLC, I'll just judge it a 7/10 for what was provided. It was fun enough, got some great laughs, some fun animations, I just wish there was more to it, and I'll always be a bit bitter that it wasn't the final answers to the story I've been seeking, nor was it more than just a gag Pokemon in the end. Still, I would love more Event Pokemon in this style. No more Zarudes or Zeraoras, give me Pecharunt all day any day.

[girlweepinginstairwell]

hello! what is your ranking of the rv title tracks, im curious to know, unless you've posted it before im sorry 😭

hi! 🌟 oh my goodness i spent quite a while on this because i am TERRIBLE at ranking things and i also had a lot to say... but here you go! disclaimer that i genuinely love red velvet’s discography to pieces and even the songs that are ranked lower on this list are among some of my favorites. i also decided not to include their japanese singles, solos, subunits, or sm station releases to make things a little easier for myself. you may notice that chill kill does not feature on the list & that’s because it hasn’t been out for long enough for me to ascertain my feelings towards it just yet! okay soooooo with all that out of the way . here are my thoughts 🦢

russian roulette - ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS OF ALL TIME. i got into red velvet immediately after hearing this back in 2016 & showed it to absolutely everyone i knew because i was so completely head-over-heels for it... i adore its playful synthiness and how bubbly and sweet their voices sound here, i LOVE its accompanying music video of course. when i think of kpop at its very best i think of russian roulette by red velvet!

automatic - i’m forever blown away by this song like it is literally perfect to me… smoldering, minimalist, effortlessly beautiful. i can’t believe they put this out so early in their careers, like genuinely what a feat. i love it so much

rookie - i feel like rookie is strangely underrated & i never understood why? it’s fun, it’s cute, it’s silly, it’s extremely loopable. really excellent instrumental imo and it shines even through their vocals… the strong bassline and brassy chorus in particular are highlights for me. also i think seulgi had a lot of fun this era in particular and it was so nice to see!

one of these nights - i absolutely love the creative direction of its music video & the song itself cemented rv as some of my favorite vocalists ever. easily one of their best title tracks, red or velvet. like it’s just perfect… melancholic and soulful and utterly magical

rbb (really bad boy) - i think this is one of their singles that best shows off their vocals… belting, shrieking, breathy whispering, chanting… the harmonization, the adlibs… so cunt, so interesting to listen to, so all over the place in the best way possible! no other group could have done it

umpah umpah - okay i personally feel that this is their best title track of the original festival trilogy in addition to their best summer single… never fails to lift my spirits, like it’s so joyful and unabashedly fun! i love that it sounds like it’s from a musical and i don’t mean that sarcastically at all

dumb dumb - literally one of the most unique kpop tracks like how many other songs can you think of that sound like this. still SO genuinely novel and exciting to listen to for its quirkiness and nonstop momentum that just builds and builds and builds

bad boy - very evocative of a particular moment in kpop but it aged like a fine wine! delicious to hear then & delicious to hear now… swaggering and silky and impeccably produced. i also think that the styling & sets for this music video were heavily imitated afterwards with songs of lesser quality from other groups. rv 🔛🔝

be natural - SO GOOD... sleek and sultry and understated. i also really love the way the music video is filmed and i think it belongs in the criterion collection. i’m ranking this a little lower than it deserves maybe by virtue of it being a cover rather than an original song and also because of taeyong’s rap

peek-a-boo - PEOPLE DIED. i feel like it’s almost impossible to listen to this without thinking of its music video—not at all a detriment because it’s a complete delight to watch. very catchy and clever and cool despite not being particularly upbeat. i feel like… again… it’s one of those songs where i can’t imagine a group other than red velvet putting out a comeback like this. it’s so them

feel my rhythm - love the structure of this song so much… brings together so many unexpected elements so elegantly. the noisiness caught me off guard a little bit when it came out but now i love the way they transition between the pots-and-pans quality of the verses and the orchestral ambience of the choruses. it really does feel like a frenetic, enchanting festival

power up - SO SILLYYYYY i’m a fan! i love songs with video game-inspired instrumentals & power up is one that’s fast and upbeat and summery and impossible not to dance along to. the japanese version in particular does something to my brain

birthday - i really did not like this when it first dropped but i enjoy it a LOT now… it feels like it’s building up to something it never really reaches but despite this i think it’s so catchy and bold & i love the sample the song is built around

ice cream cake - okay honestly very fun and i loved it back in the day but i don’t find myself listening to it a ton now... really enjoyed the collective blonde moment though & how ahead-of-the-curve they were with its noisy instrumentals!

queendom - i do think the lyrics can get a little corny and it’s not among their strongest title tracks, but it’s cute and easy listening vibes to me and there are some really wonderful vocal moments here and there!

psycho - good song but it was super overplayed a few years ago and it’s sonically not as interesting as their other singles. i know some people feel it’s their best but i don’t agree because i feel like i prefer songs with less muddied instrumentals. very quintessentially rv though, if that makes sense!

zimzalabim - was this a bad song… NO. do i like it that much… ALSO NO. the bridge is stunning though, one of their prettiest bridges ever, and i loved the satanism accusations that were flying around when it first dropped

red flavor - super popular, i know, and i do think it’s nice and nostalgic still, but i don’t feel it’s their best summer track and don’t actually listen to it all that much… oops. i love the twinkling sounds in the chorus but it has an empty and echoey quality to it at certain points that i find i’m not the biggest fan of

happiness - kind of a lackluster debut sorry... i do like the refrain and the pre-chorus though so the only time i ever seek out this song is when i wanna hear that bit... like yes joy! exactly joy!

[aemiron-main]

Bruh what if Henry is really gay just like Will. I mean the parallels between the two aside, that whole deal with the lab and Virginia seeking Brenner to 'fix' Henry has some conversion therapy vibes. And we already know Virginia and Lonnie parallel each other and Lonnie was homophobic. So what if Henry is really gay?

I mean people are like ''wdym the big bad is gay, isnt that homophobic?'' and I'm like... sure it is but do you guys honestly think he is straight? Aside from the fact that he is paralleled to Will and is his narrative foil, Henry's whole deal and character is him hating normalicy and normal things, bigots etc. Henry being straight is weirder than him being gay. Also mostl likely Virginia was homophobic towards him Lonnie style.

Oh I completely think that Henry is gay. Like genuinely I 100% believe that Henry was written as gay and that’s it’s a core part of understanding his character and how it folds into the narrative and metaphors of ST + how queerness has been interwoven into this show from the very start.

