#like the writers didn’t really know what they wanted to portray…

[yachl]

i really like when they adapt a series in a way that suits the new medium + provides alternate but harmonious development to the original series. adaptations don’t need to be 100% faithful to the original storyline as long as they remains faithful to the original themes and purposes

[ornii]

Bitterly Beautiful: Tame The Stress 🍋

Writers Block was a serious detriment to artists of literary all over the world. It even hampers the writing of Wednesday Addams, as invincible as she portrays herself. You sat gingerly on her bed, listening to her type away on the machine she uses near on her desk, you gently polished your cane, feeling the smooth wood along your palm and the slight sleek feel of the rag in your other. You were fairly content with how you spend your time with Wednesday.

She was the definition of Anti-social but you weren’t necessarily a people person either, that made spending time together just effortless. You both stayed in the room but mostly did your own thing, it’s the company she had is what made you so enthralled.

Your Blindness made reading her novel basically impossible, but it didn’t stop you from asking her to read it to you, still wanting to listen to your Girlfriends work. Knowing her in and out, you could always sense if something was up, the Octave in her vocal ranges goes up or down a pitch, her increased heartbeat, telltales of stress or anxiety. You could almost feel her scowling at the Typewriter as she stoped and typed spastically. You heard a sigh of annoyance and you knew she was hitting a block.

“Having trouble?” You asked, placing the cane down to prop yourself up on it. Wednesday wasn’t one for expressing feeling or even discomfort, she always kept aloof and distant. But lying to you was nearly impossible. Wednesday kept her nightly clothing simple, a pair of short black shorts and a desk black nightgown that lacked any flair, it looked more like an oversized t-shirt, but you obviously didn’t complain.

“It seems I’ve hit what weak minded writers call a “writers Block” she explained, she raised her hand to type once more and you could sense it just from her body movements.

“It isn’t Weak minded to be mentally stumped. Take a break, talk with me, or play your Cello.” You approach and knelt down slightly to be on her level. Wednesday turns her head to you, you could never truly understand what Wednesday looked like but you always had a general idea and sense, regardless she was beautiful.

“I don’t need your pity. especially from a blind man.” She huffed and went back to her work. But Wednesday wasn’t going to listen to your advice. There was always one thing that did really take off the stress from people, and it was your Boyfriend duties to make sure Wednesday was accurately taken care of. You calmly got down on all fours as she ignored you, and slipped under her desk. She continued to fumble with her writing, your hands gently poked her foot. She ignored it until you gently traced it along her shin and up to her knee, and softly kissed it.

“(Y/n), I’m not in the mood for your—“ she attempted to reprimand you, but you casually and gently placed your head on one of her legs. “Babe, just enjoy yourself.” You said in a loving whisper, you used both palms to softy grip her thighs, right below the Shorts, her skin was always soft and well taken care of.

You slowly and carefully went up her legs, feeling the tensing of her body. She was trying to ignore you, ignore your hands but it was slowly melting her icy resolve. Your fingertips gently brushed higher and higher right to her thighs, and trickled back down her shorts. You felt a sudden shift and you slowly crept closer and closer, palms gently closing in to her underwear. You felt her toes curl and a sigh of slight surprise come from her nose.

“Just relax, and enjoy yourself, Enids not here.” You spoke so softly but deeply, something about it almost made her shift switches in her brain. Your palms felt her legs spread a bit almost inviting you to get her off.

Wednesdays brain began to flow a bit more, this time typing on the Story she’s doing, your fingers reached slightly under her gown and to the waistband of her shorts and underwear, with a little pull you felt her clothes slip off. Your warm breath gently brushing up against her slightly aroused clit. You heard a slight shiver from your Girlfriend as she typed. More aggressive.

“You only have a few minutes before I— ooooh~” You leaned your head in and didn’t hesitate to give her inner lips a warm wet greeting. The suddenly shift of your warm wet tongue on her body made her demeanor shift to a woman in actual pleasure. You lapped your tongue all over and made sure to gently nudge her clitoris every time to tease her.

You shifted your body lower, letting Wednesday rest her legs on your shoulder as you worked your way inside her. Oral wasn’t something you both did since she viewed normal sex as more than satisfactory, and you didn’t particularly complain about it either. Being with her was more than enough, she obviously underappreciated how good you were, Wednesday at this time had completely abandoned her story and leaned on her arm, trying to hold it together as she felt you breath, tongue, saliva, all over her exposed privates. Her other hand rushed under the table to grip your hair. Wednesday wasn’t an aggressive lover on purpose, she just didn’t know how to be gentle.

“Move your.. tongue an inch to the right, yes.. there.” Wednesday was breathing much heavier than expected, she began to lean back, slowly coming to an orgasm.

“Keep going, don’t you dare stop..” she ordered, but it didn’t sound like authority, more like a woman telling you how to make the next few moments really matter. Your tongue slipped inside and the slightest gasp of air from her were music to your ears.

“There, I feel it, coming… I… I feel it…” Wednesday cocked her head back, gripping your scalp she wrapped her legs around your head and neck, pulling your tongue and face in deep, feeling her pussy convulse and drip right on your face, slowly trailing down your chin.

Her legs were shaky, exhausted from getting a very good workout. She finally relented and let your breath as you pulled back, taking a deep breath. You couldn’t see it but the sound of dripping on the door and Wednesday silence but heavy breath told you that you were doing just fine. Coming back from the desk you crept back up behind her, your face next to hers. “Feeling better?” You said into her ear, all of this intensity caused your cock to harden like stone and make it pretty obvious what’s next.

Standing up your bulge was nudged against her face, Wednesday looked up at you, and attempted to stand up but got a bit wobbly. She didn’t hesitate to shove her lips on yours. They wrestled for control as her hand pressed firmly on the outline of your cock. With a fumble and tumble with your clothes you both stripped down, taking a break, you felt the girl yank you to her bed, getting on all fours and bending over, she looked back at you.

“Do not make me beg..” she said, but you didn’t have to ask. Your hands grip her waist.

“Don’t hesitate to— Fuck!~” Wednesday tried not to make that kind of sound but it was too late, the sudden impact of your cock drilling into her made her cry out in please. She gripped the bed as you pulled out of her wet insides and went back in for good measure, giving her a heavy hammer to her insides as you thrust away.

Wednesday didn’t try to fight you in this, she wanted to be taken, to let you give it to her the way you wanted, the way you knew you both liked it. The way her insides squeezed around you, the way the sweat dripped off your chest and onto her back, the sounds she makes when you give her slightly pale ass a good slap. Her face buried into the pillows as she gasped and tried to hold on to some control but it wasn’t easy for her.

“I’m, gonna cum.”

“Do it… inside me… p-please… I can’t take it anymore.” Wednesday for the first time begged so softly for it. You gave her exactly what she asked, you gripped her pigtails and yanked as your legs grew numb, hitting the climax you let as much of it inside as you could. Reorganizing her insides to only fit you. Panting like a dog you almost fell on top of her, you held yourself up as she slide off your cock and collapsed into her bed, you fell next to her, feeling her breath brush against your neck as you slept.

You had woken tired, But somehow also more lightweight. Like you really took a load off, you sat up to sense where and what was going on. You felt something along your stomach and chest, a body, Wednesday was sleeping on you. Well she was awake.

“Hey sleepyhead?” You joked, Wednesday was silent, until she tilted her head to face you.

“Thank you for, letting me see reason, I needed to relax and you gave me what I needed, even though I thought I knew better.” She admits, your hand softly caressed her head as she put it back down to sleep.

“It’s okay, you were stressed, at least you tamed it.” You reassured her, and she sighed.

“No, you tamed it.”

[lemotmo]

Can we take a minute to talk about how today’s bts clip is the perfect example of how much…for lack of a better word, damage, Lou’s cameos really caused?

Because the show, the writers, the directors, Oliver, the promo teams etc have all been showing and telling us a very specific story. With very specific moments. And very specific scenes with specific beats hit or missed. And it paints us the picture of what the storyline is about. Buck. Buck figuring out this new piece of information about himself. Buck figuring this new piece about himself out and finding his footing with it. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Then we have Lou and the small section of his following who are very loud. They showing a very different story. Lou has used cameo to spread head canon after head canon after head canon about his character, his relationship with Buck, his relationship with other characters. And it’s warped the actual story to the point where it very much goes against what the actual canon events are showing and telling the viewers. The loud BT fans truly believe Buck and Tommy are this match made in heaven, stars aligned, madly in love about to move in together and start planning a wedding, couple. And the loud BT fans think that because the head canons they were told in these cameos, and because they paid for them, they think they hold more meaning than the free episodes that are aired.

But then as we see by the clip released today, and despite all the other issues people have with the scene and how we can interpret the actions not matching what we’ve seen especially compared to how their first date played out, the actual words they have Tommy telling hen and Karen and by extension the audience is “we’re taking it very slow. Bucks setting the pace”

That doesn’t sound like a deeply in love about to move in and get married couple being portrayed in cameo videos to me. It’s the actual canon reality of the show and the BT relationship though. Snail paced speed. Not that deeply developed or defined. Entry level to allow Buck to get his footing in this new reality he’s discovered.

