#like i get it he's supposed to be an audience surrogate

[destinygoldenstar]

In the early seasons, Lloyd was the hero of the story. The Chosen One. The one with the most relevance to the story. The one with the most important role in the narrative.

But he was NOT the surrogate for the audience.

KAI was the audience surrogate. Kai was the one we were following and seeing everything in the lens of. He started the show in his shoes, we followed him on his ninja origins, we discovered the world of Ninjago when he was. And Lloyd wasn't even introduced yet. Even after such, there are SEVERAL shots that indicate the audience seeing something from Kai's POV. The other ninja didn't often get that unless it was a focus season/episode for them.

In that sense, it's VERY interesting to me.

Usually a show would make the Chosen One the audience surrogate. Because they're the most relevant. And Lloyd definately is relevant.

But our supposed 'protagonist' is NOT that person. Instead they're basically an average firebending character watching this Chosen One narrative unfold while he served a different/more important role than one could imagine a Chosen One story needs.

To be the one to RAISE the hero. To be the one to PROTECT him. LOOK AFTER him. BE THERE for him.

And doing it all with just a sword and a familial spark.

Had Kai been open about his jealousy and refused to take on this role, Lloyd likely wouldn't have fulfilled HIS role as the Green Ninja, or even come out a healthy person. The other ninja are obviously a factor into that as well, I'm not denying their relevance, but all of them needed to contribute for that to happen.

THAT is Kai's role in the story. That's why people considered him 'the protagonist' in the earlier seasons. NOT because he was the Chosen One, but because we were in his shoes and struggling with him to fulfill a role that was just as important.

There are not a lot of shows out there that highlight that. In fact, often when shows do that, it's bad because then the protagonist is so irrelevant to the story that it feels like the side characters are more important. But I think THIS aspect is what made Ninjago's version of that work when it really shouldn't have. Saying aloud what Kai's purpose is supposed to be helps too, and makes you understand that there's a message here.

It's also WHY when people say "Kai being the Green Ninja would've been a more interesting story", I WHOLEHEARTEDLY DISAGEE with it.

It would've been cliche, and I think it's a better message to say, "Hey, sometimes you're NOT the special person. Sometimes you will NOT get what you want. BUT you are STILL important and you have a purpose more relevant than what the traditional 'special' role is."

In the LATER SEASONS though...

Yeah that role has just been ERASED. Which is disappointing.

I love Lloyd's POV and I love what they do with him (until Crystalized where it was just... UGH). But they did not need to fade away Kai's role in the story for that to happen. (This is not a 'Focusing on Kai would be taking away focus from Cole or Lloyd' situation. You can STILL have those two get their great development in the later seasons, and no characters have to suffer for it to happen.)

[cadwhatalad]

alright I’ve been thinking about it all weekend and I’ve figured out that what I find so compelling about exu: calamity is how, for the first time in a critical role campaign, we’re working from the point of view of The Establishment.

It’s weird because the thing that really set cr apart for me in the grand scheme of high fantasy media is that in the mainstream campaigns so far, they’ve been incredibly dedicated to playing the underdog. One of the things I really like about Matt and the cast is that they don’t generally go in for the Star Wars/Harry Potter bullshit of “oh it seems like this character comes from nothing but they’re actually secretly special because [insert weird theme of genealogy as an indicator of good character]”. In a wide sprawling world of Lost Princesses and One True Kings, critical role gives us genuine, bona fide nobodies. I’m so in love with the fact that Orym was only ever supposed to be a random bodyguard standing in the corner, that Nott’s big backstory reveal was that she used to be a housewife, that Launda’s character is literally meant to embody the idea of collateral damage.

Even Vox Machina, to date our most respectable party with connections/claims to power from the outset of their arcs (as opposed to clawing their way to legitimacy through adversity Mighty Nein style), only have that to a very limited extent. Percy is an aristocrat, yes, but in a place so small and isolated that it could be seized and ruled by necromancers for a solid half-decade without the neighbouring royal power noticing. Vax and Vex are the children of a high-level ambassador but they’re outcast, bastards, literally illegitimate. Pike is a respected cleric of a god nobody follows. Grog would have led his herd, but was first ousted by his uncle and then willingly ceded the position of power to his cousin. Keyleth was in the same position as Percy, royalty in a way that didn’t matter to anyone outside her civilisation before the conclave arc dragged them into relevance. As a party they spent a pretty big chunk of their early arc half-fighting with Sovereign Uriel in their quest for respect. Compared to our new exu folks they’re still very definitely underdogs. And, y’know, there’s a reason for that – underdogs make for some of the most compelling stories. It’s immensely satisfying watching maligned people gain respect, unloved people become loved, weak people become strong, disempowered people become powerful, etc.

So then I was thinking about all that and wondering why I find these new six so interesting, especially because. It really cannot be overstated how much power they have. We’re shown up front how competent and respected they all are, but more than that, we get all these hints in the build-up to the gala – Nydus being confronted with an NPC whose concerns are “too low” for him as if that’s ever been a thing at the cr table before now; that comment about Laerryn being so fundamental to the workings of the city that most people don’t recognise her on sight because they straight up don’t understand what it is she does; Patia’s exchange with Eldemir the wise – this guy is supposed to be one of the city’s seven highest government officials, and he’s senile. The way as we meet them we bounce from public to secret, statesman to merchant, the very guts of the city to its absolute peak. By the time they all converge at the party and Brennan says that thing about these being the six people who actually get shit done, it’s like. Oh. These are the people who are physically keeping the city afloat. They control infrastructure, information, public opinion. In a room full of the most powerful people in the most powerful city on Exandria, these are the ones who direct it all.

And then it’s hammered home by Purvan’s entrance, because in any other story, he’d be the audience-surrogate character. He walks into this glittering party with his muddy boots and his wolf pal, brings a message from the gods into this monument to arcane hubris, gets laughed at for his trouble by a roomful of wizards in fancy robes. The contrast between this young low-ish level ranger and the ring of brass is so fucking strong. And then even more, by the time he gets done asking to meet with the septarium, we already know that wouldn’t do him any good. We’ve seen what those guys are like already, we know that if he wants to get anywhere he’ll have to speak to our six. They’re the ones who are gonna be able to fix it.

And then I was like, oh. Wait. Calamity.

The reason we like underdogs is because we like watching them rise up, but these folks have already risen as high as it’s possible to go. And we already know how this story ends.  

We’re not just gonna see them fall. We’re gonna see them fall further and harder and faster than any other group of people possibly could.

Not to be too dark about it, but. I’m quite excited.  

[beansprean]

Guillermo tells us how to feel.

Like, consistently. He is the closest thing we have to an audience surrogate and HE tells us what our baseline expectations should be based on his reaction to the world. Luring virgins to a house of vampires to be murdered? All in a day's work! Chopping them up into bits and burying them in the backyard? Gross, but necessary! Re-deading your ex-wives in a Bachelor parody? Morally questionable but I'm not gonna stop you. Hypnotizing a man so many times his brain explodes and he dies? Sounds sad but can't talk, I'm embezzling and committing fraud atm. WWDITS is close to being an anti-comedy like IASIP or Seinfeld because the main characters are all awful people who commit terrible atrocities, but we DO care about them and their happiness because we are given that baseline to work from and know what to take seriously and what to laugh at.

The reason s4e9 felt so cruel was because Guillermo responded to it that way. Because HE was hurt and HE was upset and the last shot of the episode was his heart breaking on screen!! We are SUPPOSED to feel how he feels!! All season things have been getting better for him; he has been more appreciated and respected and has taken more control of his life and now the rug is pulled out from under him again. He/we are left wondering: Guillermo, what now? Is all this still worth it? Is it time for you to leave?

The vampires, as a rule, NO NOT CARE ABOUT HUMANS. They're livestock and free labor and occasional entertainment, and that's the way it's always been. (We haven't even talked about the fact that Nadja killed Sofia Coppola 😂😂😂) Vamps are too long-lived and jaded and used to killing to live for it to be any other way. Humans are playthings!! Unfortunately, that includes Nandor's wives. It includes Marwa, it includes Guillermo's family, and it includes Freddie. But it's starting to NOT include Guillermo.