I’ve seen jokes about about “Henry draws the line at outing a gay kid and that’s why possessed Will hesitated so much when saying “that’s my friend, Mike” because Henry, who was controlling the mindflayer, was trying to sort out the relationship between them, realized that Will was gay and hand feelings for Mike, and didn’t out him.” but I actually completely unironically believe that WAS the case. Henry is absolutely awful, yes, but he believes that he is in the right, he has a plan, he HAS his own, albeit deeply skewed, moral compass. I genuinely believe that henry is fine with murdering teenagers but draws the line at outing a 12 year old. Why do I believe this? Because Henry’s attacks are rooted in getting people to “join him,” OR to relieve them of their suffering, because he sees existence in the world as it is as being inherently painful and awful + he sees himself as freeing them from that. He’s still wrong and terrible, don’t get me wrong, but he’s not just killing people for funsies/because he’s awful. He’s doing it for a reason. He HAS his own fucked up moral compass. And his whole schtick is about being upset that the world treated him so badly for being different, that if he outed Will, it would go against his own morals because then he would be just like the people who treated him badly for being different- he would be exposing Will to the very pain of society that he claims hes trying to save kids from.

And I don’t necessarily think it’s homophobic for the big bad to be gay because the hero is also gay. That’s the thing. Will is also gay, so it’s not just “all the bad characters are gay,” because the majority of the bad people in the show/antagonists (lonnie, Jason, the bullies, etc) are homophobic or otherwise bigoted in some way. I don’t think that having gay villains is inherently homophobic because I think it boils down to the way it’s approached (ie are they evil BECAUSE they’re gay and “gay people are bad” or are they gay and happen to be evil OR are they gay and evil because the world treated them horribly for being gay?) that last option seems to align with Henry the most, but imo that storyline only works if you have another gay character to balance it out, to show that not all gay people become vengeful and evil towards the world despite how its treated them. And ST has that! They have Will! I don’t think Henry being gay is homophobic in the slightest. In fact, I think that it strengthens the ST narrative as a whole and demonstrates that people of all kinds are capable of terrible things but also capable of good things, and plays into the parallels but also the differences between Will and Henry.

Like Henry is described as a “sensitive child,” which is the EXACT wording that Joyce used to describe Will specifically in the context of him being gay when talking to hopper + talking about why people like Lonnie thought that Will was gay.

I think the lab itself, especially when couple with Virginia’s intolerance and desire to change him, is DEFINITELY representative of conversion therapy in many ways. I think it’s a mixture of conversion therapy and institutionalization for mental illness, which are two things that often went hand in hand.

Brenner and the imagery surrounding him reminds me quite a lot of Robert Galbraith Heath, an absolutely horrible conversion therapy “scientist” who was active throughout the 70s and 80s, who specifically used brain implants to deliver electric shocks to try and “cure” people of homosexuality (the way that Brenner talks to kids like Henry as if they’re ‘sick’), which reminds me of the shock collars + soteria implants used at the lab, as well as how Brenner electrocuted Terry Ives to prevent her from speaking out against him.

Robert Galbraith Heath also used LSD to experiment on prisoners, much like the LSD experiments tied to MKultra at the lab, although the lab’s lsd experiments were seemingly done by initially willing participants like Terry, the children of those experiments (El) end up becoming prisoners to be experimented on. 

Henry is also somebody who is unable to break the cycle of abuse, unlike somebody like Will- Henry was abused by his mother and by Brenner, and so he goes on to abuse others, killing the kids int he lab, tormenting El and everyone in s4. Henry is representative of people who continue the cycle of abuse. Will, on the other hand, despite being abused by Lonnie, does not continue that cycle, he does not become a bully like the people who have bullied him, he does not become an abuser. Imo he will NOT have a villain arc because he is a foil to Henry, similar but different in the end.

Long story short: imo Henry is undeniably gay, was written to be gay, and we are gonna see gay on gay violence in s5.

[rosesocietyy]

I know I said I'll not engage in the discourse but I'll just say one more thing before I leave it alone: it might be best to get the other books out of your head. The writers are building something entirely different on the backs of what has already been established, they'll probably cut out characters, add characters, assign the actions of one character in the book to another character in the show, pair up characters that never even interacted, pair up new couples, break up endgame couples permanently. They essentially took the entire vampire chronicles and threw it in a blender to create something entirely new but that still has the same ingredients.

Now, 5 episodes into the first season, is the time to make peace with whether you accept this or not. If you think it's getting out of control drop it and keep the movie as the only adaptation you'll recognize that's completely fine. For the sake of your sanity curate your own personal participation with this franchise. Take what you like and what brings you joy and enjoyment and drop the rest, same way some fans only choose to acknowledge the first 3 books and cast aside the rest.

If you've decided to stick with the show to see where they're going with it, the best and imo only way to experience it is to not judge every action and decision on screen with the knowledge you have of what comes later in the other books, but with the knowledge of what has been presented in all the episodes. I won't go so far as to say watch the show as if you're meeting these characters for the first time, but rather build an entirely new profile as the episodes go along and use that profile to inform and gauge your stance on the plot and characters.

This does not absolve the show of criticism, it just redirects where the criticism should stem from. For a hypothetical example, reeling that something Louis said in a particular episode is weird because it doesn't line up with a certain event that takes place in book 6 is counter productive bc the show runners never said they were going to adapt book 6 closely. It might hurt because you believed that event to be crucial but alas, that change does not equate bad writing. Criticism that is based on the plot of the show itself though is valid, a very real example being the horrible beyond vile SA plotline in episode 5 that was wildly unnecessary is representative of a very outdated style of writing that seems to value assault as a way of "toughening up" female characters and "make them stronger" as if there weren't a billion other ways to highlight the cruelty of other vampires and show that Claudia can't make it out on her own. It has nothing to do with the books it's just bad in its own right.

I know asking to leave all those books at the door when watching this show is a tall order because some of y'all have been attached to them for decades but it is genuinely the best way to watch this show and dare I say it'll even help focus you so you don't miss the seeds planted for show-only plotlines in the future.

This is a very different vampire chronicles so please make the decision that'll preserve your peace; I'm choosing to watch the show because it's one of the best things I've seen on tv though it's not without its flaws and they can change as much as they want I don't care as long as the quality is sustained, but others said no the changes have become too much I'm backing out, both are valid just do you and be reasonable about it.

