#why do showrunners hate their own audiences

[perseidlion]

Dead Boy Detectives friends, I totally respect and support those of you who feel like you want to fight. You want to make noise. You want to sign petitions and organize campaigns. I get that you don't want to give up on this wonderful show.

Normally I'd support campaigns, but in this case I think there are some very big things working against us:

The Neil Gaiman factor. I hate to say it, but the accusations against him were probably part of the reason for cancellation and why getting picked up elsewhere is a non-starter. The explicit ties to the Netflix Sandman with Death and Despair SHOULD have helped the show get renewed. But with the accusations against NG, that definitely hurt it. That's so deeply unfair because those of us who are fans of the show know that DBD is not a Gaiman show, and his contribution to the story is minimal. But Sandman is Gaiman's, and they made the connection to Sandman and thus Gaiman, explicit. When the news about NG came down, Sandman was already well into production and contracts were signed. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if S2 was Sandman's last season.

The collapse of streaming. Gone are the days when networks pick up each others' shows to try and court subscribers and steal an audience share. That barely happens anymore, and when it does it's under very unusual circumstances. Every network is cancelling well-reviewed shows with a following. Every network is cancelling queer shows more than others. Every network is greedy and looking for mega-hits only. There are no good guys in the streaming landscape.

The economy and the strikes. Don't get me wrong, the gains made by SAG-AFTRA, and the Writers and Directors' guilds were absolutely necessary and required for fairness. But it did increase production costs. Instead of adjusting their profit expectations, the streamers are trying desperately to keep the same profits from the pre-strike days. Which is why we have this mega-hit or bust model. Add to that the economic downturn and the price of everything going up, and the bar for "success" from a corporate standpoint is set impossibly high.

Streaming's metric for success is new subscribers, not how much existing subscribers enjoy the content. This is a big one. It used to be if an audience loved it and that audience was appealing to an advertiser, a show could keep going. Advertisers wanted the affinity for the show to spill over onto their product for supporting it. But with streaming, the streamers don't care how much you love something. They just care that you watch it, you stay subscribed, and that content gets new subscribers. A passionate watch is worth the same $$ wise to them as a hate watch or a half-interested watch. In that way, the loss of commercials is the reason for so many of the more niche shows getting cancelled.

The big reason I think we're sunk for either getting Netflix to reverse the decision or for it to get picked up elsewhere is honestly, because Yockey posted a pretty big S2 spoiler. The showrunner wouldn't do that if he thought there was any hope. My guess is the show is tied to Netflix because of the Sandman connection, and because they commissioned scripts for S2 that they own. There's probably some contractual reasons that make network hopping impossible.

I don't want to be a downer, and like I said if you want to campaign to let your heart heal or just to not let this happen quietly, I fully support that.

But in my heart, I think we have to lay our beloved Dead Boy Detectives to rest - at least as a show. They'll live on in our hearts and our fanworks.

[aryas-faces]

HotD + Failing To Ruin Aegon

This is just a very interesting case study because after all the writers did to Aegon, they have failed to make the audience hate Aegon

Audiences see Aegon as he is: a young boy who desperately wants love and approval from those around him, who was doomed from the start, and does bad things but isn’t a bad person. He wants to protect his family, he wants to protect his people, he fights his own battles, and gets hurt but survives through his own courage and will only. How can you not root for him?

Especially when you have Tom Glynn-Carney playing him. Tom understands Aegon like no one else. We see the funny side, the sadness, the rage, the grief, the doom. Every move he makes is intentional, every micro expression we see the tragedy of it all. Because Aegon as a character is a tragedy. How can you not root for him?

I have seen more and more praise Tom for his incredible performance. But the love for Aegon isn’t only for Tom, people have started to enjoy him as a character. They think he is funny, heartbreaking, adorable, desperate. How can you not root for him?

And the in comes Sunfyre; a beautiful dragon who we are immediately endeared to through his interaction with Aegon. And Sunfyre is torn down the same episode along with Aegon. How can you not root for him?

Because just look at Aegon’s character arc: he is his mother’s trauma manifested, his father’s neglect manifested, he is torn down, abused, and hurt over and over. All he wants is love, but he is told over and over that he is not worthy of love. And it breaks him. It breaks him until there is nothing left but sadness. And then he gets forced against his will to the throne. But he sees people adore him. And it’s the first time he feels loved. And so he tries to protect his people in return, but his own council feel they should rule over him. Suddenly, everyone around him has their talons in him, fighting for control for him, while he just tries to do the right the thing. And then Aegon just decides fuck it, I will I do it my way. He sees his people being burned and goes faster. He doesn’t back down from a dragon fight he is sure to lose because he won’t allow his people to be burned. And then the worst thing happens: he gets betrayed. By his own brother who he trusted, because he did the right thing and went to protect and save his people. How can you not root for him?

This is why these biased showrunners felt they had to make him a rapist who went child fighting pits, why they had to ruin him season 1. Because they want to audience head over heels for Rhaenyra, and so Aegon to be an irredeemable monster. Because they know this arc is incredible. It is gold

But in the end, it was pointless. Because while a lot of people don’t love him as a person, they absolutely adore him as a fictional character

Because there’s this simple fact the showrunners can’t run from, can’t bias their way out of. They can make Aegon a stupid fool who can’t speak his native tongue, whose own council doesn’t need, his own family turns against, there is a simple fact they can’t escape; Aegon is the most compelling character in the Dance

Aegon is the best character in the Dance

[nonpracticinghumanbeing]

So Izzy said a thing.

The thing seems to be a part of a redemption arc and makes him sound like a human rather than a monster.

The Canyon went wild with joy and jubilation. The haters are doing everything they can to rationalize the thing in a way that would fit their point of view. One of these things makes me feel like a part of a wonderful, welcoming, and very queer community. The other makes me perplexed, annoyed, and sad at the same time - in a way that feels very personal.

OFMD is an explicitly and unapologetically queer show. And not just that, it shows a variety of non-normative behaviors (Jackie’s polyamory, Geraldo’s humiliation kink, Lucius and Pete’s penchant for “having an audience” to say nothing of Izzy’s masochistic tendencies) in a completely non-judgmental way, making the viewer feel like all ways of performing one’s sexuality are valid.

Izzy wants to be a part of this world. For all his anger and manipulations, and (yes, let’s call him out for the sake of fairness) his abusive behaviors, he desperately wants to be a part of the world where he is free to love who he loves, in whatever way he is capable of doing so. No matter how much the haters don’t want to acknowledge it, this is ultimately a story about love. Both Con and Daddy Jenkins admitted Izzy is in love with Edward and the fact that the antis are willing to contradict not only the actor (who, may I remind you, was instrumental in shaping Izzy’s character) but also the showrunner is very symptomatic of the larger issue of how queer people have been treated in society.

No one in their right mind chose to become a pirate unless they had no other option. Piracy was fraught with constant danger and meant being an outsider everywhere. The only place one could be more or less safe was between people in the same lifestyle. In OFMD that is represented by the Republic of Pirates, where not being a pirate would get one in trouble. Sure, there is some violence but it comes with the territory and - much more importantly - it’s never motivated by someone being a pirate.

Izzy claims to hate the Republic - and for someone as repressed as him it makes sense. There are people being a different kind of a pirate than Izzy would like there - drunk, rowdy, and undisciplined. He clearly takes great pride in his work and has built his whole identity around being Blackbeard’s first mate. Seeing people be pirates while taking their responsibilities lightly doesn’t fit his worldview because he’s been taught that all of his energy should be spent protecting whatever freedom the pirates managed to carve out for themselves.