Like Nandor, we are supposed to FEEL THE GAME ENDING. He was having fun, making a new human to play with because he was bored of his old one and getting to spend time with his best…man and literally could not compute that any of this would be upsetting to Guillermo. Because why would it? They're only toys, they can always get more. (Here, Guillermo is already held separate and above other humans)

But Guillermo was upset! He was angry! He didn't think it was fun, he didn't think it was a game, and this human was IMPORTANT to him and we see Nandor falter, stumble over his words, get quiet and soft and ashamed. The comedy is over and he stops having fun. And he does his best (best is debatable but he is very stupid) to fix it!!

Idk if these events will be specifically addressed next ep because we have important Colin things to do and there had to have been a decent time skip between Freddie leaving and Memo going to London, but I want to point out that THIS IS THE DARKEST HOUR MOMENT. Nadja is losing her club, Laszlo is losing his boy, Colin is losing his youth, Nandor lost his wife/boytoy and Guillermo's trust, and Guillermo lost his boyfriend and got his heart broken for the upteenth time. Things SUCK FOR EVERYONE right now - and that's the point!! Ep 9 of season 3 ended with Colin Robinson DYING. Next ep, things will start to look up. Right before something insane happens that makes everything SIGNIFICANTLY worse and leaves us on a year-long cliffhanger! 😃 And I for one am excited to see it lmao

(Also Marwa sidenote bc look how they massacred my girl:

I will miss Marwa and I'm sad about her (I know not everyone was fond of her like I was lol but idk if the writers expected anyone to feel a way about her regardless), and I'm left thinking "is this even Marwa?" If she has none of her own memories or body or personality left, can we even consider it her? Does Marwa no longer exist? May be the best outcome for her mental state if she now exists only in 1300s Al Qolindar again lol. But if the wishes get reversed or something else happens to return her to Marwadom I'm hopeful she will pull a Derek and return one day!! Wwdits is well known for bringing back one-off characters, and Marwa was a season regular in like 7/10 episodes so I'm not giving up on her yet... My fanart will continue.)

[maximilliansblog]

GUYS what if the neighbors are the 7 deadly sins HEAR ME OUT

Okay so I had this idea before but I couldn’t place some of the neighbors because I was lacking information but it all makes sense now.

Wally and Home aren’t counted because Wally is kind of like an audience surrogate and Home is not really featured in episodes like the other characters. Like it’s *technically* the ninth neighbor, but let’s be real, she’s a house. Alright cool moving on.

The seven deadly sins are (for those of you that don’t know or forgot like I did): pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth.

I’m going to go in order from least difficult to place to most difficult to place.

Howdy is greed - Not hard to imagine, since all he really talks about is his business. Some of you may say that it doesn’t count because he is paid in jokes, but within the universe of Welcome Home, that is an acceptable method of payment, and can be used as a substitute for money in the story.

Barnaby is gluttony - Nearly every time we see the guy he’s eating or smoking. I think he has like two appearances where he isn’t.

Sally is pride - Literally just look at her catchphrase thing and you’ll get the picture. You don’t even need to look at all of her other appearances lol (though they do support it)

Frank is wrath - Seems to be constantly in some kind of fight with another neighbor (especially Barnaby). Very easy to make him mad. (Look at him and Sally’s performance of Silent Night in that bunch of commercials if you need any further support for that claim.)

Poppy is sloth - This is a bit difficult to explain, but basically she doesn’t do much. I understand that it is from her fear of accidents that could happen when she’s outside her barn. Perhaps her sloth isn’t intentional or something. Like, she doesn’t mean to be, but it’s kind of hard not to be when you’re stuck in your house and accident-prone.

Eddie is lust - Lust is not just wanting s3x okay let’s clear that up. Cool. It’s literally just a strong desire for something. Usually something that you’re not supposed to have. Frank and Eddie were not supposed to be together in the show, in fact, the WHRP says that Frank and Julie were supposed to be a couple within the show. He wasn’t supposed to be with Frank.

Julie is envy - Some of you might be scratching your heads at this one. I don’t like to support a theory with another theory, but my Hyacinth Theory (linked in my pinned post) explains this aspect of her character the best I think.

Uh yeah it’s kind of late at night so I didn’t put a lot of effort into gathering all my links and evidence and stuff for this one. Just kind of wanted to throw it out there. Maybe I’ll clean it up later. Bye bye for now

[fantastic-nonsense]

If Inej were the “main lead”, why does Leigh’s acknowledgement at the end of SoC specially call out Kaz as the protagonist + say they (Leigh and kaz) limped along the road together. Why does the back descriptions of both CK and SoC only mention kaz by name. Why does Kaz’s name appear 1112 times in CK and 1139 in SoC via inej’s 660 in CK and 622 in SoC. She gets more pov chapters but a lot of are also focused on kaz (kaz breaker didn’t need a reason is literally her first line) and kaz’s pov is often hidden for reveals too. The stories revolve around him so much more than inej as he’s the leader, assembles the team, has 4+ narrative foils, etc. Leigh even said she came up with SoC because she envisioned a character named “dirty hands”. idk why you’d think it’s disrespectful that people recognize kaz is given far more weight than the other 5 crows in SoC duology. Also audience surrogate isn’t the same as main character.

So. This was an unnecessarily aggressive ask. You could have just ignored my fairly lighthearted post and moved on with your life. But to answer your questions and elaborate on why I think Inej is pretty clearly the 'main lead' of the SoC ensemble cast:

Kaz is called out as a protagonist because he is one. The duology has six co-protagonists; all of the Crows share that status. That's why the book is called Six of Crows, because it's an ensemble cast. And Leigh called him out because she self-admittedly poured a lot of herself into Kaz, particularly his perspective on and handling of his physical disability.

The back descriptions call out Kaz because he's the "leader" of the Crows and it's a heist plot; the marketing team is trying to sell the books by appealing to existing fans of heist plots like Ocean's 11 and Lies of Locke Lamora. However, the book's marketing has no actual impact, necessarily, on how much weight is given to any one particular perspective or story throughout the actual narrative relative to the other Crows. That's not a Leigh Bardugo decision; that's a MacMillan Marketing Team decision.

Likewise, how often a character's name is mentioned does not necessarily reflect their presence or narrative impact in a story. For example, Inej's name is only sparingly mentioned in the first nine chapters of Crooked Kingdom despite Inej getting two POVs and that entire subplot completely revolving around her, largely because Kaz is lashing out at the rest of them whenever she's mentioned. Inej is also referred to as "Wraith" on multiple occasions instead of her name, while Kaz is rarely only referred to as Dirtyhands in place of his name; usually the story will refer to him as both in the same sentence, upping the name mention numbers. Inej has less name mentions largely because she talks less, not because she's treated as a "less important" character. The two Pekka chapters at the end of each book also up Kaz's name mentions and several characters full name Kaz a lot; it's an interesting quirk of the story.

Also, if "how many times a character's name is said" indicates character importance, Nina would be seen as the secondary principal Crow in SOC and Jesper in CK, as their name mentions come secondary to Kaz in both books. Unfortunately for both Nina and Jesper, I don't think anyone would particularly argue for either one. Name mention numbers don't mean anything on their own because again, largely they indicate which characters talk the most and not which characters are given the most narrative importance.

Inej also has 5 narrative foils (Kaz, Nina, Matthias, Adem Bajan, and Dunyasha) and 3 major antagonists (Heleen, Dunyasha, and Van Eck) throughout the duology, the same number as Kaz, so I'm not sure why that's supposed to be particularly compelling evidence that Kaz is the "main" character. If anything, that's indicative of Kaz and Inej getting equal narrative status.

Inej gets the most POV chapters AND the most page time in both books:

Inej is our POV character for 22.6% of the duology. Kaz is second with 18.2%. And even though Kaz is the first Crow to be mentioned (first page of Ch. 2), Inej is the first Crow to actually appear (also the first page of Ch. 2). She gets both the first and last 'main' POV chapter (Ch. 2 of SOC and Ch. 44 of CK) and is also the last Crow to physically appear (in Pekka's epilogue chapter).