If you share a different opinion, my asks are open.

[chaos0pikachu]

so I’ve watched all 4 released eps of Bed Friend

things I like:

the directorial style; I noticed this in Cutie Pie but Mandee studio seems to be adopting a lot of cinema stylings from Korea and I dig that. it’s a sleek looking series, the lighting is always solid, the color grading is smooth and beautiful, nothing looks overly flat visually it’s a strong series. I also love love love there’s multiple locations being used I often see in BL only like a handful of meh locations making the entire story feel very small so I like there’s lots of location being used here

the costuming; I really like that Uea and King have very separate stylings that enhance their characters. The secondary characters are also styled nicely, nothing to notable but BL often leaves costuming on read and dusty so I’m always appreciative when I see strong thought in the costuming 

the music; I like the soundtrack that’s being used though they def overuse the love ballad a bit to much like god damn, also some of the music cues don’t flow well together but the soundtrack itself is strong

the setting; I don’t think I’ve seen a Thai BL set in an office before tbh and like it’s so refreshing I really enjoy office romances/dramas so I really dig this

the story; I actually really like Uea they’re a really interesting character I wasn’t expecting the series to be more of a character drama than a romance/BL but I don’t at all mind it. I’m hoping to see some real growth for Uea and for all the people in his life who hurt him - and jfc there are way to many - get there’s. Like can the stepdad and ex boyfriend at least go to jail?? I highly doubt the mom will but fuck can Uea and his little sister abandon her completely? I really like the show kept it realistic tho, plenty of parents don’t believe their kids and choose their partners over them. I even get how Uea ended up in a relationship with Pock b/c Pock gives off love bomber vibes and Uea would be susceptible to that sort of behavior  

things I’m meh on: 

the acting; while I really like uea as a character they’re interesting but the actor, James, is just okay imo they’re solid they’re not like the worst~~~ actor I’ve seen in a BL (y’all don’t wanna know my opinions on that lmao) but you can tell their inexperienced especially in scenes that require more emotion idk if this is James first leading role I don’t keep up with the actors like that, though I know James and Net are apparently pretty popular or well liked? Idk why and frankly idc James is likable so it’s whatever, but I def get Acting vibes when those more emotional scenes come up I also don’t like the actor that plays Jade that much, Net as King is fine the rest of the cast is fine. The mom is super over the top but idk if that’s the actress of the story itself but god damn woman my ears

the nc scenes; straight up I do not understand why this series is rated nc17 on iqiyi the sex scenes are hella tame like LitA and Kinnporsche, yeah they earned their nc17 ratings but Bed Friend?? Hell I’ll give Big Dragon it’s kudos even tho I didn’t think their nc scenes were that wild either but they earned it by showing ass. Bed Friend is a high PG13 at best and I say this with love lol I don’t mind it but it is weird it’s rated so high imo 

King; I’ma get it for this but I’m pretty meh on King currently. He’s the type of romantic lead I’m always meh on his motivations are just “in love with Uea/treating Uea right” we know nothing about him as a char except the crumb about his brother being a perfectionist and maybe that’s caused some bad blood between him and his mom. It makes the narrative dynamic between Uea and King unbalanced for me like Uea is so interesting! They’re a full fledged char and King just isn’t. I like him, Net has natural screen charisma him and James have nice chemistry, but King is just...fine. He’s fine. He’s hot and he’s nice so he’s fine. 

things I disliked;

 the twitter fandom they so cranky! they are SO cranky and for what I ask? For what? I saw ppl complaining there wasn’t enough kissing, or scenes between cut that were in the trailer(s) and like have y’all never watched a thing before in y’alls lives? Shit always gets cut from trailers this isn’t new and also some actor drama or studio drama with Mandee and I refuse!!! I refuse to even peak closer into that shit like why is twitter fandom so damn cranky all the time. I can only guess that ppl are feeling a kinda way b/c the romance is more secondary to like, Uea as an individual char and their story but w/e stop hating it’s a cute show 

Anyway, looking forward to seeing how the rest of the episodes - which was extended from 8 to 10 that’s interesting hmmm - pan out. Hoping for more King development tbh like that’s a must for me rn and for all the ppl who hurt Uea to get there’s like Glory it up Uea do it 

[taptrial2]

can i have your complete opinion on milo murphy’s law. what aspects of it are bad. is it overall good? i always thought about watching it but i never committed

dude i fucking love milo murphy's law but some parts of it are so dogshit. if nothing else, PLEASE watch the first episode, it is fucking genius and one of the best in the entire run imo. it's all perfectly paced and the introduction to milo and his Problems is so perfectly executed it's SO good.

also i haven't really watched mml for. uh. for since high school so pre-2020? so i'm rusty on my mml opinions lol

but yeah milo is a fantastic character and an amazing but UNINTENTIONAL allegory for living with a disability. the main downside of him is the same downside that phineas has - he's too perfect, and it renders him a little uninteresting. he's still overall great, and the lore of his condition has a LOT of meat on its bones, you could really dig into the lore there, it's nuts

his friends are pretty boring. melissa is a stock wendy corduroy-style coolgirl and zach is a scaredy cat and theres not much more to them. they feel like obligatory diversity token characters than anything substantial. also there's a love interest named amanda and she's fine i guess. melissa is a really great companion to milo and his shenanigans and the way they met is SOOOOO cute and done really well in the episode itself, and there's a lot of potential around how her dad feels about milo (her dad doesnt like him lol), but they don't do much with it

the dan and swampy characters are dakota and cavendish respectively. they're time travellers from the future who were sent back in time to prevent pistachios from going extinct. if that sounds like a complete nonsequitur it's because it is. the show turns into time travel shenanigans because of them and it gets tedious, but dakota in particular is THE BEST CHARACTER IN THE WHOLE SHOW with the most depth and impact, and idk if you know about That One Dakota Episode but just in case you don't i won't spoil it

there is some VERY HEAVY gay undertones with their dynamic and it is SO frustrating to watch because the romantic tension never pays off

okay there's a huge problem with this show that only became apparent in season 2 and it's that there is a serious lack of payoff for the setup. there is so much FUCKING AMAZING setup in this show. there are so many plot threads that are compelling and emotionally impactful and often just really beautiful, especially with cav and dakota. milo's condition and how he lives is fascinating. there are so many AMAZING episodes of this show that it blows my tits clean off, it's truly remarkable... but the other half is kind of garbage, especially after doofenshmirtz eats up all the screentime after he forcefully shoulders his way into the show for some goddamn reason, and the (spoilers) dakota and cavendish breakup arc is REALLY tedious

but man. okay, i've done enough complaining, i really do fucking love this show. there are so many elements of it that are just incredible, fascinating, or so well executed that my brain explodes. milo is amazing, dakota is amazing, and the lore is INSANE and super fun, but it gets bogged down in its own overcomplicated serialized plot and dwampy's preoccupation with aliens also ends up fucking with the structure a lot

imo it's worth a watch overall for the absolute gems it has, but for the love of god skip lady krillers. 100% watch the first 11-minute episode, it's amazing. if you find yourself hooked with that first episode, go ahead and watch the rest, it'll probably work for you! if you're not hooked by the energy of the first episode then maybe don't bother

