#not me critiquing the season before I’ve even seen it

[rosiethedragongeek]

This makes me so mad. Okay. I can explain, too. I know that they have different budgets, that’s not what this is about.

They obviously gave these kids dragon armor based on THW. Now, I haven’t watched S3 of 9 Realms yet and I don’t know how they explained the existence of this armor, so I’m not gonna go after that too harshly, but there are a couple things that bug me.

Look at the dragon armor that the gang is wearing.

It’s all clearly of their dragon’s scales and inspired by the look of their dragons, and each suit lines up with their personalities; dumb cape on Snotlout’s armor, giant shoulder spikes on Tuff’s, etc etc

Now look at the 9 Realms dragon armor again. They’re all wearing the same armor (which looks to me like it’s made of Thunder’s scales) (keep in mind I still haven’t watched S3). The overall designs don’t have anything to do with their personality or any little personal touches.

I know that they don’t have as much skill with working with that sort of stuff as Hiccup, but they were clearly able to make several durable, good looking, well fitting, consistent outfits, so I definitely think that they could have afforded to make slightly more personalized armor with the other dragon’s scales.

Idk this just bothers me

[lurkingshan]

Kinou nani tabeta/What Did You Eat Yesterday?

You should know that I attempted to start this write up about half a dozen times before I managed to get a single word down. Every time I tried I just ended up staring at the wall. I don’t think I’ve been this emotionally stunned by a show since I Told Sunset About You, and I don’t say that lightly!

So, is this a good show? My god, YES. What an understatement. Let me tell you, as my MDL can attest, I’ve watched nearly 300 dramas. I’m sure I’ve watched even more Western shows since I had a 30 year head start on those. And I can say confidently that I’ve never seen anything quite like this gem.

Kinou nani tabeta, or What Did You Eat Yesterday?, is a drama about two middle aged gay men living their everyday lives, making and sharing food, reckoning with their identities and expectations, and figuring out how to be together in a long term relationship. That’s it, that’s the show. If that sounds boring to you, I gotta tell you: YOU ARE WRONG.

We meet Shiro and Kenji when they’re in their mid 40s and already a couple years into living together. Over the course of the show, we learn more about their relationship - how they got together, how they differ, where they struggle, where they shine, what they are still figuring out - and we see them work through it all, together. We see them at work, with friends, with their families, out in public, and in the privacy of their own home - we get a full and complete picture of their lives. And we are invited in to experience it with them and get up close and personal with their relationship in a way that feels both cozy and thrilling.

Now, I am not going to go into detail about everything that happens in this show, or attempt to provide deep analysis about its story, its characters, or the various cultures it depicts. This show was released in 2019, the manga began its run many years before that, and there are folks on this website - like @isaksbestpillow and @bengiyo - who have been at this a hell of a long time and thus have a broader context and lived experience from which to critically examine the show and its messages as they relate to Japanese familial values, life as a queer man from an older generation, and building community while living in a culture that is actively hostile to who you are. I implore you to go read their thoughts and learn from their wisdom. But what I will do is mention a couple (3… no 4, okay 5!) things that really made it stand out to me, a lifelong romance reader, avid media consumer, and drama enjoyer (I’m going to keep plot stuff vague because I hope if you’re reading this, you will be watching very soon!):

Let me repeat: this is a drama about a middle aged couple in a long term relationship, and the ongoing growth and deepening of their relationship is the main plot. Do I have to tell you how unique that is? The romance genre is rarely interested in what happens after the couple gets together, and even in other dramas featuring a couple in a LTR, the plot is usually about something else with the relationship in the background. And I’m fairly sure this is the only show of this nature in the entire bl genre (@absolutebl please fact check me if I’m wrong). In this show, the relationship is the point. It’s a rare look at what it actually takes to learn to deal with your baggage and share your life with someone, and I found it deeply moving.

My god these actors. With all due respect to the many fine actors in the bl industry, these two are on another level. We just never get to see seasoned actors of this caliber headlining ql dramas. If I have one tiny critique of this show, it’s that I found the moments when they let us listen in on the characters’ internal monologues mostly unnecessary - every emotional beat played out in their faces and body language. There’s this one scene I can’t stop thinking about, where the main pair are fighting, and one of them says something he doesn’t mean, and you see the regret on his face instantly, followed by a quick aborted movement as if to take it back, but his partner has already turned away and doesn’t see it. Just perfection. And the acting was so good in the finale (@waitmyturtles informed me my absolute fav moment was improvised for fucks sake) that it actually laid me out for like an hour, I was just sitting there in a crying daze.

The writing is so fucking smart. What’s absolutely brilliant about this show is that it’s structured like an episodic slice of life drama, but there is a deeper long term emotional arc at play and the writers forget nothing. Just like in life, in each episode something will happen, it won’t really get fully resolved, and the characters will move on. But on this show, it always comes back around, usually when your guard is down and they can inflict maximum damage by sucker punching you right in the solar plexus. I can hardly believe how many times this show managed to sneak attack me with emotional realness (official Shan cry count: 8/12 episodes caused me to burst into tears, sometimes more than once).

This show will take you through every possible destination on the spectrum of human emotion. I was so emotional while watching this show, in every sense. Crying both happy and sad tears. Swinging wildly between giddy delight, deep sadness, low key anger, and belly laughing. Sometimes the switch happens literally one scene to the next! And yet, there is an evenness to the tone and assuredness to the filmmaking that makes it all feel smooth. You never feel jerked around by the narrative. This is a credit to the writing, acting, and editing all coming together with perfect precision. The people who made this show are masters of their crafts.

OBVIOUSLY I MUST MENTION THE FOOD. Every episode of this show features at least one instance of a character making Japanese food that looks like the best thing you’ve never gotten the chance to eat. I do not recommended watching this without feeding yourself first, because it will have you salivating. And they don’t just show you the characters making the food (even narrating the recipes for you!), they always show you the characters actually eating and enjoying it. Some real foodies were involved in this production and as someone who loves to eat and absolutely was raised to view feeding people as a love language, I loved it.

So now that you are obviously dying to watch it, you must be wondering: where can I find this show? Let me point you to this post on @kinounaniresource, where the amazing Siiri has compiled all the video files and English subs you need. If you’re not familiar with how to use these, you’ll find instructions on her blog (if you get confused come ask me, please don’t bug her about it). I know sometimes shows being a little hard to access is a big deterrent to watching them, but please trust me that this is absolutely worth your time and effort, you will not regret it.

[helluva-dump]

Yeah I think I am officially done with the Helluva boss critical community… for good.

Before you guys flip your shit and accuse me of being a Stan, let me explain.

So I deleted my tumblr app and decided just to refreshen my mind and focus on other things. (Like my art, my own possible indie project, ect ) and being away for a while… it kind of made me realize how much of the critical community was becoming too much for my mental health.

Originally, I joined because season 2 disappointed with season 2, didn’t like how Vivziepop retconned things like the pilot, the possible workplace allegations, and of course… the fandom being super toxic as hell work promoting toxic positivity.

But holy shit…. Somehow the critical community is even worse than the fandom.