Sure. Kaz is the leader and the orchestrator of the heist and auction plots. But the narrative puts much more emphasis on Inej's thoughts, actions, wants, and desires than it does Kaz's. She gets more and longer chapters. We spend much more time in her head, examining her understanding of the world around her and her relationships to the other major characters. And if it comes down to a choice of choosing Kaz or Inej as the duology's "main" lead? Inej is the primary instigator of quite a lot of Kaz's character development but Kaz is not the primary instigator of Inej's; while Kaz is a significant factor in her journey, her development is much more linked to her own trauma, her desire to reunite with her family, and her desire to end the slave trade. His story revolves a lot more around her than hers does around him.

She is also the one to narrate the first main chapter (SOC Ch. 2) and the last main chapter (CK Ch. 44): the books open and close with her story. The parley exchange is a flash-bang introduction to each one of the core Dregs trio with an emphasis on Kaz, but it's still Inej's story that we get first:

She’d joined up with the Dregs less than two years ago, just days after her fifteenth birthday. It had been a matter of survival, but it gratified her to know that, in such a short time, she’d become someone to take precautions against. Though, if the Black Tips thought tricks like this would keep the Wraith from her goal, they were sadly mistaken. ..................... The thought rattled noisily around in Inej’s head. If Kaz was gone, would I stay? Or would I skip out on my debt? Take my chances with Per Haskell’s enforcers? If she didn't move faster, she might well find out.

We see Kaz through her eyes because that chapter revolves around introducing what Kaz is to her: someone she cares about, someone she stays in Ketterdam for, someone who infuriates her, someone who saved her.

And the final main chapter of Crooked Kingdom, likewise, ends with Inej and her story. Her boat, her mission, her boy, her future, and her parents:

Had she really thought the world didn’t change? She was a fool. The world was made of miracles, unexpected earthquakes, storms that came from nowhere and might reshape a continent. The boy beside her. The future before her. Anything was possible.

Ultimately I think you misunderstood what I was trying to say. The point I was trying to make is that while the heist (and thus everyone's primary motivation for going on the job in the first place) revolves around Kaz, the story often revolves around Inej: her thoughts and reactions to what happens, everyone else's relationship to her, her decisions regarding her backstory and trauma (it's her decision to face Heleen and her past in the Menagerie that saves the Ice Court job, for example), and her determination to get her share of the money and leave Ketterdam.

Leigh bookending both each individual book and the duology as a whole with Inej contributes to this. SOC starts with Inej thinking about Kaz and ends with Kaz thinking about Inej. CK starts with the Crows planning to rescue a kidnapped Inej (and getting info from Smeet that will help them do that) and ends with Inej making plans to rescue other kidnapped people (and getting a boat from Kaz that will help her do that). SOC and CK are both narratively bookended by the question/answer "Where is Inej and what is she doing/what's happening to her?" while the duology as a whole is bookended by "Who is Inej and what does she want?"

So no, actually. Kaz isn't given more narrative weight than all of the other Crows. A lot of the duology's technical plot revolves around Kaz and his plans, but Inej is the story's central character and emotional heart...as the books themselves note ("If Kaz was their leader, then Inej had been their lodestone, pulling them together when they seemed most likely to drift apart"). And it really is high time the fandom recognized that.

[jazzzzzzhands]

I am awake! i am living! i am FERAL! This litle update has me absolutely SPINNING Firstly just allow me to say that everything is just oh so so CUTE The costumes, the sprites, the 19 minute long audio, the COOKBOOK my beloved!! But anyways, theory time!! Well more like observations, thoughts and unhinged ramblings XD Gonna put it Down Below:

Speaking of that. First observation is the wording of Down Below We usually talk about waving up high! It is said so many times!

But now we finally have our official "As Above, So Below" My first thought on this is the theme of a stage, "As above the stage, down below the stage" But I truly dont think we have enough information to make a connection quite yet We know where "Down Below" is I wonder where "As Above" is? The second thing is the Wally Darling costume And the Eyes

I realize now that the Eyes are actually just holes and showing whatever is underneath, BUT I still can't help thinking that this was intentional! Perhaps it's some sort of Code? Afterall, his eyes are Black!

Now to get into the MEAT here: Spoilers if you have not found the secret audio! during the secret audio "Listen" The bug found on the transcript

Wally stares directly at the "eddie" apple as he eats the apple on the plate (I also just wanted a screenshot of the "eyes" in the BG)

and now… now i have theories hang on cause it involves the entire transcript that was said but not said in the transcript itself! (In fact, it says this part is not there!! but it IS) so i typed it out by ear (also ayoo we have a narrator!!) (also there is a lot of 4th wall breaking and quite a few neighbors seem to know that there is a show/that they are puppets) (but anyways!) ok but here is what is said in the story It is because this town is rumored to have visitors at night… Something from deep within the forest, far beyond the hills and mountains… No one knows what it wants or where it’s going, just that it is persistent.. Just that it arrives here. So many stories have risen about their origins… But I know what it is searching for. it is looking for neighbors who have stayed up past the daytime, to gobble them up whole that is why so few live here it moves through the streets at night, but it doesnt break into Homes However, on rare instances, it will find itself with an appetite unsatisfied by its aimless wanderings even the occasional unfortunate insect that has crossed its path, is not enough those who have lived through the nights say, it isn't quiet about it either they always say you can hear when it gets closer to you do you know what sound it makes? I hear it, every night. you can hear it too, if you listen especially if you wait next to your window First, there's rustling in the bushes Then, the scratching on the pavement, and the walls.. as it crawls up Finally, if you're quiet.. You can hear it's guttural sound ok ok so there seems to be a theme going on here and the theme is Hunger And also when the audio gets all garbled and skipping? I feel like it is saying..."Frankly" over and over? I could be overthinking, but it is what i hear!! it almost feels like Wally.. can't control his hunger he was supposed to be watching Barnaby's apple Barnaby even says "Don’t worry though, kid, there’s plenty’a other eats here! What’re you feelin’ hungry for, Wally?" and he is quick to draw attention away from wally, as he tends to do a LOT barnaby seems to Know a LOT about Wally, and thats why he sort of has to be his babysitter? I think that there could be a connection here I think Wally was HUNGRY, he was absolutely STARVING OR OR Maybe something else was Hungry? Home?? Whatever the black goo/mold is?? If something is controling Wally? His eyes are black, the Goo is black, the goo is coming from Home But also also [It sounds like Barnaby pats the camera.] Going back to my theory of wally being the camera/ the audience surrogate/his eyes are cameras This is fuel to my fire!! Oh and also the Wally Costume add to the motif of You being able to see through Wally's eyes. Of You and Wally being connected through his Eyes!! But at the end of the day, I think this update revolves around Eddie! This little bug on the rock is Purple! Which we know is Eddie's Color!