It also gave yet another moment of is this man actual that serious about Buck? Because instead of taking the opportunity presented to him to reassure Hen and Karen, two important members of Bucks family, Tommy once again instead deflected and made jokes at an inappropriate moment that again didn’t land well, based on Henrens faces. Which again, doesn’t sound like the “everyone loves and respects Tommy and is to thrilled he’s dating Buck, he’s got all these connections with the 118” narrative that has been given through cameo videos.

We will probably never know the actual full reason why Lou suddenly cut his cameos off. But I do think this released bts video is a perfect example of at least one of the reasons he did. Because the content and context of them was getting so far off base from the actual canon of the show and story.

YES! All of this Nonny!

Lou's cameos were such a bad idea. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he was told to stop making them either.

He filled these fans' heads with headcanons and wild fairytales about Tommy's completely made up childhood and how he feels about Buck. All while the writers were clearly telling us a very different story. His narrative about Tommy doesn't match the show's narrative. But for some reason a lot of the BT fans don't want to see the canon evidence that BT is not that big love story they want it to be.

On the contrary, the show has been pretty consistent in telling us Buck and Eddie's story and their connection. THAT is canon. All the rest that Lou made up? Definitely fanon!

[zutarasbuff]

I watched the Netflix adaptation of ATLA today and being a hardcore fan of the OG series who knows every nook and cranny of the ATLA world, here’s my unbiased and truly honest review (It contains both the negatives and positives of the series, so dear reader please enter to read at your own risk).

Firstly, let’s talk about the wonderful additions to the already magical world of ATLA.

1. The depth of the genocide

Well, I always wanted to know how the air nomads were suddenly wiped out and how it would have been for them? Why didn’t they resist? I got my answers in the first episode where we explore how the unhinged power of the comet was “actually” used to create a genocide on a massive level. Before that, I had only heard about it in the OG series. Those few scenes were so powerful that they had left me sobbing uncontrollably and Gyatso’s concern regarding Aang had me bawling.

2. Suki’s Characterization

In the OG series, we do find our Suki the fiercest warrior, but here in the live action, she’s an absolute goddess. She is perfect in every sense. She understands the responsibilities she has being a non-bender and is fearless. Her character is what I believe to be was the strongest one of all.

3. Graphics & Music

We never talk about a film by M.Night (that didn’t happen), but this one is really a visual treat for you can readily set yourself up for some mind-blowing bending scenes, plus the fight scenes are quite impressive. It seems that the VFX team had really done their homework this time. Plus, both Momo and Appa are so freaking cute. I loved the fluffy Appa. Good work over there. The revival of the OG theme is also a highlight plus the sun warriors’ chanting in the end is given a new but intriguing twist. The background music especially in scenes where Aang unravels his Avatar powers is mystical in every aspect.

4. Life in motion

I don’t know about others, but I have always been a sucker for animation as well as live-action where characters are operating even in the direst of the circumstances. Life is there and even after they know what happened a hundred years ago, they are still trying to believe and regain their past confidence. This is beautifully portrayed and I was very much impressed by the way people are continuing their day-to-day activities even in the middle of a crisis.

Overall, the series serves the purpose of an adaptation carrying its unique colors (at least better than the previous live-action disaster that didn’t happen).

Now let’s move to the bad side, and when I say it’s honestly what I felt, you need to take my word on it being a hardcore Atla fan.

1. Weak writing & lots of exposition

ATLA remains at a 9.2 IMDB rating even after years because of its writing, strong plot, and very few plot holes. This time, the writers are the real amateur ones. Despite adding more to the already flourishing universe of ATLA, sadly, they killed the quest of the viewer to find answers. There is too much exposition. It seems that every character just wants to see the end of the war and keeps on revealing things after things. Plus, some of the OG moments that were the soul of the series are not even included. The way Aang finds Momo and then decides to keep it with him as a last remnant of their bygone air nomad civilization is nowhere to be found. In fact, the replacement of Roku with Kyoshi is the biggest disappointment. I love Kyoshi like no one else but that was unnecessary as per the cycle.

2. Bland acting

Even the worst writing shots can be digested only if the acting appears real good. Sadly, this is another issue that I found with the NETFLIXED version. No doubt the characters must have done a lot of hard work for this, yet, they lack the expressive power. Gordon as Aang is super cute but the goofiness is not even there. Katara seems a nerd who doesn’t like to talk much even when it’s necessary and Sokka’s jokes are forced. Meanwhile, Dallas seems to save the day at one point, but again his over-the-top angry young man attitude ruins it for me. Maybe the actors will learn from the criticism in the upcoming season (if Netflix plans to go with it).

3. Major changes

Yes, it’s okay to change the narrative while you are working on an adaptation, but targeting the loyal viewers who are OG fans of ATLA means that you have to be very careful when you are trying to implement your changes in scenes that are the real soul of the OG. You can’t change the Omashu myth as if it’s nothing when we actually see even the cute animated version of the folklore. You cannot portray Roku more as a perpetrator of the genocide and Bumi as the evil king when in truth he’s the mad king who’s known for his genius ways of teaching. I hated that. Plus, reducing Zhao’s authority and taking Uncle Iroh’s sarcastic attitude is just meh. Mai again doesn’t even seem perfect as a cast. Jet is good as far as the aesthetics are concerned but Jet being in Omashu doesn’t even sit right with me. The amalgamation of multiple storylines creates so much confusion and this persists till the end.

4. Bending at convenience

We all know how Katara’s bending progressed throughout the first season and it’s little effort each day. However, in series, one day she’s unable to bend even a droplet of water and the next day she is capable of producing ice crystals. This was unacceptable for me because I was anticipating her learning strategies. Besides, Aang doesn’t learn much water bending throughout this season and in the end, it’s him being the savior in Avatar state. Thoughtless bending sucks despite the great VFX and that’s one thing at which you can’t convince me otherwise.

5. Forced friendships

We all know how it took some time for Sokka to embrace Aang as a chum. However, here Sokka keeps on calling him “the kid” and remains mostly alienated from Aang. Talking to Katara, then she also seems more interested in helping Avatar fulfill his goal than being with a friend. I hated the scene where Aang comes into the Avatar state and instead of hugging him just like in the OG series, Katara runs along Sokka and keeps on calling his name. How is that going to build any organic friendship? I think the first mistake began right from the very moment when Aang was taken back to Wolf Cove on a boat in his unconscious state. Upon opening his eyes, the first person he finds near him is neither Katara nor Sokka but a tribesman who’s playing guessing games. Writers were really high when they wrote that.

6. Lack of the four nations’ biodiversity

Maybe in live action, it’s difficult to create all the marvels of the four nations when we talk about their natural biodiversity. In the OG series, it is indicated by Aang that even after 112 years, he has still not forgotten the animals that define different regions in the four kingdoms and that’s exactly why he wants to finish those “important tasks” alongside saving the world. His important tasks included keeping a check on the natural biodiversity of the lands and exploring whether the Hundred Years’ War had not damaged the majestic animals. Actually, his first dialogue right after regaining consciousness is to go for an otter penguin’s ride with Katara. When I thought about that I felt that somewhere in Aang’s mind he was always connected to nature and that’s why he wanted to regain that connection by being an avatar. Sadly we never see much of the biodiversity but I hoped that maybe they will.

Also, how come Aang had that silent whistle for one hundred years when in the series he only discovers that accidentally? I missed the OG Yip Yip for our Appa. There are lots and lots of problems with the Netflix version, and no I am not being a nitpicker. I appreciate how the current creators credited the original ones, but now I know why Bryan and Michael bade farewell to this project. On a scale of 10, it’s a 4 for me or 4.5 if I am being too generous.

If I am asked to review the live action in a single line, I would only say this:

“The Netflixed ATLA makes you go back to the OG series and you end up watching the animation to give your mind a much-needed respite from a carefully crafted artistic disaster aimed at the sensationalized generation.”

[stxrslut]

I think the reason why so many people hate dark content is because they don’t understand it.

Incest for example has been a big topic on this side of tumblr as kinktober approaches and a few writers, including myself have mentioned it.

why is writing incest bad? It’s not, up front. the moment it becomes bad is when you romanticise it. the same goes for other dark topics, for example necrophilia or blatant rape.

acknowledging that these things exist is not a bad thing, and neither is acknowledging that there are certain people out there who do it. it is a horrible truth that nobody wants to exist, but it does.

using the infamous rafe cameron as an example, why would you want to read an incest piece about him?

rafe is a complicated character, and a very bad person. a lot of writers don’t like to take that into account. I’m sure we’ve all seen many works where rafe is portrayed as a sweetheart, a perfect husband who cares and would never do anything to harm you.

this portrayal of rafe has become the norm for many people on this platform. and so upon seeing dark content, they are trying to imagine it with this completely different character. the version of rafe that is romanticised.

when we write this content we don’t write it with that rafe in mind. we don’t want to be with this version of rafe that we’re writing, this is a bad character and we absolutely recognise it when writing him.

of course, as mentioned there are people who are imagining it with romanticised rafe, and also assume that was the rafe it was intended to be written with.

if that was the case then writing this content most definitely would be bad.

but why would we write dark content with a reader insert if we didn’t want this to happen to us? what is the point? that’s a valid question.

primarily, self insert or ‘x reader’ is just the format that we write in. even though we may be imagining our name and or face it’s not necessarily us. reader is just a character, let’s use puppy!reader for an example, she has her own characteristics specific to the reader or character. I don’t think I am puppy reader, but I love to use her character to write a reader.

self insert and second person writing is also a very good way to explore the thoughts, feelings and actions in a character in very great detail, which a lot of writers very much enjoy doing.

this is also another misconception that people make. because in some of the situations the reader goes along with / wants these things to happen, which is very easy to mistake for writer wanting it too.

so now we know that self insert does not mean desire. but even if we don’t desire this, why do we write it?

there are many reasons. one is character analysis. there are plenty of bad characters out there, and they would do that. we are simply acknowledging that.

we like to explore complexities and nuances of characters. this character would want to do that and so how would that play out? who would it be with and what would the feelings and emotions be? it’s interesting to explore darker parts of different characters.

another reason is trauma, to people without it that sounds ridiculous. but people with trauma in these kinds of situations may find comfort or control in reading about it in a safe environment.