Like I swear nobody talks about what’s wrong with this community. I’ve seen blogs have such an unhealthy hatred to Viv where they post nonstop about her… it’s insane. Like when making account names “wah I hate Vivziepop”

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think all critical blogs act like this. I do in fact still follows few, only thing is the ones I follow don’t constantly whine and bitch all the time and actually do critique. And these reblogs I follow just do AUs, rewrites, and redesigns which to me I will always see as harmless fun since that’s what I wanna do.

As for the other half of criticals…. Hell, these people legit get mad and share screenshots making fun of fans with different opinions. Like, bruh, didn’t you guys get angry at stans for doing that to y’all? You guys are literally doing the exact same thing. And no I’m not talking about sharing screenshots of toxic fans that attack former employees and make excuses for a questionable workplace…. But like they’ll just mock fans that didn’t do anything bad.

I’m all for critiquing a fandom and there are Stans that have such an unhealthy parasocial relationships with Viv… but somehow I see people acting the same with their unhealthy hate obsession. Literally going through her IG and bitching and moaning…

Seeing people making assumptions about her and Gooseworks with the glitch x as well as Tracy just shows me how unhealthy this hate is becoming.

Yes, Viv and Tracy had a bit of a heated thing on Twitter. However, I don’t think it’s fair to assume she’s this evil evil hellspawn that’s plotting to destory glitch x. “She’s kissing ass to goodeworks with her fake smile” dude she’s probably a fan of their works, you really don’t know that.

Also, while I’m aware of the allegations concerning Salem (who I hope really recovers and they did really make this episode the best IMO)… it’s probably not fair to assume all employees get treated the same way… the only people that seem to know what went down are Erin, Ken, Salem, and Ashley Nicolas. Do I think the workplace abuse is possible? Yes, it’s why I haven’t bought any merch.

BUT the reason why I don’t like to discuss things like this is because half of the other stuff seems like flimsy evidence besides Salem’s vents. And I think it’s a bit risky to spread such misinformation and make assumptions. (One blog I’ve seen had so many anons sharing rumors and just go along with them which to me is dangerous…)

Like when the new episode aired, unlike everyone else, I actually loved it. This recent episode was so great it’s what I wanna see more of for Helluva boss. But eh… I noticed some haters bitch for the sake of it. Now, some of the critiques aren’t too bad, I did notice some flaws and I understand the concerns for salem. But like other half it’s just bitching for the sake of it…

Also I heard rumors how the deranged stalker fan of Fizz is a parody of critical blogs… tbh I highly doubt that because that trope always existed in cartoons (like Aggrestuko had one too) but considering a good chunk of “criticals” have a hate boner for viv, can you blame some fans for thinking that?

I really don’t like how the critical community became the anti community. Because not every critical person is an anti, I don’t even wanna fuck with that shit and I don’t ever wanna resort to that.

Hell, they drove one critical blog I loved away… over a bad miscommunication.🙃 and that blog was right, you don’t wanna make friends with this community with how some toxic people are.

Also I’ve been drawing a lot of Hazbin hotel stuff for my Heaven AU and it reminded me why I enjoyed Vivziepop’s ideas and stories so much. It somehow was helping me take edge away from my mental health.

I think it’s possible to still be a fan without labeling yourself as a stan or anti. That’s why I made this blog for. I was so worn out by the toxic positivity of the fandom, so this is my comfort space. But now I need to cut the critical community away since it’s now full of toxic negativity.

And as I said, I do plan to make an indie cartoon series and I feel like being part of this critical community is NOT gonna make me professional on my end. That being said, I don’t like Viv as she said things that rubbed me the wrong way BUT I’m not gonna let that kill my joy for Hazbin hotel.(and Helluva boss to an extent) I do think she has good ideas and they CAN work but she does need more writers than animators to help her execute them.

That’s why I’m only a bit more excited for Hazbin hotel lately

Now I’m not angry at anyone who followed me. I just wanna make some boundaries, and that being said, I’m still gonna critique both shows. However, I’m just gonna tag these posts as HH/HB critiques than HH/HB critical for now on. I feel like that’s more professional and more genuine if you wanna share opinions on stuff.

Just wanna get this off my chest, it’s what I wanted to express for a while.

And if fans come across this blog, don’t be afraid to interact I won’t bite. Everyone has their different opinions. I only have an issue with Stans that promote toxic positivity and dismiss employees that were treated badly is all.

[chaifootsteps]

Hello! Studio Anon here, after a good while! I think I checked this blog… a day or two before the season finale of HH got leaked? Or that one leak when Sir Pentious died came out- I know he’s actually dead now (or like… redeemed?? What’s going on-) but I’m genuinely confused on what’s happening- St. Peter is white, blonde, and blue-eyed??? Sir Pentious and Cherri had a SA ‘joke’?????? Adam dies??????? You got interviewed by a reporter about the leaks??? Lucifer and Lilith are T4T (that is so gonna get ruined)????? Sorry, there’s so much happening- is it alright if you could summarize it for me?

In other news, I recently found out two of my cousins watched HH, and they’re pretty confused about it (I mean, one of them had to ask me to explain Who Even Are these characters even if they watched it more than I did), and one of my friends almost watched it but I intervened on that-… I don’t even know, man. I’ve seen HH all over my recommended (I don’t even watch any critique videos on HB anymore, I just wanna watch something mindless and fun), I’ve seen people watch HH in my campus, I’m just… man. I don’t like thinking that Viv-obsessed lunatics could be around me physically, it’s weird.

In other news, I feel I could try and redesign some of the crew out of spite. There’s way too many characters and they’re all so weirdly designed (both under and over designed tbh) and I just. I’m sorry I can’t ever take it seriously.

I hope you and everyone else had been alright through all the suffering! I’ve been skirting away from all that Viv stuff but I do like popping back in once in a while. Lighter news to end it on, one of my good friends is out of the psych ward so I get to meet up with them soon, so there’s some nice things in the world!

Welcome back, and congrats to your friend! As annoying as Viv's presence can be, there's plenty of good in the world, and plenty to look forward to.

[stormywitcher]

oh sweet lord that last episode has rendered me deceased. i am dead. i cannot FUNCTION

what a show. and what a way to end the first season! as a hardcore insane percy jackson stan till i die, here’s my thoughts if you would like them:

FIRST OF ALL. the whole show: loved it. very little to critique in my opinion! i know not everyone is happy with everything, but personally i think it’s one of the best adaptations i’ve ever seen. it’s mostly faithful to the books, and the changes that were made i think were improvements and made a lot of sense.

rick wrote the first percy jackson book so long ago, this show felt like his way of being able to go back and change bits and edit the story to something that’s even better. that’s how i see the show!

LETS TALK CAST: it was fuckin perfection okay, i will fight anyone on this point. walker as percy has changed my fuckin life. his little emotional eyes in every single scene, showing so much depth to all of the dialogue, and giving the best vibes. the humour, the desperation, the self sacrifice. he is PERCY and i am so incredibly in love.

as for annabeth and grover, PERFECTION ALSO. leah slayed annabeth so hard, the little eye brow quirks, the way she was able to portray annabeth as extremely smart and logical, but not heartless, and certainly not cold. she brought such a warmth to the character and i am obsessed.

aryan as grover is just chefs kiss. from the satyr walk, to the one liners, to the uneasiness and resilience grover has, aryan has it down. i just loved him and I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE THE HIM FLOURISH IN THE (hopeful) NEXT SEASON!

the whole cast was amazing. i loved all the choices. it all just felt so right. from the cast, to the set, to the fights, to the cgi. i’m just in love okay.

