#yep we're dragging out the drama for no reason

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

[Text: Tell me, what do you think of people actually liking the character development in season 4-5 and the show's treatment of mental health? [Redacted] thinks that and she's the mother of a teenager]

Re liking the show: I generally assume that they have poor taste and/or media literacy.

Re the mental health rep: I generally assume that they're incredibly privileged and/or ignorant.

I'm posting this as an image and not an ask response specifically because I will not participate in fandom drama or shaming. This blog exists specifically so that people can actively choose to engage in my content and so that I can post critical thoughts without dragging their source into some petty fight. So I'm not going to talk about the named individual. Instead, I'll replace them with the show's head writer and talk about him in a similar context.*

He's pretty famously denied that Chloe suffered any abuse, ignoring her obvious neglect, which came from both parents, just in different forms. When you pair that with how the show handles people like Gabe and Jagged Stone, we see a clear pattern of the show ignoring the devastating effects that abandonment and neglect can have on a person, especially if they're a child.

Now you could look at that and say, "The head writer condones abuse! He's a monster!" But I prefer to go the more likely route and assume that he's a privileged middle-class cis white man who has never had to deal with those issues or support someone who has, so he has no idea how to handle them properly or that they even need to be properly handled. There's every chance that he's a loving, kind man and a fantastic father who just happens to not be very good at writing a complex topic that he clearly has no understanding of or desire to learn about. I apply similar logic to fans who share his opinions. Never attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence or ignorance.

And all of the above is assuming that we're talking about someone who thinks that the show is objectively good or that the mental health rep is good, which are big assumptions. It's fully possible to enjoy a piece of media that you know is objectively bad or even "problematic" in some way.

Personal confession time: is Loonatics Unleashed an objectively terrible show that you should never, ever watch? Absolutely. 100%. Are Rev Runner and Tech E. Coyote two of my favorite characters who will live rent free in my head until the day I die? Yep! I pulled up a YouTube highlight real as I was writing this and those dorks still make me smile even though the show is terrible on multiple levels and I know that I'm not alone in that sentiment. Those two clicked with a lot of people for some reason.

A piece of fiction need not be good for you to love it and you don't need to justify your love for a piece of fiction if you're not claiming that it's good. Similarly, people hating that piece of fiction or pointing out flaws in it is not a reflection on you in any way shape or form. You can even agree with their criticism and still love the piece of fiction. This approach to media - loving a thing in spite of its flaws - is normal and healthy and I'd really love to see it make a comeback in younger fandoms.

Like, I cannot emphasize this enough, most fandoms consider it perfectly normal to have lots of fans who are critical of the source or who have even lost interest in the source for one reason or another, but they still like some element of the source enough to want to create/consume fan content for it. These more critical fans arguably make some of the best fan content because looking at canon and saying "That's nice, let me show you how I'd do it" often leads to some of the most complex stories that you'll see in fandom spaces. Stories that can often blow canon out of the water for TV shows and movies since fanfic isn't limited by budgets or studio policies or marketability concerns. Fans who think that the source is perfect tend to just write fluff or romcom type fics, which is not a dig! I love bother of those genres! But woman does not live on fluff alone.

Obviously there's some complexity here because who decides if a show is bad? Saying "it's okay that you like a terrible thing" can certainly sound like an insult and prompt a feeling of needing to defend the thing, which is why I don't fight with fans who like the show. There's really no need to convince them that the thing they like is bad. Do I think it is? Yes. Does it matter if they disagree? No, not really. At worst, they create stories with similar issues and, well, they're not the only ones and fighting with them isn't going to stop them. You're much better off focusing on creating your own good media and trying to get that popular. Heck, even if you made the head writer see all of Miracuous' flaws, it wouldn't change anything. The show is already made.

So, yeah, I don't really assume anything bad about people who think that miraculous is good. I know lots of wonderful people who have terrible taste in media and I'm still friends with them. I just don't take recommendations from them.

It's important to remember that, when you're online in a fandom space, a person is condensed down to a very tiny snapshot of who they are and judging a person solely off of their thoughts regarding a poorly written kids show is a dangerous path to tread. Like, looking at this blog, you might assume that I spend all of my time thinking about miraculous and obsessing over its flaws, which is very much not the case. I actually have this blog specifically so that I don't obsess over miraculous' flaws because I've found that, when something is bothering me, writing it down or talking to someone about it is the best way to stop thinking about it. Even then, most of my posts are reblogs of stuff I come across while browsing my tumblr feed, which is not solely miraculous content. I mostly interact with the show by creating non-salty fanfic that I honestly enjoy writing and find to be a relaxing, positive outlet.

