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annethepancake · 3 years

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Sherlock rant

I recently rewatched BBC Sherlock for Rupert Graves, and aside from the lack of Lestrade appreciation I have a lot of problems with this series. Here are my thoughts:

1. It was all a blur

My second first impression of the show: I don't remember anything but the characters. And some characters I just blatantly forgot, like Mary. And I loved Mary on my second watch! I really forgot that at one point John actually got married and I don't even remember when I watched the show for the first time. I can still recall most of HIMYM's events and I hated that series.

2. It’s overall not a detective/crime show

Watching Sherlock for the second time, I mostly turned off my brain and just let it play in the background because (1) there's hardly anything for me to solve with the characters, most clues are taken by Sherlock off-screen anyway (especially after season 2), (2) they focus way too much on the quirks of the characters that make it almost like a sitcom that got dragged on for way too long. A crime/detective show shouldn't allow me to turn off my brain.

3. The characters just kinda fall flat

Exploring the depth of human emotions is not a bad approach to a modernized version of anything, I’m not trying to pretend I’m better than someone who gets sentimental over fictional character (if you know my blog at all, you know I am not), but at least write good characters. Sherlock is hardly a multi-faceted person; in fact, he’s kinda like the Wattpad teen fic main character sometimes. He physically fights off some terrorists with a machete to save the damsel in distress? He gets high off his tits but still got everything right all the time? John is just kinda there for most of the cases. Jim is a poorly written antagonist. Irene is a lesbian but gets the hot for our main character, surprise surprise. The only interesting characters to me are the ones who act like normal people: Molly, Greg and Mary. They are the multi-faceted characters, ones who I can actually relate to without feeling inferior to them in any way. Write characters like them, stop trying to be smart about it and stop writing Wattpad fanfictions for Sir Conan Doyle’s original works.

I get that they try to make Sherlock more like a human with emotions, making him quirky and arrogant, then make him quirky and more likable. It’s hardly a convincing character development though. He’s given over-powered deduction skills, so edgy, so high and mighty all the time. When he is finally written as vulnerable, turns out he has plans for that too. I would love to see him get it wrong once and maybe get humbled by that mistake, but getting Mary shot and killed is hardly even his fault, he is only doing his job. And killing off Mary is overall a bad idea anyway.

4. They treated the fandom like shit

I was absolutely disgusted at the start of season 3 when the showrunners just straight up shat on their fans. I wasn't there with the fandom during the wait between season 2 and 3, but I believe it was a pretty long wait (2 years, I could barely wait 2 years for my comfort series, and they have like 10 episodes per season), and they were presented with the first actual mystery of the series: How did Sherlock survive the fall? After years of waiting and having fun theorizing, they were met with a mockumentary about them, starring the most hated character of the protagonist and the fans. Those are the people who actually cared about the show for god's sake. The fact that the showrunners treated fans like crap and there's still an active fandom for the show appalled me.

Now not only The Empty Hearse bugs me, but the entire show does as well.

Allow me to digress.

Doki Doki Literature Club is a great example of audience engagement done right (Sorry for using this example I’m not actually that invested in the other franchises). After the success of the first game, the story provoked so many fans into solving the mysteries of the characters, some of them went really, really far. And that’s because of the actual mysteries that the development team took effort to plant into the plot. There is actual pay-off for painstakingly following the clues; as far as I know, only two (2!) people in the world have come close to solving the mystery of the first game (or they actually did). The game developers value their fans and their intelligence enough to have planted those clues where they did, and it’s a genuine exchange between the fans and the creators. Now even though you haven’t actually played the game, when you hear of the name and you’re only kinda familiar with gaming (like me), you’ll probably know what it is. What started as a mere open-source game by an indie developer became a sensation which left millions of fans begging for more.

Looking back at Sherlock, there are tons of logical flaws for a self-proclaimed crime series, virtually no clues for the audience to solve crimes along with their favorite detective, and when there was actually a mystery (Sherlock jumped off the building), they plainly showed him alive and well minutes later. Do we really need to see things spelled on screen to know what’s going on? Are we supposed to accept that Sherlock Holmes is an all-knowing future-predicting genius now too? Not a great sign of respecting the audience there.

So far, the only thing left that’s interesting about this series is the characters’ dynamic. Which brings me to the next criticism I have for the show.

5. The plague that infested mainstream media

Why is there still an active fandom? Queerbaiting and targeted marketing.

Community marketing is proven to be one of the best marketing methods there is, if not the best, to lengthen the lifespan of a product or service. The way they do that for shows and films and video games is usually by planting seeds of possible lores and history inside the content. Look at Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, they are franchises that ran for multiple years with a ton of history and world building that provokes fans’ imagination.

Sherlock - well, Sherlock has sexually ambiguous men.

Sherlock has a formula for success. It was an adaptation of the most iconic detective novel in the world, funded by one of the biggest TV networks in the UK and possibly the world (don’t quote me on this). Making this series means you can appeal to such a wide group of audience even before airing. Adding in the quirky smart men who live together, you’ve basically guaranteed a prime-time show with millions of loyal fans all over the world.

Fans are not stupid, and queer people don't just find queerness everywhere they go. They know a gay subtext when they see one. Sherlock came back from the literal death for John, pretty gay if you ask me.

This show is very much not just about some guys being dudes solving crimes, they have relationship that’s deeper than friendship, and definitely not platonic. They deliberately wrote a sexually ambiguous Sherlock Holmes from the get-go - literally from the very first episode, then capitalized off of the targeted demographic, never a pay-off for their anticipation. Martin Freeman said in interviews that he could recognize Sherlock fans, them being generally women from 16 - 25. No shit Sherlock, this show targets them and capitalizes off of them, being quirky and gay as hell, of course the fanbase is generally 16 - 25 and female.