LUKE AT THE END HAD ME BAWLING. the tears in his eyes, the way he begged percy to join the cause, the hurt when he sees annabeth. FUCK ME I NEED A MOMENT OKAY.

the parallels that are being set up throughout the show for luke and percy are wonderful, i cannot wait to see how it continues. i thought it was just so cohesive and the characters feel so real.

i love how they have set it up for the next season! it’s like it’s ready to go, it’s RIGHT THERE and i want it it so bad so LETS GET MANIFESTING FOR ALL 5 SEASONS FRIENDS ITS TIME!!!

and i have to mention my love of percy/annabeth or percabeth. it’s not the whole point of the story i know, but it is something that is very special to me. i love my little sea boy and clever girlie together, and this show has set them up so beautifully. it’s given them time to have a friendship, to build trust, but also the little looks they give eachother, the pining that we can see will eventually build. IT MAKES MY FUCKIN HEART SING OKAY walker and leah slayed too hard on that front. they understood the assignment.

i could go on about this show and percy jackson in general forever. but i shall end this here because i feel like i need to go cry for a few hours lol.

in conclusion, and this will sound dramatic but i mean every word of this. this show fucking saved me right now. percy jackson is so incredibly important to me, it’s my biggest special interest, it’s shaped me for a decade, it’s my comfort, it’s my everything. i’m currently dealing with a tumour in my head at 22, and my mental health and life is crumbling around me, but this show and percy jackson and rick riordan has kept me here for the last 7 weeks and previously years before that. i owe my life to rick riordan. i will never be able to express my love for this enough.

okay okay, i’m done. see you later once i’ve rewatched the series 4374 times and have memorised every fucking word.

[delicatelystrangepolice]

I said it before and I’m saying it now: Young Royals fandom only claims to be SO POSITIVE AND LOVING when in fact it’s one of the most toxic fandoms that I’ve ever been in

It’s very unwelcoming when it comes to the critique and different opinions

I understand the mechanism of feeling protective over the things you love. I also know that every fandom (every community in fact) is made out of individuals and it should be transgressive, and changing as it goes. The excuse ‘yeah, people on the internet are like this, there will always be individuals who are toxic’ just doesn’t work for me. No, individuals make communities and those communities can only work and grow when there’s enough space for all sorts of different behaviors and opinions. You would think that Young Royals fans would be understanding of that – always so eager to scream about social injustice. (I guess Lisa’s message that you can’t change anything ever was effective in the end. Congratulations.)

Last year there was a lot of lamenting: I can’t believe it’s going to be over after s3, what’s going to happen to the loveliest fandom then??? And then every time anybody tried to say anything other than widely accepted headcanon people raised and screamed: oh, don’t spread the negativity! Always in an exaggerated tone: I’M SO TIRED OF THE NEGATIVITY CAN’T WE JUST PLEASE LOVE EACH OTHER?? No, we can’t.  We can’t and stop silencing people because you are killing this fandom.

People are leaving (and left before) not because the show ended, not even because the third season was a fucking disaster, but because they feel like they can’t say anything other than lovey-dovey gushy mushy bullshit.

I understand that the critique is more accepted when it’s beautifully written and coherent

Tumblr however is also a blogging platform where people process things individualistically.  You don’t have to follow people who don’t share your opinions. Hell, you can even block them. You shouldn’t however go into their blog and write them mean anons because they dared to say something on their blog. (Yes, even if it was in your beloved tag or you saw that accidentally. Learn to fucking scroll past things) Your input that you think this particular person’s opinion is stupid and should be taken down does NOTHING to spread your beloved positivity. It only makes people shut down and you know what that is going to result in? A bland, weak fandom made out of people in an echo chamber.

Communities can grow because of the negativity

Even if the show ended, there will be people in the future who will watch it and love it and maybe love it enough to want to go on Tumblr and seek others to share the love. Among those people, there will be also the ones who won’t love every single thing about the show and they will seek others to share some disappointments too. If you want this community to stay alive and growing, there must be space for some fucking negativity.

Fandoms are often about finding your niche. This fandom, this fake fucking positivity almost killed the enjoyment of the show for me. I was lucky enough to find my niche but imagine if the people I found left before I got there. Maybe you’d be happy that I’m not here, spilling some hard to accept truths. Maybe you like your fandoms to be small and cliquey. I don’t. I found my niche because I wasn’t afraid to speak about my negative experiences.

Another helpful tip to some people here: don’t make personal claims when you are trying to argue with somebody

I’ve seen enough of ‘you must be (something negative or personal) to think this’:  ‘you must be too young to understand’ ‘you must be racist’ Hell, on one horrible occasion I’ve seen ‘you must have been abused to have this take’ HOLY SHIT. You on the other hand must not be as welcoming and accepting as you claim to be to say something like this to a person who was just writing about a fucking tv show.

I think it’s very ironic that people celebrate the ending of the show: yeah, you should leave the toxic environment if it’s hurting you and then in the fandom people are leaving because they are being attacked.

Yeah, I’m talking about a small group of people who do it. They are very noticeable and the community is accepting of them. If you think I’m talking about you then great, I’m happy you’ve read it to the end. My ask box is open, but don’t think you’ll change my mind if you try to tell me things about me. I know how to delete things. I know how to ignore things. I hope you can too, and maybe you can also take a little critique from someone who’s been in many fandoms before and never felt as unwelcomed and as uncomfortable as I felt in Young Royals fandom.

[thecameronchronicles]

The Cheerleader

TW: Semi-public sex. Smut. Language. 

SUMMARY: Your distant flirtations come to a head the night of the big game.

WORD COUNT: 1300

REQUESTED

Anonymous asked:

hi can i request a fic where pope plays football and reader is a cheerleader kook and they always see each other at games and they finally hook up (maybe behind the bleachers or in her car?)

thank youu!

The Cheerleader

Although he was supposed to focus on the play, all he could direct his attention to had been the way you executed every choreographed twist and turn to perfection. This was worsened by the seductive lips pulling to a smile and those come hither eyes offering a forbidden invitation that would send your separate group of friends to riot if they knew even one of those sensual thoughts. Pogues and Kooks were destined to be rivals, but you and Pope Heyward cared precious little for the starcrossed connection you shared as you found a carnal focus to silence the sound of reason just behind that desire. Enough that you would finally act on it in the final game of the season…

“TOUCHDOWN!” The crowd roared to the final points made by none other than the object of your most lecherous of affections. Your lashes batting at him with intrigue and pride as you sauntered off of the main field after finishing your victory sways and kicks, lingering at the corner of the bleachers as the crowd began to disperse. 

“Pretty impressive, Heyward…” You spoke at the edge of the cold metal, kicking yourself off as his eyes had adored you from head to toe and back again. 