I have a lot of childhood trauma, and there are certain pieces of writing centred around that kind of thing can really help me to think about it and help me to control the way I think about it.

now there are some aspects of dark content that we may say we “want”, but that is generally misunderstood.

let’s use a sentence I have said many a time, “I want rafe to fuck me with a gun”. no, I absolutely do not.

I am into humiliation and power play, I also enjoy a little bit of fear and pain in some circumstances. in a safe environment, for example, a fictional one, a gun would be a perfect way to do these things.

obviously in real life I wouldn’t let anyone come near me with a gun. it’s all about interpretation and understanding of safe environments.

when I’m reading a fic where gun play may be involved I read about the humiliation and power play and all sorts and think oh fuck that is sexy. because it is, in this very safe place where a gun is not going to harm me or anyone.

the same goes for lots of other forms of dark content. we might not necessarily want the exact action, but more the sensation or feeling that comes with the action.

but why would we write it when people are going to be triggered by it?

simply put, that is not our problem. I haven’t ever come across a piece of dark content that wasn’t correctly labelled and warned.

I’m not responsible for anyone else’s media consumption, if they choose to ignore my warnings it is entirely their fault.

also, free will exists, if someone decides they don’t like what they’re reading they can simply close the piece, stop reading.

in a nutshell, if someone who writes dark content is 1. not romanticising it and 2. labelling it correctly, you don’t have a reason to target them.

learning to distinguish between dark content and predatory content is so important so we’re not attacking the wrong people.

please stop targeting writers who write dark content when there are people out there who genuinely are horrible who we do need to be targeting. focus your attention on the real issues.

[genericpuff]

So, I want to confess something. I believe I speak for everyone when I say that the SA in LO is not only poorly written but very mishandled and was unnecessary. I want to point out I am not a SA victim, so I can not say with experience how well the deception was. Though I do know people in real life that were victims, I also don’t want to disclose their stories either. But, here’s the thing. I personally don’t mind SA in the media, if it is handled with care and they portray it as a serious issue!

The problem I have with most media is that shows and stories will either use SA as A. A plot device for romance development. B. Shock value or C. A joke. So many media I’ve watched use SA as any of the three categories (13 Reasons Why and content from Vivziepop being a few that I can think of off the top of my head). The only show I can think of that actually portrays SA seriously and shows real life impact is Tuca and Bride. I also think it’s pretty hypocritical that the media will use SA as long as they fall into any of the three categories, but when you want to show the negative effects of it like in Moral Orel, suddenly you get canceled! Again, Hypocrites! I also don’t think first time writers should write this kind of stuff, and Rachel is no exception. You can tell she didn’t know what she was doing, based on how little importance the SA has on the plot or how it falls into said categories as well. (and the rumors that she didn’t even know it was SA doesn’t help).

Now, that being said I don’t think a SA plot line was a bad idea for this kind of story. Again, the original myth was “The abduction of Persephone” and in some versions, Hades did force himself onto Persephone. And considering Ancient Greece was rife with many stories of such heavy topics, I can see why they would include that. My personal issue with LO’s SA plotline… is Apollo! First of all, while Apollo may have had some questionable relationships in his myths, he never really forced himself on anyone. In fact, the most famous story of him chasing Daphne was only because he was under the influence of Eros, meaning Apollo had no agency in loving Daphne. Second, Apollo had nothing to do with Persephone. They never interacted in any myths. Sure, there was one myth where Apollo asked Demeter for her daughter’s hand and Demeter rejected, but that’s it. The two never had any relationship. So it makes the plot line even more convoluted because of their lack of historical and mythical connection. Though, I do admit I kind of like Apollo and Persephone as a couple (In Rekindled not Lore Olympus), but I know they don’t get together.

Honestly, if Rachel really wanted to do a SA story that would prop up Hades without demonizing anyone, she could have done that! By making Persephone’s assaulter be Zeus instead of Apollo! Hear me out, in some stories, Zeus actually disguised himself as Hades and slept with Persephone, thus it resulted in Zagerus. So, it is canon in a sense that Zeus did SA Persephone. Not only that, but given he had a role to play in the “Abduction of Persephone” where he sold his daughter off to Hades, this makes him even more impactful to the story. He could be the villain instead of Demeter, who wants to use Persephone. And considering Zeus’s love affairs and his god complex (no pun intended) he would believe he was entitled to Persephone and would want to have her as a secret concubine.

Maybe Zeus would be able to learn more about Persephone through Hera and he would decide to set his sights on her. He could try and get closer to her as she is naive and never met the King of Gods, and would use her trust to pounce on her (Because in SA cases, your attacker is more likely to be someone close to you rather than a stranger.) And maybe Zeus would blackmail Persephone so she would have to keep seeing him or else get kicked out of school and be a disgrace to her mother. Then, you could have Hades find out and he would rage against Zeus. Maybe Hades would get Demeter involved and they would team up to punish the King all for the sake of protecting Persephone. Hades would suggest making Persephone his queen for protection, and Demeter would make the world grow cold unless Zeus complies, thus explaining Winter. Zeus would agree to give Persephone to Hades, and she will be under Hades’s protection. But Persephone would still want to be with her mother, so Demeter and Hades make custody arrangements.

Bam! A SA plot line that A. Actually adds to the story and raises stakes. B. Makes a terrifying but complex villain for the story that we all can hate without assassinating his character. C. Have Hades and Demeter come out on top. D. Be historical and mythologically accurate. (I’m also not saying that I wanted SA in LO or LR, nor do I think this version would have made it better, but I personally believe this plot line makes way more sense than: Apollo meeting Persephone in one day and SA her in her sleep.)

I agree with a lot of this, thank you for sharing!! (sorry this is a late response, I didn't want this big analysis to go to waste fdjasklfdsajlk)

But yeah, in essence / on paper the SA plotline in LO would have been fine, especially considering SA is present in just about every Greek myth story, but I don't think Rachel was really cut out to tackle that subject yet, mostly as a writer as all of her writing is very baseless and doesn't have the necessary planning, research, and direction required to depict a subject like that. It takes a lot of sensitivity, self-awareness, and self control, none of which LO has as a narrative or Rachel as a writer.

IMO Apollo being the god of the sun made for a great springboard for him to be like, this self-centered god who was so delusional in his own ego that he couldn't believe Persephone wouldn't want him, that alone was enough to make him out to be a great villain - even with the use of SA, where he couldn't take no for an answer - but then we had to get into the whole "Apollo is gonna use Persephone to overthrow Zeus" crap and it all fell apart from there. Not to mention the story could never decide if Apollo was some nefarious puppet master or just a delusional dumbass, so all the flip-flopping on his motivations led to him becoming a very weak villain.

That said, I will cut her some slack for not having Zeus assault her. Because while it's more accurate to the myths (and character accurate) the story could barely handle Apollo and he's the canon Good Boytm in the myths, imagine it trying to handle an actual serial assaulter?

But that's not me saying it's necessarily a bad idea. I just don't think LO would be able to handle it with Rachel at the helm lol

[funhouse-mirror-barbie]

Random thoughts on sexism and misogyny in Helluva Boss:

I think there’s this big misconception among people who dislike Stella Goetia, that her fans want to absolve her of everything bad she’s ever done.

And obviously I can only speak for myself, but I don’t like Stella because I think all of her actions are valid or anything like that—I like her because I see the potential for a more complex and flawed character, and that potential interests me.

I want her to be an actual CHARACTER instead of an obstacle—I want her flaws to be called out and I want to see her develop as a character, whether that’s for better or worse. Or, at the very least, if she’s going to be a villain, what kind of villain she’d be.

I used to even be kind of excited to see how she would develop as a villain! I wondered what sort of fun campy villainy she could get into? Maybe she would get a villain song or something. I thought she could at least be a FUN villain, or a villain that I’d love to hate, or that she would be entertaining.

But now it’s EXTREMELY evident that she is no longer going to be the main villain/focus, and that her brother will become the next big villain. (more below)

In a story where she exits SOLELY to be a villain, she doesn’t even really get to be the villain. Her brother does. (REALLY HOPING I’m wrong honestly b/c I’m so tired of HB women literally only existing in relation to the men in their lives. Women in HB are almost exclusively portrayed as either support beams or obstacles for their male counterparts)

Since Western Energy, Stella is not only a flat one-dimensional villain, but she’s also a useless one. Andrealphus is now the brains behind her villainy.

It’s just very frustrating. And I do believe it’s also just straight-up misogynistic writing.

I know people will try to counter that with the argument of “men can be abused too” and they’re absolutely right. I’m not denying that.