Sherlock queerbaited the fandom for years for the sake of marketing and there’s never a pay-off, nor was there any recognition to the community, and to add to all that bigotry, queercoding pretty much all of the villains? Why was a show aired in the 2010′s allowed to do this? Why did Mark Gatiss, an openly gay man, a writer of the show, allow this to happen? Why are millions of fans all over the world allowing all this to go on?!

6. Conclusion

Now I haven’t read the books yet, so I’m not at all qualified to criticize the adaptation quality of the TV series; I’m just talking about the TV series on its own. Despite my criticism, I think the first two seasons did quite okay. There are quite a few nice cases there, I like The Blind Banker and The Hound of Baskerville. They did those well because the focus was on the cases themselves, and the connection between John and Sherlock was only in the background. I, like many other fans, like to figure things out on my own, to read between the lines, and to not have things spelled out for me. With the next seasons bombarded with Sherlock and John bonding it seriously felt like mere fan service for me and even though I wasn’t there when the show was on, I still felt like I was robbed and my interest in the show was abused.

Sherlock is undoubtedly super influential in pop culture even now. It has to have done something right to be in that spot (capitalizing off loyal fans?). I’m not writing this rant to change someone’s mind about the series, by all means, I’m still gonna love the hell out of Gavin Lestrade, and absolutely lose my mind over Mary Watson. So do take my words with a grain of salt, I’m just disappointed that one of the most influential shows there is is just short of my expectations.

#sherlock #bbc sherlock #rant #criticism

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destinygoldenstar · 3 years

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My Ranking Of Every MCSM Episode

So funny story, I wasn’t introduced to Minecraft the same way as other people were. First it started with me having a bad middle school phase in my life, and in the summer while I was recovering, my dad randomly bought me Minecraft Story Mode, a spin off series of the infamous Minecraft that didn’t seem to require knowledge of the original game to enjoy, as well as some terrible Disney license game that was, of course, terrible product placement. Maybe playing that first gave me lower expectations for Story Mode, as I thought it would just be a cute but frustrating license game with no semblance of story or good characters... at all. But then I played it, and OH MY GOSH IT WAS SO GOOD!! It had some problems, sure, but I just fell in love with the Minecraft universe through Story Mode’s depiction of it. Yeah, a few months later, I finally checked out the original Minecraft, but I still had a soft spot for Story Mode and it really shaped my personal enjoyment on media in both my middle and high school years, even after the company shut down. And... unfortunately I was the only person that seemed to know what it was. I even gained my hobby of writing essays like these, by making analysis on Story Mode, and even when I’ve moved on to other projects, including writing my own books, I still have Story Mode to thank for a lot of things.

I’ve recently tried to get into shows my friends were in, since I zoned out of Ninjago after the awful season 11. So I spent a good chunk of the pandemic watching and trying to do the same for RWBY... and I didn’t like that show, though I might make some posts about it to explain why that is and hopefully not start a war with its fanbase. Might take awhile since Season 8 REALLY threw me over the edge and insulted me beyond instant repair, to the point where my only enjoyment of that show is just being a Mercury simp, and that’s very likely going to go over the edge as well once the writers kill him off for something stupid. That’s besides my point though, I just had to get away from the war that was going on there, and go back to something I genuinely enjoyed, and a game series that I think is WAY overhated. And I got to recheck a lot of lets plays to see if this game was actually good or not, and... it still holds up for me as a solid 7/10 game series as a whole. And yeah, judging by that number, I do have some issues with this series that I might go into detail about in the future, but for now, I wish to simply so something simple and rank all 13 episodes from worst to best based on my opinion.

I mean I knew immediately what my favorite episode was and my least favorite episode was, but it was still a hard ranking given every episode is an hour or two long, and therefore so much to go over. And out of all these episodes of this series, I only found one episode of the thirteen I outright disliked all the way through, and lets get that out of the way.

13: A Journey's End-

I'm sorry for those who like this episode, but I just hate this one, and it's the last episode of season 1 too, not a good look. I'll be the one to say it, the Portal Arc is my least favorite story arc of the entire series, there are some things to like about it, but the lows frustrate me far more than any other lows in the Wither Storm Arc and Season 2, and that has to do with how filler this arc feels, I hate how they treated Lukas in this arc (I might explain why on a later date) I'm not the biggest fan of good guy Ivor, Jesse gets things handed to him/her and every obstacle he/she seems to mop over and gets to much praise and love whereas Season 2 took advantage of this to create the main conflict of that arc, I still don't understand why these Youtuber cameos are here, and of course, my biggest problem with this arc is that Episode 8 is an awful episode. With these other episodes, even if I may trash some parts of them, there's something I really like there that makes the episode worthwhile, but here? Nope.

I'm a massive fan of The Hunger Games, and this episode immediately insulted me from how it blatantly knocks off that series without having a single atom of The Hunger Game's brilliance in world building, commentary, stakes, and everything really. What makes it worse is that right off the bat they reveal that the eliminated contestants don't actually die and they respawn, which may sound neat, but it takes away any and all stakes the games have. Maybe if they kept the idea in the players head that Lukas and Ivor (or Petra) were actually dead until like, halfway through the episode and then reveal the respawn zones, there would be the more tension, maybe, not really. But you know what frustrates me the most about this system? It's a blatant excuse to have the writers get away with X'ing out every character from the plot that isn't Jesse, leaving the rest of the Order to be left doing absolutely nothing, and forcing Jesse into the spotlight to be better than everyone else and hang out with these other side characters that are jerks from beginning to end where their redemptions feel hollow and artificial. Em fits the last sentence's description perfectly, Slab is uninteresting and I don't buy his turnaround either, and honestly, unpopular opinion, I don't like Nell, I really hate her accent and she's completely irrelevant to the plot, she's not funny either as she only has like one good line every twenty attempts.

