#there are critics of the books ofc

[cto10121]

Watching Breaking Dawn Part 2, the mixed bag of all mixed bags. Slow as molasses and boring as hell, but most of the cringey lines have all but vanished and there is (some) competency in (some) of the filmmaking. Let me count the ways…

Bella spoke literally 1 word after her transformation. In the books, she said “I love you.” In the movie, “Renesmee.” Fine, except she doesn’t say “I love you” to Edward…le sigh.

Man, BD is really where they decided to say “fuck it” and ditch the unnatural pallor of the vampires, because Vampire Bella does not look at all different from Human Bella (okay, granted, her wardrobe is subtly different, but not by much). It’s a tribute to Stewart’s acting that you can even register a massive change

The Loch Ness Monster scene began okay/funny and then it was ruined re: 1) Bella punching Jacob (just no) 2) actually showing Bella hitting poor Seth and 3) actually keeping the somber tone. Lighten up, movie! What’s with this movie series and making the fun parts of the book so damn dull?

Not Jacob phasing just a few feet from Charlie and the movie making it so dramatic with a growly wolf when phasing is almost instantaneous and Jacob is in complete control of his wolf form 😑

The little girl actress for Renesmee is adorable. Such a relief after the horrors of the CGI baby.

Garrett’s “British invasion” introduction is hilarious, 💯 Good job, movie

Vladimir and Stefan are Vampire Diaries-rejects horrors, though. 🤮 They are literally thousands of years old and yet look like they just came from Hot Topic. Ew, ew, ew

Bella’s shield special effect…yuck, yuck, yuck. Why couldn’t they do it like Harry Potter did the wards? That wasn’t too bad. So damn corny

Wow, they robbed poor J. Jenks of any and all personality, didn’t they? His parts were actually one of the best of the books for me. They felt mature, like actual adult instead of YA. Instead, it’s all blah. Also, no oyster satin cocktail dress!! The one time Bella chooses to dress up and chose her own dressy clothing, showing her maturity and arc!!!! Meanwhile they just garb Stewart in a really modern dress that barely looks different than her usual outfits!!! Damn it, movie!!!!

Edward: “To think, all of these people are risking their lives because I fell in love with a human.” What. The. Fuck Movie????? In what universe would Edward even think this???? The Screenwriter Cannot Write Edward Cullen For Shit Number 383782838

Edward: “I never thanked you, Carlisle. For this extraordinary life.” Okay, so the script has (1) braincell regarding his arc, no doubt because Meyer was there as producer. Too bad it does a piss-poor job of showing it

“The redcoats are coming, the redcoats are coming.” Garrett, as always, is the best.

Aro: “Ahh…Young Bella.” 🇮🇹 Also, why does he sound like he wants to fuck Bella? Why that particular relish in his line reading?

No one: Not a soul: Look how nothing this nothing is: Aro: *weird ass high-pitched ahahhehhaggahahah sound* And of course it’d be in response to *just* noticing Renesmee’s heartbeat when every vampire can and should hear it immediately. 🤦‍♀️

I like how Patt!Edward has to stumble a bit and then fall whenever Jane is torturing him. And by like I mean hate with all the fervor of my being. By that token, I also “like” Jane literally saying “Pain”

They introduce Alice returning so casually…where is the tension, Alice’s O.S. voice, everyone turning, all the “Alices”? Nope, just a brief distance shot. There she is! Smh

I hate the fake-out fight scene of Alice’s vision

I hate the fake-out fight scene of Alice’s vision

I hate the fake-out fight scene—

Okay, so regardless of what you feel about the lack of battle scenes in Breaking Dawn…it did make sense. There was no way for any semblance of a happy ending to occur had the Volturi decided to come to blows. Full-on mask off isn’t their MO anyway. The way the trial scene (yes, it is basically a trial à la Merchant of Venice) was set up, with witnesses and objections and the like, made sense and the tension was riveting. Also, in bringing Nahuel Alice foiled any rationale for the Volturi’s planned takeover, so there was absolutely no need for the canon-breaking vision

Second of all, a fake-out scene is much more disappointing and/or infuriating than the book’s scene. All of that tragedy and death and it just turns out to be fake? Fuck that. But ofc movie has to movie for the dudebros in the audience (!!) despite the fact that this series has and always was a romance first

Third of all, the way it was all executed…Bella not being an immediate target even though the Volturi must at least suspect her shield is so damn convenient. Babe, she would have been one of the firsts to go. Other bad shit: Edward leaping out of the crater, his skirmish with Aro…bleugh

Okay, there are some good parts: The Bella-Jane stand-off, Seth’s death, Leah saving Esme (good callback), Marcus’s “Finally” (in-character). But it’s just not worth it

The way they garbed Nahuel…it may be well-researched for all I know, but knowing Hollywood, I highly doubt it. As it is, it looks grossly stereotypical to me

Oh, God, the script for Nahuel’s part is so little emotive, it’s like a summary. Nothing compared to the book. He had such personality and the way he spoke of his father…you could just taste the drama

“We will not fight…today.” Movie-verse only, but I do have to wonder if Meyer will ever bring the Volturi back and have them kill off some characters. Not really the type of author to do this, though

And of course they have to have a moment between Bella and Wolf!Jacob for no good reason, even though Jacob should be all about the Renesmee now. Nope, the movies are still on their Bella/Jacob bullshit

“So should I call you Dad now?” Yes, feed the antis, movie.

