#AND NOT TO MENTION? The creators fucking REDACTED any of them using they/them in the most recent game

[kaleschmidt]

bahhhh it's so surreal seeing an old fandom blog i used to post a lot about because like. you could def tell i loved creating content for it and shit. I really owuld love to get back into it, but the creators, fandom, n canon stuff just make me mad now

[amys-the-wise-1]

You're not entitled to a perfect retelling

https://twitter.com/sarahenakamura/status/1465069450651049985

As Sarah Sedai talked earlier, there's a contingent of "fans" who take great pleasure in crossing human boundaries of decent behaviour, threatening media creators bc what they feel they own isn't being made for them.

The story has changed some. It's a new turning of the Wheel.

It's coming from (mostly) one particular demographic, continually blaming casting, blaming plot changes, blaming coding issues, blaming everything *except* their own attitudes and expectations.

Legitimate criticism discusses why the plot was changed, why the editing choices were made, Why X actor/actress was cast, why fridging is a terrible trope, hiding who the protagonist is for the first season is a good thing, etc.

Legitimate criticism can be answered eventually, or in the short term of WAFO. Legitimate criticism stands up under scrutiny and can be answered, eventually.

But making threats towards those who are the lifeline to the fandom isn't how decent people behave.

Look, I get it. The books would never be made like a Branaugh production: directly from page to screen. It's woefully too expensive, in human labour & as capital. One of the richest men on the planet said this is a go. Even he has limits. Even he's not going to risk $10B in the capital upfront on the series, as much as we wish it would happen.

(And yet I've not heard one complaint about the cold opening of Ep 2 when it comes to the viciousness of the Whitecloaks, now. I've not read a complaint that Moiraine got stabbed in Ep 1 from a Tolloc. That contention is quiet as a thief-taker in a trolloc camp. Can't imagine why. /sarc)

But those who felt entitled that it would be 28 seasons of the story to adapt to the screen don't have their $$$ on the line. (14 books and prequel and outriggers) The crew already work impossible hours to produce 8 hours of media for a season. It's not a soap opera, with small sets & minimal costs, in human labour & capital investments. No, this is a big-budget adaptation. An Adaptation.

I bet the underlying complaint, one I might have respected, would have been, "Let's cut everything except [redacted] and focus on only that one character. That can be 8 episodes a season and make me happy."

But it would be cancelled for lack of viewers after 1 season for the lack of fans, for not being closer in spirit, much less canon, telling.

It was never going to be made exactly like the books. That is the downside of an epic story like this, with so many plotlines. How many of those complaining would endure a whole episode of Rand running around EF trying to get anyone to save his Dad's life? Or how many would enjoy 2 episodes of them sitting on the back of the horses, riding from Taren Ferry to Baerlon? A whole episode of the time in Baerlon?

1/3 of the book would be gone in the 8 episodes and almost nothing has happened - including any potential evidence of who the Dragon is.

But to threaten people over it? Death threats? Worse? Intimidation tactics to make people cower, over a show?

The last time that the severe critics got something to cave to their demands a cherished series turned into a walking cluster-fuck of a 2 movie ending, with used food plotline and weak ass characters and acting. Who gives an F* about tRoS now when the series was mishandled to placate the critics who demanded that their wants be catered to. No one could stand that someone other than a white male lead could be a hero. So the exec producers caved and watched the beloved series collapse under its own bad fanservice.

Now? Even the showrunner said that every complaint will have him leaning in even harder on certain aspects, such as introducing polyamory earlier in the story, or the coding of Rand/Mat or making the Cauthons wretched.

I know that the series mentioned up above didn't have a research consultant hired on, in a position of importance, to keep the story close to canon. This person knows the story better than most, maybe even Harriet.

She gives the feedback, the knowledge, the pages so those making final decisions can do so - and thankfully keep the bears out of the damn story.

I've read complaints that the roofs in EF weren't thatch. Another was not including the Baerlon plot stop. That Moiraine was too tall, that Rand wasn't tall enough, that Perrin wasn't burly enough. All of those come across as failure to imagine anything but your personal power fantasy. So many are countless petty complaints that it's not 100% exactly like the story.

What I think they are masking, complaint wise is that these detractors are mad that one, in particular, isn't the complete centre of attention, that the main protagonist isn't being highlighted enough, that women have attention in the story. The complaints that someone other than X has any attention.

Yet none will come right out and say, "I'm mad that the story isn't focused on my demographic and mine alone." These complainers are forced to give attention to something that they think is used food and it's uncomfortable, that others not like them have the story benefit them, too, at least instantly.

None realize that these repeated complaints come across as a narcissist, a narc abusing spouse, constantly complaining, breaking down, gaslighting, demanding and feeling entitled yet giving nothing back because it's not important to them - only their consumption is their goal.

Like a grown Jumara, but less honest in their behaviour and intentions.

"It's not about me so I'm not interested" screams selfish narcissism on a grand scale. That toxic mindset that, if it's not catered to one demographic yet again means that it's too woke, too gay, too woman-focused, etc. It's almost like they didn't listen to the Dragon's epic monologue that "It was never about him" and took it as "It's all about me and only me."

It comes across like a strop, a temper tantrum, that the implied contract aspect of "all fantasy media is for me/ I am the hero of every story" when that paradigm has changed for good, now. The gritty orgy grimdark series didn't even muster that, and it crashed the last 2 seasons with shitty writing and showrunning.