The whole 'Jesse was Tim all along' is as subtle as a plane crash, and why is Jesse the only one who fits Tim's description? Has no other contestant arrived in the games the same way he/she did and went against the rules without knowing them? I'll tell you why, because Jesse is just that special, and its so blatant that when I first saw this episode a couple times, I legitimately called Jesse a Mary Sue, and for this episode, I still do, even though Season 2 fixes this issue by taking full advantage of episode 8's awfulness to make its conflict and Jesse's overall arc.

The Old Builders are the worst villains of Story Mode by a landslide (which granted is not a contest given how interesting the other villains are, I made a poll asking who people's favorite villain was, and last time I checked, Hadrian and Mevia had a 0%, so I don't think this is a controversial statement) These hateable idiots have zero motivations and no logical goal for what they do. They might succeed at making your blood boil, which is kind of what villains are supposed to do, but their unfairness is just a smoke screen on how shallow they are.

'Oh well Harper said at the beginning of the episode that they let the spirit of competition get into their heads' Okay, but that's not a motivation for evilness. Why is nobody allowed to win these games? Why do they enjoy killing people so much and watching them suffer? Why do they want the Redstone Heart? What's even so special about the Redstone Heart in the first place compared to all the other treasure they seem to have? Do they want to make another PAMA? That's a fanfic I want to see, an alternate route where the Old Builders succeed at taking out Jesse and enslaving the Order where they revive PAMA to make so many useful for their games! (Maybe that fanfic does exist and I just don't know it)

If they really don't want Jesse to get in the way of their games and give the competitors motivation to start an uprising, why don't they just kill Jesse then and there at the Spleef Challenge instead of making a deal with him/her? In fact, funny enough, THEY ACTUALLY END UP DOING THAT AT THE END! THERE WAS NOTHING STOPPING THEM FROM JUST KILLING JESSE ANYTIME BEFOREHAND!!

I also get what they're going for with Jesse, and this kind of goes for the rest of the Portal Arc as well, as a Segway to season 2 that explores Jesse's newfound fame and newfound grief as a hero, the start of that being when Reuben died, and therefore Jesse feels the need to take matters into his/her own hands in order to not have the same happen to anyone else. He/she has to be perfect, or else he's/she’s back to being nothing but a hopeless loser. That's a compelling arc, and season 2 really goes into that, but here, with the exception of episode 7 and that once scene in episode 5, they don't do anything with it. In fact in this episode, Jesse's grief is only triggered when someone gets eliminated and he/she suddenly needs to go on a bloodthirsty vengeance. Which could have been meaningful to show that even the best of heroes don't always know the right solution, and they have to rely on others to pull them through their grief to point them towards hope that he/she can win. But nope, Jesse's completely in the right to slaughter old people, and all the power and praise go to him/her because he/she is just THAT special, where no one calls him/her out without being considered an enemy. Also, instead of giving Jesse one moment to process what had happened after being stabbed in the heart, and realize what he/she had done that led to this disaster, instead of giving Jesse significant development and reflection, the others break in immediately to give Jesse more power. At least episode 4 gave Jesse some time to reflect on the situation before receiving a power upgrade, even if it's a little played out too. All Jesse really learns from this is how to beat up and murder old guys, just like what they did to everyone else, which... I guess that's something we shouldn't consider because Jesse's never called out for that. (And if you want to say that Hadrian and Mevia being transported to another world to be forced to play their games themselves is a fitting end and its a taste of their own medicine, then fine, but it's still super ironic and regardless of who you are, TORTURING PEOPLE AND OUTRIGHT KILLING THEM IS NOT OKAY)

Oh and before you say anything about the message being 'teamwork makes the dream work' No. That's not the message here. Or if it is, its portrayed horribly. Jesse wins the day completely on his/her own, and everyone else just sits on the sidelines and doesn't help at all. They're telling one message and showing another.

The only good thing I can say about this episode is that its visuals are solid, but even at that, there are way better looking episodes than this. The effects here lack any sort of flare compared to other episodes, and I think that might add to a 'the fights are underwhelming complaint' As such, none of these challenges are interesting in the slightest, or have any unique puzzle or retrospection in them like The Hunger Games do in their arenas. Instead these challenges are made to be frustratingly unfair, and shocker, it’s frustrating!

I'm sorry I'm starting off so negative, but THIS is the episode I feel like most haters of Story Mode point to in order to show how bad it is, which isn't fair when considering the series as a whole. Thankfully, we can only go up from here and discuss episodes that are fine at worst from here on out. And if you want my recommendation for this episode alone, just read The Hunger Games.

