#make it an actual negative character development

[myfandomrealitea]

I really wanted to ask you about this:

Do you have any advice of how to develop critical thinking and media literacy?

There are many, many ways you can practice critical thinking, evaluation and media literacy. At its most basic, you can access student resources for lower levels of education like earlier high school years and look at the examples and guidance given there. Rehashing this will often give you a good foundation to build off of and apply.

One of the main aspects of critical thinking involves discerning what is fact and what is opinion. A good portion of media analytics is opinion. What is 'bad' by one person's standards is 'sub-par' or even 'great' by another's. Similarly, the majority of fandom space is opinion-based. The main pitfall of fandom spaces is that everyone wants their opinion to be taken as fact, which is where critical thinking and even basic communication begin to fall away.

"I'm right and you're wrong" and "this is the way it should be, if you do it or think differently, you're wrong" are common roadblocks people run into when engaging with things like media analysis and even basic fandom activities like fanfiction.

'Mischaracterisation' is fanfiction is one popular topic, especially here on Tumblr. What people often fail to recognize is the true creative depth of fanfiction and using someone else's pre-existing characters. Characters as they are in the source material may not make the choices or behave in the ways necessary to activate or validate certain plot material or author intentions in fanfiction. Which is, inherently, one of the main points of fanfiction. Exploring the alternate.

While you might immediately recoil and say "he'd never do that!" you then have to sit back and recognise that that's exactly the point. That this iteration of that character is not meant to directly reflect the source material. Its a re-imagining, a re-interpretation. That doesn't mean its bad. Its simply different.

'Mischaracterisation' is only actually applicable in fandom spaces when someone is trying to insist as a blanket fact that a character would do something or behave in a way that blatantly contradicts their canon behavior, opinions, morals and perspective or deliberately interpreting an action in biased bad faith. It is not actually applicable to fanfiction where creative liberty dictates you can do whatever the fuck you want with a character because you're not trying to claim it as part of the source content.

Questions To Ask Yourself

Am I reacting to [media] emotionally instead of rationally? Is my emotional response to [media] blinding me to the rational or critical approach(es)?

Am I allowing my expectations to get in the way of me understanding [media] fully? Am I forming a biased negative opinion of [media] because it isn't meeting my expectations?

Even if I disagree with [media], do I actually understand it? Can I recognise the reasoning behind choices made or actions even if I don't agree with them?

Am I searching too hard to hidden meaning or purpose in absolutely everything? Can I recognise what is simply passive information/detail and what is active information/detail? (E.g; English tutors saying a character's curtains are blue because they're depressed when throughout the literature its passively reinforced that blue is the character's favorite color.)

Even though I disagree with the statement or opinion shown, is it necessary to argue against it? Is there any benefit to making my counter-opinion known or is it simply a no-end argument? Am I just using arguing as a means of release/fulfilment? Am I treating this person poorly because of their opinion/statement?

Resources

Critical Thinking Exercises & Explanations #1 The Critical Thinking Activity Workbook Early Stage Critical Thinking Games Five Media Literacy Activities Six Media Literacy Ideas

[hazelnut-u-out]

Pondering on the overall arc of Rick and Morty again. In the past, I’ve said that the point of Rick and Morty is that everything matters, way too much. (At least, there’s an argument to be made there about Rick’s character progression.)

Rick was backed into a philosophical corner by his experience of what it means to be alive. If everything matters, that means that what happened to him actually had consequences on who he is. If, somehow, he can find confirmation that nothing matters, instead— that there are no real consequences and he’s one of the elite few to understand the significance of cosmic insignificance— then he mourns for nothing. Nothing that happened to him and nothing that was taken away from him mattered.

It’s the opposing vice of ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’ The application of value to trauma is equally as invalid and toxic as removing it entirely. I don’t know about you, but what happened to me didn’t make me stronger, and I loathe hearing that from people. It made me who I am, sure, but I can appreciate that I have my good qualities in spite of what I’ve been through— in spite of those who tried to take them away from me. Those people and experiences don’t deserve credit for anything I’ve become. There is no positive spin on the negative impact of trauma. It was negative, and we keep on going. The truth is, on some level, Rick is broken— and without either nihilism or application of a metric of ‘worth’ to his trauma, he would have to worry that he’ll be broken forever.

Unfortunately, the downside of nihilism comes from the concept that, if nothing that broke you ever mattered, then no effort to heal those wounds would matter. Therefore, nothing Rick does to other people would matter, and nothing he could do to right those wrongs would, either. That is his biggest character flaw. This is what his development has been confronting.