Someone once wrote that despite what the popular meme says, Izzy isn’t a real pirate dropped into The Muppet Treasure Island, but rather a hard boiled queer-coded character from a 50s noir movie dropped into today’s Pride. He’s had to keep vigilant against any threat for so long he hasn’t noticed that there was a way to be a pirate/queer and still enjoy one’s life. That one can like frilly robes and be a somewhat competent sea captain. That it is possible to pine for one’s boyfriend and keep one’s crew safe. That being soft doesn’t necessarily mean being weak.

He’s willing to do whatever it takes and sacrifice whatever has to be sacrificed (Stede’s life, Edward’s happiness, his own status of the loyal first mate) to keep his little pirate/queer world safe. It’s this conviction that puts him in the way of Ed and Stede’s relationship and makes him an antagonist. But - and it’s something the haters seem to be incapable of grasping - an antagonist doesn’t have to equal a villain.

Why does Izzy react so violently to Stede, exactly? Why is he willing to go against his captain's wishes in challenging Stede to a duel? Why does he sell Stede out, making a deal with the enemy in the process? Because Stede is a stranger infiltrating Izzy’s safe space. The English are a huge threat, sure, but they are easily identifiable from a distance. Stede seems to Izzy to be something far more dangerous - an outsider worming his way into the heart of Izzy’s world, where he can do truly irreparable damage. The English are cops who chase gay boys around the park. Stede has the potential of being an undercover cop sent into a queer bar in the 1930s to get the dirt on the patrons so they can be blackmailed and arrested.

Of course, he may not be that, but it’s a risk Izzy can’t allow himself to take. With his vision of what it means to be a pirate/queer he's sure he sees through Stede’s ruse. Now, I’m not trying to excuse abusive behavior, as some of Izzy’s choices were hurtful to everyone around him. But as a queer person I do have sympathy for someone (grossly) overreacting in defense of their safe space. Constant vigilance is an inherent part of the queer experience, especially for those living in conservative countries or remembering the times before the Pride.

Like, for example, Con does. Con, who - yes, I will repeat this because it’s super important here - played a huge part in shaping Izzy’s character. Con, who despite having a decades-long career where he often clearly gravitated towards queer characters, only got comfortable enough THIS YEAR (and thanks to this show and this fandom) to publicly come out. Con, who - as a friend wonderfully phrased it - is queer as in start a riot, not as in love wins.

And Izzy is the same. He is a start a riot pirate/queer in a show full of love wins pirates/queers. His way of being what he is is so totally different from everyone around him that it makes him an antagonist. (Sure, there are other start a riot queers in the show - Jim literally kills a man who wronged them and Lucius is very outspoken about his opinions in a way that makes him somewhat radical, but neither of them is as extreme in their ways as Izzy is and neither goes against the main characters’ romance thus becoming an antagonist.) But. The thing is, when you are a part of a minority, when you are being prosecuted and targeted for who you are, you need safe spaces. And those safe spaces need protection, because every freedom can be taken away if wrong people come to power. No doubt the queer movement would look much more tame and palatable to the bigots if we were all the love wins queers. But we desperately need the start a riot queers if we are to survive.

So yeah, you can say Izzy said what he said because he needs a structure and clear hierarchy in his life. He absolutely does. Some of it comes from his submissive and masochistic tendencies, sure (I wrote a lot about that, including a piece for the Above All Else zine). Some of it may come from neurodivergence (some people read Izzy as autistic, I’m not going to discuss this because as a neurotypical person I have nothing of value to say about it). But it also ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY comes from the desperate need to protect his safe space from outsiders.

And there is one more thing the haters conveniently forget about: OFMD is also a show about growth. It’s about Stede turning from a wooden puppet into a real boy and then into a man. It’s about Edward learning there is a life beyond the legend of Blackbeard and peeling off at least some of the leather. And judging from the trailer, it’s about Izzy learning you can be a start a riot pirate while being accepting of the love wins pirates in your life. 

The more I think about it, the more likely I find it that Stede’s “I don’t care what anybody says, he’s actually a good guy” line from the teaser refers to Izzy. But even if it doesn’t, I am 100% sure the haters will be proven wrong. This show never relied on stereotypes and cliches. In fact, it actively does everything to break them (from Jim’s sacred quest for revenge ending up with them befriending Jackie to the only names that get mispronounced being those of white characters) while killing off the real enemies of the pirate/queer crew (Badmintons, Jack, Geraldo) and giving all its characters place to grow.

So, maybe one day we will all learn to love Izzy? 

[a-doubleh-x]

Why I like Chaggie

Hey! My last casual ship review did pretty well, so here I am with another! Needless to say, but thank you all for the interactions, I appreciate it very much 🥰

Last time I talked about Charlastor, a notorious controversial ship and today I'll talk about a surprisingly controversial ship: Chaggie. Why do people dislike this ship? I'll go a bit into it on the second half of this post, but first I'll talk on the positive I see in this cute couple.

First of all, as a guy in his late twenties who's been on at least one relationship, I will say that I appreciate a relation that's mostly based on comfort and support. Some people might think that's boring or not quite the basis of romance, but I think quite the opposite. Johnathan Decker, a licensed couples therapist on youtube (you might know him from Cinema Therapy) often talks about how safety and mutual understanding are the basis of any lasting relationship.

At the start of the Amazon series, Charlie and Vaggie have been together for 3 years, which is evident in many of their day to day interactions. They're comfortable with each other, they rely on each other and best of all, they still coo every now and then over how adorable the other is.

That is not to say the relationship is without conflict, which in my opinion as a writer it's the lifeblood of any good story. Vaggie is clearly quite codependent of Charlie, which is why a large portion of her self worth is based on being useful to her. However, I think the two of them do a decent job of talking through the problems this brings sometimes, such as episode 3.

I think it's cool that the relationship seems to work despite their rocky moments. Charlie most likely thinks a person like Vaggie is a breath of fresh air in Hell, she's selfless, loyal and dedicated. That's probably the reason why she has so much patience with her, a feeling that I'm certain is mutual. Vaggie is clearly very aware of how silly and idealistic Charlie is, in fact she often tries to nudge her to be careful with her attitude. And even though she may not agree with everything, she still always supports her without appearing judgemental, which I think speaks volumes of her character.

Now, let's talk about the shortcomings in the face of the audience. Some people think there's not enough substance in canon to be sold on the couple, which I think is a valid opinion. Some people argue that Chaggie's relationship is boring and not quite as interesting to watch as Charlastor, which I don't entirely agree with. Some people plain dislike or hate Vaggie because they think she's just a naggy chick who is an awful partner to Charlie in every way, which I *definitely* don't agree with.

My opinion falls in a more moderate standpoint. I think, even in the series, their relationship isn't boring, but it could've been presented better. While I said earlier that I think conflict is good in a story, I think a problem in the series that's probably unintentional is that most of the story beats with Charlie and Vaggie are negative.

In episode 3, they have a fight over their lack of communication. In episode 6, Vaggie puts her own secret status as a fallen angel over Charlie, which harms her later. And in episode 7, Charlie spends most of the episode mad at Vaggie and they make up offscreen, which is something unilaterally most fans believe was a mistake.

To the showrunner's credit, there are some positive major story beats. There's Charlie's trust fall on Vaggie, which was cute. There's their beautiful duet in episode 8. And there's them fighting alongside each other in the final battle.

Unfortunately, the fact their arc is a bit wonky and doesn't have a proper buildup makes it so that the climax (the duet) may feel a bit unearned. I don't want to make this whole post about the series because I could spend all day talking about it, so I'll just say for now that i underdtand why some people aren't sold on the ship.