And just that that doodle looks like the bug that leads to the secret Audio where Eddie's apple is brought to the screen.. Leads me to feel like something forboding is going on for our poor, dear sweet Mailman! Which by the way, just another little Observation But Sally doesnt seem enthused by the fact that Eddie is a fellow Arts lover? and she just calls him "Mailman" rather than an affectionate longname like she does with everybody else But it does feel like Eddie is the Type to give his heart and soul to everyone, the shirt from his back, only for him to get left in the dirt u_u I'm noticing a trend of him being the neighborhood punching bag Eddie IS the mailman tho! So it only makes sense that he is the one delivering the letters to the WHRP. He is not the one writing them, he's just the delivery guy! But I think he could be being sent out at night When everyone else is asleep And I think something terrible may happen to him It's very dangerous to go out at night and This could be where Eddie is ripped in half/mangled Wally fixes him of course! (old theory but it does reference that) So is Wally just using Eddie to serve whatever purpose he is after? Eddie is a very compliant guy, he would do anything for anyone and if he can be put back together, where is the harm? I am starting to make connections! Stringing together the pieces! And once again, i'm getting the question of "Is Wally Evil?" And once again, I am answering with a solid "No" Do I think that he could be slightly morally askew? With the themes of "I must do what I need to do, no matter what happens" "I'm sorry, but this is how it must be" "The ends justifies the means" Possibly, maybe. Especially if it is to save his Neighbors, his World, his Home. Or, Just some of his actions are not his, he is a puppet afterall. Anyways anyways, this has been a very very long and rambly tangent. Hopefully there can be some sense made from this, I know that I can be a bit jumpy with my thoughts!! But these are my inputs for now!! Feel free to add on/correct me! (I know the one link is out of cannon date, but so was the Frankly picture, and it was made cannon, so take it with a grain of salt)

[waterloggedsoliloquy]

remember reading comments on the rgu chruncyroll page and there were a lot of comments like "why the only dark skinned girl) calling saionji master why did he hit her" 🤨

and i can't speak for how well rgu handles race but i feel it doesn't take much to realize that you are not suppose to agree with anthys treatmeant

why were you reading comments on crunchyroll

jokes aside LMAO yeah its just fuckin dumb. the point of an audience surrogate or a watson (which is always an audience surrogate, but not every audience surrogate is a watson) is to ask questions and react to the world in order to give us a sense of what's normal and what isn't. this is especially important in fantasy settings, and settings where the rules are a lot looser. a good example is twilight sparkle in MLPFIM-- when she first comes to Ponyville and starts interacting with the other ponies, we get a sense of what magic is normal, what magic isn't. what behavior is normal, what behavior isn't. this is like storytelling 101.

so when the obvious audience surrogate and primary POV character of RGU, Utena Herself, begins the show with saying "This is too far, this isn't normal, someone should put a stop to this", even the most foolish of audience members is expected to understand the verbalized disapproval being shown to them. "why is she calling him that, why did he hit her?"

Things like the open-palm slap as physical abuse and school bullying is also a well-established trope in shoujo manga/anime, overwhelmingly depicted as the petty abuse that it is (petty here to mean "everyday, over small issues" not inconsequential). So if one had seen any shoujo anime or manga before, especially from the 80s-90s, one would understand the genre convention at play here as the shorthand for "this is a villain/school bully". and since RGU is a satire (and began as a parody of sailor moon) it relies HEAVILY on the genre conventions and tropes of works in the shoujo demographic and assumes that the audience is familiar with these tropes-- so they can play with them, turn them on their head, or deconstruct them later. it makes me wonder what people think of RGU if theyve come at it without any history with shoujo.

and RGU isn't perfect about race. there is a lot to critique there. but it also does have genuine things to say about racialized misogyny and colorism. randos on crunchyroll r just approaching it in bad faith at that point

[aveline-amelia]

This might get me cancelled, but idc, so...

Fanfiction is supposed to be transgressive. It is supposed to be about looking at something and saying "I could go somewhere interesting with that", "That was stupid, I could fix that", "I can make that better", "I can make that happen", "I can make them fall in love", "I can make them happy".

It's why one of my fandoms had about 30% more works shipping the main character with her (male) best friend as opposed to the guy she marries in the show. People looked at it and said "That isn't right. This is better". So they made it themselves.

But guess what? Shipping her or just liking her more with her love interest was still more popular amongst more casual audiences. And the fanon shippers were surprised by this!

It's why I am baffled by the things I see stated online.

People thinking that there being more fanfiction about a particular ship means more people ship it, as if one fan writes a fic each and then leaves and as if there are no people who ship it and just don't write fic? Because they are not writers?

People being surprised that main characters are shipped with other main characters more as opposed to a character that appears in one episode.

People being surprised that people can believe a character is straight in canon and still enjoy fanon slash ships where he's shipped with other men.

Of course there will always be more M/M works than M/F works. We have enough heterosexuality in media already and as for F/F, while queer women do write F/F fanfic, there aren't that many queer women in the world statistically as opposed to straight women and even if fandom has a larger number of queer women than average, queer women write M/M works too.

You can believe this is Problematic, but guess what, back then, we were all freaks and weirdos. People would share links on obscure websites because they were scared of being sued. Professional writers would purge all their fanfiction and pray to god no one ever finds out. And if you wrote gay fanfiction? Good luck being taken seriously anywhere.

We went from "ship and let ship" and "don't like don't read" to "supporting this platonic surrogate father-son bond makes you a bigot because the father figure once made an ignorant comment" and "it's problematic to ship the hero with the villain because the hero is scared of him".

Fandom stopped being about Liking and Enjoying things and started being about Fighting People and Proving You're Right and Your Ship is Better. Because if you don't become canon, if you don't Win, what is even the point?

Of course it will be like that, when you tell people shipping something is Activism and not shipping something makes them a Bad Person and shipping something you morally disagree with makes them a Bad Person and more importantly makes you a Good Person for fighting the important battle of stopping people from imagining two imaginary people kissing in their heads.

Shipping is a feeling. Sometimes it's "I ship this, hehehe." Sometimes its "Oh no, I ship this and I wish I didn't." Sometimes it's "I wish I shipped this but I can't." It's supposed to be fun and not a form of mental torture.

It's not a choice. It's not writing fanfiction or making fanart, that comes later, but it's not even a requirement. You can write fanfiction for something you don't even ship! You can write fanfiction for shows you didn't even watch!

And shipping something doesn't make you Better or Worse.

Ship shaming doesn't stop people from shipping something, it only has the potential to make them feel worse for something they, for the most part, can't control. And when the person in question is a literal teenager who also self-harms, it certainly has no potential to do anyone any good.

And it's why when the proshippers see a person like that, a person like them, they welcome them in. "You're with us now. It's your ship. Own it. Come join us." Because they have experienced the same thing and they know they would want someone to stand up for them, too. They won't let you feel as if you're alone. Because you're not and you never will be. You have a community, you just need to look for it and find it.

It's what made me realize that the antis were the bullies. Also, the antis were a bunch of teenagers too, who thought they were doing important activism by yelling at people in caps lock.

So get off your high horse. It's not that serious. Stop talking about it like it's life or death and maybe you will feel better.

It worked for me.

I want the same for you.

And I swear, if someone here starts with "But what about-" No. Let me stop you right there.

[altschmerzes]

hey for something new and different im gonna do something i havent done in a very long time and share a bit of my original sports fiction project. this is from the very beginning of it, not the actual opening-opening but very shortly after it. it helps introduce and get to know our audience surrogate character, hockey player jesse marvel who’s just been drafted and is about to start training camp for the team that drafted him, the minneapolis-saint paul phoenixes.

buries my face in my hands anyways here’s this

Since he started high school, Jesse has been experiencing a recurring dream. It happens every couple of weeks or so, to the point that it’s an inside joke around his family’s home that Jesse got another video call from his alternate life whenever he has it. 

In the dream, he’s at a concert, standing off to the side of a massive stage, grandly lit with an inferno of blinding bright lights. The crowd is enormous, the kind you’d see at Madison Square Garden or Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Thousands of blurred out faces gather in an undulating mass of expectant fans, ready and waiting for the show to begin. The anticipation is so thick in the air that he can taste it, a metallic aluminum-copper, the adrenaline emitting from every person there enough to raise goosebumps on his arms. He never knows what band is supposed to take the stage, and every time he tries to read the banner hanging at the back of the platform it’s like he can’t get his eyes to focus on it. Then the crowd starts cheering, a wall of sound sweeps in a tidal wave across the stage, and someone plants a hand square in the middle of Jesse’s back. There’s the quick jerk of a nylon strap around his neck, the whack of an electric guitar into his chest, and a shove that sends him stumbling out, unable to stop until he stands, centre stage, staring out at the crowd that he now realizes has come to see him.

At this point of the dream, a few things occur to Jesse at once. He cannot play the guitar and in fact has never touched one in his life before this moment. He cannot carry a tune in a bucket. One time, he’d been singing in the car and his little sister Brigit, who’d then been ten years old, had very solemnly pulled a five dollar bill out of her backpack and handed it to him, informing him she was bribing him ‘cash money’ to stop. And finally, in just a moment, he’s going to play a chord, or open his mouth to sing a note, and irreversibly, inescapably, profoundly let every one of these thousands upon thousands of people down. 