This is why I find it more likely that the resolution to Rick’s moral issues will round out at absurdism. If nothing matters, then EVERYTHING matters, because you have to enjoy and protect what matters to you. If the universe creates infinite idiots just to eat them, then you might as well enjoy the ride instead of trying fight it until you inevitably get thrown off. Maybe the point of life isn’t to deny that our trauma is substantial, or even convince ourselves of its worth. Instead, maybe the point is to acknowledge what we still have when we get to the end of the line despite every curve ball the universe tried to throw at us. It made us, it will eat us, and our only way to give it the metaphorical middle finger is to ensure that our lives will mean something in spite of our cosmic insignificance. If we are meaningful in a meaningless existence, then what does that say about our power over the infinite? If we value fostering our positive traits instead of punishing them for their lack of value, then what does that say about our value on our own, as we are, both unchanged and changed by the insignificance life itself represents?

Maybe it’s special for Rick to be alive (for Rick to love; for Rick to fail and succeed) simply because of how not special those experiences are.

At the end of the day, being 'replaceable' is what makes things special, not the other way around. We get to choose to care, and that's terrifyingly beautiful.

[plutoyoni]

astro observations:

zuko and azula: an analysis into fire and character arcs - part 1:

zuko

(inspired by this tweet):

(disclaimer: i'm not a professional astrologer, these are just insights from a person who is still learning astrology and making connections along the way. thus, please feel free to correct me if necessary, and take my posts with a grain of salt)

aries, as we know is the sign ruler over fire in the zodiac, both literally and symbolically.

generally it also rules over themes such as:

vitality

physical prowess

combat/violence/war

strength

identity

independence

leadership

masculinity

zuko's arc is one that begins with fire, quite literally actually, as the act of his father (the central masculine figure in his life at the time) burns his face in punishment for his defiance (which as we know, was zuko considering the lives of the fire nation soldiers that his father saw as disposable).

consequently, zuko making the 'mistake' of showing kindness and suffering this traumatic event leads to him embracing all of the negative associations of aries energy, as seen in his season 1 persona.

as his character arc progresses, him choosing to sever ties with this version of himself (symbolically shown by him cutting off his topknot) and embarking on a new journey (with a healthier version of masculinity to guide him found in uncle iroh).

this next part of his story is where I'd say libra's polarity with aries comes into play, as in this part of his journey, zuko experiences a calmer, more peaceful existence, shaped by comforts and pleasures such going on a date, working in the teashop, making connections and most importantly, experiencing kindness from others. these interactions I'd say, are crucial in bringing him back into balance.

by 'zuko alone', his decision to wander alone (aries also rules over independence remember !!) into a village and being taken in by a small boy's family unfolds in him having to revisit his wounds around how violence and combat were a central theme of his upbringing, most memorably, him being so accustomed to violence in his upbringing that his idea of a kind gesture is gifting a weapon to a child.

though he's making solid progress, he falls back into old patterns by jumping at the prospect of allowing his father to believe he's k*lled the avatar and regained his honour. though of course, this win is short-lived because its brings him back into his old pattern of anger and self-destruction.

ultimately, his decision to disavow these teachings by finally confronting his father, and criticising his lifelong childhood abuse, he becomes aware of the dangers of perpetuating the circle of violence and how it ultimately leads to repeated suffering (something zuko has personally learned all too well at this point).

in an effort to avoid this, he chooses the path of peace and kindness and subsequently joins the avatar, leading to him finally reaching the developed side of aries in his identity: using his strength, leadership, and determination (aries) as a means of bringing safety, kindness and peace (libra).

thanks for reading!

author's note - thank you so much for 100 followers! this was a bit harder than i was expecting lol but it's done! tumblr's 10 pic limit is k-wording me there were so many more pics i wanted to include😭

part 2 - azula's arc will be up soon!

[deandelreys]

certain wincest shippers always write bad poetic posts about cycles and whatever and characters turning into worst versions of themselves

and it always applies to just dean and never sam. sam will always remain the biggest victim who is abused by everyone and is stockholmed into staying with his dadbrother

[kideternity]

SORRY this sounds really bad but I'm so excited for Juri's fucked up evil arc. GO GIRL GET WORSE!!!!!!!

[bylovesfirstkiss]

you guys just don't know how to write angst anymore. putting people who say they like "toxic yaoi" in my dni cause they have no idea how to actually write toxicity

[kinos-fortress-2]

i just woke up and realized my art did developed holy crap

[whollyjoly]

watching mash s11ep4 the joker is wild for the first time and...boy howdy do i have thoughts on bj's trapper complex

[apollolovesu]

Oh god it’s posting ocs again

Older Aster design!!! Y’know. In case he survives. Haven’t decided yet.