I will say. Some fans have some very beautiful, gorgeous pictures of this ship. There's this great comic made by squids-and-fruitcake that's been running around about Charlie giving Vaggie a gift for Christmas (here's a youtube link in case you want to watch a dub, I couldn't find the original)

I think it's a great example of why this relationship works: they love each other. They may not completely understand each other's circumstances, but they try every day and are still together because of their mutual effort.

Charlie herself, as Hell's number 1 laughingstock can really use the support and the fact that Vaggie supports her even though she doesn't have all the answers means a lot to her. She brings her stability, peace and affection, all things she lacked until she met her.

Vaggie, on the other hand, who was plunged against her will into a pit of violence and cynicism also needs Charlie's perspective. She loves the fact that she cares about something bigger than herself, that she wants to help damned people like her, which given her circumstances I think it's something she also needs in a fundamental level.

That haz bin my review for today! What do you think? Do you like Chaggie? Do you think it could've been written better? What's your favorite interaction between them? Let me hear your thoughts! It's been fun to put my thoughts down for casual reviews, I hadn't done it before, so expect more in the future while I'm still working on the next chapter of my fanfic.

I think I already have an idea about what my next Hazbin post is going to be about (hint: it has to do with Angel Dust). Thank you again for all the love, hope to see you all soon!

[snowblack-charcoalwhite]

It seems that Vhagar is the only living, breathing creature that still cares about Aemond. His sister is apathetic at the prospect of his death, his mother sold him and his brother to Rhae Rhae knowing that it's was death sentence, he probably will never interact with Daeron, and I'm pretty sure that Alys will work against him. As far as I'm concerned, he should just take the granny and give her the best time of her life, inflict as much damage to the blacks as possible and then die, but not before forcing the morally grey™ Rogue prince to do the same.

And it's crazy, but they managed to get me, once a staunch Alicent supporter, to scroll through anti Alicent Hightower tag and just agree with almost everything. Her character assassination was appalling, not only the book Alicent would never, but ep 1-8 Alicent would never. I wish I could erase this horrendous season from my memory. Idk if you've read what Hess said, but according to her, Alicent in the scene at Dragonstone with Rhaenyra realised that she never really sacrificed anything and that's why she agrees to sacrifice her son(s) for "peace". Also, she claims that the writers' intention was to make the audience believe how everything is finally going to be alright because these two women are friends and will work it though, but then *gasp* we see Aegon leaving in the cart and we realize that the war is still going to happen because Rhaenyra will think that Alicent deceived her!!. She must be proud of herself. I can't believe how vile and deranged these writers and showrunners sound (and maybe even are).

Hello!

I lost count how many times I read these words (or even wrote them myself) in the span of the last week but this show is an absolute mess. And it's not just about the stupidest bias, the quality of the script or the lack of subtlety with which the writers are shoving their views on the characters' relationships down our throats. It's also the fact that every person involved in the creative process has theit own view on what's going on - and sometimes these views are diametrically opposed. Take Olivia saying that in her mind Alicent wanted to spit in Rhaenyra's face when she asked her to give Aegon up but mentioning she doesn't know how the material was edited yet - and the writers going all "Oh, she is liberated now! She is atoning for her sins!" (which sins exactly, by the way?). In what world is this situation okay? The actors are barely hiding their dissatisfaction about the plot - and the writers just keep doing their thing which is talking absolute nonsense. Stellar project, well done, HBO.

I am still in the "don't hate the characters, hate the writers" mindset (and have no plans to change it) - but did the writers do Alicent dirty. They dehumanized Aemond the most - but Alicent drew maximum humiliation card. Self flagellation in front of the woman who is an active threat to her children's (and to her own life)? Selling said children (at least her sons) to said woman? Amazing character development.

And as for Aemond, I have the feeling that Vhagar will be his only friend and ally as well (unless the writers turn their own story on its head and have Alys fall head over hills in love with him or something like that). At least, hopefully, he will have nothing to do with Helaena's death (I am pretty sure they will make it the fault of someone from TG - B&C wasn't made into a joke for nothing after all).

This show has become so draining recently, istg.

[franki-lew-yo]

An 'A-ha!' fandom moment, ft. The Owl House

These comments I screencapped from a user I watch elsewhere really hit like a brick in the face to me. I'm blotting out OP's name, mostly cuz this was just a shower thought they had rather than any meaningful open discussion with people, but it ended up making me realize something (also NO they're not some contrarian AntiSJW type or even hate TOH; they're a very gay+trans writer themselves. Sorry if youknowwhoyouare sees this and recognizes ur posts but you don't allow reblogs or comments and I wanted to present it on my own):

The Owl House was always hampered by being killed halfway through, writing wise and that will always be it's greatest 'sin'. However, OP's comment made me realize how much the show kind of tells you it's characters are flawed rather than actually give them arcs to suggest it, especially in season 1. When I say flawed I don't mean lacking quirks that are relatable but human: Eda is a recluse criminal; King thought he could kill people and acted like it; Luz is a genki girl; Amity starts off as a bully; Hunter...is unfortunately Hunter, ect. Those ARE flaws, character wise, but in the presence of the complete story (as complete as the show will ever be) they really aren't actually flawed, bad people in anyway.

Before I go further, two things: 1, IN ALL FAIRNESS, this is why myself and others particularly LOVE the characters and why TOH was a comfort show for me rather than a 'high-tension narrative'. The characters are a lot of what you want and hope to be like and I think that's really sweet and enjoyable, especially for horror and especially for kids.

2, NO! I DON'T think any particular bad faith cartoon reviewer opinions about coddling certain characters and punishing others IS WHAT DANA and co did at all here! Steven Universe and certain crap-reviewer's takes ON Steven Universe and how it's characters were flawed but overly forgiven by the fandom the show itself are NOT the b-all end-all of this discussion, nor are they the reason The Owl House is the way it is!

The context op was talking about was how in the upcoming hate crime The Last Airbender live-action show the showrunners are going to tone down Sokka's sexism because they think it's 'unlikable'. Even though, we all knew as children that this was an arc for him and it was WRONG, so axing it because we the audience lack nuance to recognize characters we love doing problamtic-sisms is BEYOND annoying.

Op's point is how The Owl House in particular doesn't actually expect much or want much out of it's characters. Or audience. For any infighting early on about how much Amity should 'die' because of reasons, that's really just fandom infighting when you get right down to it. There's nothing on par with the disagreement people have over, say, the Diamonds from Steven Universe and how Steven 'totally forgave them or 'should have murdered them in cold blood' about The Owl House. And like...from a fandom point of view that's good, but otherwise the show is pretty concrete the way you're supposed to see certain characters vs other shows which allow you to make up your own mind.

Avatar, Star vs the Forces of Evil (pre finale), Centaurworld and Amphibia all showcase your protagonists being genuinely, intensely flawed. Sure, maybe some neckbreather crap-pseudocritic complains that they 'made the unlikable' or whatever (i.e. me with Friendship is Magic) but overall the actual point is HOW the characters actually have grown and have ended up with the ending and morality they need. The villains, no not Zukos or 'redeemed' villains who joined the protagonist squad, VILLAIN-villains, will always be at least one serious step behind the protagonists and that's what give the protagonists the cautionary wherewithal to end them like they should and not 'be like them'. It's such a fufilling narrative, there's a reason people like it so much because it's really good when it's delivered well.

Removed from my fandom gaze; the Owl House feels like it's saying it has that ultimate messaging and character arc when it actually doesn't. Your protagonists have the endearing aspirational-part totally covered, but as far as the actual 'edge' and nuance? Well...