12: A Portal To Mystery-

This is probably the most filler an episode can get... and its fine. It's probably the best animated episode of the Portal Arc and I really like the opening with the zombie invasion, its really pretty. (Is that weird?) I like the ladder scene with Jesse and Petra (Jetra Shipper) The Murder Mystery setting is okay despite being predictable, the final battle is okay, I guess the Youtubers were okay despite being incredibly distracting in every single frame they're in, like seriously, why are these cameos here?! Nowadays, seeing how so many movies shoehorn in references to other famous stuff for the sake of advertisement and cameos for the sake of appealing to cringe, I can really appreciate Story Mode's cameos, because at least these Youtubers are legitimate side characters with personality and they play a significant part each in this episode (Except Stacy, but I like her sarcastic character so I don't really mind) But that doesn't change the fact that they are blatant YouTuber cameos, and frankly, annoying characters at that. When I watch Minecraft YouTubers, I expect something fun, lighthearted, and anything but complex so I can turn my brain off. This episode wants to be a dark fantasy, and as a result, these YouTubers are forced to act selfish, stupid, or try to be of assistance but only because the plot needs them to. I don't care about their drama with the flint and steel, and their need to be really secretive and point fingers at the others really got on my nerves, Also, someone was having a lazy day at work because no one there taught these people how to voice act. Everyone in this episode, is the dumbest person alive! "Can you guess who the murderer is? Hint: It's the only original character here." Which I could forgive if no one in universe knows that these are YouTubers, but then we get to everyone being okay with Jesse playing detective, walking into rooms with potential killers, and the actual dumbest thing in this episode. "Lukas was clearly chasing the real White Pumpkin and everybody saw that! Oh, but the White Pumpkin put the pumpkin on Lukas's head after that fact so clearly we can suspect that Lukas is the murderer even after Dan confesses that he pressed the button. And speaking of which, Lukas didn't see who the actual killer was when the mask was taken off... because I guess he's blind." In fact I can just insert Petra's line in this episode about this: "Those people think they're safe, but the White Pumpkin is still roaming around, and he could strike again at any time! Not to mention all those people have been so ungrateful! So petty! It's frustrating!" I love Petra. This episode overall is just really stupid. But I will give it this, there is one thing I really like about this episode, and that's Cassie Rose. She is arguably one of the most intriguing characters in the entire series, and she only appears in this episode, which goes to show how much she made of her screen time. If we had more of Cassie, and we just removed the YouTuber's drama, this episode would not be this low on the list because Cassie is THAT good. The origin of being abandoned and desolate to the point of losing her sanity is a very compelling narrative. And if she really is willing to murder everyone just to get back at the Old Builders after years only to find them trying to kill her, my notch, the emotional package they could impact there and even improve episode 8 by a huge margin! But that was not to be, unfortunately. (I said this before, but I really want her to be an antagonist in season three, if they're even making it) This episode is fine, it's far above the garbage that is episode 8, but I feel like I just got nothing from all this filler overall.

11: Assembly Required-

Yeah... sorry, this is just an episode for me. It really suffers from being too short, and it's probably the buggiest episodes of this entire ranking, where that's saying something. I also really dislike Ellegaard and Magnus as characters, it really doesn't help that the plot doesn't use them at all, plus they both have such annoying personalities and their rivalry with each other is never explained or resolved in any way. Magnus is incredibly loud and chaotic, where that overtakes anything logical he could do, plus his thing is apparently referencing swear words. You know what I'm talking about. Ellegaard is probably the better of the two, but she's still just as arrogant as Magnus and no one mentions that she nearly got them all killed to a far greater degree than Magnus did, and she's supposed to be the neat one. The bugginess, like I said, only adds to such underwhelming action scenes that are really hard to get into. I will say this though, its above the other to episodes I mentioned before because this one has better world building than those ones and even better character moments. Boom Town and Redstonia are very intriguing worlds that are nice to see, and it goes to show how great Story Mode's atmosphere is, and that's where some of the best gameplay of the episode is. Axel gets to be in his natural habitat where his selfishness gets questioned, Olivia's character progresses as her passion for engineering versus Ellegaard's expectations of her, and there's no such thing as enough Petra. (I don't care about Gabriel) I think these aspects are enough to keep the episode above the other two, but would I say it's good? Honestly, that's a no.