It's human nature to judge and it's totally normal to think that a person's an idiot because of something they post online, but be careful to not lean into those thoughts too hard. At the end of the day, Miraculous is just a stupid kids show that will fade from the popular consciousness a few years after it stops airing. If it and/or the fandom are negatively affecting your mental health, then it's okay to step away for a while or use the block button. It really is your best friend. I enjoy being critical about Miraculous specifically because it's not that important. While I do think that kids deserve better media, I don't think Miraculous is some terrible evil harming the youth. I'm not horrified when a kid watches it, it's just not a show that I'd encourage them to watch and, if the kids was close to me, we'd spend a lot of time talking about the bad things that the show showcases from time to time. There are lots of episodes that are fine and I can think of way worse kids shows. Shows that tell their horrifying morals really well, making a kid far more likely to pick up on them and internalize them.

*Note that I only feel comfortable talking about the head writer like this because he's a public figure with an active social media presence AND because I'm not @ing him. If he was a private person or if he was not a professional creator, then I would not talk about him like this and even in that context I try to avoid it whenever I can. You can think that he's a terrible writer, but he's still a human being and, as far as I'm aware, nothing he's done deserves people harassing him.

I absolutely understand how devastating it can be to see a story you love get ruined by the creative team. The first time that happened to me, the life lesson I came away with was, "I will no longer put my happiness in the hands of another creator. I will enjoy stories, but I will temper my expectations and remember that they're just another human being and it's completely possible that their vision for this seemingly awesome story may end up being terrible."

[wonderlandleighleigh]

Schneiders of Stars Hollow continuation request: Jess talks to Lenny about his Yale conversation with Rory. Lenny tells him about handing Midge her ass on the stage of Carnegie.

"It was like looking at a stranger," Jess admits as he sits in the back garden after Luke and Lorelai have left and Jess finished up the dishes.

Midge had gone upstairs to relax, feeling tired from spending so much time in a ho kitchen.

"I get that no one stays the same forever, and a lot has happened to her since we were in high school," Jess goes on. "But dropping out of Yale? Living at her grandparents' place? Dating that guy? Him?"

Lenny chuckles a little as he wanders through his plants, weeding a little by the porchlight. "I have been there."

"Oh, yeah?" Jess asks, slumping back in his folding chair.

Lenny wanders back over and takes his own seat. "November of 1960. Worst snowstorm I've ever fucking seen."

"Your Carnegie Hall gig?" Jess asks, curiously.

"Yep. Midge was fuckin' up her career," Lenny explains. "Turning down work. Refusing opening gigs. Hiding after getting bumped from the Shy Baldwin tour because she she made too many gay jokes about him."

"Isn't he gay, though?" Jess asks.

"Well, yeah, but it was illegal to be gay back then," Lenny reminds him. "If someone had taken her seriously, his life could have been destroyed."

"So he had a good reason for firing her."

"Yes, but it's no less depressing," Lenny shrugs. "I hadn't realized just how much Midge had been fucking up, though, until I scored her an opening gig at the Copa for Tony Bennett."

Jess's eyes nearly fall out of his head. "She turned down Tony Bennett?"

"Yep! I lost my mind," Lenny shakes his head. "After my Carnegie Hall show - literally, twenty minutes later - I dragged her out on stage and handed her her ass."

"How'd that go?" Jess asks.

Lenny shrugs. "Well, we're here now, so not nearly as badly as it could have, I suppose. The point is that sometimes, when you care very deeply for someone, it's up to you to point out when they're being an utter fucking moron. Rory's getting coddled by the grandparents, and she won't listen to Lorelai. Logan is useless because he'd rather keep her drunk and naked. Lane is too supportive and Paris has her own fucking dramas. So you're it."

"She's listened to Midge before," Jess points out.

Lenny waves a dismissive hand. "Midge and I are getting too old to chase you guys around. We're more than happy to feed you and buy you thinks, but you're all adults, and we won't be around forever."

"Yes you will," Jess grins. "You had fucking better."

"Well...I do have this very nice garden to tend to," Lenny grins back. "And a very lovely wife whose attention I crave. So I'll do my best. But as for your personal problems? Figure it the fuck out."

Jess blows out a breath. "I wanted to punch Logan so badly."

"Midge said the same thing."

"I'm glad I didn't punch him, though," Jess admits with a chuckle.

"So am I," Lenny adds. "There's a good chance I'd be the one bailing you out."