#that one's still up in the air | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

noco7 · 2 years

Note

*evil grin* I've asked you about your favorite TD moments, I now want to know your least favorite moments and why 😈

Thanks for the ask! I'll list the least favorite moments in the same way I did the best moments, aka season by season, in reverse order. However, I’m not going to be talking about important character moments this time. Because I don’t really hate those, even if I disagree with them. Although I question a lot of TD's writing decisions, I'm not usually angry. I'm just intrigued. Why did they make those decisions? How did those decisions affect the plot of the show? How did the fandom react? And is there a different way to interpret what happened? There’s just a lot to chew on, and I’m hungry for meta-analysis. So, yeah, while I disagree with a lot of choices, it doesn’t necessarily mean I hate them. If you see me being dramatic about a plot point I don’t like, chances are I was just hamming it up for the audience. So what about the moments I do hate? Well…

RR: I've already talked a lot about how much I disliked Noah's elimination, which is probably the REAL worst moment. But there is another moment that is living rent-free in my brain. I've watched RR once, so most things don't stick with me. But this one did.

It's Ep:11 I love Ridonc & Roll, which is surprising because I've praised this episode to the moon and back, calling it Noah's REAL best moment. And it is. But I dislike Emma in this episode. It's weird to me that she's Noah’s love interest, yet she can't even give him a quick pep-talk about stage fright. So instead, Owen does it. A classic romantic moment is to help people past their weaknesses - we saw it with Courtney helping Duncan face the cardboard cutout, we see Zoey reassure Mike about his DID, hell the thing that really starts Davesky off is that when Dave is feeling stressed because of his germophobia, Sky helps him focus. Whatever your opinions on Davesky are, the moment was still sweet. So it’s weird to me that Emma doesn’t get to do it with Noah. (Also now I’m realizing it’s mostly women comforting men. Hmm. Can’t tell if that means anything, or if I just missed something.) But anyway, that’s another reason I feel N*mma is a kind of weak ship, storytelling wise, because their huge emotional beats are with other people - Emma with Kitty, and Noah with Owen. Tbf N*mma has romantic beats, but that’s it. And I’ve already talked about those.

Anyway, that was just an unnecessary rant. The moment I’m actually here to talk about is after Noah proves himself. There's a scene where Emma talks about how she only realized how much she liked Noah when she was worried she'd never see him again. Which is fine. And she says she's going to stop taking him for granted. Good! And then Kitty jokes, "I don't know, are you sure he's still into you?

Emma and Kitty: *both start laughing for an extremely long time*

Emma: "Yeah."

Me, a N*mma hater: BUT HE SHOULDN'T BE! NO! NO!

Lmaoo, you would be surprised about how personally I took those lines. It felt like they were laughing at *me*, lmaoo. Honest to god, it felt like some redditor was smugly telling me how Noah liked Emma, you idiot! He'll never like anyone else! HAHAHA! You're so stupid! Except it was canon. And it was the writers.

I don't even think they meant it like that, lol. It was a joke at Noah's expense, not mine. And even if they had meant it like that, then it’s even funnier. I commend the boldness.

Pakhitew: There's not much I vehemently dislike about Pakhitew. Is there stuff I find annoying? Yes. Sammy and Amy's arc should have been longer. Topher should have been an intern Dakota-style. Scarlett should have had a different resolution to her arc instead of being duped by a Chris-robot. Oddly, as I go on and on about Pakhitew’s flaws, the more I feel endeared to it. Like a woman who purposefully goes to broken down houses, beams, and is like “I love fixer-uppers!” So many characters I liked that didn't get full arcs... characters I can make my own stories for, bring out my own paint. Yess… yesss… yesss.