10: Order Up-

I think episode 5 has become the most infamous episode for me. On the one hand, this episode brings a lot of great ideas and has some really good scenes. On the other hand, there's some stuff here that really infuriates me that plagues the rest of the Portal Arc, and even season 2. Let's get the good stuff out of the way. I really like the gameplay for this episode, with one exception this is probably the episode of season 1 that plays with quick time events and puzzles in the most creative ways. Overall I highly enjoyed the world of Sky City, I really adore seeing both perspectives of this organized and strict world from both Isa and Milo, who are both neat side characters on their own, I especially love how they don't one side the situation and instead confess that both sides are flawed with the best intentions. Aiden makes a pretty good antagonist honestly, I wasn't a fan of Aiden at the start and thought he was just some forgettable bully character, but it's really intriguing to see him in a position where he isn't the most beloved of everything and has to grapple with his care for his passions and his friends against his resentment towards the new world Jesse was making now that people were becoming more dependent on heroes and never looking out for themselves. It's also great in the view that Aiden was kind of right at the end of the day, especially how Season 2 showcases this exact worldview, Jesse was becoming way too famous for everyone's own good, and Jesse did need to fall back and let others win and be themselves. Aiden might be my second least favorite villain, but that's not saying a lot because episode 5 really made me interested in Aiden's character. (If you want me to talk about him more, just let me know that you want me to do the 'Aiden, what matters to him?' essay on the list) Its nice to see Ivor's reaction to being an awkward social reject, and I really like the scene where Jesse talks about Reuben when they recall the framed porkchop on the wall, its so good. And that's all the good stuff that comes to mind. Half of the lore for this episode is really bad. I have never been a fan of good guy Ivor, and he never gets called out for being so greedy in this episode, which isn't even in character for him. I don't get how Sky City has never realized there was land below them the whole time, like... did nobody fall off this island? Or if someone did, why have they never stacked blocks to try and reach Sky City once more to let them know about the mainland? Jesse and the Order getting framed is pretty dumb and really cliched, and honestly as much as I like Aiden as a villain, I kind of don't get his plan. Like, what does Aiden hope to accomplish by framing Jesse? You could say it was to get the Eversource, but A) why would he want that in the first place? and B) Isa doesn't show Aiden where it is even after he frames Jesse, he's going to have to do better than that. But none of this is anything compared to the third act. The whole thing. After Lukas and Jesse fall off the island, the entire episode goes in the garbage bin. Aiden starts a monster swarm on Sky City... for some reason. Apparently its so he can rule it, but how can he rule something if its destroyed? Jesse duels Aiden on this conveniently places stone bridge, and while its nicely animated, Jesse completely mops the floor with Aiden (Again, the Mary Sue argument kind of shows here) and Aiden immediately gives up and surrenders to Jesse, which given his entire villain motivation, MAKES NO SENSE. Then at the end of the episode, they frame it as if Aiden is completely in the wrong, with Jesse outright shaming Aiden for not thinking highly of him and thinking that Jesse actively tried to hurt him, which... WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF YOUR ENTIRE RECENT DUEL WITH AIDEN, JESSE?!! Not only that, but this entire showdown is very unwarranted, it just feels like were giving Jesse more cool moments and screen time that he/she did not earn. Which brings me to my biggest problem with this episode, and that's that Lukas was RUINED. This was set up to be his episode, with Aiden, his former friend, as the antagonist, were told that he was ditched from his old friend's group, and we have the elaborate world that's all about organization and planning and synced union, gee, I wonder which Order member is related to all of these things! And I really got my hopes up from this, that it would give Lukas the moments that would make him my favorite character, just like how everyone else loves him, and he was almost there given how great his development was in the Wither Storm Arc, and how we just needed the climax and the ultimate payoff... and we never got it. Lukas doesn't interact with Aiden ONCE, and he spends most of his time locked up in Isa's prison, the only time Lukas does confront Aiden is when Aiden shoves him off the island. And I'm not going to lie, that is the most iconic moment of this episode for a reason, I was less shocked that Lukas fell off and might die, and more shocked to see that Aiden would do this to someone who used to be his friend, that Lukas tried to get through to him and failed, instead being shoved to his 'death' by Aiden in cold blood, and you can see the shock and hurt on Lukas's face. I was really intrigued on how they were going to follow that up, with Lukas finally embracing that he is a free man, and he can move on with his life beyond Aiden's influence and... he doesn't even go back up to Sky City. One word. WASTED. This is such a huge thing for me that makes my blood boil so much that I cannot go into any more detail about it here. I have an option on my post titled 'Lukas was disappointing' and you can reply down there if you want me to make that essay, we can have this discussion when that essay is made. Overall this episode barely works, because the Sky City stuff is very strong that it barely holds this episode in the air.

9: Above and Beyond-

The grand finale of the series! And don't fret that it's this low on the list and that it's my least favorite episode of season 2, because if anything that just goes to show my opinion on season 2 as a whole. Fun fact: Season 2 is actually GREAT, and its even way better than season 1. This finale as well is very good at being that, as its probably the most action packed of the season, it has a really fun elaborate fireworks plan, Axel and Olivia are back to... be there, but I just love that we get to have Jesse's eyes open at the BeaconTown that is essentially his/hers where he/she have taken over anything and stripped any other creative builds, I love the idea of the new Ocelots rebelling against Jesse, I love the scene where The Admin blows up Champion City for the sake of selling a cheap threat, I love Romeo's conversation with Jesse, I love the recording of Fred and the final battle, and the ending is easily the best thing about the episode. It's honestly a great ending for Petra and Radar as characters, and especially Jesse... if you hit the road (I don't like Jesse staying in BeaconTown because it goes against Jesse's entire arc that he/she doesn't have fame define him/her, and that he/she should follow their own choice to venture out in finding a path that truly aids the sense of freedom where the people in BeaconTown deserve to be independent once more) Yeah there are some things holding this episode back for me, I've always hated Jack's character and he's still very annoying and selfish here, Axel and Olivia despite being back are still given nothing to do, in fact most of these characters despite Jesse are given little to do, which isn't as bad as the other episodes I've mentioned, but its still there, and I really don't like how the Ocelot rebellion wraps up in just one scene and one hug before they're just okay with following Jesse now. Again, Lukas was disappointing. And honestly, this episode just isn't as emotional or even fun as the others for the first two thirds, where all of that was saved in the third act, which I guess makes it the polar opposite of season 1's episode 5. Still, its a good ending, and I think we can all agree that Romeo has the most accurate and the most hilarious impressions of Jesse.

8: A Block And A Hard Place-

One finale to another, and now we get to the great stuff. Obviously we have Reuben's death, that is both tragic and would shake up the rest of the series. Not only that but there's a lot of intensity in the episode from just the atmosphere, from the overly complicated maze, to the feeling of dread and survival issues of a swamp to the isolation of a cave to running from a literal storm, it's so good. I love the conclusion of Olivia's arc, I love the scene where Jesse comes out to Reuben as foreshadowing, I love the reveal of the Order being false and how it's both sided. Yeah that twist is predictable and really overplayed, and why else would they have erased Ivor from history? But it does fit. So yeah, the final confrontation of the Wither Storm is really good on its own. Yeah this episode has problems. The amnesia plotline is Ludacris, and there's not enough Petra in this episode as I would have liked. But I think my biggest issue with this episode is that Jesse doesn't really grow from it, or any of the situations in this episode. It definitely builds up future arcs for him/her with the scenes I already mentioned, but you'd think that he'd/she'd second guess his/her actions by learning that his/her idols, the very people they've looked up to and were the reason they wanted to be famous in the first place, are frauds, or at least he/she would question all of that by witnessing Reuben's death, but nope! He/she doesn't do that aside from being angry at Soren for like, a minute. All he/she does is get fancy new gear and a weapon that he/she will NOT shut up about on how awesome it is despite never using it again. It's kind of jarring that this is seen as character development, that's kind of how I expect RWBY to handle its character development if I'm being honest, and sure, I may not like that, but maybe its just a style of writing that show chooses to have, and if that's the case, fine, but it doesn't work in Story Mode. But that's really the only major complaint I have with this episode, it's a great finale for this arc, and probably one of the sadder episodes on this list... with one exception that I think did all of this stuff better, but we'll get to that one later.