“Thanks…” He spoke softly, the honeyed tone of his natural voice sending chills throughout your skin as you bit your bottom lip to further your seduction, his jaw clenching as a response. 

“Maybe you could help me understand something though?” You moved just a bit closer as he slowly nodded. 

“You’re valedictorian and just scored the points it took this school to get into state for the first time in over a decade…and yet through the adrenaline and the brilliance, you still have NO idea when to make a move..” His lips pulled to a grin as he rushed you into the bleachers, lips full and gluttonous for yours, as you were quick to approve. When his grip came to the metal, you corrected it by leading it to your thighs. 

“I’ve wanted you to touch me for so long, Pope…please don’t make me wait any-” You weren't able to finish talking before he had his fingers against your clothed clit, scoffing when learning just how wet you were for him. And suddenly, something in him had shifted. The reserved and polite persona you knew worn behind wondrous eyes widened, made dark when plagued with lust, had now shifted into eager arrogance that elevated when realizing you desired him just as deeply as he favored you. 

“All for me?”

“Always.” You confessed, biting your bottom lip as he suddenly stopped his motions. 

“If it is all for me, then…I’m the only one that gets to see it-” You were pulled from the side of the bleachers and into the direction of his truck, a rusted reminding you of the lack of financial exuberance that your friends would critique if seen in passing. It was a thought that made your smirk widen as you wondered what they would think of just what you’d allow him to do to you behind those same doors. 

“How do you like it?” He asked while taking you brazenly against its exterior, hands bold at your hips as your eyes darted in every direction to see just who was in note of you. But as his lips teased your neck and ran up your jaw to your ear, all you cared for was a continuation of his touch. 

“Anyway you want-” But as he opened up the backseat of the truck, hovering over you after the door came closed, you couldn’t help but breathe deeply beneath him, somehow regretting your answer. 

“I’ve had to watch you for months in this short little skirt, wondering how it felt to be between these little thighs…” His hand was soft to your cheek, a single kiss making you breathless as your hair was then taken in a grasp and pulled to reclaim his dominance. 

“So you’re gonna tell me how you want me to make you come…because that’s the only thing that made me reach that touchdown tonight…knowing how wet it made you…how badly you’d want me-”

“Now…Put it in-” You pleaded as he shook his head. 

“What would all your friends think for you begging for a pogue’s cock, hmm?”

“I don’t care.”

“No? He unsheathed himself from his bottoms, exposing him to you as your mouth parted in disbelief to his size, that was now teasing your sex as he simply set your panties to the side as you were both too impatient to wait for them to be removed completely. 

“Then you don’t care what they’re gonna say after hearing you scream?” 

“That’s only if you can, Heyward-”

“You wanna come, you say MY name…” He ordered, hand to your jaw, as he slipped slowly into you, allowing you the chance to stretch to him. 

“Pope!”

“Good girl.” He began his rhythms, your fingers quick to take hold of his hips and his back, driving down his muscles, and finally at his face as you brought him into a deeper kiss. 

“You feel so good!” You belted for him, encouraging his motions even deeper as he pulled your leg over his shoulder. 

“Now?”

“FUCK!” He littered small circles over your clit, watching you tremble beneath him, completely speechless as you felt him twitch inside of you to your own actions. 

“I’m gonna come! You’re gonna make me come, Pope!”

“Yeah? Then come around me, baby…Let me feel how being this deep inside of you makes you wanna come for me…”

“Po-POPE!” You nearly screeched before he was quick to pull himself through you beyond your high, until he was certain you were satisfied. The second your eyes opened to him, you were then taken over his shoulders. 

“What are you-”

“I want more. THIS is for ME-” He pulled his tongue through your slick, following the removal of your panties, recent cum now staining his smirk, before this faded into focus that brought stars behind your eyes. 

“Come again. I want it again…” He groaned between your legs as your legs shook on either side of his cheeks that you felt alter from smirks to the motions necessary to bring you this secondary pleasure, meanwhile, watching his hand stroke himself from beneath you. 

“Tell me you’re close-”

“I’m-”

“Tell me-” He growled against your sex, your eyes pulling into a roll at the idea of him needing this from you. 

“I’m coming!” He pulled you deeper against him, your eyes forced into a tighter squeeze as your body trembled through a second high brought in quick succession from your first. 

“Where do you want it?” He asked while you quickly rose to your knees, taking him into your mouth and ignoring all reservations from your gag reflex to his warnings, as you brought him to his own edge. 

“Use your hand, I’m close-I’M CLOSE!” He warned again, silenced by your fingers wrapping around the base you could not extend to, while you continued to endorse him through his edge, pulling those ribbons down your throat as he cursed out your name behind clenched teeth, scoffing when noting the pride across your face in having executed this to perfection.

“I’ll consider these my trophy…” He spoke with a grin, pulling the saturated fabric to his lip and dabbing his mouth clean, as your eyes followed him in disbelief of a new arousal. 

“You HAVE a trophy-” You reminded him. 

“But this is so much better…” He slapped your ass. “My little cheerleader…” He muttered as your heart soared at the words while you now had a new conundrum. 

How the hell were you supposed to walk after that?

Taglist: @hopebaker @iovdrew @penny4yourthoughts @magnificantmermaid @pickingviolets @lovedetlost @trikigirl271 @maybankslover @slut4starkey @slvtherinseeker @obxiskewl @obxxrxfes @bluesongbird @slut-era @ailee-celeste @rafesbae @camilynn @bethoconnor

[hageny]