Eda is, at most, naughty. She really isn't any kind of morally sidetracked character. She's an outlaw because literally her society is awful to her and she's in the right to be against it. She's cursed but she's not addicted to her potions or hiding it or not really taking care of herself or her loved ones because of it. Her actual biggest flaw is that she's been 'running away' from problems rather than dealing with them, but I'd be lying if that wasn't suggested more than it's actually portrayed; or at least, dealt with fast enough in "Eda's Requiem". A bigger issue I see, even if it's what's also endearing about her, is that she REALLY isn't a flawed caregiver at all. It's portrayed as her most redeeming feature that she's otherwise a good mom and mentor, but Eda having virtually no problems in raising Luz and King just, again, makes her feel ONLY aspirational. All of the angst about 'failing' to parent and making up for it is moved all onto Camilla and sadly all of that angst for her is mostly within an already bloated episode. Eda, while an absolute mood, lacks any real kind of edge. Does she need it or not? I don't know. Discuss, kids.

Luz, like OP says, is treated like this high-energy super-optimist. She's like Star Butterfly in that her fangirlism and impulsivness are supposed to get her in trouble. But, she absolutely just isn't one when you break it down. Besides episode 2, Luz really is never that inconsiderate or lost in her fantasies ever again throughout the show. She never has anything like what Steven goes through where he hops into Larz' body and makes things worse for people by trying to fix things- which is not only good filler but it calls forward to the ultimate ending of Steven's arc for the series - Luz is just sort of adorable. Luz has blindsided by hype moments of weakness, like when she accidentally hurts Owlbert or messes with Amity's secret room, but still always level headed and down-to-earth. Her impulses are always kind of treated like...excusable? Because, again, they usually are. This is a large part about what makes her self-hatred at the end of the show about accidentally helping Belos' feel 'forced'. Even MOREso than what Hunter and Daddy Titan explain about Belos using her, we the audience never see Luz's choice to go back in time and try and get answers from Philip as being anything other than just, you know, logical. Because it is. The show acts like what Luz did was reckless and bad and that she was SOOO overtaken by her fangirlism about Philip and now just how much she has to live with the guilt and regret of helping being duped by him...it just doesn't come off that way at all. She was only so much excited about meeting him and her interest was getting home to her mother. In terms of comparing her to Philip, that's all fine and good, but again it's not 'flawed'. Not really, anyway.

Lilith absolutely has it the worst...but I kinda think people know that. She arguably does have the most morally-gray turning point in the show given what she did to her own sister. But neither the characters nor her nor the show really hold her accountable in any lasting way for cursing Eda. Lilith is the closest we get to that 'Diamond'-dilemma. She does 'make things right way too quickly and it's obvious to even her biggest fans that her character is really rushed in this area. They lampshade what Lilith did and that she was their villain in season 2 and 2B, but lampshading isn't the same thing as progress. As a result, as a Lilith fan you kind of never really forgive her for what she did. None of that's her fault, cause' you know...she doesn't exist, but it makes it frustrating that you the fan watching the show is doing the heavy-lifting in your mind in this area.What you come away from is this feeling of loving the characters for being able to work everything out. They're engaging and nuanced in theory, but you also feel robbed, w or w/o the Disney interference, of them being fully rounded or WHOLE. It kinda feels like 'and suddenly, he wasn't racist, anymore' all the time with every character ever with except Amity's mom, the Titan Trappers and Belos.

The reason everyone dunks on Star vs the Forces of Evil's finale, (besides being salty over ship wars and declaring THAT'S the reason for the drop in quality) is that 'Cleaved' could have not only worked but REALLY worked. It just needed to be better written and processed as an ending. Instead people reviled Star, the protagonist we're supposed to be rooting for, for what feels like impulsive apathy and cruelty towards everyone else by destroying magic, as opposed to it being an actually selfless sacrifice that makes her different than Toffee. Ultimatley, I do prefer The Owl House, unfinished as it is, to any of that. But yeah... I can now never unsee the characters as being what they are: fun but indulgent when they're supposedly complex. Indulgent is never bad u guys, but the problem is when you only have that to go on while insisting you have fully developed characters, there's a lot of the show telling you how to feel and how to come away from it rather than letting you, the audience, make of that yourself. As annoying as fan-wars can be over this stuff and when people are either WAAAY to forgiving of their villain blorbo or form hate-campaigns over Glub Shitto for ruining their life, it is ultimately a good thing that shows give you that chance to really see the characters that way at all.

The Owl House is, as OP calls it, "tumblr feels" not for being gay and magical and fun and wholesome and indulgent like that stuff is GREAT. It feels 'tumblr oriented' in that it all kind of feels too easy even when it's not for your protagonists. It's never actually "challenging". I guess, in as far as 'good' indulgence is concerned, it's as warm and fuzzy and a happy AU fanfic you found but not so much the Pacifist Ending of Undertale where you really do feel bad if you rectify the good ending in anyway. It's fun and it's comfort food, but not entirely lasting as you want it to be???

Amphibia, I think, was also way better than Owl House in this respect. It wasn't perfect cause nothing is but you really got a feeling for HOW flawed Marcy, Sasha, the townsfolk and even Hop Pop throughout their arcs-- which made it so SO rewarding to see them get their happy endings and come together to defeat the core and be the better people they needed to become.

The Owl House is my favorite where I think Amphibia is the better of the two.

[darklinaforever]

The thing about romance books that have a lot of different couples explored within a several part series is that not everyone is like certain books. So I don't understand this whole obsession with genderbending love interests? Or even changing so much of it? Even if you like those changes, allow the OG fandom (the book lovers) to mourn for those changes? Sophie fans don't want her to be genderbent. Michael fans don't want him to be genderbent. And yet you will see some Michael fans pointing out that they should genderbend Sophie but not Michael. Some Sophie fans are trying to argue that it is fine for Michael to be genderbent. Then you have people who are making a case for Eloise to end up with a woman (genderbent sir philip or no) but some people who loved her book don't want that. There are many women who are arguing that having another female character who is outspokenly feminist be gay is a stereotype at this point, and many of those fans find it refreshing for her to end up with a man. Although, even those fans agree that they would like to see changes to the Philip + Eloise story. Not to mention, the discussion of possibly genderbending the love interests of Hyacinth and Gregory (which I will be so upset by - especially Lucy). I have already seen people on reddit debate that Lucy should actually be a man. I feel like it doesn't have to make "sense" to genderbend a certain character. If people are attached to a character being a certain way, don't make large changes.

Lastly, I feel like a part of introducing Michaela was for shock value but to also prep the fans the possibility of Sophie being a man. He could've been introduced much later, but I feel like part of the motivation is to gauge the audience's reaction and give people some time to adjust before the new season starts where they feature male!Sophie. Especially since they decided to finally address Benedict's sexuality which I feel was terrible writing. Benedict has barely had any good arcs. They should've explored his sexuality before and made that an arc rather than having it thrown about without any good writing. So, it feels they are pulling the Benedict is bi card NOW because they want audiences to be prepared for the change.

Anyways, I am a lesbian, in case any of the homophobia arguers want to get angry about this rant. I love romance books and my favorite are sapphic books. I just wish shows would stop pulling this shit. It only frustrates people and then divides fandom. It is like these showrunners are too lazy to ever actually be willing to take a risk or start from scratch and build up a fandom. They always want to take advantage of an already large fandom so they can make the changes they think will have people praise their writing and then gaslight the fans when they dislike those changes.

It's so insulting to so many minorities. Are we not good enough for our own stories? Must we always have these hollywood idiots steal other stories and try to force it? Do they have any IDEA how many LGBTQ books are published that would make for 10/10 romances. Sorry for the rant. I am just pissed.

Exactly ! There is so much history to be created about queer people. No need to change the types of characters already existing within a fandom !