7: Hero in Residence-

I can sense some people are going to be mad that this episode is this high. But oh well. This is probably the most underrated episode of the series, and from what I could gather, its because this is the most indie paced episode of any of the ones on this list. And a lot of people don't like it because of that, because it feels like nothings happening in the first half until suddenly the sea temple adventure starts. Honestly though, I prefer the first half over the second for this one. There's less going on to be sure, but I think its necessary to showcase the future these characters old and new ended up in and how they live their life. Jesse's the new greatest person in the entirety of the Minecraft Server, and these citizens refuse to choose for themselves at anything, so Jesse spends the day helping them out and that creates the atmosphere of BeaconTown, the slow boring tasks bore me as much as it bores Jesse, and it greatly sets up his/her arc for the rest of the season. I also find Petra's dilemma very compelling, and its also very ironic because she basically points out the same perspective Aiden had in episode 5, and you arguably understand her even more because she's been personally betrayed by Jesse and was left neglected in a cave for... 5-7 years?!! Geez Petra needs more love. Same thing can be said about Champion City and how it purposefully exists to rip off BeaconTown without understanding what made Jesse so well known, and that's kind of how I describe Stella's entire character, who while being an obvious arrogant narcissist who doesn't care about her people enough to even remember their names, I don't think she's that bad of a character. She's not on my top tier or anything, but I think Stella gets very overlooked and overhated, and there's so much more to her than people give credit for. Speaking of, this episode probably does the best at introducing characters, old and new, and yes... even Jack... but while Jack is the most interesting in this episode, he's still pretty annoying and unpleasant for me. (Sorry Jack fans.) Jesse is introduced through a story being told to him/her about how awesome and totally not arrogant he/she is, Radar is introduced literally in Jesse's background as just the cute second class intern, which sets up his arc, Petra's introduced in the shadows of isolated caves, of stone for that matter (Petra is greek for stone, so these caves kind of symbolize Petra's isolation and her desire to be seen as a hero towards everyone in her own image) Stella's city is perfected and strict, and we get to see the city before we meet Stella as a gateway that defines who Stella is. It all still holds up. Its kind of jarring that this is a more hated episode, because this indie pace really works for me. Some of my favorite scenes in Story Mode are when characters are just talking, and the atmosphere describes the complexity of their thoughts. The sea temple stuff is fine, though not nearly as interesting as the first half, the main point of this sea temple stuff was to be a gateway to Jesse's consequences for needing to be the one and only hero in the world, as well as introducing the Admin's origins, or part of it at least, and again, that's fine, though I do prefer the other Admin locations by a fair margin. Overall, this is a pretty solid episode and doesn't get nearly as much credit as I think it deserves.

6: Giant Consequences-

Out of all the episodes on this list, I think my enjoyment on this episode is impacted the most on what choices you make in the game. Unlike episode 9, this one feels like the opposite, with nonstop action, and that I enjoy the second half more than the first. Even then, the first half has some good things going for it like Lukas's moment in the titan fight, and honestly, as upsetting as it is, the Admin crushing Reuben's memorial to anger Jesse and push him/her into being more of a hero and appeal to the Admin's liking of his/her arrogance was genius. Again, Petra calls this out through her own actions of trying to escape her consequences and do her own thing, which is obviously shamed for because she should have been straight with Jesse about it, but it gives both characters to think about and how the consequences go further than just a simple argument, just like the title applies. That is, if you make Petra the Admin Champion, because otherwise this isn't really going to impact the player. Same thing with the Ice Palace itself, which is a ton of fun to explore, and I love the elimination set up on who gets to be the hero of the story. Honestly, this episode is basically everything episode 8 should have been, how did these writers make such a quality shift with this concept?! Its also brilliant on the level that this competition is so clearly bias, like the Admin wants Jesse to be the hero and no one else, to the point where he considers Stella a complete nobody, and forces Radar's elimination even after the kid proved himself, it makes Romeo both hateable while also understand his intentions and his perspective on how his story is supposed to play out. Speaking of which, I love that both Radar and Stella came along with this Ice Palace, they don't have physical purpose overall, but they're relevant in the sense of physiological worldview, seeing the perspective of second class citizens and how they each feel about their world and Jesse having all the spotlight, and later on it would lead to both of their downfalls and recoveries, and I think that's really neat. Like I said before, Stella isn't as bad as some people make her out to be and I think there's more depth to her point of view. This episode was also the one that made me really interested in Radar's character and genuinely really like this cinnamon roll, I thought I was going to hate him in the episode before and I just saw him as an annoying kid under Jesse's shadow that would never stop shutting up about how great Jesse is, but that was intentional for me to think that, wasn't it? Because this episode showed that there's so much more to this kid than just that annoying trope, that he has his own expectations he puts on himself and and how him being in the world Jesse rules all his life affected his viewpoints and his self esteem, which gets tested as he discovers himself that he genuinely IS competent at doing stuff. So AKA, the Lukas and Radar route in the Ice Palace is great. The Petra and Jack route isn't. That challenge is super uninteresting and bland, there's barely any interesting viewpoints explored in this one, and Jack is probably the most infuriating here. Why would he need to prove himself? He's a legendary explorer! Why does no one call him out for pretending he knows what he's doing but he just stands there and doesn't help out the team AT All?! And then were supposed to believe that the others are discovering that Jack IS competent, and they can trust him with things, when he places a light switch. GEE, I'M SURE NO ONE COULD DO THAT JUST AS WELL!!! Jack is honestly just a wasted character that frustrates me where all his substance is replaced by sheer annoyance. (reply on me doing the 'Jack is a Wasted Character' essay if you want more detail on this) Putting it simply, one route of the Ice Palace is great, and the other one is complete garbage, and I really don't blame anyone for picking the great route by a huge margin. Choose Wisely, or you will face Giant Consequences!