[tomegnome]

2023 Book log: Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett

Monstrous Regiment satirizes themes of gender, war, and religion in the fantastical setting of Terry Pratchett's wonderfully irreverent Discworld. Barmaid Polly Perks lives in the charmless and highly conservative country of Borogravia. Seeking her lost soldier brother, Polly disguises as a "Oliver" and enlists alongside a cast of colorful characters including teenage runaways, a vampire, and a troll...who all have secrets of their own. Wink wink. Hijinks and gender fuckery ensue!

🍄Ratings based on the five core gnomish literary values🍄

Characters - 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻 Camp - 🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷 Queerness - 🌼🌼🌼 Style - 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻 Feeling - 🌷🌷🌷🌷

I read this book 10ish years ago and remembered it being an absolute delight, and golly, it really held up. If you haven't read Terry Pratchett before you can totally jump in with Monstrous Regiment since it stands perfectly fine on its own weird little legs (btw anyone who tells you to read discworld chronologically is a teacher's pet and not to be trusted).

I have dog-eared the ever loving shit out of this poor little paperback. First of all this book is so funny, laugh out loud funny. But also has these poignant, beautiful little moments. It gets surprisingly dark in places, but in a way that feels necessary and is really in service to fleshing out the characters. It really grounds the book in the midst of all this absurdity and gives it this real life human quality.

Many writers write characters and then, quite separately, female characters. Pratchett just wrote interesting characters. He saw humans as flawed and weak, but also brave and hopeful and that shows in the way he writes these really silly, lovely characters.

Paul, Polly's brother, is BARELY in the book. He speaks maybe once. But through Polly telling you these little memories about him you become really come to adore him and by extension, learn about and appreciate Polly even more. And the books doesn't even need it! Paul could've just been a call to action, but instead he has his own little arc. Someone please talk to me about Paul and his birds.

And Jackrum. And Maladict. And Lofty and Tonker. Any of them really. Because my heart is so full of love for these characters.

Which is why this book works when there are more contemporary novels exploring gender much more seriously and doing a worse job, imo. I am probably biased, but ultimately it felt to me like this book was saying: Oh gender? What a funny little notion. What a silly little human invention. Grab onto it with your grubby gnome paws and do with it what you wish.

For more information and detailed content warnings I highly recommend thestorygraph.

🍄Sample passage - may be light spoilers🍄______________________________________________________________

"Bloody Jackrum left me surrounded by armed men!" Polly hissed.

"And?"

"Well, I… knocked two of them out," she said, feeling as she said it that this rather spoilt her case as a victim. "One went over the road, though."

"I think we got that one," said Maladict. "Well, I say 'got'… Tonker nearly gutted him. There's a girl with what I'd call unresolved issues." He turned round. "Let's see… seven horses, seven men. Yep."

"Tonker?" said Polly.

"Oh, yes. Hadn't you spotted her? She went mad when the man charged at Lofty. Now, let's have a look at your gentlemen, shall we?" said Maladict, heading for the inn door.

"But Lofty and Tonker…" Polly began, running to keep up. "I mean, the way they act, they… I thought she was his girl… but I thought Tonker… I mean, I know Lofty is a gi - "

Even in the dark, Maladict's teeth gleamed as he smiled. "The world's certainly unfolding itself for you, eh? Ozzer? Every day, something new. Cross-dressing now, I see."

"What?"

"You are wearing a petticoat, Ozzer," said Maladict, stepping into the bar. Polly looked down guiltily and started to tug it off, and then thought: hang on a moment...

"The captain looks bad," he said. "What did he try to do to poor little you?"

"Patronize me," said Polly, glaring at Maladict.

"Ah," said the vampire.

[time-to-write-and-suffer]

Fic linked here! And also PM is up again and updated pretty recently with New Content if ur still into that 🥺

Omg i read the fic and I really enjoyed it! It wa sso good!! And I'm off to reread some of PM before I go to sleep. Your writing is so enjoyable and your art is amazing. 👀

I love the way you write characters and the character voice so I was wondering if you had any advice regarding characterisation. 😊

Aaw, thank you! ❤ I'm glad you enjoyed it! It's the first fic I've ever posted online so that means a lot! ^^ Hope you like PM as well c:

I wish I had advice for you, but unfortunately everything in a first draft is just vibe-based and I only write consciously once I start rewriting and editing things down. Almost everything I post online is first draft stuff, and while I'm happy that some people think it's decent already, it unfortunately makes it hard to identify what exactly it is I'm doing, lmao.

But my approach to characters and characterization is pretty simple.

First: I generally rely on archetypes. Not tropes, that's a different thing that can also work, but archetypes. Having different archetypes to base your OCs on helps to distinguish them from each other in the story and in your brain. It also lets you introduce tension and low-level conflict early on. I'm also not necessarily talking about existing archetypes, but ones you make up in your head, about a particular OC. Take the most bastardized, flanderized version of your OC. Start with that and work backwards to figure out why they might be seen like this extreme version of them, what might lead them to be like this or to be perceived like this.

Second: I don't make huge casts from the start, so that lets me keep track of people and keep them distinct within the story.

Third: I try to keep in mind who the character is in everything they do. It sounds more difficult than it is, really. I generally just feel it out, but you can also write up a character sheet or do similar exercises so you have a reference to go back to. This isn't perfect, and sometimes you'll have to rewrite things to be more in-character (I did this a LOT with faery wip), which is totally fine and encouraged!

Fourth: I must also know the character's role in the world and the story before I write them, so everyone has some sort of purpose. This never works out perfectly from the start, so I often add or remove characters in edits.