But. One thing I do dislike a little more than the rest is the Ella vs Sugar thing. And also Sugar's elimination. They make a huge deal out of Sugar being a former child pageant. So when she gets the chance to design a challenge, she works her pageant background into it, via a talent show. And then she loses her own challenge. And tbh, this just feels *mean* to me? I know she had to go, for the Sky vs Shawn finale, but …. everyone else got to show off how good they were at their thing, but not Sugar? She's still being treated as a joke? Like this was their chance to show a different side of Sugar, or just capitalize on the intelligence she had already shown. But nothing? She just does a terrible job and embarrasses herself. It’s SAD.

Unpopular opinion but Sugar VS Shawn in the finale would have been lit. And her helper could have been Ella, and it would be great to see Sugar be forced to work with the girl she hates, and then maybe Ella sees the bad confessionals and realizes that Sugar never liked her or smth. And then... either she decides to be nice, or she decides to get the money to herself. I needed their arc to resolve.

Lingering_Reflection pakhitew rewrite when, amirite?

All Stars: There are so many All Stars things that didn't work. I could easily just say Jo's elimination because she's one of my favorite characters and therefore I was mad that she was eliminated. (Which is actually rare for me? I don’t care when my gen 1 faves get eliminated, because one, I knew it going in, and two, they have other seasons + TDR. I will get enough time with them either way. Can’t say the same for 2nd and 3rd gen 😭).

The only other All Stars moment I'm passionately angry about is Cameron kissing Courtney against her wishes. It's just. That's a bad thing to do? Like I get it, he's working on Mal's orders for his evil plan. And I love evil plans, and I even love the idea of Evil!Cameron. And I like Cody and Sierra, so it's not even like "i dislike problematic people," either. I just dislike how the show itself treats it.

There's no backlash for Cameron, no callouts. He’s happy with the results. Scott doesn't believe her. Gwen doesn't take her side. Zoey tells her "at least 2 guys kissed you," as if that's any better. I think TD plays fast and loose with sexual harassment as comedy, and this is one of the moments it really shows.

ROTI: I genuinely really love this season, I really really really need to rewatch it. And uhh. I really dislike B's elimination, because it was so heartbreaking. But I also really like Scott, and it was a smart move. So not that. The thing I dislike is one line from Sam - which… I can’t find now? I’ve watched like two episodes, and two Sam compilation videos, and uhh. Nothing. So. Umm. Just not going to say anything, other then the fact that the worst moment about this season being one I imagined speaks to how much I like this season. (Tho there are some things I’d correct, and I suspect I’ll find new things on rewatch.)

World Tour: Okay, another personal one. I dislike C*derra pretty heavily, I don't think that should be a suprise to anyone. I do find most of their interactions funny, and while I don't think Cody *should* be friends with Sierra, it makes a lot of interesting story potential, whether you play it for fluff or for horror.

But there is one thing I just can't look past. In Episode 25, when Cody's balloon has crashed and he gives up, Sierra starts yelling at him.

"You want a number one fan, mister? That comes with responsibilities! You can't let me and the rest of your fans down!"

And there is so much wrong with those sentences? Sure Sierra is a "Number 1 Fan," yeah, but she's also a STALKER. For most of this season, Cody DIDN'T want her! He didn't! Because she treats him terribly! Sure she’s been nice to him a few times, but overall she’s abusive. It’s a straight-up Mother Gothel moment. I do everything for you, so you can’t let me down. Bro, you’re a terrible person! You don’t deserve anything from your VICTIM!

And even if she wasn't a stalker, and just a genuinely nice fan, who did no wrong - her statement is terrible. I'm an ex-kpoppie, so I've seen fan celebrity dynamics, and the question of "how much do creators owe fans and vice versa," is something I have strong feelings about. Yes, celebrities do have responsibilities. You can’t be famous if you don’t DO anything, and you usually can’t *keep* being famous if you stop producing content. That’s true. But the idea that you should do something purely because “you can’t let the fans down,” is toxic.