5: Jailhouse Block-

Okay... so I get why no one really likes this episode. Not much happens here, its ripping off The Walking Dead and The Office, Petra's (Jack's) confrontation is somewhat underwhelming, the ghast fight is a joke. I get it, there are some really stupid scenes here. But for me personally, I find those stupid things hilarious. I just think this episode is both really fun and really traumatizing. WHY DO YOU HAVE TO TORTURE A CHILD WARDEN?!!! Other things too such as Xara's introduction, Nurm's (Lluna's) sacrifice, and the Warden going insane after failing to get his freedom back is just dreadful to watch. Honestly I just really love the NPCs of this episode, the other prisoners in the Sunshine Institute are a ton of fun, and its also neat to explore these outcasts and how they've been affected by the Admin, some stay true to themselves, while others abandon themselves altogether to toughen up as a way to give them vague hope. Radar is one of these people that falls into the ladder, and its kind of ridiculous to the point where I have conflicted feelings about that persona as a whole, but it is relevant to his arc and it makes sense that he would fall to this. Plus Radar just has a lot of memeworthy lines that its hard for me to hate him for this. "Tell me something I don't know!" Yeah, overall I don't have a great reason to like this episode, but I just do. It's intriguing to see this prison, its traumatizing, and I'm just a sucker for prison breaks.

4: The Last Place You Look-

You know what the weird part about this episode is? That its the highest rated episode on IGN and yet nobody talks about it. So let me try to, aside from one exception, this episode of the Wither Storm arc is the one that focuses on characterization the most. Especially for Lukas's development, I really love it when this character's strategies clash with Jesse's and we get a clear sense that they were, in fact, rivals, something future episodes seem to forget. Not to mention I really love how Lukas genuinely feels guilt over not being the best person and that be blames herself for Petra, and it really pushes to his development for being braver and sticking out for himself, being great build up to (WHAT I THOUGHT) the payoff. Petra is interesting as usual with her lack of trust in others and that she has an ideal on what a hero is supposed to be, and overall its super interesting to see Soren's lifestyle. I don't love Soren as a character, but its hard not to get immersed by this End setting he has where he's put his building skills to an honestly depressing advantage, so much so that his guilt over what he did in the past has granted him a lack of socialization and a lack of trust in people, which obviously makes sense given what happened to him. Soren might be the most interesting member of the Order, Ivor excluded, and this episode almost made me forgive the Order for being annoying characters overall. (I said almost) Not to mention this episode might actually have the best gameplay in any episode of season one, definitely taking the quick time events to great use and honest challenge while also doing some really neat stuff with the camera here. Also this might be the episode where Jesse actually gets to be vulnerable and make mistakes that get called out, and I love that. Plus this episode actually establishes genuine stakes and is the first sign of the downfalls of being a hero by actually killing off a character. Yeah its a character I don't care about, regardless of whose armor you take, but I appreciate that they tried to redeem themselves in the end. I honestly don't know why this episode gets ignored so much.

Okay, so as you can probably tell, my top three is basically my favorite episode of each story arc, so lets get into that.

3: The Order of the Stone-

The one that started it all. Yeah, go figure that the first episode is my favorite from the wither storm arc. And I don't think its that hard to see why. This episode is just beautiful to look at as we are eyeing this world for the first time. The world building and how it cooperates different styles of Minecraft players into this world is still really intriguing. In fact this episode feels the most like Minecraft out of any of the episodes on this list with the recipe concepts, building, nether exploration, mob attacks, shelters, its great because admittedly the other episodes either make something up playing with Minecraft materials, or they use this stuff but exaggerate it or use it briefly. Jesse Axel and Olivia feel like actual friends with disagreements and desires, which we don't get anymore from this trio, Jesse feels like an actual amateur for once, Petra and Lukas both have great character introductions, and there's actual calm and quiet scenes where characters can interact. Jesse can interact with a team without being the center of attention, and shocker, that actually works. Admittedly I can kind of say that about my top two episodes as well, but still appreciate the effort. Ivor is a compelling antagonist with a ton of mystery, and yeah, its just a great start.