Hell, I mentioned to my Clan Chief that the show is dubbed/subtitled into 18 different languages. 18. He thought it was impressive.

But then he also quipped upon eventually reading the series that "I can tell when the new author took over." (He's read it twice, now, but not like mine who stays nose deep into the books.)

People want this story. But to make money, to have the series run from start to finish demands that non-book readers be hooked in as well. To continue to be made requires viewers. Would something 28 seasons be made? No, not unless it's for a tiny demographic of fans - and only in animation because the cost in capital and human labour would be too great - entirely too expensive.

The EF5 would look as old as Nick Cage on the covers of the books if they filmed it over 28 seasons, as a pure retelling. Recasting characters every couple of years because of RL getting in the way, etc.

I challenge all of these entitled complainers to put up $10B of their own capital and only then would they potentially have a "pure" story told. But none want to put up their own $ to make it happen.

When it's your quid, it's your decision. But would be giving up something they value more than their own consumption - their quid.

They want to be grasshoppers, consuming the media sustenance given to them by others, complaining that it's not good enough while they binge on it.

-Fin

[chilltouch]

9, 17, 39, 50

9. is the oldest? the youngest?

out of my current characters Iris is the oldest easily (WAIT A MINUTE IT'S [REDACTED]), with the youngest i guess it's yuyu.

However, lemme tell you that the youngest character ive ever played differs depending on if we're talking chronological age or maturity. Youngest overall is either Adam who I started playing as a DM PC at 12 years old OR Rha (they/them) who is an adult aarakocra at 10 years old. I played both characters with the same friend group. They exclaimed why i continue to either play birds or children

Now my oldest character overall is probably my god of Death and Judgement in my Godsend twoshot named Etros (they/them) but that feels too easy of an answer so im gonna focus on my dnd charact-

oh wait there it is it's the same answer as above so true Iris and [Redacted]

17. has killed the most?

ngl it's prob Mycena if im doing dnd only but i think it would be fun to think who else would be the first/second, sooo

hmmm, it's likely Etros as an alternate highest or my demigod in the Godsend twoshot named Beris bc Beris is an Incarnation of War

my Karanduun character Duma who is a Sitan martial disciple of the Sibat, the bamboo spear that slays anghels/angels, could work as a distant second [Karanduun is a ttrpg system that focuses on killing god(s). You get to attack and dethrone god in this combat-leaning system and it's fun to fight; pbta inspired iirc].

OR my character Valur (they/them) [no origin ttrpg system for them bc the creator of that system who i used to go to college with is homophobic/transphobic] who is a spirit/ghost/elemental? creature summoned in the middle of war by forces unknown to serve as a neutral party that fucked up soldiers going after innocents/non-combatants and therefore killed Many before the war ended.

OR Duroth from Big Gay Orcs who killed so many people in his last stand before dying

OR Val/Bedlam who is part of the assassins crew and likely has racketed up a kill count since starting a life of crime in Duskvol

hmmm gonna focus back on dnd characters now bc there's Still More to this list that can count as if not a distant second a close third

Gurra (he/she) and Iris would kinda tie for similar reasons of killing bc of orders from higher authority, as would LUC-A honestly but instead of for orders (derogatory) it would be bc of loose orders/missions from higher authority (dad who is her god) that eventually turned into "i will kill you bc im filled with righteous fury at the injustice here" and That happened a lot more often than either her or their dad expected adlnaldn

fuck me Kiran (they/them) ALSO falls in line with the above bc of their past as a soldier while serving under their god bc that's what they were raised to do as a protector aasimar who grew up under their god's church,

Ignatius and Opuntia Robusta (she/her) make it up to here in the kill list for criminal reasons. i think if the two ever met they would not get along (also fire with a plant person is 😬)

Ritalin and Ishara (she/her), the spirit tied to the kalashtar Ishtar, have an honorary mention bc those two killed in self-defense and also have a lot of deaths tied to them by association tbh but they Do exhibit murder vibes

(s/o to that one time where Ritalin asked their party member with an abusive/evil brother if she wants him dead bc he'll Do It, and the abrupt silence on that character versus the shocked laughter of the rest of the group made it into the highlights doc)

39. is the best with animals?

Mechanically it's Pandora bc shepherd druid, but emotionally, it's, hmm, actually idk if any One character i have is good overall with animals

there's like Ritalin who is good with birds, yuyu and Praden who makes regular friends with the sea life, S-POR theoretically is good with animals like wolves and ravens :] but is more of a plant person y'know

Kaius is my underwater warlock who can also make friends with sea life but idk if Kaius would since that's not a character ive yet to play after leaving the group this PC was for

50. is or was your favorite to play in combat?

For #healer/support rights it's S-POR bc of the combination of being to help people and access to AOE's. I can't wait to play S-POR in CoS as level 14 with the condition immunities and unable to get crit damaged on lovelove

For battlefield control, it's LUC-A bc the combo of spirit guardians and spiritual weapon is lovelove and I Also get to heal though emotionally it doesn't feel as necessary in the middle of combat

For damage output and tank rights, it's Praden during that level 15 oneshot where I had 24 AC with him and then nearly killed someone in one hit with a crit smite :)

Ishtar gets a special shout out for having a vorpal sword in that high-level oneshot i played them in and critting (decapitation) in the final boss