Jesse hasn’t had the dream since before the draft. He’d walked up on the stage when his name had been called, selected third overall out of hundreds of talented young players hoping this would be their big shot to make it into the League, and accepted the jersey and hat handed to him by the Phoenixes general manager without a single slip-up. It was the exact opposite of the experience in the dream. So much so that he’d thought maybe the dream had just been him psyching himself out since he really got serious about making the League, some kind of subconscious hazing he’d been inflicting on himself. 

It’s not until after the draft, when he’s milling awkwardly around the hall in a surreal haze surrounded by families in fancy clothing and reporters with flashing cameras and little recorder microphones, that Jesse realizes he'd been premature on deciding that one. If the dream was meant to prepare him for anything, it wasn’t the draft. It was everything that followed. Every day he steps out of the hotel room he’s been calling home for the last couple weeks, Jesse feels like he does in the dream when the shove propels him forward onto the stage. It’s like even the walls in the twin cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul have grown eyes, and every pair of them is trained on him. 

During the rookie showcase, there had been a reassuring degree of anonymity that had helped Jesse feel a little less like he was living a waking version of that dream. Every person there is in the same uniform, the Phoenixes standard gear complete with a blank practice jersey and helmet, none of which had a name or number attached. There, he’d just been another kid with skates on his feet and big dreams in his head, surrounded by fifteen or so others exactly like him. It isn’t until he’s at the first day of training camp, a freshly signed contract placing him in the slim ranks of players who were signed to teams their first year before ever playing a single minute of a game on League ice and a jersey screaming his last name in all-caps across his shoulders, that the feeling comes back. Everyone’s eyes are on him again, and this time it’s worse, because those eyes are the eyes of the Phoenixes.

[weaselbeaselpants]

Since I am familiar with the 2012-2016 comic, lemme just say that having too many characters wasn't the problem with Zoophobia. Viv's right in that it was a problem- but it's not THE problem. It's a problem that I think crops up in a lot of her works. Viv has really solid ideas for premises and characters, I think. I really liked the Helluva Boss pilot, Timber is good, I liked parts of Hazbin Hotel and the first chapter/set up into Zoophobia and it's world (Safe Haven) are honestly pretty good. Obviously made by and for an indulgent writer wanting to showcase a bunch of things they like? Yes but that's not a flaw in itself- also that describes half of like, EVERYONE ON TUMBLR's concepts, don't lie to me.

If you've never read the 2012 comic, Zoophobia's 'main' character was a human named Cameron who has actual zoophobia along with just an understandable reaction to being trapped in a mythical world of animals and monsters. She's skittish and unlucky and she gets a job at Phoenix University basically being a counseler and shrink to the students. This is a GREAT set up because what ZP was about was a chance for Viv to show off her childhood-made OCs (or just any OC she wanted to feature/talk about). It'd ostensibly would make a great 'OC of the Week' comic; Cameron is supposed to just be the school counselor but like in Undertale or maybe Amphibia, she gets dragged waaay too deep into the individual character's worlds and conflicts, which would be how she AND US, get to know them-

-yeah, the comic wasn't like that. Despite giving Cameron a perfect fantasy-inclined excuse to follow the student characters around because they were the actual focus, instead the comic just completely shifted focus onto Zill, Kayla and Damien in chapter 3 apart from Cameron. She should have been the one to see Damien's lie and be aware of the true cause of Zill and Kayla's scism. Maybe she didn't/couldn't do anything on her own because as established, she's scared of the animal people and monsters. She should have been with Damien's chaparones, looking for him in his chapter. I like Cameron (and so could the audience) not because she's interesting but because she's a surrogate for us. It's such an easy enough fix, and with a bit better focusing on the right characters with their arcs (Zill and Kayla in their arc; Jack in his; just Damien in his arc; just Addison in his), maybe cut some otherwise needless side characters and fill the background cast of one arc with what would have been the supporting from another- that would be interesting.

Viv has this 'thing' where she really likes to pitch a series/story with an ensemble cast everytime all the time. That wouldn't be so bad if she definitely had a role for the characters to play in the eventual story...but she doesn't. She has characters she really likes playing with and writing about and then other characters being horribly sidelined, which is a problem when the sideline-victim-in-question is an establishing character or the MAIN character even...and it really ends up effecting every character because then, when it comes to the mains Viv wants to write about- they feel way to overbloated or underdeveloped compared to how they were hyped up. Rewatched the pilot and this is still my problem with Alastor and Angel!

Alastor is supposed to be mysterious. He should be mysterious. Build up some tension with this obviously menacing smily-deer man by never showing you what he really can do in the end and ABSOLUTELY NO 'exposition sequence' from Vaggie essentially spoiling why he's just so important. Whether it is a stand alone story, the pilot to a longer series, or the intro to a longer series- it takes away so much of the bite from Al in favor of what the writers gushing over him.

Angel, meanwhile, is all but the real face of Hazbin, not Charlie. He's Viv's favorite character, not her. Within the pilot he's supposed to be her gunnea pig, but I was so underwhelmed by him.

Because they had to make him a jerk who doesn't care about the hotel at all, they gave him functionally nothing to do or care about at all- and that made him feel like complete filler. I keep asking again and again WHY Angel of all characters wasn't the main focal character, and/or why he wasn't the one to warn Charlie about Alastor. It really does feel like, after Alastor enters the story, Angel has to just go because his planet needs him and then he dies on the way to his home planet. This is YOUR BOY, Viv! Give your boy the spotlight he deserves and that you clearly want for him.

To me, Viv is really good at pitching a concept, but when it comes to actually executing the idea her works turn into fan fiction of themselves. From what I've heard, this is the 'problem' with Helluva Boss, that it's now "the Stolitz show" because Viv and her crew clearly lost themselves writing about them that they forgot about the main premise: low-level demons holding a service for sinners and causing mayhem wherever they go because of it. Either the show should have pitched itself with just Blitzo, Moxxie, and Stolas being the real power over the group which would have set up Stolas being such a key figure in the story, ax Millie and Loona from the main cover image or the main lineup- OR, you focus on all four of the supposed main characters first and leave the Stolas and possibly Stolitz stuff for later.

Tl;dr: I soooo wish Viv would make the basic script bible and "plot" of the series and then hand the actual writing of her stuff off to someone else. I'm sorry if I'm 'lame' in the eyes of the antis and stuff, but I actually really like Brandon's specific outlandish humor and I enjoy the Hazbin cast when they're in fanfics enough.....but I just feel like Viv herself is well outside her comfort zone trying to write lore or anything resembling a longer story.

[destinygoldenstar]

Little Preview Of A ‘Kai Deserved Better’ Essay

I have a very interesting history with this character in particular. I watched Ninjago all the time as a kid, I jumped on the train about when Rebooted was premiering. (That's CRAZY to think about, that kids who grew up with the show are now in their high school and college years, me and my sister being examples.) (It's even crazier that now of all times is when Ninjago becomes trending for reaction channels on the Internet. I love it, personally.) And I distinctly remember my opinion on Kai back then.

I hated him. I did not like this guy. I thought he was very egotistical and uncaring and unwilling to see the others perspectives and was a detriment to the team. He was one of my least favorite characters in the show as a kid as a result. 

But my classmates in school (who were boys that I didn't approach or let anyone know I was into this show, because 'this show is for babies' and 'you're a girl why are you watching a boys show') had a debate that I didn't participate in about the show and who their favorite ninja was. They all said Kai. (Except for one guy who was a Zane stan, like me. Maybe I'll do a Zane post too.) I did not understand the Kai appeal at all. Like, what was there to enjoy about a character with very blatant flaws and shortcomings and wasn't a neurodivergent cinnamon roll?

And then I fell out of the show because of the Rebooted finale, and then came back two years later where Tournament of Elements and Possession were already out, and I watched them, and I loved them. And what those seasons did with Kai, where he actually got character development, became less of a jerk to the others, and became oh so relatable all of a sudden to me... I understood the appeal. It REALLY won me over on him.