Fifth: My main cheat is that I usually dump several characters of varying importance at the start and have them bounce off each other as an introduction to them and their world. People usually advise against this because you "overwhelm" the reader, but it's pretty useful for establishing character dynamics and thus characterization. Landing the first impression does a lot to convince the reader, and lays a lot of the groundwork for future characterization. The thing you want to avoid is frontloading information and treating every character as equally important.

Sixth: I put characters in situations to test them out. Both in the story itself but also as an unconscious writing exercise. Put them in a situation, preferably together, and see how they react. That's when they come out of their shells, not when you think of them in isolation. Want to know how to distinguish this one gruff assassin from your other gruff assassin from the same story and world? Imagine them talking to each other, or fighting, or competing for the same mark. Do they have different fighting styles? Are they perhaps gruff for different reasons? Perhaps one of them isn't gruff at all, and you've just figured out how to write them both by figuring out how not to write one of them! Fiction thrives on conflict, IMO, and by putting your blorbos in situations, you challenge them and force them to show themselves.

Hope this helped in some way! :')

[raven]

I’m not trying to get you crucified here but tbh I would love to hear your locked tomb criticisms and feel validated in mine

So like im not a professional hater for it bc i simply didnt like it and i only make well thought out analyses if i enjoy the thing a lot for whatever reason and to me tlt is more of a whimper than a bang. so this isnt the most well thought out & its been a year or maybe 2 since i read it. but lets go. i read the first 2 books & not nona the ninth btw, and i enjoyed gideon for the most part due to I Love Murder Mysteries. but once its no longer a murder mystery(& confined to one location) i felt like the whole thing fell apart. (That being said i will suffer through a LOT for a murder mystery) harrow the ninth was like.. confusing and i know thats the point but it couldnt carry itself well enough. like i like confusing narratives i like nonsense and i like it when it doesnt make sense. but it just like. wasnt.. good? i really cant elaborate without rereading and i dont really want to. Also it was very predictable which, how can u be confusing and predictable, idk, ask harrow the ninth

so like anyways the writing is pretty annoying. i cant say its bad writing because it's competent enough but it's like oh my god you referenced this meme from 2016 tumblr you are SO. FUNNY. like i felt like as soon as i would be like "ok this is real im getting into it" someone would drop the dumbest line in the entire world that was a reference to an outdated meme. (I wish i took notes in my book to give you an example but like... you know exactly what im talking about if you've read any of it lmfao) people are like "gideon is just annoying" and yeah, she really was, but her narration in the first book had much fewer meme references and it was therefore sooo much more tolerable imo. Like harrow was genuinely SO bad for it. but both books i read felt very very juvenile. like people will be like "it is NOT ya" but then why does it feel like ya. like ya isnt just subject matter, i would argue that the defining feature in all the ya i read as a teen was in its tone and style. and tlt totally has a similar tone. in an annoying way. like "oh funny and relatable" but like due to everyone talking like a 17 year old from tumblr.com in the year 2015 it was not like, atmospheric at all. and a lot of harrow the ninth is about The Vibe. And the vibe was not coming across well. it just completely prevented me from feeling like i was in another world in like, any way. and this is a pretty fantastical setting..

and now we move on to the fandom of it all. i saw a really good post a few days ago that i did not reblog or save but it was criticizing how ianthe specifically was written like, intentionally playing into fandom troping and it genuinely shows so hard and it's really annoying. like. ok. so i told my friend that ianthe was just discount nanami from utena. and they were like "that is not true because ianthe is a discount homestuck character, also how dare you say that about nanami." (Idk anything about homestuck so i cant tell you any more there) but isnt that crazy. she is a knock off of many. anyways so like her whole purpose is to i dont know. fuck things up in an incredibly non threatening manner? like she was not necessary but its like Omg #Failgirl! god i wish i could find the post because i am not putting it into words

i also generally found the relationships and characters to be pretty uncompelling. like i didnt really care about gideon and harrow it was like woah they like each other now. wasnt really feelin it. i know a lot of people like it and thats fine though. the characters i liked the best were camilla and palamedes and then they dropped the bomb that palamedes was a heterosexual and i was genuinely so upset. like the man had fag vibes. "Oh he could be bisexual" the thing is that he wasnt though. soooooo. this is like so unimportant but i really did feel very betrayed. bc like gay people exist in the series. and not him..? fuck off

Ok thats all for now good bye if anyone want me to reread the books and take notes and critique for real give me money i would do it and i would be so thorough. but i know i dont do these things often so you cant really trust my analysis skills so thats fine. anyways. yeah. um anon if you have thoughts on the books let me know i love to read them tbh. sorry this post is so long i am on my cell phone and i feel like it doesnt deserve a read more. sorry

[dragynkeep]

If you're still accepting submissions for the rwby design Critiques. Please could you rip in to my volume7 redesigns, i would really appreciate the feedback.

Thanks for sending this in!

I can honestly see what you were trying to do, and there’s stuff I like and stuff that needs some work here. 

Starting with Ruby, I think she’s the best one out of the team. You can’t go wrong with Ruby, and some of the stuff you added for her are really cute! I like the red skirt and the patterns on her shirt. It adds a bit of detail and interest, while the red skirt is a bit part of Ruby’s colour in her design outside the giant cape she wears. 

I also love the accessories. The wolf beanie is adorable and something I could see Ruby wearing, the fact that it’s a little silly and childish actually works for a Ruby that is trying to hold onto some of that childlike innocence. Similarly, I actually love the heart shaped buckle of her belt, and the giant pouch looks secure and great for storage while she’s out and about. 

Overall, the actual style of the clothes is great for her, and the colouring really does stick to what Ruby wears. 

The biggest issue I have with it however is that the detail is way too much. The shirt is fine, it’s dark enough that it’s not distracting there. The problem is the patterns on her legs are way too much that it jumps over interesting to cluttered. With her red socks over it, I really do think it would benefit from just having black, or even dark maroon, leggings so that the rest of the outfit can carry the weight instead. 

Obviously, for other critiques I’m not gonna be editing the work since I don’t like doing so but I do want to just get the point across since I’m having an episode and brain don’t work too good.

Short haired Weiss is supreme, write that on my grave.