Succession Thoughts: Gerri x Roman 

1. Love’s A Losing Game.

I finally have a chance to touch on the scene between Roman and Gerri, and, as usual, my thoughts may be a bit controversial, but here we go. When we see them again, Roman is propositioning Gerri for advice after having fired her in the last episode, and Gerri rebuffs him with a firm, “No.” This seems to shock Roman, who then quickly plunges into damage control, attempting to cajole her and convince her his firing of her wasn’t real. As he puts it, “Dad fired people all the time. I was just feeling kind of fire-ish.” I can understand the logic behind Roman’s statement because, if one recalls in Season 1, Logan fired Frank, and, shockingly, Frank came back to Waystar and to Logan again anyway later on. Even Gerri was shocked by this, to which Frank replied, “Baby needs shoes, moth to a flame [...]”. This moment in Hunting between them sort of sets us up for what Gerri does in Tailgate Party by refusing to return, but again, Roman had seen the Old Guard kicked so many times he naturally thought Gerri wouldn’t permanently abandon him. Sadly, he thought wrong, and she has firmly--and gladly--removed herself from the picture. Most of the discourse online has cheered Gerri on, saying Roman got what was coming to him, and, to degree, I can agree with this. However, Gerri says something interesting that I’ve seen no one comment on which is the line about his dick pics: “[...] I will sue and I will go public with the many, many pictures of your genitalia that I have in my possession.” This struck me as quite pertinent because many fans debated about Roman’s sending of the dick pic in Season 3, wondering whether the one he sent his father was the only one, whether when Gerri asked him to stop sending, “the items”, she had been receiving photos before. This confirms that Gerri had received photos of Roman’s private parts before, and, until the moment she took the CEO spot, likely entertained his proclivity for sending them the same way she engaged in his other kinks. This brings me to my point, which is, did Roman deserve for Gerri to walk out on him? Sure, to a degree. He treated her poorly several times this season, and expected loyalty in return, which was foolish of him. However, was he the only one in the wrong? Not in the least. What many seem to conveniently forget when discussing their relationship is that Gerri willingly entered into a pseudo-romance with him, dancing the dance and leading him along as much as he led her. She was no virginal ingenue out to sea with a predator, she was a willing participant in their relationship, and she is as much responsible for its dissolution as he is. Her inconsistent communication with him in Season 3--her vague outlining of what was appropriate, her pulling back suddenly without any real clear sit-down conversation--is largely what led Roman to send her the photos. He even says to her, “I’m not so sure, I feel like you do want them, but you’re being kind of typically minxy.” Of course, she did seriously tell him to stop, but us fans remained confused through the run of the season like Roman did, and so I can’t help but sympathize with him now. He knew better than to send the photos and sent them anyway, and Gerri knew better than to enter into a relationship with her boss’s son and then turn around and throw the responsibility for it’s destruction in his face as though he was the only villain in the story. I am prepared to get a heap of criticism for this opinion, but I still stand by it. There’s something about the endless backing of Gerri and lack of actual critique of her actions that rubs me wrong. I do, however, still hope for some sort of turn in their relationship, naïve as that may seem, because, truly, they were much better together than apart. They were a more powerful team when they worked alongside each other, and to see the show just throw it all away feels cheap. I am interested to hear what others think about this scene, and, of course, discussion is always welcome, whether you agree or disagree with me. 

AN: I just wanted to add a quick thank you to all who have read and commented on my writings so far. As always I like hearing everyone’s thoughts, and I like how honest people are in the replies. Makes life more fun. 

[ratcandy]

Anyway while rummaging through the ONE tags and a few critiques, I’ve noticed a lot of debate over what Stone’s whole deal was given the ending of the show and. Well I want to speculate a little

Going to be referring to Stone as he/they because the wiki is telling me it's he/him but they/them feels Better to me . I get to gender the Stone.

also this post will be Long. Forewarning you!!!

I don’t think Stone is evil, first of all. I saw at least one proposal that Stone was acting out of some form of malice,, and I reeeeaaallly doubt it; the character we see is frantic and anxious, without any hints toward some darker intentions or. Idk, conniving? Attitude? it just doesn’t make sense with what we are shown of Stone. Granted we aren’t shown much but u know

Unless you want to count Liam’s wonky ass hallucination thing with Stone going like “you think you understand, don’t you?” Or whatever — but I count that Even Less since that was. Again. Wonky Liam hallucination or somethin, not Stone’s actual character

Cool idea for an au though I’ll say that much!

now I ALSO don’t think Stone was totally in the right either, but it's one of those situations where he was going to be some form of Wrong no matter what he did.

In my interpretation of Stone’s abilities, they could see the past and all possible futures with the past/present in mind. From what I've seen in the tags, this is a popular headcanon, which is great because if I was alone in this interp I think I would explode

When put into the Plane, I think he saw two things: The ending we got and an alternative. Or perhaps multiple alternatives depending on smaller factors. And I think whatever alternative(s) he saw were either of equal suffering or worse, meaning he was put into a situation of picking between evils.

For example, say he sees a future where Liam doesn’t involve himself with trying to stop Airy and just tries to reintegrate into society after being eliminated. This leaves Airy to continue ONE, perhaps even running through a full, “smooth” competition with no more or few additions, meaning a winner is chosen and everyone else eventually gets to go home. But then this allows Airy to keep going into a season three, maybe four — and it becomes a trolley problem.

Leave these contestants stuck forever and stop it at season 2 as a means to minimize future suffering, or just allow it to run its course.

The issue lies in that. This really should not have been Stone’s decision to make. He's - intentionally or not - playing God with lives that he should not be allowed to Play God with. but at the same time, he likely was aware of his limited time and didn’t see a future where he could communicate everything to the contestants before his elimination (let alone let them debate on it). So it’s…. Yeah. Literally a trolley problem. Let the trolley hit 5 people or flip the lever so it only hits 1.

anyway My point is this. This gives Stone reasoning for his actions and makes his role in the show more understandable. He doesn't just send Liam on a wild goose chase ending in failure/hopelessness for no reason; he does it because in his eyes, the other options were worse.

Yeah, he led them all to a bad ending, but we don't know what he could have seen in the alternatives. Especially if Airy's season 3 was the same regardless, in which local lantern yoinks the got damn loved ones of this group into the next round of hellworld. Not only would there then be compounded suffering on the group we already have, but suffering for those characters, and I EMPHASIZE that one of the season 3 contestants was going to be Charlie's MOM. So like. Um....

And since this show LOVES to fuck around with human mentality and rationality, I think it makes sense to include the world’s most fucked up trolley problem in the middle, even if not made abundantly clear to us.

I also like the addition to this idea that Stone just wrote as much as possible on those sticky notes, regardless of if they would end up used or not, explaining why some (like the 5) still don't make sense afterwards. They wrote everything they thought could help lead into one or a few futures, and at that point, it was up to Liam/Bryce to go from there with what they were given.

AKA Stone doesn't see just one, unchangeable, solid future, and he can't predict exactly which one will come to fruition. He can only nudge the people around him in directions he thinks are most favorable.

And for all we know, the smallest thing could have fucked up his entire plan and led us to the ending we got to. Amelia not giving him the sticky notes (why would he go for them if he thought she'd never give them to him in any possible future?) could have been what forced him to hide the sticky notes in Liam, and when that leads to his elimination, he just panics in that last minute to write out the last helpful thing he can -- The votes are fake.

now why he decided to write each letter on an individual sticky note is beyond me but idk maybe there's a butterfly effect SOMEWHERE in that nonsense shdgKJDSHG

anyway. yea. That's all. I am thinking about Stone

[extasiswings]

Please if you think this is in some way negative ignore it, but I want to ask your opinion about something. I still think this issue’ ll be resolved in 6b, but don’t you think that one of the reasons why people’re not really vibing with the donor sl it’s because it was treated like something funny? I get don’t make buck talk with eddie, Bobby and Maddie, but maybe if it was treated in a more serious way ( for ex ep 7) maybe people would ve get it more?

No, I don’t. Both because the show has been telegraphing from the start of this arc, sometimes with a humorous backdrop but not always, that this is something Buck has not thought through, is doing for the wrong reasons, and that is going to hurt him so I don’t see how it can fairly be said that it isn’t being taken seriously, and also because that simply isn’t a complaint that I think I’ve seen? The main complaints I’ve seen are that the entire concept is bad or weird, or that it’s bad writing because Buck and Eddie haven’t talked about it yet or because XYZ wasn’t shown or the arc didn’t happen a certain way (and frankly it’s pretty clear to me that a lot of people are flat out just extremely uncomfortable with the idea of Buck having a biological child that is not actually his and channel that discomfort into loudly hating the arc). Critiques of the pacing I understand, as I’ve said before, but I’ve come around to reserving my own judgment fully until we’ve seen the whole season play out.