Because there will always be things out of your control, and there will always be times where you’re just not into something. And yes, if you have promised something, you should try to deliver. Especially when there’s money involved. But Cody did not promise *anyone* that he would win. He didn’t promise anyone a hot air balloon ride from Alberta to New Mexico? What? To say he owed her, or his fans, even an attempt, is weird to me. Sierra was a fan by choice. She decided to root for him! So Cody should also be allowed to make his own choices. He’s allowed to quit. And if that means that you as a fan, feel betrayed, then whatever. Choose to support someone else. Because it’s your choice, and you cannot force your choices onto others, just because you “deserve it,” for…. Liking them? Like it makes no sense. I love you, so you must do something… no. That’s not how it works! If you love someone, you do something. Because it’s your feelings, not there’s! It stinks of fan entitlement. And I don’t even like celebrities - like I’m not out here to defend celebrities for their mistakes. But Cody wasn’t “making a mistake,” he was just trying to quit on his own terms. And Sierra yelled at him for it, and told him he owed her to try harder!

But I understand why she feels entitled, because I've seen it in a lot of kpop fans. A LOT of fans invest huge amounts of money and time into their idols. There's so much pressure to be a "good fan," a "true fan." You not only have to buy their music, but you must promote their music, you must stream their music, you must vote for their music, you must praise each and every one of them, you must defend each and every one of them - it becomes a job. A job that fans do, willingly, or unwillingly, because they like the idol that much. And if you’re putting in that much work… wouldn’t you want the same kind of dedication in return? Imagine hyping up someone’s upcoming concert for weeks, and then they cancel it. Wouldn’t you be a little angry? You were so excited, you did your part and they didn’t do theirs. “Stress,” or whatever. Sure. You’re stressed too. But if they want fans like you, they owe you top-tier performances. But you can’t think like that. You can’t. I understand your feelings, but you cannot try to control someone else’s life. In fact, the more you truly love a person, the less you should want to control them. Sometimes things happen, and you have to accept that. Take the refund and go. People are allowed to quit, allowed to take hiatuses. People aren’t machines that output what you put in - they have their own lives, and their own issues, and like. Just stop. (This attitude isn’t actually that common in kpop, but it is there.)

Basically, my argument is that what Sierra says to him, that he owes the fans something he’s never promised, and something he doesn’t want to do - is very unethical. There are people who like this moment, and I get it. "Wow, Sierra's finally holding Cody accountable! Finally, she’s making HIM do something!" And that is a flip from the way Sierra usually treats Cody - at least on the outside.

But Sierra isn’t the victim in the Cody-Sierra relationship. She never was. She's always been demanding more for him, or not even demanding - just taking! She’s been touching him and kissing him against his will, she’s guilt-tripped him. Yes, she puts up with a lot of disrespect from Cody. But he’s put up with a lot more, and everything he’s done has been a reaction to her. So no, this isn’t really character development for Sierra. This is just a different shade of entitlement. Action:

Umm. I think everyone knows that the way Trent was handled sucks. We also know that Gwen didn't deserve flack for dumping him. Gwent sucked in Action is not a hot take. And I've also already talked way too much. So just take this screenshot:

"What can I say? Kid's hot." I don't think you need me to tell you why that line is wrong. There’s also the finale, which also isn’t a hot take. But my problem with the finale is less that I dislike the contestants, but more that I don’t think they fit the theme. The finale is heavy on Good VS Bad, which is a classic. I don’t have a problem with that. And Duncan does fit “Bad.” But Beth doesn’t fit “Good.” There’s the time where she kissed Harold against his will (eww), the numerous times she bragged about her boyfriend when people weren’t into it, the time Courtney made an alliance with her, and there was a whole thing about how she wasn’t as nice and naive as Courtney believed her to be. Like that was the point! That she could hold her own! The alliance ends with her betraying Courtney! Betrayal! And then I’m supposed to believe she’s the GOOD side? I don’t think she’s evil, or even that bad. But she’s not nice. She’s average! To be fair, it could be argued the only nice character on TD is Owen. And Owen was already a finalist. But if so.... just don’t make a good vs bad finale? (Or don’t eliminate Geoff and Bridgette immediately. Or Harold. Or Leshawna. Hmm. There were so many better candidates to fir this theme. Why Beth? I need to know. If anyone has any ideas, please tell me.) Island: There were actually two moments here, but I decided to cut it down to one. It’s Heather reading Gwen's diary outloud. And this is not because I am a Gwen stan. I’m a Gwen centrist, if anything. This moment is here because it’s stupid. There’s a lot of stupid TD moments though, so what’s so special about this one? Uhh, it’s just the reason I don’t care for Heather. With faves like Courtney and Scarlett and Amy, you’d think Heather’d fit right in. But nope! And that's because I expected more from her. To be frank, I was expecting Alison DiLaurentis from Pretty Little Liars. I'm talking master manipulator, gaslighting genius, bachelor's in bullying. And Heather's just... not. And yeah I'm holding her to unfair standards, but come on. Why read Gwen’s diary aloud? Like, what did she expect to happen? Yes you've humiliated Gwen, but you haven't actually made her look BAD. You’ve just made yourself look like a bully. Heather could have pulled a Regina George, and wrote random mean things in Gwen's diary, read it outloud, and had the whole team turn on Gwen. She could have revealed something genuinely disgusting, made the team trust Gwen less. She could have held off, and used info from it as blackmail. But nope! Instead she reads it aloud, and it's just the Trent crush? Like no one cares. No one cares!!! What did you accomplish, Heather? What did you accomplish? Nothing! It feels so middle school. Do better! Tl;dr: Most of my least favorite moments are really just personal peeves, instead of problematic plot points. Or like. I just hate sexual harassment. Not that it can’t be shown in media, but I’d rather it be taken seriously. Bonus: the tags that I couldn’t post because of an error message

#total drama #i should probably make a tag for my asks #also im pretty sure i know which anon this is #so thanks #td askbox #not sure i like that #also this doesn't mean i'll never have a gwen-cody friendship in my fic #that one's still up in the air #i just don't see a reason why gwen would WANT to be cody's friend #especially when owen and geoff are right there

12 notes · View notes

starry-bi-sky · 29 days

Text

okay a few more danyal al ghul au memes because i think they're funny to make. with bonus yaelokre danyal memes!

yaelokre! danyal 🤝 threes! danyal: being five years older than damian

yaelokre danyal comes from my oneshot right here. however, i would frankly recommend reading the version i put on ao3 because it's been edited and includes more content! shout out to my boy, he's got amnesia </3

Do i think that the LOA has technology in it? Absolutely I do. LED lights but in 3000k warm white instead of the jarring bright sterile white, if they've got glass windows they're those solar panel glass panes my college natural science building uses that detects sunlight position, which in term controls the lights, which in turn saves energy. Amber lights for outside, solar panels. Just. anything environmentally sound and friendly, they've got it, they use it.

Do i think they've got computers and tvs lying around for casual recreational use? ....that i'm not so sure about. For this au? I'm gonna say nooooottt really. That stuff is typically reserved for like, mission planning, debriefing, research, etc. Frankly danny probably does know how to use a computer, however i thought it was funny if he didn't. so the meme is staying in lmao.

If they're not training, they've probably like, got a greenhouse or two somewhere on base they can help with. The LoA's whole thing is balance, harmony, restoring the natural world with extreme environmentalism. All that jazz. Probably plenty of ponds, recreational areas outside, gardens, just, stuff to do that's not technology based. My most basic understanding is that these people are the world's deadliest hippies. They can't be training all the time, that's neither good for morale nor for their bodies, so when they're not training... they're off doing shit. If Ras has kept this thing running for thousands of years then it’s gotta be pretty lit enough that nobody’s revolted lmao.