And I completely agree with you on Benedict. I said it myself. They poorly explored his pseudo sexual discovery. Not to mention the fact that yes, we really give him little material each season and I don't understand why. Needless to say, I can't wait to finally see him shine in the forefront !

Also, probably even if you specify that you are a lesbian, you will still be accused of homophobia by these morons.

I'm Bi, and I had the right to an anonymous person telling me that I hated queer people.

Bullshit level we are damn high.

[greenqueenhightower]

i truly believe people who claim they only dislike alicole because it was “out of nowhere” are engaging in bad faith discourse. i’m not arguing they were written particularly well but rarely any relationship/development on this show is, this is literally par for course. imo it’s been this level of bad writing consistently on this show, a lot of key context is glossed over for the sake of shock value and some implied understanding that the audience would just get it. which of course they usually don’t and that’s how we get hoards of fans thinking they know the story better than the literal writers. like it’s clearly their story/interpretation to tell, they’re just not telling it very well

so if this is the norm why is there such vocal blowback for alicole? the way i see it, the majority of fans who hate alicole either hate it because they already hated alicent and criston and would’ve hated them no matter what, or alicole somehow gets in the way of their own headcanons or ships. that’s all that it is tbh

Hi anon 💚

Yes, exactly, the show has proven that it will not give context /development /build-up on anything that the audience "can imagine" for themselves. The producers /writers /showrunners have way too many book canon events to get to and limited screen time in each episode. Ofc they would not explain when /how /why alicole happened. Which then opens alicole up to any kind of judgment and interpretation.

As you say, key context is also overlooked for the sake of shock value and what "sells" to the general audience. Alicole is receiving such vocal backlash because most fans are used to seeing characters as black and white, even if they might claim that they enjoy seeing gray characters. As far as I can tell, the biggest prejudice of the general public toward Alicent and Criston is that they are "hypocrites" because they profess their moral belief for one thing but do otherwise. This is such a broad and taken-out-of-context criticism because Alicent and Criston might be deceiving themselves and everyone around them, but that does not mean they still don't believe and stand by what they said about Rhaenyra. Alicent still believes that Rhaenyra "flouts all to do as she pleases" while Alicent was "forever upholding the kingdom, the family, the law." Since her husband has died, her duty to him is absolved. Since she installed Aegon on the throne, her duty to the kingdom is absolved. There is no law in Westeros that says that she can't sleep with whomever she likes. Her own religious fervor and conscience taunt her in that matter.

Regarding Criston, he has already sullied his cloak once and has been absolved of his guilt by Alicent. He has received his pardon and has led a life of unfailing duty by the side of Viserys, Alicent, and their kids. He still holds firm to his conviction that his life could so easily have been ruined by Rhaenyra, whereas Alicent aided him in piecing it back together. When he blames Arryk for wearing a muddy cloak and being a member of the Kingsguard, he only deceives himself into believing that his own cloak is "white" and unsullied. It is another manifestation of how conscience works for different characters in this show.

So people can call them "hypocrites" if they don't find a better word for it, but they are literally wallowing in the pits of self-loathing and self-deception, it is just too delicious not to notice and fawn over.

[canonicallyobserving911]

Eddie Diaz: 7x7, 7x9 and 7x10

Eddie Diaz is my favorite character but I still don't like the storyline they gave him for the end of the season.

(Full disclosure: I did a similar post about Bobby's storyline but before 7x9 airs, I decided to do one about Eddie too.)

It's been a couple of weeks since the plot or whatever TM (showrunner) is trying to do with Eddie's character was revealed (man is obsessed with his deceased wife's doppelgänger but he ignores the woman who's been by his side the entire time) and I still HATE it. Therefore, I'm not looking forward to whatever this raggedy "Vertigo" storyline is supposed to be for multiple reasons.

The main reason why I don't like it is because IMO, Eddie's storylines have always taken a backseat to those written for other main characters and the truth is he hasn't had a storyline all his own since he was involved in the illegal fight club in season 3. All of his other storylines were made to be about someone else or they weren't given adequate room to be developed, i.e., the shooting, his PTSD and his return to the 118 at the end of season 5. His breakdown was shoved into the last 5 minutes of 5x13 then he went to therapy once afterwards but the audience didn't see any more of his sessions.

Also, if his storyline didn't take a backseat, he was sidelined for the majority of a season (for most of season 6, he was treated like a side character with nothing to do for 13 out of the 18 episodes and the ones they gave him in 6x7, 6x14, 6x15, 6x17 and 6x18 were lackluster at best) and they were treated like "This will do" for his character while other mains got-well thought-out storylines that didn't make the audience dislike them.

Three things that have been magnified about Eddie since 7x5 aired is (1) people who already didn't like him (it's possible they're jealous of him because he's so beautiful and Buck's in love with him) despise him even more without a valid reason; (2) people who hate cheating storylines have already dismissed him and are now classifying him as irredeemable and for whatever reason they don't think he deserves redemption or to work through it even though others (Hen and Buck) have cheated too; and (3) those who shipped Buddie before, no longer believe Buck should wait around for Eddie since Buck's in a relationship with a discount dollar store version of Eddie. I mean let's be real here for a minute because the show literally wrote the character of T*mmy to be a cheap bargain basement version of Eddie Diaz.

Aside from him emotionally cheating with his dead wife's doppelgänger 🙄, it appears there was no real thought put into his season 7 arc and for those who've seen the movie "Vertigo", they might be interested but I am not. I get it, he's grieving the "relationship" he thought he could have had with Shannon but wouldn't it have made more sense to let him deal with his grief in therapy LAST SEASON WHEN THEY DIDN'T GIVE HIM ANYTHING ELSE TO DO?

YES! They could have used those 13 episodes to allow him to go to therapy so he could have already worked through this situation with his deceased wife instead of shoving it into the end of an already robust and limited season. Or was the F*X network against letting him move past it too? I think it was poor planning and lazy storytelling but that's just me. Also, why is Maris*l still around? Eddie's storyline could have worked without her so what's the real goal here? It's unclear if his storyline will end the way it did in season 5 with him sliding down the firefighter's pole and rejoining the team like everything had been fixed but hopefully that won't happen this time and he'll get the help he needs.

Finally, as a Buddie shipper, I WILL NOT SETTLE FOR A KNOCKOFF VERSION OF A RELATIONSHIP FOR EDDIE OR BUCK BECAUSE THEY BOTH DESERVE BETTER. Therefore, why should Eddie or Buck settle for something that doesn't compare to EVERYTHING THEY'VE BUILT TOGETHER FOR THE PAST SIX YEARS?

IMO, they shouldn't and it's time for the show to stop delaying their CANON love story. I for one don't want to sit through another season of LIs being thrown at them like javelins and hoping one will stick. This is EXHAUSTING just like season 5 was and I'll watch the episode after it airs so I can fast foward through the parts I don't want to see.

I ONLY SHIP BUDDIE!

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

https://www.tumblr.com/ecoterrorist-katara/743680863675580416?source=share

I know that you have already talked about the "female gaze" more than once, but what do you say about this?

Let's get the easier parts out of the way:

1 - The showrunners consider Aang the angel on Katara's shoulder on The Southern Raiders because Avatar is a kids show and the moral of the episode was "Hey, kids, even if you ever meet a truly horrible person don't immediately respond with violence, it could backfire horribly or push you to do something you'd regret later" not because they think she's an object that Aang gets to posses and control - hence them having Aang give her advice on what to do, but not try to prevent her from leaving nor judging her for not forgiving her mother's killer.