[vaugarde]

while i say i wouldnt know what to do with crowfeather in my rewrite since hes not the one to cause the three parentage drama in it, i still kinda want to make him an outright bad person purely to spite the people who say hes an innocent brooding edgy guy who’s super compelling bc he had two gfs leave him

[kennabeth]

I'm so invested in the folcharts as a couple when resa's talking then mo immediately lies to and excludes her for no reason. she's the only reason your dumb ass is even alive and you haven't treated her like an adult and your partner in months fuck is wrong with you

and then he tells her he doesn't care if she goes back home without him lmfao men ain't shit

[thebraxiatelcollection]

+

[waywardsalt]

:3

[roaringheat]

ANOTHER THING is I am absolutely obsessed with the way the gang's relationships with each other evolve so naturally throughout the game whether for better or for worse. I've only just started chapter 4 but seeing them grow and have problems or resolve them over a long period of time is so impressive... literally no other game compares to that level of effort and writing

[hopeymchope]

No hardcore fandom has ever died so quickly and so completely as Veronica Mars. This is the story of its murder.

They should study Veronica Mars in Hollywood. I'm serious. It's an incredible story of how to go from "loud, passionate fanbase with its own fandom name that campaigns and advocates constantly for it" to "absolutely zero fucking interest" damn near OVERNIGHT with just ONE epically terri-bad decision.

If you weren't there, you don't understand: From 2007 to 2014, the fandom — the "Marshmallows," as they called themselves — were everywhere in the Internet's geek spaces, my friends. They routinely beat the drum about the series' three seasons and its excellence, lamented its cancellation, pushed others to give the show a try, and always - ALWAYS - proudly and loudly called for the series to be revived.

FULL DISCLOSURE/CONFESSION: I've not even watched that much Veronica Mars, frankly... ? Yeah, I'm sorry! it does seem pretty good from like the four-or-five hours I've experienced firsthand. I just never took the time to sit down with it. Regardless, I find fandoms and their dynamics — both how they operate internally and how they display to others externally — deeply fascinating. And I honestly find them easier to study from the outside than the inside. Like, if I'm IN a fandom, I'm more likely to stay in my corner and ignore places that seem negative. But being on the outside lets me just... absorb what's out there, looking into every forum without judgment. It's like studying pop-culture sociology or something? And it helps that I'm very close to some serious(-ly burnt) Marshmallows. It makes it so much easier to find and absorb the gamut of the fandom.

Besides: There is NO fandom story I've ever seen that's anything like what happened to Veronica Mars and the Marshmallows.

(Time to insert a brief explainer for the uninitiated: Veronica Mars was a TV series that aired from 2004-2007 on the now-deceased UPN network wherein Kristen Bell played the titular character, a high school girl whose single dad was a private detective in the fictional community of Neptune, California. She grew up working "unofficially" as his assistant, which meant that she herself was effectively a teenage private detective.

The three core elements of the series were: 1) Veronica investigating each week's big mystery with plenty of quips and snark, 2) Watching Veronica's various relationships develop and shift, with most of the focus given to a) her relationship to her father and b) Her romantic pursuits (which began as the Veronica/Duncan/Logan triangle before eventually becoming focused on the slow-burn, off-on Veronica/Logan love story), and 3) The gradual development of that season's "mytharc" — the overarching BIG MYSTERY that doesn't get resolved or wrapped until the season finale. So it went over the course of two seasons that took place in high school and the third, shorter season that was at the start of Veronica's collegiate career.)

Just how big and how passionate were the Marshmallows? WELL! When series creator Rob Thomas (not the Matchbox 20 guy) and star Kristen Bell announced the Kickstarter campaign for the Veronica Mars movie in March 2013, it achieved its heretofore-unprecedented goal of TWO MILLION GODDAMN DOLLARS within less than 12 hours. At that time, it was the biggest Kickstarter goal to ever succeed — and certainly the fastest to reach that kind of height. Fans fell OVER themselves to pay out for it. Hell, my own significant other was DEEP in the tank for VM at the time and invested enough to get multiple t-shirts as backer rewards as well as a disk copy of the movie when it eventually came home.

And AFTER the movie hit in 2014? It was thankfully beloved and embraced! The once-teenage characters were adults who were actually out living on their own and working for a living, but the fandom had grown up with them, so it wasn't like they were begging for them to stay young students. They embraced Adult Veronica and her new adventure. The fandom rejoiced loudly and continued to be all over the geek side of the Internet... where they, of course, still wanted more. Sure, there were new novels in the aftermath (which were written by the creator of the series), but most of the Marshmallows were calling for more movies or a streaming revival.

And then, at long last... season four was actually announced. And there was much (premature) rejoicing yet again.