The other thing I want to push back on re: whether the arc is appropriately “serious” is…what part exactly should be treated more seriously? The “serious” piece, the angsty, emotional piece is Buck’s “donor, not dad” issue, which is only a problem because Buck is Buck with his own little storage unit of trauma and self-worth issues. That piece is, understandably, not kicking in until 6B because Buck’s been lying to himself about the reality of this situation. But if you take that piece away, there wouldn’t have to be anything super serious about it? There are plenty of people every day who donate sperm or eggs to help other people have kids, sometimes because they’re friends, sometimes because they’re getting paid, sometimes because they just want to for whatever reason. And they do it without it feeling like a big deal, even if it may feel like one for the people who benefit from that donation. And if it’s something between existing friends there’s no reason why it couldn’t also be humorous. Basically what I’m saying is that while this is likely going to ultimately be a serious and emotional arc for Buck because of who he is, and while we’re clearly getting there, there’s nothing inherent in being a sperm donor that means they should have made this a heavy, serious arc from the start. If it weren’t for the fact that Buck is clearly lying to himself and using the humor as an avoidance tactic, the fact that he’s spent half the arc cracking jokes about jerking off wouldn’t faze me one bit because there are plenty of people for whom that kind of attitude is a genuine reflection of how much they care about their part in this process (which is not at all).

[f0point5]

Lol lando is my second favourite driver but his behaviour still irks me. If someone were to be a show off about their accomplishments then that would annoy me as well. He’s always talking about how he could’ve done better but never proves anything. I don’t think it’s wrong to say that at all especially since it’s the truth. His humour is definitely something he gets too many negative reactions from but his self pity is not a cute look for him. Also that whole act of pitying himself won’t bring him any further 😂 if he’d stop pulling that pity card then he’d also be taken more serious by other people online . I’ve seen so many people talk about how they don’t think that Lando will ever be a world champion or even get his first win this season and it’s his own fault that people think that way. He’s putting himself in that position because he’s getting too much into that role of the young driver that can’t seem to grasp the success no matter how hard he tries. Like you’ve mentioned before, Oscar remains professional but Lando turns it into a whole self pity show and that’s certainly not a world champions behaviour. Also why should we sugarcoat the drivers behaviour? I’m certainly not a fan that’s just into F1 to LOVE all the drivers just because they’re rich, attractive men. If they act in a way that I personally think isn’t suitable for a successful career then I’ll point that out. We’re not hurting anyone by stating that someone acts a bit too childish lol.

Yeah, I am someone who likes quiet winners and even quieter losers. I’m too British in my sensibilities, my love of a stiff upper lip is unmatched 😂

Lando gets way too much unfair criticism for just being himself. His personality shouldn’t really be up for debate, that’s just how he is. But I think it’s fair to critique the way he expresses himself when it comes to his work. And again, I think he just lets himself down with how he deals with adversity sometimes (publicly). It’s like Oscar said “I beat myself up a lot but not in front of people”, and I think that’s the right attitude. Be tough with yourself, for yourself and by yourself, not for the benefit of others. (If you’re a regular on the blog you know I suspect that Lando reads his own press too much)

At the end of the day, people thinking he’s this way or that way doesn’t have to affect his results, but just from a PR standpoint, it’s not a good look to be the guy who keeps saying he “should have” more than he ever actually has.

But yeah, I think as long as one is respectful about it, it’s fine to talk about it. Obviously there’s people who are dicks about it, and they shouldn’t be, and we’re not here to make value judgements on his character, but he is on screens in a professional capacity and he’s making these comments on his professional platform, so I think it’s only natural that people discuss.

[alphinias]

I’m still mourning Theoise so much lmao. Her season is probably the one I’m looking forward to the least, only because I loved her and Theo so much. I trust the Bridgerton writers, they haven’t led me astray yet, but that’s gonna have to be a super well done season for me to be fully on board I think lol

On a side note though, I’m was glad to see a Bridgerton woman get a romance that isn’t necessarily endgame. I saw a critique of the Bridgerton books basically saying it was only the men who got romances/love before they met their future wives (minus Francesca, but that’s an entirely different situation to me) while the women get nothing, and it’s nice to see that changed in the show.

I know what you’re saying because her book honestly sounds extremely boring to me, but I also have to trust them so far. From what I’ve heard about the books I think the show has done an excellent job making everything so much better. And I think it’s clear they love Eloise so I think they’re excited for her and want to do her justice. And every time I see Philip’s actor outside the show I’m shocked at how good looking he actually is, so I think he’ll pull it off better than a lot of people think. He’s primed for the Shonda glow up. I also can see potential comparabilities in them that I think will be easy to do correctly.

I love that Eloise got a chance to explore a non endgame crush that’s all her own too! Even though it was cut so sadly short. In general I would also love to see a season with a male lead who’s not a rake. It’s a trope I like just fine but I don’t want it to continue to be every single male lead. With Colin it was a little different because it definitely felt like not his true self and I think it was meant to, but he was still having threesomes…. like.. give me something a little more different! I know Philip has been married to Marina but I think it would be interesting if they were married in name only for the show. It could be really interesting I think and would make sense from what we’ve seen.

On a similar note I still really appreciate how different Colin is as a lead than Simon and Anthony! He’s ready to love with his whole heart and I love that about him. I love the brooding and self sabotage but we needed to shake it up.

[im-no-jedi]

the (true) problem with the TBB season 2 finale

the more I’ve been thinking on it and pondering wtf happened and why the fandom is reacting the way that it is, I’ve come to a conclusion about the season finale that I think explains it all.

over the years, I’ve been able to train myself to separate my personal opinions from things and look at them from an artistic perspective, despite the subject matter. things like blood and gore - although they still gross me out - aren’t as bothersome to me since taking theater classes in college and learning the science of how things like that are done in media. I’m able to look at things and critique them artistically as opposed to with pure emotion.

while I do still react on pure emotion (as some of y’all witnessed last Wednesday 😝), I also try to look back on things with that artistic perspective in mind. which is what I’ve been doing with The Summit and Plan 99. and while I can appreciate everything that happened artistically and dub each individual thing that happened as nothing short of a masterpiece, there’s one major issue that I realized right from the start that has been solidified now for me more than ever.

it was way too much content.