Aside from the short hair, I do like the idea of Weiss with a more open collar bolero in combination with her dress. It’s a great place for the red to be, similar to how her Beacon outfit worked. The black gloves and leggings also help with contrasting Weiss’ limbs from the white dress and thigh highs that she wears. Plus, the blue used is a nice light, icy blue as opposed to the muted blue or royal blue she keeps getting shoved in. 

Light enough and used sparingly so it can accent Weiss’ white, rather than overpower it. 

I even like the idea of red shoelaces on the back of her boots as a way to show some of that red in other ways. The bows are a bit too big so there’s too much red as a result, so it could help just shrinking them a little.  

The main problem I personally have is the bolero. The red in the collar is great, it’s a staple of Weiss’ design, but all of it being red has it so that there’s just too much red on her upper body, making it very noticeable and top heavy in Weiss’ design. It’d work better to move the bolero itself to either the light blue in other parts of her design, or even black to contrast with the white dress and have the red pop against it.

Tried it with both the red shoelaces and the same light blue. Either one works honestly.

Also, a blue bolero variation. 

Blake’s is cute, and I like the way both her Beacon outfit and her Mistral outfit had merged together. It nice to see her mostly in black again, and I like the idea of her bow returning but in combination of Blake still having her ears out, it’s a cute idea of her wearing something that was so important to her design without sacrificing what makes her Blake. 

Similarly, I like the leggings with the white shorts making a return, especially with the gradient and white insides helping to differentiate the black boots from the dark leggings. I would perhaps remove the white belts since they’re not very necessary and really just clutter up the design there. As well as that, the look of the leggings being attached to the belt, similarly to how thigh highs are, don’t look good imo. Either the thigh highs that Blake wore previously with white pants to mimic the idea, or just having her return to shorts and leggings for her outfit. 

I like the style of the jacket, and the purple collar keeps Blake’s accent colour while separating it from the shirt underneath, but there’s a few things I’m not so sold on. The purple used is too bright and it’s shifted towards a pink-purple rather than the indigo that Blake suits more. 

Not only that, but she’s really dark on the topside. With the black jacket and the black shirt underneath, plus black ribbons, she just blends together without any of the white to separate all of it. The bright purple helps, but not as much. 

Still, I really like the red bow she’s wearing around her neck. I do wish there was a way for Blake to wear Ruby’s colour, since red and purple can look nice together, so it’s great that you managed it with this.

Something like this for what I was trying to say.

There’s some things that I like here with Yang, but I do have to be honest in that this is the weakest outfit of the group.

Positives though, I like the thought of her jacket having a fur lining inside, and the colours being move from brown and orange is always a good step forward when with Yang. Plus, compared to Blake using more of an indigo purple, Yang with a bright lavender/lilac is good and just helps as both a tie to Blake and a separate colour for Yang. 

She’s also the only character to work well with the team’s four colours. 

But I gotta say that this outfit is not really a Yang outfit. Her jacket works, even if I dislike the one missing sleeve look, especially for Atlas, but the corset is more Ruby’s look than Yang’s, and really the colours bring this outfit down. The mostly red jacket with black accents drags too much attention to it, and these two bright and warm colours are clashing together with how much cool purple is used. 

The outfit is way too bright, with how little black is used and how there’s no white either. The use of neutral colours works with using bright colours because it helps temper them. Too little and you start getting a headache, too much and the colour they’re meant to represent is lost. Swapping the pants and the jacket for black with gold accents would work much better, as well as pulling back how much red and purple is used.

Either the red bandana or purple, it just helps to temper Yang’s colour scheme.

Overall, there’s a lot good with these outfits, but there’s also plenty of areas that could be improved too. The two I would suggest working with is the excessive amount of detailing, and the use of colour in connection to the character. Even brilliant outfits can fail because of poor colour choice.

Still, thanks for sending these in, I enjoyed looking them over!

[midnightmeteora]

MEDIA THREAD-FEBRUARY

A short month no doubt, spent most of it drawing (I gonna try to finish those wips I swear). Anyway:

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14.-Hazbin Hotel (season 1)

I'm not someone who enjoys negative ranting on media. But oh my god I didn't like this show. Thankfully I watched this along side my GF and my Bestie but still, it was quite dreadful getting through this show. The script was annoying. All of those parodies about Vivzie's shows are true, there's always a swear in most sentences. It stops being funny and it becomes annoying, cringe even. I don't get this show, is it a comedy or a genuine attempt of making a social commentary??? It tries to tell a story about redemption and the value of change, but it doesn't have the pay off nor the build up to excel imo. For most of the runtime, this show barely attempts to dive deep into the nuance of the characters, most of the time if there is nuance to be found. It later decides to either treat it as a joke or rush to no end, lacking the payoff expected for serious issues like sexual and psychological abuse. The visuals were also kinda sucky. It has a unique style no doubt. But everything blends together when there's so much color overlap and over designed characters with similar motifs and color palettes. Most of the songs are alright on their own, but in the show itself, I only enjoyed like half of them. Yeah this show wasn't for me, and the more I think about it, the angrier I get ngl.

. #15.-Kimi ni Todoke (season 1)

Love letter to shojo media (? One of my favorite shows rn, it's so comfy, yet it still pulls them punches with the drama when it needs to. Every character is so loveable and the humor is wholesome fun. I really like how it develops the characters thru meaningful interactions and moments that pushes these teens foward. I'm loving this show, quite excited for S3 later on this year :]

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#16.-Sonic Frontiers (main game replay and update 2 content playthrough)

I still really like this game! Admitedly, its luster did shine off a bit now that it's been a while since the original release. This time more cracks became more noticeable to me, particularly the plot itself is rather empty and on a second playthrough it brings the game down a tad bit. The last section in Ouranos island is veryy weak plot wise, even though I had a blast with the gameplay. I still believe that this is a cleverly designed game, but I wished it had more production values behind it. By far the main aspect that will age the game later on. This game kinda lacks the visual aesthetic and presence that many other games in this franchise have. Not only that, the new additions like the jump acceleration kind of made some of the open zone sections kind of dry... I really look foward to the next mainline game, this game is still the best step in the right direction it could've been. The update 2 content was also really fun! I really like the action challenges and the new kokos were neat to get. I mightttt need another replay to abuse the spindash to hell and back, but I still need to finish new horizons as of writing.