Speaking of feeding the antis, Alice’s vision of Jacob/Renesmee!!! I know the movie threw out the whole Alice-cannot-see-werewolves-or-hybrids out the window just from the fake-fight alone, but ugh. Ugh. Meanwhile Book!Jacob literally did not give a fuck either way about Renesmee coming of age in 7 years

The actress for Adult Renesmee looks really nice, though. I’ll give it that

That Bella-shows-Edward her thoughts montage was nicely edited, with good transitions. But unfortunately it reminds me of all the bad directorial choices of the prior movies and so alas it’s just cringe to me

Book!Edward after Bella shows him his thoughts: hfgkzoycychohh!!!!! 🥵🥵🥵🥵 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️Movie!Edward: How did you do that? 😑 Fuck you too, movie

I probably should feel something about the credits montage…but I don’t. They include everyone, even minor characters!!!! Please…just don’t

[wingsdippedingold]

If a man guarded my bed in beast form as I slept, I’d fold immediately

[umbralsong]

I literally can't watch Game of Thrones bc aside from the traditionally masculine heroes, D&D hated the women and played fast and loose with their confines in patriarchy. They hated Daenerys the most for daring to be the princess who uses dragons bc they are white men who were horny to make a show where the Confederates won and their fragile egos couldn't handle a woman willing to burn it to the ground.

[kiss2012]

always skeptical of anyone who says doing something specific makes you a bad writer. sure that applies for some things, like you need to read to write and there are things you should keep in mind. but the cardinal rule of writing to me is know all the rules so you know when to break them.

[shadowqueenjude]

This post is for Elriels AND Gwynriels: Stop trying to hand Lucien's plotlines to Azriel. Please and thank you.

[ladydeath-vanserra]

Tamlin: built around and complimented Feyre

Feyre: built around and complimented Rhysand

anyways

[zukosdualdao]

people who hate zuko will list off things he did as a villain (or anti-hero, tbf) to try and convince other people they should hate him, also, and it’s like “???? yeah. i know. he for sure did all that stuff (edit: most of that stuff. people really do act like the narrative confirmed or implied things it never did.) and it was bad. the narrative treats it like it’s bad. other characters rightfully say those things are bad. he also then goes on to apologize, try to set things right and help people, and atone. that’s like. most of his character arc. that’s the whole narrative point of him.”

[shouyuus]

What do you do when you feel like you're losing your touch with writing? It's been sounding so mechanical and less flowery and poetic when I write and I'm just like what am I doing wrong. It's making it hard for me to continue and like I should just scrap the whole thing

i think everyone goes through periods shift in their writing style, and i guess my best advice is to just lean in and see where it takes u! progress (esp for stuff like this) is not linear, and also. if it's a hobby that u like to do for urself and a select few others, then there's no pressure to constantly be doing "better".

but i find that if im ever feeling a lil un-inspired, i try to read some poetry or watch slam poems. or read something by an author that u know has the style of writing u like and want to get back to. for me, i have like a set list of authors that i go back to time and time again, sometimes just to read and let their words wash over me, other times, i kind of visualize the intake of text as "adding fuel to a car". cause u can't go anywhere without first putting fuel in first right? so for me, writing is kinda similar in that you have to intake first before u can rev ur metaphorical creative engines.

i love re-reading as well. i go back to my fav books over and over again, my fav passages and poems over and over again. i read them out loud, i copy them out word for word just to feel the difference of actually "writing" them through. it's different when u experience them in different ways, right? so these r all things i do when i feel a bit far away from the writing that i like to produce and want to get back there :)

but, if you write something and then wanna scrap it still, then scrap it! lmfao no writing is ever "wasted" if it helps u get to some other piece of writing that ur happier with right. sometimes ur just in a bottleneck and have to get the "bad" writing out before the good writing can come through! that happens a lot too! so just get it down on paper, and then u have the freedom to do with it as you please!

[authenticcadence18]

my life is so good bc rn I and many others are in a hunger games era and IN LESS THAN TWO YEARS ANOTHER HUNGER GAMES ERA WILL BEGIN AND PNF IS ALSO COMING BACK

[dykesynthezoid]

I do think people love to hate on Madeline Miller just bc it’s cool (???) and bc they hate that she happened to inspire the wave of myth “rewrites” that came after tsoa but then it’s like. Her prose and her understanding of the mythos are not bad actually. Like she has an understanding of the context of the period. And she’s just doing her own thing with it. And it’s well-written enough. And it’s like. Literally fine. Like it’s fine.