I’ve said already that I thought The Summit was done really, really well. the pacing was good, and it felt like the high-stakes TBB episodes we’re used to. but then Plan 99 hit. and golly gee, did it hit hard.

pardon the comparison, but everything that happened in Plan 99 was a literal train-wreck. Tech’s sacrifice. everyone getting injured. Cid’s betrayal. the Empire invading Ord Mantell. Hemlock capturing Omega. Crosshair and other Clones being experimented on. Emerie’s reveal of her true identity. and to top it all off, it ended on a cliffhanger.

that.... is WAY too much to absorb in one episode. like... waaaaaaaaay too much.

let’s just look at the fandom itself as an example. what’s everybody focused on right now more than anything else? Tech’s sacrifice. that in of itself is the hardest hitter here, by far. that alone was enough to carry the finale in terms of emotional intensity. but no, it didn’t stop there.

the team came out of the whole thing battered and bruised, with Omega seemingly taking the hardest hit. not too terrible, it’s happened before, like when Omega got taken by Cad Bane right after the whole Bracca endeavor. but here’s the thing. they barely had time to even grieve the loss of Tech before the Empire showed up on Ord Mantell. adding that plot point in so soon after losing Tech was literal lemon juice on our open wounds.

and then they had the gall to slap us in the face with everything on Mount Tantiss. do you know I’ve seen literally NOBODY talking about Emerie? we literally got confirmation of another female Clone, and NOBODY is talking about it???

this is what I mean. individually, on their own, these plot points are good and were done well imo. but geez louise, I felt like I went through a Super Saiyan fight having all of that thrown at me in one single episode. I feel like even if something like Tech’s sacrifice had been put at the end of The Summit as opposed to Plan 99, it might’ve alleviated things just a tad. still would’ve been too much though.

I’ve been absolutely blown away by every story choice made this season. I feel that way about the entire show, honestly. but I also think the finale was a misstep, solely in terms of the amount of content shown. I feel like this should’ve been the opener for season 3 as opposed to the end of season 2. at least have Omega getting captured be put off until then. cause right now, despite Omega being one of my favorite characters, I’m also still more focused on what happened to Tech more than anything else! and don’t even get me started on the Emerie thing, good GRIEF 🙄

again, individually, these plot points are GOOD. very good imo (except maybe the Emerie thing but I digress 😝). but man... why did we have to get them all at once. I remember, I literally stopped breathing at one point while watching Plan 99; that’s how bad it was. I was so overwhelmed and overstimulated and emotional that it was hard to even function. @jam-n-ham and I just sat in silence for like a full minute once the episode was over, unable to process what had even just happened. and well... I don’t necessarily count that as a good thing 😬

so yeah. all this to say, despite how good the individual plot points were in Plan 99, it was just far too much content for one episode. I think the whole thing with Ord Mantell and Mount Tantiss should’ve been held off for the beginning of season 3. because putting all of that immediately after the loss of Tech made it nearly impossible to even absorb properly as an audience. and the fandom’s reaction is proof of that.

[ducktracy]

I don’t want to go too in-depth about this because I don’t want to come off as hateful towards TLTS however I will say (with no disrespect towards people that like it and esp not the people that worked on it) that I feel the reason for its sudden resurgence has less to do about the show *in particular* but more how it presents the Looney Tunes cast in a consistent domestic setting with consistent characters—which is much more easily consumable for fandom than shorts with VERY little continuity and characterizations that could depend on director, year, or even just that short.

this has been ruminating in my inbox since July (and i am SO SORRY… i have 200+ unanswered asks + DMs i promise it is not a purposeful disregard i’m just busy and easily distracted :’)) and i wanted to hold onto it just because 1) people who have been following me for quite awhile know my opinions on TLTS by now and i don’t want to keep beating a dead horse and 2) i feel a little guilty critiquing it because a lot of complaints do come to personal taste and i don’t want to discredit the work that went into the show… and also just know it’s a pretty beloved staple by fandom spaces and don’t want to engage in any drama.

BUT! i figured i’d throw my two cents in now because i’ve been doing a rewatch with a friend who hasn’t seen it before/only exposure to LT is through me (and rewatch as in not just skimming the Porky and Daffy episodes like i have been doing after i first finished the show in 2019) and i think it’s helped to give me a bit of a new perspective through a fresh pair of eyes

i agree with your point 100000000% and can’t say anything you didn’t already say better. i also sense that it’s easier to get into as an “outsider”. the more i delve into TLTS, the less i find myself enjoying it, but i CAN laugh at it if i distance myself enough from the source material/integrity of the characters at hand. i could definitely see myself enjoying it much more if these were different character altogether… but that i make such a mental compromise to begin with (which is more of a “me” problem than with the actual show) obviously demonstrates some disenfranchisement with the show. if i truly just try to view it for what it is, i find myself laughing at it much more. it does have some genuinely funny writing and i am a sucker for Jessica Borutski’s designs in the first season

going back to my earlier point though, i think it’s easier for people to get into who aren’t familiar with the characters. LT is a strange beast in that i think it’s structure (or lack thereof) is alien to a lot of people so used to serialization/episodic formats nowadays that have some semblance of continuity. in the originals, the characters differ depending on the director, the writer, the culture of the time, etc. even, say, two Daffy shorts released in the same year by the same director can drastically differ if they’re written by two different writers (like compare a Daffy short written by Mike Maltese to one written by Tedd Pierce, even if it was by the same director at the same time. there are going to be different approaches and nuances.)

as such, these characters are a lot more abstract and difficult to pin down. sure, there are recurring traits; Bugs is almost always witty and sharp in some way. Daffy is one of the most varied characters in the history of animation, but remains a lack of impulse control/general charisma throughout his career. while Porky has a tendency to get swept up in violent impulses depending on the context/director/writer, he is generally approached as mild mannered. there are definite traits that are identifiable, but these traits are INCREDIBLY malleable. the original shorts are so dependent on the context of their creators, their background, their culture that it’s impossible to view them from a lens of sheer objectivity. especially with the original shorts boasting so many different attitude and approaches at the same time! these cartoons are built on variety and subjectivity

therefore, i think modern audiences aren’t exactly equipped for this/such a format is understandably alien. and on social media especially, in a day and age where we feel we have to rationalize and justify our every waking thought, movement, impulse and so on, we try to make an explanation for everything or simplify something down so it fits our above strife for objectivity. what i’m getting at is that i think it’s (understandably) difficult for people to accept this at times contradictory variety, and it’s more comfortable to pin these characters down to easy, simple, identifiable traits and buzzwords. however, the original characters were not made with this train of thought in mind. and because the originals are so full of nuance and personal experience and background and so on, it’s nearly impossible to replicate that to the same effect

so, TLTS simplifies. Bugs is now the aggravated straight man who just wants to be left alone. Daffy is an inconsiderate, idiotic rube. Porky is a complete pushover who is made to be the butt of the joke many times to a degree that is even unintentional. little personality traits exuded in the originals (Chuck Jones’ interpretations of Bugs and Daffy, the former just wanting to find peace and messing with his adversaries if only provoked, Daffy letting his impulses get the best of him and come off as inconsiderate in the name of self preservation, Porky’s mild manners being misconstrued for a lack of self defense) are filtered through a more objective lens that can be digested by audiences with more ease—especially audiences unaccustomed to the nuances of the originals.