Looking back at it NOW, I seriously question why I even hated him in the first place, because now everything I hated about him is everything I love about him. 

Iconic 🔥 Fire 👑 King

So you can imagine my stance with his character and what he has become now that the show is over. (The main show, I mean) I still love him. But I do think there's a lot of missed potential with what he could've been. And I know I'm not the only one.

Starting in the Pilots of the show, as a newbie to the realm of Elementals and ninja, Kai was an audience surrogate. We are welcomed into this world of Ninjago along with him, watching as he trained in the monastery to harness his fire, befriending his teammates, and routing for him in his journey to save his sister and later become a hero. Kai was the surrogate character that you would experience the journey of throughout the show, see him grow and change, face hardships and victories, become more competent and capable as the story went on, and embrace the destiny casted upon him as the next Master of Fire.

Except you don’t. 

Turns out the Pilots focus character, the session that started it all, and the ninja that's figure is plastered on so much merch, almost as much as Lloyd, was the one that arguably got the least amount of care and huzzah in the show.

Outside of the Pilots, he’s the only ninja to never be the center character of a season. ALL of his supposed focus seasons are more team season related or tied to someone else. While the other ninja grow and develop and expand their heroism and powers, Kai never grows out of his klutz status. He's the only ninja to never defeat a villain. Every villain he does get, someone else defeats them while Kai is basically useless in these fights. He's the only ninja to never get any sort of alternate form. (If you count Jay becoming a snake that one episode) And... the movie version of this character absolutely rubbed off on him post movie, to the point where it's kind of jarring of the difference. And then, as I said jokingly in another post, he gets sidelined in nearly everything he's ever been involved with. This character is given no moments to shine. Every moment he does get is either overshadowed by someone or something else, or his shining moment becomes useless and undone by the plot. 

I wouldn’t have a problem with this if it wasn’t ONLY Kai getting this treatment. 

But then this post wouldn’t be titled what it is. 

And that's a shame. It's also why many fans of the show, and especially Kai stans, want to see Kai take the spotlight (just like the other ninja did). Because whenever the story IS focused on Kai, he becomes the most interesting and compelling character in the room!

And in case you're wondering, NO, I DON'T blame Lloyd for this. Kai was never supposed to be the long term protagonist, and I think Lloyd getting that role instead was a lot better for the show's story in the long run. Kai does not need to be the protagonist of the show to be an awesome character. But if the other ninja can get their focus seasons that are solely about them, and get W's throughout the show, so can Kai. 

He is not a dumb jock who is a klutz with everything he touches. He is a hardworking loving older brother that you do not want to tick off.

That's the Kai in old fans' hearts, anyway. That's OUR Kai. 

So I wanted to take a deep dive into Kai's character, what made him so compelling in the first place, and how I think the later seasons could've done him justice they did not deliver. 

Cause we got 210 episodes of ranting to utilize. 

(Why I Love Kai)

(Arsenal Klutz Status)

(The Lack Of Backstory)

(That One Soot Filled Twist)

(The Fire Chapter (And Ice to a degree))

(Motivation Out The Window)

(What Now?)

So I said I’d write this, and I will deliver. You guys wanted this from a poll I did. I can revive my character analysis posts! (I did one for Petra MCSM) I call myself AnalyzGolden online because I never shut up. So I can’t promise when the full thing is out, cause I have a LOT I want to say, but other POVs definitely help. The GF who has now finished the show mostly agrees with me.

[featherdawn]

I've expressed how I don't like the whole wally x y/n thing the fandom has going on but the more I think about it the more,,, uncomfortable it gets on my head

like, not as a self shipping thing, if ur in love with wally go fuckin nuts! I'm more talking about how like, y/n has become a character in the fanon

which firstly, who exactly is y/n supposed to be, in wallys eyes? it seems the person his voice messages are directed to is the playfellow workshop employee, and it's possible he doesn't know that that person is not us, the outsiders viewing but entirely uninvolved with the restoration. if he does know we're separate, then it's most likely he views us as the audience for welcome home. the thoughts of an adult character having a crush on the target audience of a young children's show is,,, uncomfortable.

even ignoring all that, and assuming he knows us as 1. not the playfellow employee, 2. adults, and 3. as multiple separate people (which throws another wrench into this. which one of us is y/n? is he just seeking the world's largest polycule here?), it just feels. odd for his character to be in love with the viewer. in the show, he's supposed to be an audience surrogate, isn't he? why would he be in love with the very person/people he's supposed to represent? it doesn't make much sense from a storytelling perspective to me.

finally, he doesn't show any signs of being romantically interested in us lmao. the closest we get is an "I love you", which, congrats, a children's show character said they love you. that happens platonically all the time lol

this isn't meant to like. rain on anyone's parade or discourage ppl making wally x y/n content (a lot of it is really cute! despite my overall negative feelings on the ship, I still sometimes enjoy looking at yalls art, yall are talented <333), more just. express frustration with how ingrained it is in the fanon. people seem to treat it as canon and its not and it can be frustrating seeing it absolutely everywhere, yk?

[ecoamerica]

Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc

The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!

[duchessofferia]

Which is the earliest time Jame Seymour should have been introduced in "The Tudors"? Since Jame had scored a place in Katherine of Aragon's court in 1529, she should have been introduced sometime during the last couple of episodes of s1, along with Edward and their father John.

After a recent rewatch, during the scene at the s1 finale where a nameless girl rebukes Anne Boleyn after her wishing that all Spaniards would be put under the sea speech, I thought that that part should have gone to Jane Seymour. That rebuke could have been one of Jane's first lines in the series.

You’re right, Jane should’ve been introduced earlier. The earliest Jane could’ve been at court was 1527, or more likely 1528, to my understanding. Katherine of Aragon made her speech at Blackfriars in 1529, and The Tudors leaned into the idea of Jane as connected to Katherine - the scene where Mary gives Jane Katherine's cross to help her through labor comes to mind. As for Anne, there were an assortment of... nameless, jittery blonde women swirling around her during the early seasons. The creators could've slotted Jane into one of their places. Maybe they meant to? I know there was some kerfuffle about her casting.

If the comparison scene between Jane & Anne before the latter's murder is anything to go off of, the creators wanted to set Jane up as ideologically opposed to Anne, to some extent. It would've been nice if Jane was given a more self-actualized role in that opposition, rather than being shown as this silly, flighty girl who stumbled into a position for which we're obviously supposed to judge her. I just know she and Katherine Howard are sharing tea cakes in hell.

Sir John's offscreen death in Season 3, and the casually callous way Edward communicated it to Jane, also would've landed much better if they'd introduced Jane earlier. Her and Edward's sibling dynamic is one of my favorites in the show, communicated subtly through shared looks, close ups and such. In Season 2, Jane follows Edward's lead, allowing him to influence her decision making something like a surrogate father. Jane is certainly the passive member of their relationship, but that wasn't used to cast her as stupid, or lesser than the other wives, which I appreciated. Edward asking Jane if she'd like to be Queen once he and his father start planning for it speaks to this dynamic that's sort of childish, in a sweet way - Edward leads and Jane follows, but willingly, not slavishly.

In Season 3, when Henry starts controlling Jane more overtly, Edward remains a man in her life who she's allowed to criticize and chastise, even as he's demonstrated to be brutally unscrupulous in his own right (see: that awful sexualized torture scene.) His wife Anne Stanhope is shown putting horns on him, but Edward barely notices, never mind getting mad at her for it. Compare that to how savagely Henry reacted to the vaguest whiff of infidelity in his Anne. The first one, that is.

It's almost like The Tudors' Henry is a decent public figure, but a monstrous domestic one, while The Tudors' Edward is a monstrous public figure, but a decent domestic one. And Jane is the woman who connects the two of them, binding their families into one, however temporarily. As Jane lays dying, Henry compares her to his late mother, and Jane is introduced to Henry by her own father, himself depicted as this jolly old fat country lord. Sir John's characterization in The Tudors was sparse, but maybe that's a blessing, considering the shaft Thomas Boleyn got.