But I’m personally convinced Stella’s abuse was a writing choice made to absolve Stolas of wrong doing. Like. Literally to the point where Stolas just tells the audience that he didn’t hurt Stella, so he shouldn’t have to feel bad about cheating on her.

It’s so clear that the head writers of helluva boss just like. Do not know how to write a woman without giving her a man to revolve around—they’re always either supporting a man or tearing a man down—women characters in HB, with very few exceptions, are hardly ever allowed to just BE.

The most recent example of this is Verosika in “Apology Tour”. Prior to this episode, we only knew about her and interacted with her in the story through the lense of her being Blitzø’s ex, and being an obstacle for him. During “Apology Tour” though, we do get to see a new side of her…as a support for Stolas. Her involvement and importance to the plot once again hinges on her (barely present) relationship to man as a nurturing figure.

We don’t know anything about WHO Verosika is as a person outside of these relationships to Blitz and Stolas. Her only purpose in the narrative is to act as an antagonistic or supporting force towards the men in the story.

There’s just this very clear disdain for women characters in a lot of HB and HH’s writing, and I just don’t know what to make of it.

[the-fandom-finder]

It think my main problem with some Izzy fans is they straight up lie or have extreme cognitive dissonance for stuff. “Izzy is more popular than ed/stede” no you were just around people who like is he more than them? I promise you the average person fandom or not does not like him more than the main characters. Also, just because he’s popular in the fandom doesn’t mean he’s a better character. You how many fandom I’ve been where they sent her around the white male character more than any other character? So often it’s a dime a dozen. He talks about how crazy Ed is before we even meet the character and when we meet him, he’s just a little suicidal at very least at that point. honestly even if he did survive, it would not make sense for him to be the captain of the ship. It’s canon that he’s not good at running anything and only really good at violence. he’s an interesting character meant to represent toxic masculinity at least in season one and how breakable and fragile it is. Honestly, him and Zuko have a lot in common when it comes to fandoms. These characters are both flawed and I’ve done bad things, but for some reason, some fans wanna make them look perfect like they’ve done nothing wrong and excuse everything that comes with the cost of completely miss characterizing everyone else around them. Man called the British, which are basically the cop because he didn’t get what he wants and view himself as knowing Ed more than himself which is messed up, bro. and the story portrays this as bad like it should be. Also, why are all the tags that were created to criticize Izzy taking over by Izzy fans like you asked for a specific tag and then take it over and then get upset when people use it. I also have seen fans on Twitter called themselves Ofmd hater and then spend all their time talking about the show. It’s OK to move on. It is not the Izzy show and never was. I have to rewash the show to remember Izzy‘s and actually interesting character because his fans have changed him so much that I can’t stand him if I don’t watch the show. There is a reason why people were being rude against the phantom for some stupid reason reasons or only a small group of people they named them and that weird little list they had. Now I don’t think any of the Izzy fan should be attacked or doxxed because that’s just weird and wrong. That doesn’t mean you can’t criticize them and how weird they are about this white man. I think it’s time for some of you who just have so much hatred of everything else in the TV show. Make an OC That’s like 2 inches away from that character and leave you’ll be much happier. Another problem I have is how some people treat David he’s not a perfect man nor perfect writer, but to go out of your way to say you understand the story infinitely more than him is crazy. He is shown multiple times he loves the character. This is just how he wanted to take him in the story not out of malice,, not out of homophobia not of hatred for disabled people, but because that’s how his story was always going to end he just got to die slightly less full of hate and may be a little happy. Izzy and ed had no chance of ending up together. The story basically states that pretty early that it was one-sided and not entirely healthy on either side. Also celebrating the show knocking a third season and people losing their jobs even though you were probably going to see Izzy again in some form is crazy.  I promise you your hate did nothing or brothers was just being a cheap ass and canceled other diverse shows so it definitely wasn’t because of you. Either way, I guess I win in the end. I still love the show and not full of anger at least about this. I got a lot of other problems lol. This post is probably way too long about something that doesn’t really matter too much but it feels good to get it out especially with finals coming around. If you read this entire thing and hate me well thanks for reading. I guess. Hope you have a nice day and I mean that genuinely life‘s kind of sucks right now for everyone lol.

[sepublic]

            Looking back, a lot of us assumed the statues in Gravesfield depicting Caleb and Philip as adults was an example of in-universe historical inaccuracy, kind of like how Pocahontas is portrayed as an adult, when she was actually a child when everything happened. But in hindsight, I have to wonder if this adult depiction is even a discrepancy to begin with, and not a point of clarification for the timeline of events for these brothers?

         I think what contributed to the belief that Caleb and Philip were children when the former entered the isles forever is because of Belos’ memory portraits. But we know they don’t depict everything, such as how Philip arrived in the Boiling Isles; From a Doylist perspective, the writers want to leave in some ambiguity, some mystery, and there’s only room for so many memories in the background.

         But as we learn in Thanks to Them, Caleb and Evelyn communicated through hidden rebuses to meet up multiple times; So their interactions in the human world took place over time, and it wasn’t just an instant, one-off meeting and then Caleb disappeared, his brother in hot pursuit. Dana even clarified in a Post-Hoot that Evelyn initially presented herself as human to Caleb and the rest of Gravesfield, and revealed herself after Caleb earned her trust.

         Maybe this happened across one meeting, one day; But the likelihood is that Caleb and Evelyn interacted as ‘fellow humans’ a few times before the truth was revealed. And they continued to meet up, discreetly contacting one another with hidden rebuses for the other to find and decode.

         So if all this happened over an unspecified period of time, who’s to say it wasn’t across years? And that by the time Caleb made the decision to move to the Boiling Isles, it was when he and Philip were adults; In fact, he might’ve even waited until Philip was an adult who could take care of himself, before leaving him to live his own life!

         Likewise, there is a valid interpretation that Caleb hid the truth of Evelyn from Philip, and wasn’t aware he was watching when he went off to explore the Demon Realm a few times, before eventually making the permanent move. But I think the other interpretation works, too; That Caleb DOES know Philip is there and watching. And he never made Philip enter the Demon Realm with him, out of a misguided desire to not make his baby brother uncomfortable, force him out of his comfort zone, etc.

         Caleb might’ve told Philip to wait for him back home, if he didn’t want to enter the magical portal with him; He’d be back! And Caleb did return, multiple times. And Philip didn’t rat him and Evelyn out because he was still a child, and not as dead set into his hatred yet… But I’ve compared Philip to King, as little kids with delusions of grandeur involving their enemies being crushed beneath them.

         And remember Really Small Problems, when King initially tolerated Luz going off to be with Willow and Gus, due to her promise to come back for him? But after enough time of feeling neglected, King’s resentment began to build up? Within the span of just one night, King wasn’t yet ready to intentionally make Willow and Gus ‘temporarily disappear’, but when it happened, he took advantage of the situation anyway instead of bringing them back ASAP, and eventually owned up to this mistake.

         So imagine how Philip felt across years; He may have disliked Evelyn, but not enough to want her dead… But after enough time of feeling resentful over Caleb dedicating time to Evelyn instead of just him, Philip became selfish and entitled over the fact that his brother dared to have a life that didn’t revolve around Philip. Until he became angry enough at Evelyn to want her dead, and retroactively fell back on the belief of witches as inherently evil in order to morally justify these desires, instead of admitting he was just possessive of his older brother. Plus, exposing Evelyn could make him a hero in the eyes of the townsfolk!

         We know there was a big fire, and we know Evelyn was declared a witch by Gravesfield. This could’ve been in response to her, Caleb, and Philip all disappearing; But it’s also possible that realization occurred while they were still there. And that it in fact may have driven Evelyn out of the human world, with Caleb following because he potentially ousted himself by openly defending her. Seeing his brother commit a moral wrong he couldn’t stand by could’ve influenced Caleb to leave when the two of them were adults; As was the ‘reassurance’ that Philip was now accepted by the town as a witch hunter who exposed Evelyn and spearheaded her exile, whereas Caleb was even more of an outcast for his collaboration.

         Of course, the idea that Caleb was an adult when he moved out does raise the question? Why do we not see this progression of age in the memory portraits? And again, there’s what I said about ambiguity and whatnot, but there’s also the conventions of the time skip. Just as TOH ends on a time skip where we don’t see the gradual progression of the characters’ aging outside of some photos, for the Wittebanes, whose story is only told through photos, the framing skips over the years Caleb and Evelyn interacted. The turning point in which the two met and the latter revealed herself was enough…

         After all, the portraits already skip past Philip’s aging to bring us to his arrival in the Demon Realm as an adult; Who’s to say they didn’t skip past years of Caleb growing up in Gravesfield with Evelyn? Caleb entering the Boiling Isles with Evelyn as a child wasn’t the last Philip saw of his brother, until he himself entered years later; But it was the beginning of ‘the end’ in his eyes, the beginning of when he felt he lost Caleb.

         In the end, a lot of this is speculative. It’s possible Caleb was only portrayed as an adult in-universe because the townspeople correctly remembered Philip being an adult when they last saw him, so generations afterwards made the mistake of applying this to his older brother. History isn’t as well-documented as people would like to believe, even the famous stories are forgotten and picked up after a while; Major details people should’ve easily remembered fall through the holes of time. Entire cities have been lost and rediscovered.