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#17.-Sonic Frontiers: Final Horizons update

Damn was this a mixbag. I'm a bit underwhelmed ngl. It wasn't bad, but it kinda pushed the game to its absolute limits, and not in a pleasant way. The unrefinement from the main game is in an all time high. The new island content and characters are ok. Amy is fine for the most part, doe I wish she was able to wall climb. Knuckles was so much fun and I hope they use this template for future appearances. And Tails' tornado was so broken that made his sections redundant. I think everyone but knuckles kinda show the issues with the open zone. You can skip so much of the platforming that it kinda robs you from the main draw of the game. The new cyberspace levels are really cool!! But I did not enjoy completing the extra missions, they made the experience far more frustrating and unpleasant, not only that but you hardly even need to engange with cyberspace, but i'll get to it in a second. The new mixes are nice and the new levels are pretty sick and fun to speedrun but I still feel like they don't benefit from the asset re-use and the weird jank the game has.

The tower challenges were a bit of a mixbag, the platforming got a bit obnoxious on tower 2 and 4 ngl, but I did enjoy the trials. Trial 5 is no doubt quite infamous, but I actually found it fun, I liked figuring out how to minmax my time defeating the titans. It kinda show how clunky the parry and the animations are however, and yet, it also made me appreciate the enemy design and the combat way more than I already did! Finally, we got a new final boss battle, and it was alright? The spectacle was nice, but after all the things I had to do to even get there, I'd rather have the original ouranos island section as easy and anticlimatic it might've been. The new added story wasn't that much different either, just a tad more flashy with a bit more involvement from the main cast. Overall it was an ok addition, but I wished I didn't spent that much time doing the extra missions and stuff, many of the parts of this update lacks the incentive I desired and at times, the payoff I expected. Which is why it felt underwhelming for me. I hope the next game is an improvement over final horizons, if this is going to be the main base for the forseeable future, then there's still work to be done.

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#18.-Super Mario Bros (NES)

I'm starting to play more retro games as of lately since I really want to have more games that I can replay whenever I want a quick gaming session aside from Mega man and Sonic. So I'm want to try the 2D Mario games since admitedly, I was never a Mario guy (If you couldn't tell by my Sonic fanatism). 2D Mario has never grabbed my attention since it is rather vanilla and the "new super mario" series also left a very bad taste in my mouth just like everyone else growing up. Anyway, og super mario on NES was fun tbh. It is quite challenging for modern standards, but I found plenty to like tbh. The potential for further replays is hampered by those tight physics doe, I'm already playing SMB3 (I'm gonna skip 2 for the time being tbh) and I can already tell that the control was pretty tight in this first game. Hammer bros are really agressive too. I'm glad I'm finally beat this game, even though it cramped my hands like a MF bc I played this on a 3DS.

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#19.-Kimi Ni Todoke (Season 2)

THIS WAS PRETTY GOOD, the drama got pretty interesting and it developed the characters extremely well. It has a ton of nuance that I want to rewatch and admire all over again ngl. Left extremely soft after watching it. Can't wait for season 3

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Might start to do more stand alone posts from now on if I want to continue logging these opinions lol.

[jentlemahae]

sorry for the rant but !! so many people have said that if bp disband they only see chaelisa continuing with music as they think they’re the only ones passionate about songwriting or performing and I don’t get it!!! for Jisoo, I do think she loves music and she’ll probably release more stuff someday but obviously rn she’s going into acting next. but I’m just so so so so soooooo confused that people genuinely believe that Jennie doesn’t want to do music.

Jennie is so passionate about music and imo you and me is a great example of how passionate she is. it’s so obvious to me that she put her all into this. she co-wrote the song and kmedia says she produced the performance video too but I’m waiting for further confirmation of that. the entire concept is so clearly Jennie’s idea. a lot of work went into it and it’s not even a proper solo release and I’m not too sure that yg would have done this if it wasn’t for her input. Jennie is so creatively involved with the things she does. she has official credits in both lyrics and production for multiple songs. she was a creative director for born pink. she comes up with concepts (eg you and me). she styled her solo era, her solo stages for both tours, the hylt hanboks, the ktl lara croft outfits, the pv mv, and more. outside of music she has designed 2 gentle monster collections, a calvin klein collection and her own porsche. she helped develop her jentle garden game. she was a guest editor for vogue korea. she was a creative director for her calvin klein campaign. the list goes on!

do they think her not releasing any solo music since 2018 was her choice? when has any idol had complete control over when they release stuff? yg’s inability to plan anything meant that the bp solos were all so far apart which meant Jennie has had to wait 5 years to release her new music. so during that time she had to focus on other non-music things instead and she excelled every time. on top of that yg has limited every female artist they have ever had so we haven’t even seen any of the pinks at their full potential so how can anyone make the judgement on what they’re passionate about when they haven’t really been able to show it yet?

it’s a catch 22 in a way bcs I do feel that people giving her shit all the time has made her less passionate about being a kpop idol. tbh I think anyone else would feel the same if they were in her shoes. it doesn’t matter how often she’s great people will harass her. that being said she still does want to be a kpop idol and in the k-entertainment industry as she’s just been booked as a permanent cast member of a variety show. and even despite all the harassment I don’t think she is any less passionate about music itself.

anw fuck the jensetters that said that releasing you and me would be embarrassing. if anything I think it has just made people more excited for jnk1. and personally I can’t wait to hear it!!

100000% AGREE !!!!! i hate when blinks/akgaes say “only xyz is/are passionate about music” bcs that is so disrespectful, but also ………. jennie ? not passionate about music ? jennie ????????? like u have mentioned with your (perfect!) examples, she is obviously and undeniably very passionate about her craft and loves working on anything creative, whether that is music or fashion!! plus, she’s literally mentioned working on music or wanting to release music in nearly every single interview for years….she obviously cares about music a lot !!!!! the only reason why she hasn’t released more songs is only bcs of yg, not lack of wanting !!!!! it’s just ridiculous to have people doubting whether she’ll keep making music in the future or worrying about the success and quality of jnk1 - her talents span so many different fields, she will do just fine

and yeah :/ i don’t think the constant harassment has made her less passionate per se, i think it’s more that she may have become more hesitant to put stuff out there into the world and might feel somewhat drained when working bcs she already knows that no matter what she does she’ll get harassed…i hope not but i definitely would understand if she felt this way 😕 but like u said, it hasn’t made her less passionate about music itself! maybe she’s less enthusiastic about being an idol sometimes - but that’s a job after all, it’s not the craft itself

[starlit-mansion]

okokok. i am not entirely sure i have ever seen you talk about this and how dividing the books all are is fascinating to me so... what's the opinion on the novel trilogy, or even frights/tales if you're willing to touch that w/ a ten foot pole --scrappedbaby

I feel like this is a pretty controversial take but I think the Silver Eyes itself is… fine. Okay, I tried to actually read it once and I couldn't get more than a couple pages in, because it read like when someone posts their homework assignment that was secretly fanfiction on fanfiction dot net. I have a little bit of a soft spot for the graphic novel, actually, due to it being bad in an interesting way rather than blandly decent like the other 2, which I've only flipped through. (Also the shitty saturated coloring fucked over the inks. Setting aside any opinions of the artist as a person, i think her style has character and added something to the series that is still present in other parts I like much better, like the glamrock concepts. And the muted test pages that someone scrounged up from a trade show copy or whatever would have probably done wonders for the atmosphere.)