Which leads me to another comparison. Thomas and George Boleyn's posthumous reputations both took a massive hit with this show. George is rendered not just abusive but sexually violent, the shadow of early 2000s homophobia hanging over The Tudors' portrayal like a pall. His father's depiction is more unfair than offensive, but that's not much of an improvement. This promo pic of him just makes you feel dirty, as Olga Hughes pointed out, lmao. We the audience can assume that Pádraic Delaney's George Boleyn got his cruelty from his father, while Anne (and Mary) are the family's more kindhearted diamonds-in-the-rough, a position that is reinforced by George's atypical protectiveness over Anne, which is ultimately used against him. Jane and Edward's relationship isn't as emotionally intimate as George and Anne's, but Edward and George's duel positions as men who are capable of being both negligent & violent and paternal & attentive sets them up as interesting examinations of the kind of man who takes root in an environment like this, much like Charles Brandon, Eustace Chapuys, Francis Bryan, etc.

The missing piece in the equation is Jane. Henry's fatherhood is well explored, Anne's sisterhood is the most overtly sympathetic part of her characterization, Mary I's conflict as a daughter is what drives her through the whole series. Jane is a sister, daughter, mother and wife, and there are a few shining moments where she really titillates: inquiring about her family's plans, selling the necklace Henry gave her, chiding Edward for mishandling her father's death, protecting Mary no matter the cost, things like that. But her most well-developed relationship is the one she has with Henry, and that one says more about him as a man than it does her as a woman.

How did Jane feel about Sir John that encouraged her to lean on Edward, even though he was easily identifiable as a worse man than his father? How did Jane feel transitioning from Katherine's household to Anne's, especially with regards to her catholicism? What did she think about the dissolution of the monasteries when it first started? Did she want to get married and have children, or did she just know she'd have to one day? What were her prospects before Henry? What does she like in a man anyways?

Unfortunately, we don't know, because The Tudors doesn't bother to tell us. Wish it had been different, to say the least.

[emodennis]

im not in the clearest headspace so this will be fuzzy, but basically i love fat mac because i am also fat and have severe body dysmorphia, and being able to laugh at my problems helps a lot. much in the same way im mentally disabled and seeing the gang make fun of charlie for his own makes me laugh, it makes me happy in a weird way to know that the gang would treat me just as poorly as theyd treat anyone else. i think if the gang Werent super mean to mac for being fat, then that would be out of character for them, especially dennis and dee. but i would totally love to hear your perspective on it!!!! sorry if this sounded like gibberish aksjsjdjd

this makes total sense, dw. everyone deals with their problems differently, and i think this show can be especially cathartic/comforting for people for different reasons. and i don't want it to seem like i'm trying to take that away from anyone.

i agree that the gang not being mean to mac for being fat would be out of character, which is why i wish that plotline was just not in the show.

but basically, i have three major issues with fat mac: the reason behind him, his characterization, and the way the gang treats him/the way that the show expects the audience to think about him.

so we all know that rob wanted to satirize the fact that often characters on TV shows look better as they get older because the actors get richer and have the means to maintain/improve their appearance. so he wanted his character to look worse, aka fat. already stigmatizing from the outset.

additionally, we see mac get stupider, lazier, and hungrier in season 7, moreso than in any other season (although he does get stupider in later seasons due to flanderization. but the change from seasons 5/6 to 7 was drastic). i don't have all the examples for this off the top of my head- i was going to gather those for a more thought-out post, but i'm sure some come to mind. they basically turn him into a fat stereotype for a season, and then subdue those traits immediately once he loses the weight in season 8. and every time he's shown wanting/eating food, it's in a way where we're meant to laugh at the spectacle of a fat person being obsessed with eating. and i know that's the intention because of how they utilize the gang as the straight person/people in those scenarios. which brings me to my next point.

i tend to compare/contrast the fat jokes to the way they make fun of mac for his gay behavior- the gay jokes are funny because they’re making fun of him for not realizing that what he’s saying/doing is gay. it doesn’t come across like his being gay is a bad thing, because we know that the characters accept him for it. the fat jokes are meant to be in a similar format- they’re making fun of mac for not realizing he’s fat. the joke is supposed to be about his delusion. but the difference is that they hate his being fat. the gang plays the voice of reason in those scenarios, the audience surrogate. they’re supposed to reflect what we’re all thinking: mac is fat and he needs to realize he’s fat and lose the weight because it’s disgusting.

also from the podcast, we know that rcg have very mainstream (aka fatphobic) views of health, which are especially visible in the who's more healthier episodes. i'm not going to get into the science of why fat does not equal unhealthy, but a quick google search should explain why correlation does not equal causation (and even if a fat person is unhealthy, there's the whole "why should we harass/discriminate against people for being unhealthy" part too but that's another thing). anyway, it's pretty clear that rcg view being fat as a bad thing and it shows up in their writing.

i know this show perpetuates all sorts of bigotry, and fatphobia is just one thing on a long list. but i have a neurodivergent level of fixation on fighting fatphobia, so that's one of the battles i choose.

i accept (and on good days, love) myself for being fat. i don't find catharsis in fat jokes. they just piss me off and make me sad for all the fat people who are going to have to hear yet another message about why their bodies are bad.

(btw, most of this was just a general rant/explanation and not a direct response to your message. i wish you the best on your acceptance journey and i'm glad that fat mac helps you through it.)

[kendrixtermina]

Another Thing Chibnall can't do right: Audience Surrogates

I'm going to start this last rant with one illustrative question: Why isn't Ryan Sinclair popular?

He is consistently considered the blandest out of a cast of terribly bland, flavorless characters, but why?

Cause let's look at a purely 'theoretical' description of his character: He's a warehouse worker who experienced dicrimination & frustrating shit because of his disability & racism, he has a messy complicated family situation that he's salty about, he likes videogames, experimental music and making youtube videos.

On paper, he sounds like Mr. Relatable Millenial. Why didn't ppl eat his character up? Cause it's not like there isn't an appetite for it, ppl had been clamoring for black main characters, disabled peeps, more working class protags, what have you. There's demand.

Now I generally consider 'Relatable' a a false god & I'm the first to get angry when someone argues all characters need to be 'relatable everymen'. RTD loved that trope a lot & then ppl got mad when Moffat wasn't RTD and loudly proclaimed that no real person would relate to Moffat's characters (I guess I don't exist then...), it always pisses me off when ppl claim their experiences are universal or that they will only care about characters who are similar to them as if experiencing the PoVs of other wasn't the point of storytelling.

So the issue is NOT that I think all characters need to be Relatable Everymen. The issue is that Chibnall tried to write one & failed spectacularly.

I wanna argue that the reason for this is that he doesn't know who the audience is, and that he treats the supposed audience with mockery & condescension.... though really, most of all, he's simply out of touch with it. To make an audience surrogate type character & have it land, you need to correctly understand the audience.

Notice what tone is present when something from pop culture is referenced - for example, when Tzim Sha's victim is listening to affirmations on his headphones, its looking to be mocking ppl who do that.

Ryan shows more emotion about things being deleted from his phone than his life being threatened, landing on an alien planet or finding a desolate future earth. "Haha millenials obsessed with phones!" ...who is that joke FOR? What feelings is it likely to evoke towards Ryan?

'Climate Change Bad' is treated like it would be a totally new idea to Yaz & Ryan, who are supposed to be part of a generation that grew up with climate anxiety all their lives as a reason to be cynical

The Doctor needs to lecture them about who Nicola Tesla is, they're treated as having no clue... even though there's, like, a car brand named for him & loads of tumblr posts.

Likewise, Ryan needs to be lectured by everyone about who Rosa Parks was

etc. etc.

The same refrain all over again: Young people are dumb, young people are silly, we wrote these characters as dumb & silly because that's what we think YOU GUYS are like.

Does anybody LIKE being called dumb & silly? Are people likely to like the character used to represent their dumbness & sillyness?