        But ultimately, the fact that Belos’ memories DO portray a ‘timeskip’ based on what we see of them anyway, in addition to the confirmation that Caleb and Evelyn met up over time before the former moved… I think that solidifies my belief that yes, Caleb was an adult when he left Gravesfield, as was Philip. The statues in Yesterday’s Lie are among the very first indicators of Caleb’s existence, as is the episode itself acting as a ‘debut’ of sorts for him in the lore. So maybe Gravesfield’s depiction isn’t so inaccurate, after all…

[pinazee]

First season wrap up:

Okay, to start, i should mention my general opinion on first seasons for shows, especially cable shows, is not to read too much of it as canon. The writers, producers, actors- everyone- are all trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t, so i give them latitude, particularly when it conflicts with later seasons. That being said, i do enjoy jumping through the hoops to make it all fit haha

So heres a few leftover notes i had as i revisited the eps to rank them:

I bet part of Lassie was craving the father figure in Henry, since we find out later his own father passed away when he was quite young. I wonder if thats part of the reason why he became a cop, as they are portrayed as the protectors and in the 80’s they were mainly men (i don’t really remember if he states his reason later, i suspect he did and im just not remembering). So when Henry didn’t meet up to the expectation he had in his mind, i bet it hurt a little more as it reminded him of what he lost :/

I think the other reason Shawn plays dumb so much, besides hiding his genius so ppl believe hes psychic, or for laughs, is because its how he gets people talking. Like in Shawn vs. the red phantom, he purposely guessed the wrong room number so the boys would correct him. My apologies if someones pointed this out before, i haven’t combed through the internet for everyone’s theories 😬 i only now noticed. I’m not the quickest at picking these things up lol

If i had to guess, Shawn didn’t want to be a cop for halloween, he probably wanted to be something star wars related to go with Gus’s Lando. So i wonder at what age Shawn stopped trying to please his dad. But also, why didn’t his mother ever stand up for him?? I’ll come back to her later -_-

I somehow missed it the first time, but shawn clearly asked Gus to come to the dinner and Gus even points out that it was a big deal for henry to reach out. Soo, yeah, shawn obviously didn’t wanna be alone with his dad, and even henry seemed nervous about it as hes pretty drunk.

Shawn has a right to be afraid of pointy things, his dad hid his easter eggs under glass when he was 6! Not to mention he later gets stabbed 3 times! (Also its just a legitimate fear???)

So far the list of Shawns knowledge (things i wouldn’t expect an average person to know) includes (beyond the obvious observational skills, deductive reasoning, reading people (poker), and all things police (marksmanship, police codes, etc.)):

Incredible spatial and physical reasoning skills (knowing how much money could fit in the duffle bag, knowing to rotate the water pitcher to catch the reflection from the tv)

Kurt Vonnegut (well, I didn’t know who he was at least)

How to spell aggiornamento (and probably all words because of his photographic memory)

Handwriting expert

Casually spoke and understood german

Has every road he’s driven mapped in his brain, and likely all of Santa Barbara

Familiar with paint (enough to know to mix latex enamel for no messy drips)

Animal tracks (i went back and forth on this but ultimately decided he must have known what to look for)

And heres a list of Gus’s niche interests:

Forensics

Spelling bee

Safe cracking

Historic rifles

Comic books

Astronomy (even though he was going to the planetarium for the girl)

Law

Local tennis

Online poker

Lastly, Ive decided instead of ranking them, im putting them in tiers. I feel like too many of them are hitting at the same level and I can’t differentiate:

Sweetest, Juiciest Golden Pineapple Tier

Scary Sherry, Biancas toast (ohmygod i just got the biancas toast 🤦🏽‍♀️)

Blue Psych Logo Tier

Weekend warriors

Forget me not

From the earth to starbucks

Poker? I hardly know her! (Sorry @pineapple-psychic!)

Pepto Bismo Pink Tier

Spelling bee

Pilot

She loves me, she loves me not, she loves me oops hes dead

Who ya gonna call?

Shawn vs the red phantom

Oops Canadian Flag Tier

Cloudy with a chance of murder

9 lives

Game set muuurder

Speak now or forever hold your piece

Woman seeking dead husband, smokers okay, no pets

[arcadianambivalence]

Monsters and Accountability - IWTV S2's Adaptational Choices for Claudia and Madeline

…..Guess now’s a good a time as any to wade into the discourse regarding the changes made to Claudia and Madeline when adapting season two.

I read in a reddit board that IWTV is the "sympathy for the devil" show, and looking at how this season has characters grappling with their traumas and their ability to harm others, I'd say it's an accurate description.

Take this Collider interview with showrunner Rolin Jones and executive producer Mark Johnson:

"As we talked around the room, we didn’t think the character that we had written at that point would settle for a doll maker pretending she was her mom. [...] It’s so easy to turn [Claudia] into a saint and go, 'Oh, she never wanted to be a vampire.' But her being accountable for some of her behavior is really important for this. It’s essentially something for every one of the vampires this season."

I've noticed a split in fandom reaction to this choice in companion for Claudia. I get it. It's a very hard sell.

Despite the shocking change in backstory, Madeline is still portrayed with a surprising amount of empathy from the cast and crew. The show keeps Madeline's level of complicity vague. There is the impulse to conflate an affair with an occupying soldier ("horizontal collaboration") with active collaboration, such as intentionally turning people over to the French police or to the Gestapo for murder, imprisonment, or deportation to the camps.

Whether or not Madeline took part in the latter is not revealed this episode, but if we are to believe her recounting of events and the memory montage, her collaboration started and ended in the bedroom. (We’ll save the betrayal of others for someone else this episode…)

So why write Madeline this way?       

Well….when has this show ever had heroes? Why would Claudia develop a relationship with someone accepted by the wider (human) community? Why would someone who resisted the German occupation and the Vichy regime agree to become a vampire that feeds on living humans?

As an audience who loves Claudia, we want someone good, moral, and kind for her. But why would a good, moral, and kind person want to be a vampire? How could a good person survive as a vampire and maintain their goodness, morality, and kindness? They can’t.

In this show, good people do not make good vampires.

So the writers have rewritten Madeline from a surrogate mother to a friend and potential lover. Claudia offers her an escape from a lifetime of shame. She has already been humiliated and shorn by an angry mob. Neighbors draw swastikas on her shop window (a reference to how Jewish shops were marked and vandalized by Nazis), as if she could forget her actions. She has no family to support her. Much like Louis being offered a way out of “this life of shame” in the pilot, only through vampirism can Madeline change her future.

She has had something of the womanly life Claudia wants for herself (independence, a consensual sexual experience) but also the isolation and self-preservation Claudia has known. Much like the shopkeeper across the street when Madeline is attacked during the episode, she herself stood and watched as her neighbors died during the war, seemingly as unmoved as Claudia was when she killed and drained the Romanian characters in episode one. They too had barely survived occupation, war, starvation, and political violence. Where was the compassion for them?

The greatest irony is that Claudia has spent so much of her extended life looking for a good vampire, when she and Louis are the closest she’ll ever get to knowing good vampires.

And they've killed thousands of people over the years.

As has been said by others, a vampire must inflict on others the same violence visited upon them in order to survive. Madeline and Claudia can't be precious, perfect, unproblematic lesbians. That's not what this story is. They still eat and murder people who do not want to die.

The circle will not be broken entirely.

Madeline’s plan to hunt as a vampire is to pick off those at the margins of society, people like the neighbor who starved to death or the one murdered by the Gestapo, people like her sister...and people like herself.

Even before she is bitten, Madeline is already aware she is a monster to history, but she is also a victim of monsters.

When the Théâtre des Vampires company attacks, they pull a sack over her head and drag her away with Louis and Claudia. Just like with the murder mansion in episode 2, their violent show of justice is (literally) performative. In parallel to Claudia's trial for breaking vampire law, Madeline will be put to trial in a court of public opinion.

But the vampires are more interested in Claudia than anyone else. It would hardly matter to the coven if Madeline were a resistance hero, a Holocaust survivor, or a collaborator. Her crime, to them, is merely her existence.

This episode may take place in 1949, but the echoes of WW2 continue to reverberate across the narrative. The next episode is going to be a heavy one.

[endiness]

Debunking misinformation about Netflix's The Witcher (Part 7)

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6]

"The writers were mad that Henry Cavill wouldn't do any shirtless scenes or sex scenes."

So. The origin of this is based off of an episode of the Deuxmoi podcast that alleges that Henry Cavill was ultimately fired for sexist behavior that caused production delays — which has obviously never been officially confirmed. However, just to entertain the idea for a second to debunk why exactly Henry Cavill not wanting to do any sex scenes and/or nudity might've been a problem as I've seen people bring this up against the show a lot…

Obviously actors shouldn't have to do any nudity or sex scenes if they don't want to.

She told us: ‘I had a body double for the sex scenes, and she was always there. Flora. But I didn’t, I only used her for the first sex scene because I realised very quickly in that first sex scene that actually, I didn’t feel comfortable anyone else portraying Yennefer, because it’s still acting isn’t it?’

And they don't have to. Anya herself, at least initially, used a body double for her first sex scene on the show.

"The first thing that happens is we sit with the actor, and we have a conversation [about the scene]. If the actor is not comfortable, that scene is rewritten. There is absolutely no way that we proceed forward unless everyone is comfortable. Of course, if at any time someone does feel uncomfortable, not even just the actors themselves, but anyone else on the set, we stop immediately and reassess."

That's Lauren's stance on the filming of nudity and sex scenes on the show.