i was surfing around the TLTS wiki one day and saw something that mentioned (paraphrasing of course) “Tina’s hairstyle is ‘the Rachel’ style, based off of Rachel from Friends” and while it was just an innocuous sentence likely included with no real basis behind it, i think it perfectly described my issues with the show. instead of allowing these characters to exist on their own or own up to their genuine roots, purposeful sitcom clichés and other brief summations of characters are applied instead. rather than letting Tina exist as her prototypal self (RIP Marisol Mallard) which was arguably more unique, we give her “the Rachel” because it’s an identifiable synonym with sitcoms and comedic shenanigans and therefore clues the audience that, hey! this is a wacky sitcom. and i agree that is a smart association, but it just feels like an injustice. the LT characters are approximations and buzzwords rather than a genuine demonstration of what made them so compelling and iconic in the first place

please note that despite my ramblings about objectivity vs subjectivity, this is all just my opinion and i again feel a bit remorseful for even expressing it. i truly do think the show is funny on its own and am always happy to see increased interest in the franchise. i know the decisions and work behind the show were not as cut and dry as “Tina has a similar hairstyle to a fictional sitcom icon therefore the show is a representation of sitcom clichés”, and as a person who works on cartoons myself and understands the thought and care that go into these decisions i feel responsible for my armchair diagnosing. so, i ask that you take all of this with a grain of salt. it’s 99% my own opinion speaking. but i cannot agree with your original point enough, and feel that it is a show so unobjectively worshipped through its ease of access thanks to a comparative lack of complexity (as well as the fact that it’s not 1944 anymore and our media landscape/culture and how we interpret said media is much different now than it was then.)

i think it’s a show that presents the characters in a way where they’re easier to accept at face value, and it’s easier to follow that rather than look at a smorgasbord of options and backgrounds and base your opinions off of that. a lot of the original shorts have impressions of the characters rely on nuances, implications, and subtleties that go unspoken. shows and cartoons are much more dialogue driven and objective and often explicitly state how the audience should feel about the characters rather than, again, letting them make those decisions for themselves, which i feel is another point in why the show is so easy to digest.

i’ve rambled WAY TOO MUCH! i again ask once more that you take none of this as fact HAHA. it’s just my pure opinion and outlook, and i’m certainly not without my bias. i’m happy so many people love the show and hope more continue to do so, and i’m enjoying my rewatch of it through a fresh pair of eyes. i just get so caught in particulars that it’s hard for me to enjoy to the fullest extent because of the aforementioned aspects. but again, genuine positivity outweighs negativity, and the fans who love the show and get something meaningful out of it definitely trump my old man yells at cloud bitching. if it gets people into noticing these characters and checking out the originals, that’s all i can ask for

[paperstorm]

I have such ??? confused ?? feelings after seeing multiple tweets praising Rafa for refusing to pose with a “gun” at the con. Because he plays an actual cop and his character was suuuuch a pawn for copganda this season imo (especially in the finale episodes) and to see such disconnect between fans praising the actor for feeling that way about gun poses yet not acknowledging the problems with the portrayal of some of the things his cop character does leaves me feeling real weird (mainly about fandom). and this isn’t an attack on rafael or anything like - he’s getting a paycheck, he’s doing his job. I just… idk I feel all sorts of weird about it and I’ve seen you talk about the copganda before so I thought maybe you had words of wisdom 😂

Hm. Yeah I ... also don't know how I feel about that. Full transparency I haven't seen that, so I don't wanna like put random strangers on blast when I haven't even seen what they've said. But I probably don't really have wisdom for you honestly just no easy answers in situations where there are no easy answers. That's clearly a stand that Rafa has decided it's important for him to take, so good for him. Not wanting to do gun poses when he himself posted all those pics last year when he was training with army guys with a machine gun seems like he's drawn a line in the sand in a place that doesn't make a lot of sense to me personally, but it's his line. It doesn't have to make sense to me. I applaud him for having a boundary and insisting it be respected. As for the fandom .. yeah you aren't wrong. It is a bit strange to praise him for this if you've never in the past seemed to care that he plays a cop on tv. Although I don't know these particular fans, so I have no idea that they've never critiqued the copaganda that is inherent in Lone Star. Maybe they have. And truly, sometimes people need to just be able to watch a thing. You know? We're all so tired. The world is so rough right now. I don't fault anyone for wanting to turn off their brain for an hour every Tuesday from January to May and just be entertained, without feeling like the tax they have to pay for that entertainment is publishing a monthly essay condemning all of a show's problematic elements.

[antiloreolympus]

10 Anti LO Asks

(Note: All of these asks are before episode 206 (Season 2 finale) so some may be dated.) 1. LMAO there are literal myths from 2k+ years ago of mythology being pro breast feeding?? like there's a myth of Hera being so pro-breastfeeding she doesn't even flinch at the idea of feeding some random baby (Heracles) that Athena was holding who was being fussy. The nymphs are also called "nurses" to various deities and their kids, which including breastfeeding them. why do LO fans act like she's invented everything thats been common place for centuries at this point?

2. The gay representation in this is so bad that I forget about Athena and Hestia being LOVERS. I only remembered cause a fan mentioned them during an argument about diversity 😂 How ironic 

3. the reason RS doesnt get why her "fertility godess" idea is easily broken apart with even a second of thought it because she has this bizarre view of the world where she thinks a mythology that was fairly fluid in its ideals (esp with sex and gender) is to be like you know whats a good idea, separating EVERYTHING by sex to where it's more conservative than 800 BC. zeus is more of a fertility god than persephone is but god forbid rachel not be gender essentialist about everything in this comic

4. I do love that one panel of Persphone dressed as a Fury bc it was supposed to be her being "badass and sexy" that Hades literally GROANED over it (bleh) and it's like MA'AM she literally looks twelve??? does she know even short people have normal proportions as adults??? anyway jail Hades I hate him

5. I've seen some people critique LO for the colorful gods trope and tbh I don't think it's an issue? I think the issue is more how lazy Rachel is with it. Hercules and OSP put thought into the colors with still unique designs, so the color enhances their designs. meanwhile with LO color is their ONLY design, because there's nothing to tell anyone apart besides color, but even then it fails when all the nymphs are just Persephone with pointy ears, and there is now another Hera clone running around

6. The thing is to me Rachel SHOULD take criticism and fix what she can, but her only solutions to any criticism she does listen to is often just?? stupid?? The "internalized misogyny" and "but capitalism!" bits don't actually fix any issue within the comic and it's more of a virtue signal from Rachel she "hears them" but won't actually do anything and just wants them to shut up. It's also as subtle as the color schemes she uses, which is not at all. She's as subtle as a sledgehammer to the face.

7. I saw someone refer to the LO art as a saccharine "gender-reveal art style" and I laughed so hard that I'm never ever calling it anything else again

8. Isn't Persephone in comic confirmed to have stopped aging at 19? so wouldn't a timeskip not help the age gap? i's not like Hades somehow got younger. idk the specifics but it seems she didn't just stop physically aging at 19, she's also mentally and emotionally stuck at 19 too, so her technically being 30+ now doesn't actually help when she's still going to be 19 forever anyway. anyway RS isn't a very good writer.

9. Ok so either the rest of the season now is RS backtracking to do flashbacks which makes the timeskip a waste of time/random bc why not just go through the day by day style she was doing anyway in that case OR she'll just be like "idk YOU imagine what happened i'm moving ahead" which is so?? lazy??? and a waste of everyone's time?? like dont dick your readers around for almost half a decade with stuff that doesnt matter only to NOT show them over a decade of in story development??

10. ZEUS NUMERO UNO!!!! he's a better king than hades