I get the need to maybe exposition things for young viewers, but that can probably be contrived in some way without making the characters you're supposed to like seem dumb. With the Nikola Tesla thing, for example, how about having Graham have no idea who he is? I don't mean make him ignorant, but genuinely interested to learn.

By contrast, let's look at some other 'relatable youngster' characters & how they're treated:

Rose Tyler very much evokes a typical mid 2000s mainstream pop culture, with her bleach blonde hair & bleached flared jeans etc. You can easily imagine that she probably dyed her hair to copy Britney spears, Kylie Minogue or Christina Aguilera, like a lot of girls back then. She effectively winds up in one of the fantasy romance stories that were popular back then. She gets what's kind of a wish fulfillment story of finding out she has the potential to be badass & make a difference after being treated as a fuckup.

Courtney Woods is a rebellious teen considered difficult by her parents/teachers & labelled a 'disruptive influence'. When she introduces herself as such, the Doctor instantly likes her & respects her rebel cred. She is treated as having great intuition & being unintimidated by effective authority figures such as Clara... and that's cool & an opportunity for Clara to learn. Likewise, when he off-handedly says something that hurts her feelings, it is not played as an an 'oversensitive teen' joke but rather Clara makes the Doctor apologize & make it up to her. We are also told that despite struggling with a rigid environment at school, she becomes succesful later in life because of that same strong personality.

Rose Noble is sort of the typical image of gen Y, complete with colorful hair & pronouns. She is really into arts & crafts, makes those 'creepy cute' plushies that she sells online, but in her IRL surroundings she experiences bullying. You can easily imagine her having an AO3 or a crafts-themed tiktok. She is in one of those 'found family wholesome hurt/comfort' stories that are popular nowadays & has the protective mom many teens wish they had.

To summarize:

Their experiences are validated & affirmed, not mocked

pop culture references are used to characterize them & connect them to the audience

From the framing it's clear that we're supposed to like these characters and that they're awesome. That doesn't mean that they don't have flaws or insecurities (indeed those are a big part of what make them relatable) but they're the kind of insecurities someone in their life situation would have. (Rose T. is a tad jealous cause she worries about her love interest finding someone more impressive, Courtney doesn't show insecurity but responds by acting out, but has a thing about being unimportant/not special, Rose N. feels alienated from her peers & out of place)

the stories they get cater to wish fullfillment, which is possible due to knowledge of what these groups of people like

It would have taken a half hour google search for Chibnall to find out what the wishes & dreams of someone like Ryan would look like. IDK, find some blog posts by warehouse workers, ppl with dyspraxia, millenials etc.

One thing that's been pointed out for example is that we never really see WHY Ryan wants to learn to ride a bike. If it's just to please his parental figures, wouldn't a better arc be that they realize he doesn't need to be able to do that just to prove he can and appear "normal", rather than 'look he concentrated & climbed a ladder after all!' Like many actual disabled ppl say they're annoyed about 'shaking off the disability' type stories.

Or, he could relate to getting the chance to adventure as an escape from his lowkey dystopian frustrating life where he deals with many unfair things, or latch onto the Doctor as a mentor after losing his parental figures, or maybe worry that someone who struggles with some physical activities isn't a fit for adventuring but then realize that he can contribute in other ways like asking good questions & thinking. (especially when Yaz is a better fit for the action scenes as someone who presumably had police training)

You could have an interesting unique team dynamic this way:

Yaz could be the competent, badass one, but believing in order & authority tends to just follow/ hero worship the doctor eventually leading into the bit where she develops a crush on her, Graham is the caution/common sense similar to Rory or Donna, maybe looking to protect the younger protags but also gradually having his horizons broadened, and Ryan could get to be the heart & emotional core of the group & the one who questions the Doctor more due to being more jaded from his shitty life while also wanting to escape from it...

Like. If you gave the same list of character traits to a more competent writer, you could've ended up with such complex, dynamic & interesting characters that ppl would have been all over.

[biblioflyer]

What is Picard's narrative style?

Just sort of thinking aloud here, but I'm finding myself rather baffled by a particular sort of response to Jack Crusher that seems to be a reaction to a saccharine, uncritical adoration of him that I'm somehow completely unaware of. Maybe there's a huge area of the web that is fawning over Jack that I'm just not seeing because of the whims of the algorithm.

I have a feeling this reaction might be dependent on what framework people are looking at the show through and whether its the classic Trek framing of pulp drama and "protagonist centric morality" where Jack is somehow supposed to make us feel seen and be presumed to be correct in all things.

Which I think flies in the face of the sort of "prestige drama" framing of the streaming era where the protagonists are limited and fallible and while they may be motivated by high minded principles, adhering to those principles is not always easy: see also Crusher and Picard talking themselves into executing Vadic or Seven executing the gangster in season one, and the right course of action is not always obvious. I strongly believe that this is the more appropriate way to analyze Seasons One and Two of Picard, and I suspect Discovery becomes a richer series if one adopts this posture.

Speaking of which, this is all very reminiscent of criticism of Burnham oddly enough, which makes it extra odd and ironic because it also seems to be rooted in lingering anger over how the fandom has responded to Burnham and a perceived hypocrisy in the reception of Jack. Don't get me wrong, I got to like the guy even though I dislike both the secret lovechild trope and the messiah antichrist trope, but if I had thought I was supposed to assume he's objectively correct about everything and uber special, that would not have been the case.

If the assumption is that characters like Burnham and Jack are pulp action heroes then yes, the entire plot falls apart like a house of cards because they repeatedly do very poorly thought out things that turn out through happenstance to have been the right move after all for reasons no one could reasonably predict ahead of time. Additionally the plot winds up centering them as a key element in saving or condemning the Federation, the galaxy etc.

However! Greek tragedies involving Fate with a capital F also deal in self fulfilling prophecies and narratives that are going to fulfill themselves no matter how the characters try to resist. Some of the darkest stories humanity has ever told involved predestination paradoxes.

Which to me means that if we are to assume that modern Star Trek is more like The Expanse, Babylon 5, or even Deep Space Nine; absolutely no one should be assuming Jack is supposed to be an audience surrogate. He's just another mortal flailing his way through the story who didn't ask to be a chess piece in a Borg Xanatos gambit and, if anything, keeps trying to get people to stop dying in his stead.

People who are making these choices are very explicitly doing it not because Jack is uniquely deserving, but because he's not. The argument advanced time and again is that of solidarity. That actually the Vulcans are wrong and throwing people to the wolves because it would be more efficient from a consequentialist view is an error.

Now you don't have to buy that and I don't think Picard S3 actually did a great job of making this argument (major credit to Todd Stashwick for making what could easily have been yet another in a long line of Starfleet antagonists who have taken consequentialism too far and made him seem like the smartest guy in the room a lot of the time.)

But! If you think for instance that Turkey ought to be kicked out of NATO for its treatment of the Kurds with full recognition of the potential of earthquakes in the geopolitics of Southeastern Europe and the Middle East, or that the US is right to risk nuclear war to help Ukraine*: then there is an argument for sending a message to bad guys that there are people who will put skin in the game because its the right thing to do even if the risks are extreme. You could even make consequentialist arguments for following one's conscience that are rooted in solidarity and inspiring better behavior from others who may be inclined towards timidity.

*You are free to disagree with either of these propositions if that disagreement is rooted in reality and a legible ethical argument, I'm mainly using these as analogies rather than trying to sell the reader on them. The what, hows, whys, and other contingencies of geopolitics are fussy, the consequence vast, and I don't mean to flatten them.

Admittedly the debate over individualism vs consequentialism and Jack's narrative role is an argument that I think would have been strengthened if the series hadn't done an abrupt 180 on the recurring themes of the validity of people trying to solve problems on their own without having to be in Starfleet.

But there again, I get what was trying to be signaled by putting Jack, Raffi, and Seven on the bridge: Starfleet is turning the corner on excessive proceduralism. Which incidentally forgets that at several points in the narrative, the entire season might have been derailed if people had listened to Shaw, although I'm not unaware of the counter arguments about solidarity, humanity, and standing up to bullies....these just weren't arguments that were made well.

[ecoamerica]

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