2 - Katara's point was NOT central to Zuko in that episode, at least not at first. By the end of the episode he understood and felt compassion for her and her family, but at the start he was only looking for a cheat-code to make Katara stop hating him because it reminded him of his screw ups. It was Zuko being entitled and trying to avoid consequences.

3 - "This thing is like the PLATONIC version of a thing that sometimes happens in romance" If it's platonic (you said it, not me) then it's not a "win" for your OTP. Zuko and Iroh's falling out after Ba Sing Se has lots of dramatic, super intense and heartbreaking moments, just like romances do - but their storyline is obviously not a romance and they are explicitly treated by the narrative as father and son.

4 - "Katara isn't hiding any side of her personality from Zuko" Katara doesn't hide any side of her personality for ANYONE - family, friends, rivals, enemies, strangers. Highlighing that she is herself with Zuko is pointless because she is herself with everyone, including people she does not like, which was the category Zuko fit into at the moment.

Now, onto yet another absurdly long take by this annoyed feminist that has had enough to the "Male Gaze VS Female Gaze" bullshit.

(Check this previous post before reading the rant in case you don't know these terms or what they mean/were supposed to mean)

Zutarians gotta learn that just because a trope is popular, that doesn't mean it is present in every story, and that NO TROPE appeals to a whole group of people, no matter how much they keep insisting that their ship is the "female gaze" - like that thing could ever even exist.

To give a practical exemple so people understand what I mean: Imagine that a woman wrote screenplay about a lesbian romance, which is then filmed by a female director, and edited by a woman. The actresses playing the lead roles also have their own perspective on the story and characters. The movie is then shown to 200 women, every single one of them has their own opinion on it.

Which of the women I mentioned above is going to speak FOR HER ENTIRE GENDER, and decide if that romance fits "the female gaze"? Do we take a survey and whatever points are repeated the most are taken as objectively correct due to being how the majority feels, and thus any differing opinion is treated as lesser and "not what women like" regardless of how many women feel that way? Do we only listen to the proffessional criticts in that audience of women and completely disregard the opinion of any woman that didn't study anything regarding cinema and writting?

Even if somehow it is decided that the movie fits into the "female gaze" - if all those women rewatch the movie years later and some of them feel differently about it, would that affect the definition? If their grand-daughters watch it 50 years later and don't agree with their grandmother's takes on it, does the definition change? If the movie is shown to other groups of women, from different countries, and they all have their own opinion on it that is radically different from that of the first group, which group of women gets to say "OUR culture's way of interpreting this story is the TRUE way women feel about it, everyone else doesn't count"?

If the movie is then shown to 200 men and they all like it, does that turn it from "female gaze" to "unisex gaze"? Does it become "Male Gaze" if the guys get aroused by it, even if the movie was designed to appeal to women and not to them AND there was no exploitation involved? If the 200 women then watch a movie that has scenes that are considered as having been made to appeal to guys, but some or all of them ALSO enjoy it (story of my life), does that make it change from "male gaze" to "Female Gaze"?

Gender is simply ONE out of many, many, many things that can impact how one views fiction - and it doesn't exist in isolation, being affected by generation, culture, language, religion, class, etc. The "Female Gaze" doesn't exist. It CAN'T exist because humans are more complicated than that. It is a concept that is almost fully divorced from reality.

Also I can't help but notice that, because of the way these terms work in the assumption of absolutes, no room for nuance, "MALE Gaze" is meant to describe lazy writting/film-making that is sexist towards women and cases of full on exploitation and abuse in which men were the abusers, and sometimes the label even gets attached to harmless things as a form of bad faith criticism just because guys like it - but "FEMALE Gaze" is NOT about lazy writting/film-making that is sexist towards men (say stories that full on say that a guy hitting a woman is bad, but a woman hitting a man is funny, or using "guys always want it" as justification for scenes of female characters forcing themselves on the male characters).

Instead, Female Gaze is meant to either neutral or POSITIVE. "This appeals to women" is used for praise, "this appeals to men" is used as criticism. Women are harmless, men are dangerous. Women are helpless victims, men are evil abusers. Women need to be protected and put on pedestal, men need to be hated and feared. Female desire is inherently pure, male desire is inherently objectifying. And, of course, any woman that disagrees is bad and a traitor and needs to be "called out for being anti-feminist" (aka be condescended to or full on attacked).

This is sexism, pure and simple. Anyone can be a victim, anyone can be an abuser. Anyone can like any kind of story, trope, genre, ship, etc. Desire is a morally neutral thing, and it doesn't become "pure" or "inherently corrupt" depending on the gender of the person who feels it.

The "Male Gaze VS Female Gaze" thing is nonsensical at best and perpetuates a dangerous double standard at worse, and I'm so fucking tired of it never being questioned because people are afraid of being labelled misogynistic.

[mwagneto]

I’m a bit afraid of the upcoming two-parter finale of Doctor Who, mainly because of the circulating TV show theory and a horrifying thought I had the other day concerning this theory. … What if this theory is partly true, and the entirety of season 1 was indeed a TV show, and therefore not real maybe. Which would be the worst possible outcome I think, given that people in general hate the “it was all just a dream”/ “it didn’t really happen”-trope. But if we take this outcome into consideration I was wondering, when did the “TV show” / the “performance” start? Since when is it all fake so to speak? Because one could argue that the ending Fourteen got, is way too happy. He got his own TARDIS by very ridiculous/ implausible means. He got his own family. Everyone is happy. It is the “and they lived happily ever after”- ending you only see in fairy tales or very sappy TV shows. So my horrifying thought was, what if the “performance” started right after they defeated the Toymaker and Fourteen’s happy ending isn’t real at all!?

YEAHH i thought about that too, especially since i saw someone mention that "maybe the 'show' started in wby" in a post i'll never find

i think it is a logical conclusion to jump to since that IS 100% where the turning point was, the superstition is invoked, the salt is thrown, bam. the entire universe tilts on its axis. but i realllly really don't think that's the case?

i'll put the rest under the cut coz it got too long + i tried adding paragraphs to make it more readable so sorry if it feels janky

ok so admittedly my reasons for thinking whatever is going on now is definitely post 14 ending is because, like you and the above mentioned post says, anything major starting in wby would make the giggle a part of the whole thing and undo 14s happy ending + make 14 at least somewhat part of the story which. is definitely not something they'd do. or i sure hope they won't!

like rtd said 14 was never coming back and like yeah showrunners lie but i think even he knows how much bringing 14 back for a main show appearance would suck ASSSS like while i don't think having 14 bigenerate really stole 15's thunder the way ppl are saying (and i get why those people are mad too, i disagree but i understand), having 14 come back in any way whatsoever would just be really bad both because

he already got his happy ending, he got a beautiful last scene, his and by extension 10's story got an incredible sendoff that i still can't fully talk about coz of how crazy it is but like. you get it. and to have him just... come back after that would be really weird? like?? yknow??? that's him done. bringing him back at all would kinda.. not just cheapen it but make the finality of his happiness feel like it's not that secure or peaceful after all. and

having 14, the guy created specifically to bring in more viewers after everyone gave up during 13 era almost leading to the show getting cancelled, a guy whose MAIN REASON for existing is because they knew he'd be incredibly popular, be relevant to 15's story would just. be bad. like again i don't think the bigeneration itself was disrespectful to 15 or stole anything from him but that is IT. 14 cannot come back again, he did his job (nostalgiabaiting audiences + bringing people back in + letting rtd have a beautiful little playground sesh with his old era) and it slapped but he got his time and his ending and i think slash hope rtd knows this and won't do anything to mess with it.

okay sorry that got so fkin long i didnt mean to. ANYWAY. ONTO THE ACTUAL THEORY geez..