[nunyverse-scribe]

If there’s one thing I noticed in recent times when it comes to fan engagement with art and artists (TV shows, books, movies [franchises], etc.) is that a big factor in the downward spiral in media literacy and critically analyzing what we engage with is that a lot of people… feel sort of obligated to getting defensive for the specific things they like. And they assume any critique or criticism is a form of ill will or malice towards the piece.

Which I think is SUCH a terrible mindset to have when engaging with any piece of art or media, especially in a time where there’s this general push for dumber downed media for the masses to consume and likewise less critical thinking. I notice a pattern where there are people that will give a million disclaimers about how much they love the media they’re about to critique because they know the average fan will dogpile on them and assume it’s someone who doesn’t like the art that’s critiquing it. Or I notice when a subsection of fans of a media start critiquing it, there’s another crowd in the fandom that say “if you don’t like it so much, then why are you watching it 😒” even though that’s not the case, the critiques come from a place of love. That’s not right, it’s not good to have this general consensus that to love something means to ignore or outright accept glaring problems in relation to it.

We as audience members, we as fans of a certain thing, need to be able to be ok with the fact that the shows, movies, books, etc. we enjoy might have some negative elements to it that we HAVE to be critical of. Sometimes the thing we dislike is something as small as a trope we’re tired of seeing. Sometimes the thing we dislike is a LOT bigger, though, such as questionable messaging subconsciously implemented due to the writers’ internalized bias.

And honestly THAT is what matters most to me when it comes to this type of thing.

Because EVERYONE is susceptible to the subliminal propaganda in a piece. You, me, your neighbors, your parents, kids, the elderly, everyone. And even moreso when we choose not to question or challenge the things in the media or art being fed to us.

Why? Because to just accept any glaring problems in (with the example I’m typically using right now in this rant) a specific narrative purely because as a whole you like the story means that you are allowing that narrative—and likewise other narratives you’re bound to consume and internalize—make the decision on your thoughts and the decision on your principles and moral compass.

To combat that you have to do as I stated above: challenge those attributes of the story or art or whatever that are relaying questionable messages. Even if you, generally speaking, really like it.

QUESTION why that creator will depict women, or POC, or disabled ppl, or queer ppl, or another marginalized identity in the certain way that they do. QUESTION why a creator’s art relays a certain commentary on the systems of fascism, or capitalism, or the patriarchy, or police brutality, or any other oppressive system. Especially because this art and these stories we engage with don’t exist in a vacuum: what came before it to lay the foundations was experiences of the creator, what was there alongside its creation was the creator’s personal principles and ideals, and what comes after it is the impact it will leave on minds and ideologies it will spread.

I dunno, I say this because I enjoy critically analyzing the stories and the art that I love. I will watch a TV show or read a book and I will connect with a lot of aspects of it, I will love it, I will recommend it to others. However, I will also have long conversations with fellow fans (usually friends) about the pitfalls, I will take note of certain aspects of the story that were questionable choices, and I will view it with a critical eye. And maybe it’s just because I’m a writer myself, but I feel like being that nuanced and careful with how you view the art that you love, to praise AND critique it, is in itself a form of love or passion for the art.

And I really wish more people understood that? Especially when it comes to art, things aren’t black and white. They are allowed to be good and bad at the same time. Characters are allowed to be likable but also horrible people. And I feel that having this mindset of “I like it therefore I see it as perfect” is a very, VERY dangerous one to harbor.

[lysgaardsbakken]

i just want the whole world to skip a few days and magically wake up january 1st

[hopecomesbacktolife]

I’m reading the first book in a trilogy of Librarians novels (I was so overjoyed to discover they exist omg) and I just. Jacob Stone being the absolute best, ily ily ily

-from The Librarians and The Lost Lamp by Greg Cox

not only does he write in the character’s voices so incredibly spot-on and well, but this is one of the most refreshingly non-exoticizing, non-othering, even (incredibly!) culturally appreciative (not appropriative) depictions of Arab and Persian culture/art/land/history I’ve ever seen from a white, American author, which is just such a literary breath of fresh air!

I’ve only read about a third of the book so far so I can’t speak to the whole thing yet, but wow, for a book based on a show that didn’t always do.. great.. with respectful handling of nonwestern/non-European cultures, this is so amazing to see ♡

[iidsch]

I never participated in the tlou discourse because I hadn't played any of the games, but now that I've watched someone play the first game I gotta ask........ why was everyone so mad about the plot of part II when part I is far worse. Like I'm sorry wdym Joel escapes with Ellie, completely ignoring her autonomy to decide wether she wants to do this or not, kills her mother's friend and former guardian and lies to her, dooming all humanity, just because he wants to be a dad again and he's too much of an asshole to get a new wife? Fuck this guy fr, glad he gets killed in part II!

[lookwhatyoumademelou]

.

[ravingraeven]

Spoose just beat Alan Wake (for my sake. hah. rhyme.) and i just chefs kiss

def top games for me