Yes, Veronica Mars returned for a fourth season on Hulu in 2019. It was just eight episodes, and it was heavily centered on one season-long mystery instead of sprinkling that amongst a bunch of smaller ones, but it would still feature the same ol' Veronica. They promised a new, more "adult" mystery/investigation plus a strong focus on Veronica and Logan's love story.

New Hulu purchased the rights to the first three seasons and hyped up its presence on the platform while marketing the return for the new run. The marketing team played up the most popular quips from the show's history plus put out TONS of stuff centered on the Logan/Veronica ship to pump up the fans.

The season was dropped all at once using the classic Netflix "binge" model in July 2019. And then... afterwards?

There was a brief explosion of LOUD RAGE from the Marshmallows at what series creator Rob Thomas had to done to burn and spite the fandom and ruin his own goodwill.

SPOILERS FOR SEASON 4: See, at the end of the movie, Veronica and Logan finally entered into a long-term relationship. In season four, they've been dating for years, and Logan proposes marriage. But of course there has to be drama/obstacles: In this case, Veronica isn't sure she's ready to marry... or capable of being in a marriage. Ah, but of course she eventually realizes how much Logan means to her. The two are married, and, in the season finale... Logan is killed by a car bomb in the penultimate scene. The final scene is a flashfoward to a year later, where Veronica leaves Neptune alone.

For most fandoms, that'd be a memorable point of pain. A big ol' speed bump that ultimately throws some people off the bus, leaving only the die-hards. But the fact that fans had been invested in this relationship for literally 15 years and that Hulu (and creator Rob Thomas) had heavily marketed the new season as being a big romantic event for the ship... it was too much. Unlike the aftermath of the Star Wars sequels, there was no lingering group of die-hard fans who were open to whatever was next — at least no significant one. I did some Googling and could only find TWO people who still wanted another season.

Funnily enough? Critics LOVED this. Hell, Vanity Fair infamously penned an editorial about how Veronica Mars had "finally grown up" with this finale. I suppose all the other murders and deaths and drug overdoses and r*pe weren't "mature" enough before now for... some... reason. (The same editorial also featured the author openly hating on Veronica ever being in a relationship because it causes "arrested development" and declaring that the movie -- which was acclaimed by both critics AND fans alike, I remind you -- was a lame dud. So. The writer must be a reeeaaaal fun person.)

But a series doesn't live based on critical acclaim, as it turns out. The fandom was murdered overnight. "Marshmallows" stopped appearing in geek spaces online entirely. No one expressed interest in seeing the next season or the next movie. The constant flow of fan AMVs on YouTube and fanfics on AO3 dried up to nothing or damn nearly so.

Since 2019 ? Nothing. Chirping crickets. An intensely dedicated fandom of 12 years was just... vaporized.

I've never seen anything like it before OR since.

That's why it's so fucking fascinating.

So what went wrong?

Creator Rob Thomas was adamant about two things: ONE, the series was intended to be a noir show, which meant there couldn't be any happiness for its protagonist. And TWO, the death of Logan was necessary to evolve and grow the series.

Thomas thought that having Veronica in a relationship would be holding her back, and that a marriage would absolutely kill the series and leave her stagnant. It never even occurred to him that marriage isn't the end of a character's life and growth. It never occurred to him that plenty of drama can be had AFTER someone is married, or that development/growth could be that the characters mature enough to be capable of maintaining a committed relationship. Thomas' view of his own universe was so myopic that he couldn't conceive of any possible way that Veronica could still be a private detective involved in life-threatening investigations AND be married at the same time. Futhermore, he felt that fans just wanted Veronica to become a pregnant housewife, which is about as far from what Marshmallows were after as you can get without straight-up killing Veronica and/or Logan. He managed to do the only thing wronger than what he wrongly thought was their insistence.

On top of the above, Rob Thomas only viewed "noir" as a vehicle for total fatalism... despite the fact that many of the most famous noir stories are cynical and full of moral ambiguity, but they still feature a positive outcome. The Big Sleep still has the protagonist get the girl. The Set-Up arguably ends with the happiest possible ending in spite of the beating the hero receives.

Perhaps most importantly? Despite Thomas own insistence that Veronica Mars was always "noir," the majority of both TV critics and fans did not think that designation ever truly applied. I suspect that's the reason why Thomas decided to go as dark and fatalistic as possible: He wanted to be noir, and he was being told that he wasn't. So he went so far into noir that he killed his own most popular property.

He was adamant that it was the only way for the series to grow. But as it turns out, it was instead the only way for the series to permanently end. Without that season four finale, a passionate group of fans would still be begging for more. With it? It's over. Nobody fucking cares now.

That's kind of amazing.

[amedora]

Oh god.