SO. wrt the season/episodes being part of a tv show and my general view on tv show theory: like. yeah like you said people generally dislike the ohh it was all a dream twist, and the longer the stretch of time that turns out to have not been real gets, the more annoying the twist is, which i'm 100% sure rtd as a showrunning veteran is very very aware of, so i really don't think they'll do anything as insane as having the ENTIRE thing turn out to have not been real

like i thinnnnnnnnk if it is a tv show then everything we've seen will have been real as in like. it wasn't just the doctor trapped in goo forced to experience fictional people that don't exist and have no consequence once he wakes up

i also think if the tv show theory IS true in some way, then the doctor is definitely aware of it at least to some degree, hell half the evidence we have for it literally comes from things he himself does (and that applies in a broader sense too, even if it's not a tv show or something, he still seems at least partially aware of Something, especially in the devil's chord (which also directly ties into the giggle and references a lot of things) although hints and little moments have steadily declined since then, that was definitely the peak of the theorisable moments era)

so like, tldr of everything i said so far: i dont think 14 is coming back and i don't think they'll make the entire season turn out to have been fake, but im basing both of these solely on the fact that these choices would be really really really bad and i don't think they should happen

as for what i think IS going on: i feel like i can't fully be objective because i really want the tv show hints to go somewhere so i feel like a lot of me believing it comes from wanting to believe it and not actual evidence, but yeah i think it definitely ties into tv in some way

again i don't think they'll be like ohh the entire thing was fiction and none of these people were real so none of it meant anything, i think if it really is some weird non-reality then they'll still do it in a way that makes the real world relevant

but like, as demonstrated above, when it comes to overarching plots i think i'm generally better at predicting what WON'T happen than what will, like idk i can guess the murderer 1 minute into any detective thing but when it comes to guessing stories i can get kinda lost. like idk i notice all the hints and then some but without an obvious thing to point to that ties it all together i can never really make up the larger story of what's going down (unlike with, say, murder mysteries, where you already know all the suspects at the beginning) yknow ?? i hope that makes sense 😭

that and i always feel like making up specific theories means whatever i think will happen definitely WON'T happen so yeah basically i have no idea what is actually going on but i really really love speculating, and i'm not really afraid of any of the negative outcomes you and a lot of other people mentioned, like yea it IS possible and it would be really bad but i don't think they'd do it exactly because it would be really bad. but we'll see i guess...

for now i'm not worried and pretty excited and very very hopeful coz i LOOOOOVE how intricately built this whole season is like oh my goddd yessss hints mysteries secrets foreshadowing haha YESSSSSS HAHAAAAA!!!

one thing tho. that i forgot to consider for this whole essay until i was already typing the ending. is that the whole thing starting in wby with the salt seems likely but hopefully isn't the case HOWEVER. susan twist literally appears in wby well before the salt thing .. which is definitely something to keep in mind. what does it mean? i don't know ❤️ i think whatever her deal is isn't related or at least is only vaguely related to the whole superstition/fantasy thing BUT if it is a tv show and she plays a part in the tv show theory then her being in the episode where the entire genre of the show changed is rly interesting

[sunnysideaeggs]

I really liked your analysis on laena's shifting ages as the plot demands.

I was wondering what was even the need for making Laena so young in the first place? Her story was good enough on its own in the books why change it so drastically to make her the youngest out of all of them and then shuffle her back to look the oldest?

The reason i came to realise was the writers really wanted to whitewash Viserys. Basically give him an out where the stupid audience can conclude, hey look how noble this dude is to deny a 12 year old for this 15 year old. 15years are totes the marrying age! 🤢

In fact, u also notice how much they want the audience to like him, when they give all of his ideas on targ incest to Alicent, who would have been the least likely one to arrange for it.

Another point was I hated when they added yet another actor to portray older laena, when Savannah should have portrayed her. It would have atleast made some sense to show how this is also a young child bride.

Has there even been any backlash to the whole thing for the show? It seems no one notices when women of color are portrayed so poorly.

No offense to any of the actors.

In my opinion, the story changed from its foundations when the show runners decided the main premise of the Dance was the relationship between Rhaenyra and Alicent. By closing their 10 year gap, Aging Alicent down and Rhaenyra up, they messed up everyone’s ages and roles (so they make stuff up or conveniently forget it).

Laena was already younger than Alicent in canon, and it showcases (more than the show anyways) the main and only reason Viserys chose Alicent was lust and the ‘need for heirs’. They could’ve showcased that more had they portrayed Viserys as the piece of shit he was and not the doting father (bc if he’s a pos, maybe he didn’t do right causing a succession crisis).

Consequently, Daemon and his awful grooming of Rhaenyra ‘doesn’t look so bad’ because she’s 14 and not 8. But because they had to whitewash Viserys, she’s younger than Rhaenyra and needs to be portrayed as an adult when she’s still a teen. Then, when she needs to be freezed, they chose another actress (conveniently older than both Emma and Olivia) to sweep their bullshit beneath the rug.

Imo, the revisionist portrayal of the Dance is the thing that messes everything up. The showrunners knew the general public wouldn’t sit right with a story about women being catty about each other (which is probably propaganda anyways) and wrote themselves a tragedy about lost friendship and so so. Consequently, everyone (including Alicent and Rhaenyra) suffers.

[spinnenpfote6]

I have no idea why no one seems to have made a pitch yet for a LOTR Big Brother parody where the characters are crammed into an artificial house together and forced to play stupid games all while being watched by Sauron through his eye/big monitors who comments their everyday life as the titular host.

BEHOLD!

Constant drama and fights! NO privacy whatsoever! Even the bathrooms have video surveillance!

Obscenely graphic 24/7 filming of Frodo constantly getting sick or injured to ensure maximum viewership. (Half of them love him, half of them hate him, all tune in to watch him suffer).

Gandalf loves winning the games, even if it makes him progressively more cruel and a bully, the fans love it as well.

Legolas and Gimli stir up controversy with critics by being openly xenophobic and racist towards each other.

Sam wants to be useful and prepare all the food but Sauron makes Eowyn do it because her horrible cooking skills are a great running gag.

Aragorn only wants to get it over with to get the money they desperately need, he's actually not playing along, just slowly losing his mind.

Constant scripted rage-bait for Boromir and a sibling rivalry sideplot with Faramir and guest star Denethor as sad pity porn.

Merry and Pippin livin' their best lives by finally being allowed (and actively encouraged) to pull pranks on everyone. Audience and critics have decided they're cute and funny.

Grima Wormtongue is introduced as a new room mate halfway through, he has no idea what's going on other than that he keeps getting beat up by Eomer who randomly shows up as another guest star.

Arwen desperately trying to remain the only sane person, Elrond is 100x more disappointed in her doing trashy reality TV than her refusing to leave Middle Earth.

Gollum is treated as the crew's creepy pet, Sam keeps trying to poison him (the showrunners wonder where he got the poison but they let him).

Saruman managed to become the game telephone joker along with Galadriel because he's disappointed that Sauron wouldn't let him have his own monitor.

Bilbo dropping the necessary occasional F-bomb, swears and insults but is also slightly senile without the ring and therefore finds following the whole show hilarious.

Last season ends with Sauron doing a fake poll to make the viewers decide which hobbit should be "killed off" to shock the characters and generate clickbait online articles. Final game's price is of course the One Ring.

I just feel like this would be a flawless concept!

[snowpawshaw]

So a long time ago, on Quora, someone asked: Why do some people have a problem with Black Entertainment television (BET) but not with Country Music television (CMT) or ESPN? Aren't they all just networks aimed at specific interest groups?