As for the story of TSE itself… Idk, I think it's kind of funny that it's Stephen King's IT for fourth graders. Also, because it's aimed at that demographic, they had to conjure a young protagonist from somewhere, and I think the concept is pretty solid, and Charlie's a good character, and I'm also fond of what a little freak Dave-era William is. That's really my favorite concept of the villain motivation in the series, actually: creating this twisted little dollhouse to go sit in and pretend to be a robot. The immortality/mad science/lich/trancendance from the flesh thing is… it's fine. I made my peace with it. But it's a little too Herbert West for my tastes. (Also like… this is why I like Glitchtrap. He's kind of doing the same thing, making is little diorama and reliving his glory days.) All in all, for what it is, a solid 7/10, imo.

As for the rest of the trilogy……. ah, it's not for me. Like I said, I've flipped through the graphic novels a bit, and own them secondhand as curiosity pieces/weird little relics, but it seems like it gets up its own ass to cater to people who like lore (a separate but related demographic as people who like the horror part of the games, in my 100% honest opinion). I hear about the illusion disks and I am austin walker's iconic "do you ever see a take so bad you immediately have to go to sleep?' tweet.

As for Fazbear Frights: I'm not gonna lie, i think it's pretty good. I feel so fondly about the ghostwritten chapterbooks of my youth (I was a Babysitter's Club and Animorphs girlie, and weirdly… not an inaccurate cross-section for Fazbear's Frights), and I think it's perfectly fine to play around in the universe and create a bunch of AUs and related concepts. Is there criticism to be had of the stories themselves? SURE. They're very weak on diversity, QUITE fatphobic at times, and some of them are unnecessarily ghoulish, though there's only so much disgust I can muster for undeserved child death in the child death series… NONE of them deserve it, even the ones that are mean to their siblings or too vain or whatever, and the fact that it's equally likely for any given story to end in brutal death or "wow I really learned my lesson!" is actually pretty fun. Reminds me of Goosebumps a bit (though I was never a huge fan. Too easily creeped. That was my brother's preferred ghostwritten series though, so I sampled here and there. I also somehow had my hands on a novelization of one of the Tales from the Crypt movies too, and that made a big impression).

I don't love that FF takes every fan theory and milks it, and I'm sure the process for actual production has some ethical problems based on everything I know about the industry. But I do firmly believe that a little body horror is good for the youths, and just making it a multiverse rather than sticking to any one canonical thread lets you have your animatronic rabbit and wear it too, as it were. I also kind of like the lower middle class vibe that the series has… There's very frequently a sense of economic desperation and cheap escapism that resonates so well with the games, and reminds me of how going to Chuck E Cheese truly was the marquee birthday activity of my youth (though I liked the arcade more than the animatronics as a wee millenial).

Part of my fondness for FF is just that I had 2 months during late quarantine where I would buy a copy of the next one I hadn't read while I was doing my weekly grocery/target run and ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE OUTSIDE OF MY HOME, and I would read these very unchallenging short stories and be like "I liked that one! …I did NOT care for that one" and it was a little pumpkin full of meat to chew on in my cage. I stopped it pretty abruptly when the proof of Scott's Republican political donations came out (I mostly do not buy any new fnaf items now, though I have ended up doing it here and there, and I mostly class it on the scale of like, buying Overwatch microtransactions even though activision blizzard is a shitty abusive company or smth. Not a moral good, but not on a "funding a person actively involved in politically crushing trans people" level of problematic).

As for the stories themselves, I liked Into The Pit (it really reads like a reused movie script, but in a good way), Count The Ways (a friend of mine, iirc, did NOT like the two non-title stories in vol 1, but I have a soft spot for Funtime Freddy's villain era in that one, and Millie's safe and self-inflicted teenage self pity reads as an affectionate self-callout to me), Out of Stock (this one's just so CLASSIC kiddie horror and also a really good use of an otherwise forgettable part of canon), Room for One More (another good use of forgettable parts of canon, i think the series really shines when it clicks into stuff like that), Coming Home (the jewel of the series, and gets me in the Sixth Sense nostalgia too), Bunny Call (mostly forgettable obvious moral lesson story with a surprising twist of poignency in the middle and an iconic antagonist), The Man in Room 1280 (I wish this was better utilized in the game series, it feels like Security Breach juked around this concept for a much worse and dumber version, and also Andrew is my special little bastard child), and The Real Jake (a sweet, if maybe a bit maudlin, exporation of the deeper concepts in the lore that is solidly a cut above the average FF story, and i like the stitchwraith parts of the books too).

There's none that I have a huge hate-on for, though I thought 1:35 am in particular was VERY bad (I skimmed the last half). While it's notorious, to me, In The Flesh is just dorky, particularly fatphobic and I don't know how everyone is getting MatPat from it. Mat's persona is kind of smug, but not cruel and hateful towards women or a shitty friend (if anything, his peers speak SO warmly of him that makes me give him more credit than he deserves as a cc), and you'd think a real hit piece on him would involve... a theory. A G A M E theory. Okay, I did it the legally required time.

I stopped at Book #6 and i'm not sure if i'll ever go back. I just got a library card so maybe I'll get around to it the next time i'm sucked into the franchise, but for the most part, I'm dormant except for things I really adore about the series (Springtrap, the Funtimes, Afton Family Drama in general, nostalgia for the first few games, etc), so I can't muster up too many more opinions on middle reader books as a 34-year-old. Tales has no appeal to me even as a future "maybe if the fixation hits hard" option, because a bunch of satellite stories around a setting that couldn't muster a third act in the tentpole game is just. Sad.