Lastly, we have a rather curious addition to the crew. Lizzy Talbot has been tapped as the intimacy coordinator for the show. For those of you who don’t know, an intimacy coordinator is a rather recently invented position for film and TV and their duties involve ensuring the well-being and consent of actors performing in intimate scenes as well as making sure the intimate scenes are filmed according to a previously agreed choreography. What this informs us about the story is that yes, there will be intimate scenes in Season 2.

The show also hired an intimacy coordinator from season 2 onwards and they were also used for Blood Origin.

“Lizzy Talbot was our intimacy coordinator and she was just brilliant. She made it like a stunt, really,” O’Fuarain said of the intimate scenes.

So if this was a problem for production (which, again, we have no official confirmation of), it likely would've been because Henry Cavill was very controlling when it came to Geralt's physical depiction and didn't want to use any body doubles or stunt doubles and insisted that only he ever physically portray Geralt on screen:

"From the very beginning, he said he wanted to be involved in the actual stunts. He didn’t want to use movie magic or camera tricks to pretend it was him. Anytime Geralt is on the screen, even if it’s just his hand reaching for something or his hair flipping through the frame, it’s always him."

Which means that if he did shut down any nudity and sex scenes, he essentially would've been shutting down the idea of Geralt as a character (as opposed to Henry the actor) ever engaging in any of those scenes. (Which, if you know anything about the books, would've actually caused significant problems with the story later on.)

"The show made Henry Cavill go on a dehydration diet for shirtless scenes."

Henry Cavill talked about the dehydration diet on Graham Norton's show and at no point in time was there ever any indication of the role that production played in that decision. Now, is it likely production was involved in at least some way? Yeah, probably. But afaik there is still no indication either way of just how much it was their decision, his decision, both, or what.

However, I do have to note that given that Henry Cavill almost nearly blinded himself because he blew off the advice of his doctor who told him that he could not wear his Geralt contacts for an extended period of time without risking damage to his eyes:

"I was only allowed to keep them in for three hours at a time, well I supposed to only keep them in three hours at a time. […] My eye-technician was always pushing me to say like, “No, I don’t care. I don’t care what you need to shoot, take, take the bloody contacts out, because you will start to go blind after a while”. I was sure she was probably selling a slightly more dramatic version of the truth, because I do tend to be a bit stubborn like that. And I’ll say, no, it’s alright we can shoot couple more hours will be fine. And she said, we won’t be fine. You’ve got to take them out now. There’s lot of volcanic rock in the Canary Island, and when it picks up a lot and it’s all this stuff, which becomes very, very light and dusty. It got in behind the contacts, so my eyes ended up being scratched. I didn’t realise it was scratching so we went back to Budapest after our trip to Canary Islands. But it got to the point where I couldn’t really keep my eyes open, my eyes were watering, had to try and wash everything out. Very, very stingy, very painful, but I just thought it’s just because I’m tired and not getting much sleep and I just need to muscle through it. It got to the point where my technician found me hiding in the shadows of my eyes closed because it was was very bright. She said take them out. And I said, No, No, I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m fine. Just give me some things to dab my eyes before a scene will be good. She put her foot down and said, “No, I’m stopping shooting until you take them out”."

And how he'd wear his armor practically 24/7 in order to break it in because he wanted it to look realistically worn down (and nevermind it's literally canon in the books that Geralt buys himself new clothes anyway 🙃):

"He wanted, for instance, for the armour to look like it had been worn for years and years. So he made breakfast in it and he would sleep in it. We were like ‘you don’t have to do that by the way’, but he’s that invested in embodying his character."

And how he insisted that only he ever physically portray Geralt on screen, including for things minute as closeups of his hand or shots where Geralt's just a blip on screen because the shot is from so far away:

"So for the action, if I’m going to take on a physical role, which has a lot of athleticism to it or whatever it may be, I’m going to bring myself up to that level so I can perform that role to the fullest. It’s important to me that the audience knows this and they see the character at all times. They see all the work that I put into designing this character in every single move, look, glance, shrug, walk, step. For the long shots, they were saying, we’re gonna save time because we don’t need you in the shot because it’s just so far away and I said well, has the person who you’re going to have double me studied the way I move as Geralt? And they were like, he’s your double, and this is so far away, it doesn’t matter, and I say, it does matter because that informs the audience about this character. What we, as human beings do, is we study people’s movement without even knowing it. We’re watching how humans interact with the world, how they interact with other people. We then make a decision upon them, whether it be minor or major decisions, it doesn’t matter. So watching Geralt, even from a distance, was very, very important to me and so with the action, it’s even more important."

Like, js, but I don't exactly think it's out of the realm of possibility that he had more of a hand in that than anyone and anything else given how weirdly obsessive he was when it came to the physicality of the role. (There's also Freya and Anya referring to the dehydration as "his" diet in this video, btw.)

[astralnymphh]

I just got on and saw what’s been happening and bro…I’m glad people are talking about it. Mostly about the smut, inclusivity, Palestine, and the fetishization of trans people.

Reading smut is so underwhelming like it seems like that’s all what people write these days. Like I need ANGST! I need to CRY! I need SLOW BURN AND PLOT….

And to be honest, I personally feel like some writers purposely list the reader’s physical descriptions as being white… like damn you know multiple people are going to come across your shit. I would get annoyed asf when I see something like “she touched your soft pale flushed skin” BITCH- 💀 don’t piss me off 😒🦶🏽

I won’t speak too in depth about the fetishization of trans people in fanfics because I’m not trans and I don’t want to say anything inaccurate BUT I will say it’s so disturbing and off putting seeing shit like that and seeing how people are sexualizing trans people more than treating them like regular humans…I also came across that ‘femcel’ series and🧍🏽‍♀️erm… no.

I appreciate the account who made the post discussing how the word trans and the f word are completely different. I didn’t even know that word was derogatory and it shocked me... I hope that account takes it down and they educate themselves or something cause 🙁👎🏽

yes pook YES smut can be underwhelming and so overdone. we definitely need more angst/fluff.. or just PLOT in general. no, i'm not saying don't write it at all (incase anons twist my words, cause.. they're good at that.) i'm just saying that it would be nice to see some fully fleshed out pieces with emotion and storytelling. i have something in the works though, that encompasses all genres (fluff/smut/angst) so, there's that!

people will so clearly write the whole petite pale white girl bs like "ur delicate small hand" or the fuckass "doey eyed and blushing cherub red" like NEVER portray reader so specifically unless you're going to specify it in the cw!!!! do whatever for ellie's white ass but for the love of gods and goddess BE AWARE OF READER AS A SPOT TO FILL, NOT AN OC!!!! idk how else to describe what i just said. but. it is said. so it. yeah. that whole delicate small petite thing kinda trickles into writing childlike readers too but. thats a whole nother discussion. no clue if i ever used that phrasing in the past tho i have no bold memories of my writings in detail.

i think people will listen to anybody but trans people who are actively calling it fetishization, like. all the mfs arguing with them say "trans and f💀ta aren't the same!" yeah. they aren't. cause one is like, a genuine, flesh and bone person.. with a whole story.. and feelings.. and experiences.. and one is.. fetishization. how many times do trans people have to repeat that? bet most of the people trying to argue against it aren't even trans.

the whole thing about authors "flooding" the tlou tag with palestine posts is also dumb as fuck. is scrolling a bit too taxing on your poor smut-guzzling thumbs?? ur scrolling over big booty fics, i think you can scroll a little further past those posts if you're really that much of a basement dwelling fuck that's sitting comfortably in their homes while a genocide is happening. out here sobbing cause people are spreading awareness. eat my bum bum booty. ++ also add-on cause we're holding writers accountable for ignoring a strike (different than not knowing at first) but there's also the artists!! they're there too.

anons r gonna come into my inbox abt all this but i'm not even gonna answer like, don't waste your time. im not reading all that. especially coming from an ANON 💀

me when

[daniifanz]

I don’t see people discussing Zion’s parents and just how supportive they were prepared to be for him, Ginny, and Georgia. I know they aren’t shown much in the show but for the moments that they are, I was very elated. They literally embraced 15 year old, homeless, Georgia into their family and set up a solid support system with a QUICKNESS!!! And even thought it’s not what Zion or Georgia wanted, their proposal for legal guardian ship was smart and considerate! That way the kids didn’t have to technically give up custody, all 3 of them would have been supported into getting they’re lives on track for a better future and Ginny would’ve grown up in a structured, stable, and loving environment. (And when Zion and Georgia were no longer teenagers and had gotten on their feet then the legal guardianship that Zion’s parents would have had, would have ended!) Even after Zion wanted to go back on the agreed terms of his gap year with his parents, they still pulled through, ready to be there for their son and this poor 15 year old girl and their coming grandchild. Plus it’s very rare to see black family dynamics in media portrayed in a positive light where the family isn’t struggling with poverty or missing one parent or riddled with stereotypes of drugs, abuse, and gangs etc. It’s nice to see a black family doing well for once and literally no one is talking about it.