Unfortunately, when I gave my answer, I was completely ignored.... not a single upvote or comment. I can't say I'm surprised, it was an attempt to give a well thought out and nuanced explanation of cultural appropriation by corporations... But anyways, I really felt like I should explain. I can't remember where I was mentally that got me to seek out this question, but I remember feeling like I really should explain, so I did. I'm really proud of the answer I gave, and this being Tumblr, I'm hoping people will read it and tell me what they think. So here it is:

Being largely white, people who are represented by CMT have largely been able to tell their stories themselves since the dawn of our country. Black showrunners and filmmakers have not had that privelege for the longest time, not until about the 90s. The 70s and 80s do not count, what little was made by black creators was rewritten by and for a white audience.

Good Times, for example, was created by a black man that was fired and then his creation eroded by white writers who kept boiling those complex and honest characters written as actual people into a series of gross and stereotypical tropes.

People hate BET for playing even more into that exact thing: Obliterating the black voice of black art by turning black characters into more stacks of stereotypes that have been used to flatten underrepresented people for generations, a flattening down of hundreds of years of black experience and humanity and activism by corporatizing all of it. When black human beings were finally able to write their own stuff, it was assimilated into the American hodgepodge of easily digested commercial garbage that says absolutely nothing but “The system is good, buy some stuff, here's a funny catchphrase”.

Even religious things on BET turn Christianity into a Brand™ for Christmas movies. You see nothing about black jewish people because they're not common enough. You see nothing about muslim human beings because it doesn't feed into the narrative that muslim people are scary and want to hurt people.

And as far as the politics that the black community formed to fight for their own rights? They're not even mentioned, because it wouldn't serve the system that wants people to just work and buy and serve it in turn. If anything, it would cause people to ask some real questions. That's why they only talk about MLK, who was disposed of as soon as he was about to really rock the boat, and why they pretend that Rosa Parks was a lone wolf instead of one activist in a collective of people who pushed for change.

I would not be surprised if there are people who are country who feel that way about their way of life being corporatized by CMT. Nothing about the great artists of the past unless it's dressed up in five layers of gloss to sell grills and Home Depot products. The difference is, non-POC largely tend not to question it because their lives have been The Brand for far longer, so their voices are drowned out by people who are resigned to it. And they're doing the exact same thing to the LGBT+ community, which is why we try to keep corporations out of our pride parades.

As for NASCAR, nobody respects them, not even whitest guy in the world Jeff Dunham.

[infinitethree]

Like most Tommys, Daz doesn't easily let go of his spite.

Unlike most of his cosmic brethren, however, he's both positioned and skilled enough to forge his bitterness into reality.

It took him a while to decide exactly how best to cut that damn traitor off at the knees. After a while of slogging through all the new bullshit he has to deal with, though, he realized he had the perfect bargaining chip with which to strike a deal.

As he teleports into the Council HQ, Innit tells him, you realize you're the bad guy here, right? This is low, even for you.

Funny how quickly it turned into a simpering sycophant for Aster, of all people.

He's a good person who realized I deserve better than you.

Whatever; he doesn't have time for this.

Grabbing the 8-ball from its new hiding place, Daz says out loud, “I want to make a deal, Showrunner. I think you'll be interested in my terms.”

If I'm not, I'll make you miserable, the god warns.

He sets the holy object back in place and then gives a small bow. “I'm sure you're busy, so I won't beat around the bush. I want the same ability Aster has– the other half, if you will. He sees my secrets, I see his. In exchange…”

Uhg, he hates making this offer, but the alternative is worse. He taps his temple. “I'll contribute to freeing Innit– which means Innit can work on that, too.”

There's a peal of laughter. Oh my GOD, you're so fucking petty! Why should I enable you when Innit’ll get free anyway?

He huffs softly. “Because that’s much more boring.”

…Oh?

“It might take them years to figure it out on their own. Aster could use the wish, sure…but that's such a lame use of it.”

Daz circles his finger a little. “And wouldn't it be poetic– cathartic, even– if the two of us came together one final time before splitting apart? Not to mention the meaning behind Innit having a hand in making its own body!”

His smile is friendly, technically. In practice, it looks more like a threat display. “And you'd get a far more interesting show if I see inside his head. What do you think you and your audience would find more enjoyable; Aster one-sidedly seeing things and wasting the wish on something so obvious…or Innit freed, the wish still in play, and me getting visions as well?”

There's silence for several long moments, and then the laughter comes back.

Loud, booming, manic, the edges of it warping in a way that makes Daz shudder.

Hah! Haha, holy SHIT! You're such a piece of garbage! You're so goddamned petty that you'll make a deal like this with someone who doesn't like you!

“I never claimed to be a good person. I'll ruin myself as long as I can bring others down with me,” Daz replies.

He cocks his head to the side and adds, “The game stays fresh for longer like this, too. The more entertained you are, the less likely you are to demand things change at a bad time. It's better to try and set my own terms than be left in check again.”

The Showrunner giggles. Alright, sure! I'll humor you this time.

The room suddenly floods with power and pressure as the god growls, But if you fail to hold up your end, you'll regret it.  He's left gasping for air as their presence fades and they murmur, So don't be stupid about this, yeah? I’d hate to lose such an interesting game piece.

[valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn]

I think it's really rich how the Loki series showrunners like to talk about Loki's problems and emotions as if he were some moody, hormonal teenager, while currently in the show Sylvie is acting like some sullen, edgy, emo bitch-brat, hating everything and everyone, sticking safety pins in her armor and working at frickin' McDonalds. And this is supposed to be seen as cooler than Loki because her "trauma was worse and her scars are deeper", yadda yadda yadda. Like??? Do they not see their own double standard??? Do they not smell their own bullshit???

I know you aren't watching the show, and the Loki series is your least favorite subject right now, it is mine too, but every time I see something related to it I just. Want to put my fist through a wall. Everything these people have said about Loki is so wrong it's like my brain can't comprehend it. Anyway thank you for being so incredibly patient with all the Loki-related anons, including mine!

And on the subject of Sylvie's armor, I can't stand seeing her wear that design. If she is so special, being "her own person" and all, then she really should stop co-opting Loki's costume and find something else. Something that's just as, um...."original" as she is. 😒

Hey, I love the anons so keep 'em coming! (I know I'm super slow with them though, so sorry about that)

I couldn't agree more about the double standard. It genuinely baffles me that they're so uninterested in one of the most complex characters the MCU has ever had. They clearly understand he's like a magnet for the fanbase, hence all the promo centring him, but they seem so keen to grab that complexity and turn it to shreds in order to make him more palatable, and it's like... he already has a lot of fans kissing his ass. You want more? Don't change him, just make a good series! Get the same freaking character acting the same way he's always been, put him in situations and we'll watch the damn thing even if it's not that good just to see him. What's not clicking?! 🤦‍♀️

It doesn't make sense to me. Disney+ needed the Marvel series to be profitable, and they want a bigger audience and more money. Okay, cool. But why, why do the execs think the only way to get people interested is by nerfing the characters and making them simpler? It's such a classist belief that ""people"" will only understand something if it's on its most superficial state.

It reminds me of this idiot minister in the UK who said he was worried people wouldn't be able to understand The Crown is fiction and not a documentary on the actual events in real life. At the time so many news headlines read "The citizens are so stupid, they think TV series are an accurate depiction of reality!" instead of "This minister is so stupid he thinks everyone is as dumb as him".

Sorry about that, I needed to rant too lol I don't know what Sylvie is wearing now but I suppose she will be wearing the Loki armour still. It is funny, she's not a Loki but she has to wear the suit otherwise no one would remember she's supposed to be a Loki since she doesn't act like one at all. See how Loki is wearing stupid TVA clothes and we all know who he is? But she has to wear the Loki suit.