EDIT: just wanna say I wrote this post about season 1 and I’m so glad they touched on the topic in season 2 . It was nice to see more of Zion’s family and hear about their feelings on Georgia’s decision to leave in the past. And we got to see Georgia reflect on it too! Lots of hurt, pain, and anger on both sides but no hate. I really liked the added conversation between Ginny and her grandmother where she clarifies that she doesn’t hate Georgia just that she’s still angry with her. I think the writers accomplished a pretty genuine and realistic representation of how Ginny’s grandparents and Georgia would be feeling. The tension, regret, and anger and worry… even Lynette’s petty jabs at Georgia at Christmas dinner! Like we get why she’s upset and provoking Georgia a little bit she doesn’t hate her (to me i would say that Zion’s parents do still care about Georgia and love her as a person). And GOSH it hurt to see Georgia getting roasted like that IN HER OWN HOME, that she had to excuse herself to check her emotions. Because we know Georgia was just in survival mode and and we know Georgia kind of regrets putting her kids through all that. Ughhh the writers really popped off this season and I hope we get a season 3 because I would love to see Georgia and Zion’s parents have a heart to heart about the past, hug it out and see each other’s perspectives. Maybe even talk about being more involved in Ginny’s life in the future (and Austin’s life because YES I did see how they interacted with him and I think they’d be a positive influence on both kids. They’d benefit from the stability.) I’m loving hearing everyone else’s thoughts so please continue the conversation 🥹🫶🏾

[shewrites444]

watch me [sub! xavier thorpe x reader smut]

[ so this is different than how i usually portray xavier in one shots so far, but i figured a kind of submissive xavier would be an interesting change. enjoy (•؎ •) ]

word count - 2.8k

[summary: the reader helps an insecure and inexperienced xavier through masturbation and foreplay.]

[warnings: female masturbation, female receiving oral, submissive xavier, some deeper discussion of insecurities and mental health]

-

no matter how popular xavier thorpe was amongst our student body, he didn’t care much for relationships. bianca had been out of the picture since the rave’n of last year, and wednesday, respectfully, was so focused on herself that xavier stopped pursuing her once the semester was over with.

xavier and i weren’t friends, and never had been, but deciding to work with him as his essay tutor seemed like it would be interesting. he wasn’t a bad writer, or frankly, bad at school at all, so when he texted me over instagram and begged me to help him, i figured something must be up.

when it grew closer to nighttime and there was darkness slowly coloring the sky, i made my way to his dorm, which was still empty of a roommate from last semester, so we’d have the peace and quiet we needed.

i knocked on the wooden door and felt it unlock after a few seconds, where i was greeted by the tall boy, his hair tied into his usual bun, his black shirt hanging loosely on his lanky body with a pair of grey sweatpants to compliment it.

i never denied that he was attractive from the day i met him, but he seemed like he was a hit of a poser. it’s not like i was analyzing everyone at nevermore’s sex lives, but xavier was so mysterious about it, it kind of made me nosy. obviously, he and wednesday did nothing, and the only other girl he was publicly with was bianca, who i overheard many weeks ago in botany that xavier wasn’t the best. ouch for him.

i walked through the door and tried to push those irrelevant thoughts out of my head, hearing him shut it behind me before walking over to his bed, grabbing the laptop and setting it in his lap. i plop down beside him, sliding my converse off before glancing at the screen.

“so, what seems to be the issue? the prompt? proofreading? writers block?”

he looks to me with wide eyes, pulling up the tab where his essay was about a paragraph deep written. “getting straight into it, huh.”

“i mean, you did pull up your laptop immediately, and it’s not like there is a need in small talk when it comes to tutoring. we’ve talked outside of this like, maybe once, anyway.” i justify, rubbing the back of my neck a bit awkwardly at how tense this encounter already was. “i’m not trying to be rude. i’m sorry if it came off that way, xavier.”

he sighs, looking through his downloaded documents in an attempt to find the document with the prompt and rubric. “it’s fine. i know it must’ve been weird that i texted you about this. i just heard you were a good writer from enid one day in class, and i figured if you were willing to help, it wouldn’t hurt.”

“you’re right.” i smile softly as he pulls up the prompt, and i gesture my hands out for him to hand me the laptop. i scan it for a few moments before laughing a bit to myself, and looking up to xavier with a grin. “you’re stuck on writing an essay on how we can better women’s rights in jericho? seriously, xavier? that’s pretty much a given.”

xavier’s hands cover his reddened face in embarrassment and he takes the laptop, setting it next to him and turning to face me. “it’s an important topic, and i don’t want it to seem like i don’t care, you know. enid already had the whole class laughing at me last week when i said that one of my points was to start a march here during women’s history month.”

“that’s actually a really good idea.” i turn my legs onto the bed and cross them, leaning across the boy to grab the laptop again, and type it down as a point. “anything else you thought of? and you can always use a point of another student that you agree with, you just have to make it your own.”

he shrugged lightly, pinching his forehead as he thought. “not really, [y/n]. this sounds really stupid, but i’ve only ever truly interacted with like, bianca, wednesday, and enid, who’s solely from class and knowing wednesday, so i’m pretty bad when it comes to knowing what women would like to have around here when the only ones i know were pretty toxic.”

“well you know me now.” i say gently, looking up to him with a sympathetic smile. “and i know that you’ve only had experiences with those girls, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t research more about this essay. i think you’re mixing two things into one and it’s giving you a huge writers block.” i laugh a bit to myself, “so let’s try to separate the two.”

“it’s just hard.” he sighs, “i don’t know my mom closely, or much at all, so i’m kind of surrounded by guys. and there’s nothing wrong with that, but like i said, i just don’t know what women around here want to help them out.”

i knew what i wanted, and it really wasn’t what xavier was talking about. while i didn't know xavier that well, there was something so gentle and unknown about him that intrigued a side of me i typically didn't let come out of me.

i sort of felt bad for him, because it was clear that he was in some sort of funk from the way he was venting to me within minutes of personally meeting me, but then again, i did have some strange type of therapeutic touch that most of the douchbags at nevermore didn’t have.

“well, im a woman.” i begin, closing the laptop and setting it down next to me. i shrug lightly. “what do you think would help me as a girl on our campus, and in jericho?”

he purses his lips together, looking down to me and thinking. “i don’t know… uhm..” he pauses as our eyes lock, and shakes his head after a few seconds of staring blankly at me. “fuck, sorry. that was weird.”

“not really.” i giggle, talking his pale, anxious hand and squeezing it lightly. “you’re not a bad dude for not knowing much about women’s rights. i don’t expect you to, and i don’t think your teacher does either, when you’re new to the idea of it anyway. i’m not judging you, okay? you seem sweet."

xavier nodded, just staring at me for a moment before he leaned in and pressed his lips against my own, cupping my cheeks gently with the kiss. my eyes widened and i pushed him off of me almost instantly, not even wanting a taste of his lips before i got anymore ideas, and any more turned on. this was a bad idea. no matter how attractive i thought he was, i really didn’t want him to feel like that’s all i came here for.

“woah.. woah.." i blush, standing up and glancing down at the horrifically embarrassed boy. "i don't think we should let that escalate. you're clearly in an emotional state right now."

xavier grabbed his laptop and opened it, staring at the tab and starting to type. "yeah, you're right. i'm sorry, fuck." he closed it again in his lap before burying his face into his hands, sighing heavily to himself. "that was stupid. i'm sorry."

i sat down next to him, a frown on my face as i reached over to hold him gently across his back. "it's okay.. i get it, we all have things come over us and sometimes we can't control little things like that.."

"i just kissed you and barely know you even though we've been going to school together for years, [y/n]. shouldn't you be upset?" xavier asked, confused, as he pulled his face out of his hands and raised a brow to my oddly calm nature.

i purse my lips together and look up to meet his eyes, breathing nervously through my nostrils.

"i didn't say i was upset." i mutter quietly. "just that it was not a good idea."

he nodded, setting the laptop on the nightstand beside his side of the bed before gently patting my thigh and standing up, adjusting his posture and gesturing to the door. "i can walk you out, i'm sorry i even asked you to come here."

i raise my brown with a confused expression, taking his hand and helping him to sit back down on the bed. "xavier, i get that we don't know each other the best, but i'm not just going to leave someone in their room after that just happened. do you want to maybe talk more about it?"

he shook his head. "no way. it's really embarrassing."

"that you kissed me?" i say with a frown.

"no! definitely not." xavier frantically said back with defense, before taking a short, uncomfortable pause. "look, [y/n], please don't tell anyone this, but i'm a virgin. i never did anything with bianca besides the most amateur foreplay known to this horny campus. i didn't trust her fully, number one, but i also was horrified i'd fuck up since i didn't know squat about the female anatomy."

i smile softly, sitting back on the bed comfortably before speaking up. "that's not that big of a deal, trust me. tons of people here are still virgins. it's not embarrassing, and it's better to wait than sleep with someone, or do anything with someone, that you don't feel fully comfortable with. right?"

xavier nods, "yeah, i guess you're right. i just don't even know where to start. maybe that's why this essay is so hard. i'm thinking more of how i can't pleasure a woman in the bedroom than politically."

laughingly, i move towards the backboard of his bed and rest my back against it. "well, what have you done before to a girl?"

"well.." xavier coughs awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck as he avoids eye contact with me. "i mean, i fingered her, but like, once. i was told i couldn't find the clit, so that made me kind of discouraged."

my cheeks heat up at the mention of those words rolling of his tongue, and i bite my bottom lip, running over what i should say carefully. i breathe heavily, and shakingly, before looking up to him.

"i mean, i could show you. if you want.."

he looked to me with widening eyes, and nodded silently at my offer.

i look down to my black shorts and slide them down slowly, along with my panties, letting them rest before my feet as i spread my legs and watch xavier adjust himself in front of me. he sat with his legs sprawled, on each side of my own, while he eyes attached to my fingers as they dipped into my wet, warm folds to get wet, and slide up to my clit.

"see." i say quietly, planting my middle finger on the bud before starting to rub softly. "you can feel it when you touch it. that how you know you're on it. and you just keep rubbing in circles, not too harshly, but just enough so that she is stimulated. it'll be pretty clear, by her reaction, that you found it.."

he nodded, his length beginning to grow visibly hard in his grey pants as he moved his hand to cover it, watching while i touch myself before him.

"and if you want, you could always finger a girl, or eat her out, at the same time." i say nervously, while i look up to meet our eyes, "or, you could lick her clit, and flick it with your tongue."

"i.. i'll try.." he leans closer, and moves his body to where he laid on his flat stomach, pulling himself closer to where his mouth was inches away from my entrance, as his long, pink tongue slid into my folds and he began to explore my insides.

my eyes widen and i arch my back a little at the sensation, my finger pressing harder against my clit. "see.. you're not bad at this, at all.. oh, god..."

xavier reached over to hold each of my legs while he pushed his tongue in deeper, before he pulled away to suck on my outer folds, pressing a gentle kiss against the entrance before looking up to me, almost for approval.

"was that okay?" he said softly, after pulling himself back up.

"yes." i look down, pulling my finger away from my clit. "now you try there.." i gesture, sitting up and moving a bit closer to him.

he sat up and moved his finger inside of me gently, penetrating me just enough to dampen his digit before moving it upwards, feeling my skin before it meets the bud, and lightly pressing against it, beginning to rub. i moan softly, nodding with a soft smirk as i look up to him. "you got it, xavier."

he smiled softly, leaning closer to meet his lips against mine, kissing me softly while he stimulated me. i pulled away to look down at the bulge in his pants before gently taking his hand off me.

"okay.. now watch me, again." i instruct, watching him nod as he sat back once more. "i'm gonna cum for you."

i sit back again on the headboard, spreading my legs further and moving my middle and ring fingers inside of my folds, beginning to finger myself before the boy while he sat back, sighing heavily as he watched my body react to each thrust of my fingers.

"fingering feels good, but typically, a girl is going to cum better, or easier, from clit stimulation. obviously, when you're having sex, it's going to a little harder to rub her clit, but it's not impossible. that'll just make it feel better for the both of you, if you do.."

i use my free hand to slide my tank top up, exposing my breasts while the shirt rest above them, my nipples hardening at the cold air and the overall stimulation before me.

"have you ever done any sort of nipple play?" i ask, watching him shake his head 'no'. "come try."

he once again leans closer, closing his eyes as he attaches his soft lips to my left bud, sucking softly while his hand reaches over to hold my right breast, and after a few moments, began to play with my nipple. i moan, moving my hand out of my folds and up to my clit once more, rubbing aggressively to pick up my pace, and lower my stamina, as i begin to approach my orgasm.

xavier pulled away again, and he leaned down to my entrance, with a clear sense of confidence washing over him, as he slid two fingers in, pumping them in and out of me. i looked up to him, our eyes locked and mouths both hung open.

"yeah, just like that.. that feels really good, xav.." i blush, nodding with approval to him as he smiled confidently.

i close my eyes as my moans grow louder and louder, feeling his lips press against my neck while he curls his fingers inside me, and i yelp, my walls tightening around him and my climax reaching upon it, as fluids begin to drip out of my walls and onto the blue bedsheets, soaking his fingers in the process.

he pulls his digits out of me and looks to me with a flustered face, a small grin forming on his lips.

"w-wow.." he said quietly, watching as i began to pull my top down. "that was.. uhm.. amazing, and very helpful.."

i lean up to peck his lips softly. "feel better about pleasuring a woman now?" i tease, weakly moving my exhausted legs to grab my underwear and shorts, slipping them both on.

he nods, sitting up and attempting to disregard the slight erection that was still in his pants. "much better.. you are just so amazing, and beautiful.. and so, just comforting.."

"oh stop." i smirk, reaching over him to grab the laptop. i open it and click on the essay before handing it back to him. he sat down next to me and sighed, resting his head on my own. "guess you're my tutor for two different things, huh?"

"don't get too ahead of yourself." i laugh, watching him pull up the prompt once more on the screen. "all i did was teach you the basics. i think the rest you may have to figure out yourself."

he smiled at me before leaning down to peck my lips. "maybe. but i wouldn't complain if you taught me how to do a bit more."

"i'll think about it. let's finish this paper first and we'll go from there." i kiss him once again, before glancing back at the screen and putting my focus towards what i originally came here for, no matter how hard it was to stop thinking about what it would feel like to have xavier thorpe between my legs right now, again.

[musclesandhammering]

Spn Opinions That’ll Have Me Burned at the Stake Pt. 2: Electric Boogaloo

I’m back and bitchier than ever. For reference, here’s part 1.

• Season 5 wasn’t that great.

• D*stiel isn’t real, it’s a sucky ship, and that confession scene was just the writers pandering to the rabid deancas fans cause they knew they were the only ones still watching the show lol. And they left it ambiguous enough that they could still say it was meant platonically if they needed to.

• I hate how they watered down both angels and demons post-season 5ish.

• I liked Ruby 1.0 better than Ruby 2.0.

• I hate Honey!Cas. They just did that cause they didn’t know where to take his story from there, needed him out of the way, and thought it would be funny. It was insulting.

• Jack should’ve been played by an actual child so everyone’s abuse of him would resonate with the audience for what it was (casual fans are brain dead and need to be spoon fed).

• Victor Henrikson deserved more time on the show.

• I said it in the last post, but Alex is way more interesting than Claire and should’ve been given the lead role in the wayward sisters storyline instead.

• Dean is canonically straight and for Christ sake if you guys wanted bi rep, there’s about a thousand other characters that are strongly coded or implied to be bisexual (including Sam!) but y’all didn’t focus on them because it wasn’t actually about representation, it was about making it more plausible for your dumb fetishised gay ship to actually happen (spoiler: it didn’t).

• Season 3 and Season 6 were some of the best ones, you guys just don’t have any taste.

• Claire is not Castiel’s daughter and saying she is erases Jimmy and insults her, and even Cas himself acknowledged that on the show.

• Castiel is canonically NOT gay and Misha constantly saying he is is annoying and airheaded. He’s been attracted to women IN THE SHOW and he’s not even really male, so calling him a Gay Man is reductive and just plain wrong. Also, it’s veeery sus that- given how bi/pan folks are even more underrepresented than gay people- that one of the rare times where the bi/pan label actually fits a character BETTER in CANON……. the allies and monosexuals adamantly reject it. Hm.

• “Curing” vampires or werewolves or demons shouldn’t have been a thing.

• The Winchesters cause most of the bad shit that happens and then they just force supernatural beings to fix it for them- tell me again how they’re Super Special Heroes.

• It shouldn’t be possible to make angels human by removing their grace, because (unlike demons, werewolves, etc) they were never human to start with. If you drained me of all my blood, I wouldn’t magically transform into another species, I’d fucking die.

• Making Billie go crazy was dumb.

• Rowena was one of the most interesting and charismatic characters on the whole show- they just didn’t know what to do with her character.

• The archangels, Lilith, and Azazel should’ve been the biggest threats on the show. No other knights of hell, no god and his sister, no Cain, nothing like that. Having every villain just get progressively more overpowered made the show unbelievable and repetitive and annoying.

• The kernel sanders king of hell guy was hot.

• Dean is misogynistic as HELL, homophobic, likes racist porn, is a narcissist, pervs on teen girls, & thinks all non-human people should be exterminated… and that is all CANON.

• Most of John Winchester’s abuse is fanon.

• Fans portraying Cas as a smol bby who colours in colouring books and has a bee plushie is so fucking annoying.

• Instead of having so many gigantic cosmic storylines with god and his sister and alternate dimensions and even the angel and demon tablets, they should’ve just scrapped those and made the stein family and the bmol and the alpha vampire storylines way bigger than they were. Less cosmic stuff, more earth-based stuff.

• They ruined Lucifer’s character post-season 5. Before that, he was more sympathetic and reasonable than Michael. After, he was a spoiled child hurting people for fun.

• Everything from season 7 on is garbage. All of it. There’s bits of goodness here and there but overall seasons 7-15 are trash.

• How the fuck are there actual people who are deangirls and hate Sam?? The space where your brain should be is empty, I swear to god.

• If there was gonna be any lgbt rep in the Wayward Sisters group, it should’ve been Jody and Donna instead of Claire and Kaia. Those two were boring as hell and had zero chemistry or build-up, but Jody/Donna had plenty of chemistry and was very believable.

• Meg has the best and most realistic redemption arc of anyone on the show.

• Chuck was not likeable or charismatic enough to carry off as big of a villain arc as they gave him. Also that whole thing was stupid and WAY too Out There.

• All the angels should’ve been aroace. All the demons should’ve been pan.

• I stanned Cole so hard up until he changed his mind about hating Dean. That was disappointing.

• Sam went through the same shitty childhood Dean did (plus Bonus Abuse on top of it) and he didn’t turn out Like That.

• I cannot think of a single person that was asking for a spin-off about the Winchester family, like that has to be the most boring thing.