2: Access Denied-

Episode 7 is shockingly a great episode. And its especially shocking because of how low the other Portal Arc episodes are on my list. The redstone concept is a great idea and the most accurate Minecraft related world that's not infuriating next to Sky City, also Petra's robot voice is hilariously terrible and I love it. Harper is an interesting side character with a neat backstory, fun exists, the opening portal sequence is a ton of fun, Jesse and Petra are adorable together as usual, and I love every frame that has to do with PAMA. Plus, this is a great character driven episode with Jesse and Petra both learning something and accepting each others point of view. I know many hate this argument scene but I personally think it was something Jesse needed to hear. The dude lost his/her pig, he/she can't lose anyone else and the idea of letting others do their thing kind of upsets him/her, so of course he/she is going to try and take charge and give no one else a say in the matter. Then PAMA shows up acting as a symbol of what Jesse could become if he/she let arrogance and that need for control consume him/her. Again, plays a part in season 2. Speaking of which, Petra doesn't get any credit in this episode and I don't know why. Yes I know she was chipped the majority and left me getting so many laughs out of her brainwashed voice, but I bought everything Petra said and did. It's in character for her to yell at Jesse like this over simple frustration, as she's never shown to have a good temper with people, and again, Petra wants to be seen as a hero, she's obviously going to want to take charge when Jesse clearly has no idea what he/she is doing. I also love that she doesn't immediately take back what she said to Jesse, which humanizes her way more and really gets her to rethink her actions and how pathetic she was after being chipped in the head. She gets to witness Jesse actually try his/her hardest and ensuring her that her feelings do matter to him/her, and that makes her respect him/her way more and it kind of makes season two even sadder when Jesse breaks the promise of being by her side. Is episode 1 a better episode? It probably is, but I enjoy this one way more.

1: Below The Bedrock-

Okay lets get this out of the way. The cabin scene is the best scene in the entire series. There's a reason everyone has talked about this scene the most. Petra finally breaks down at the sight of a peaceful time of how things used to be, and the simple life she left behind, finally blaming herself and reflecting on herself through the Admins past, with Jesse helping her see that she deserves happiness of her own, and that her place isn't to be a hero and stay locked up, but to venture out into the unknown, her own freedom, to discover herself and embrace every fiery desire that she has... and yet, she hesitates to commit to treating herself, because she just can't lose her closest friend, the one person whose looked up to her and looked out for her despite every time she's tried to push him/her away. And Jesse, finally embracing his/her vulnerable side and that freedom has so many meanings, ensures Petra that no matter how far away her venture takes her... she'll never be alone, because Jesse will always be right there with her. I've watched this scene a thousand times over, and it still touches my heart because of how much I relate to this simple discussion and this simple breakdown and reflection. But I didn't put this episode on top just because of that scene, I really do love the entire episode. This is probably the most character oriented episode, which may sound weird given it only has three characters in the main group whereas episode 1 has twice as many. But here, less is more, because it makes room for nearly every interaction and reaction of a character matter. These three are able to call out each other and support each other with nearly every interaction, and I could tell that these are three great friends that need each other more than anything... yet they have to separate to better themselves. Radar is dealing with trying to impress his boss by copying his ego and then he finds a town that he promises to save that has his exact same obsession. He succeeds with his won skills and then uses that to save hundreds of people in his own selfless way. Jesse has an actual identity crisis with being replaced and finding his/her own path and what he/she really wants to do and be, looking for that by looking deeper into Romeo's backstory. Speaking of which, this episode really doesn't have a villain, and yet it feels like an antagonist is present all throughout this atmosphere as if someone had made so many regrettable mistakes that it literally destroyed their world and drove them into insanity. The world of this place is more alive than any other episode, as an apocalypse. The way these villages portray their adaptations to life and how they worship the only good people left in their lives is gross and yet strangely endearing. It knows how to portray a serious subject of abandonment, sanity, and permanent damage with respect and yet still have sparks of positivity and hope scattered without being jarring (Except maybe for the Ninja Ivor scene, but I love that so I don't know what my point is) Also Jack is barely on screen in this episode to have any sort of relevance, which is great. And you know what? Even if this episode had really jarring problems, I think I still would have put it on top because of how much this episode has spoken to me, tugged at my heart still to this day at multiple occasions, and honestly, its really helped me with a lot of things in my life. So I have to say that an episode literally called 'Below the Bedrock' is the one that sours the highest out of any others as my favorite episode...

This took me two days to make, and now I think no one is going to read it. Oh well. Feel free to disagree with me all you want, but that's my opinion, reply down below what your ranking is, and stay alive fandom!

#Minecraft Story Mode #Mcsm Jesse #Mcsm Petra #Episode Ranking #Lists #Stay Alive Fandom #Keep Reading

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catbountry · 3 years

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Glancing over some of my older essays on politics, I’m kind of struck how, despite them not being written that long ago, I feel like I come across as a dumbass, or at least like somebody who thinks they’re much smarter than they actually are. And it’s weird, because most of my views are roughly the same; rather, it’s that I feel the way that they’re articulated comes across as too... I don’t know, smarmy? Smug, maybe? Lacking nuance. Blunt. Like I’m talking down to people. Obviously, this was never my intention, but it’s weird how something that was written while in my early 30′s somehow makes me wince a little... as I rapidly approach being smack-dab in the middle of my 30′s. God, I’ve been in my 30′s for almost 5 whole years now, fuck, where does the time go?

I think being able to come out of the other side of the Trump presidency in one piece has kind of helped add some much-needed perspective, at least for myself. I think the hypothesis that a lot of people who voted for Trump were desperate for some kind of change was proven correct when he failed to be re-elected due to his bungling of COVID, which, funnily (or not) enough, he almost could have looked like he was doing the right thing when he initially wanted to close the U.S. borders... except he’d been trying to restrict travel and close borders so often that of course nobody took such a suggestion seriously. And even if they had? Rich people still would have brought it over, because as we all know, rich people can just get away with all kinds of shit. Of course, once it actually hit, Trump really couldn’t handle the idea of looking weak at all, so instead, it was downplayed, joked about, not taken seriously, even though he’d been briefed that it was going to be really, really bad. And when he got it, and in private thought he was going to die? Well, once he beat it, of course he had to say it wasn’t so bad... even though it killed almost a thousand times more people than the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Most of them were seniors. I think that, as well as a general fatigue and disappointment over the lack of swamp-draining from those who weren’t fanatical devotees, probably sealed his fate. I admit, I wasn’t very sure Biden really had much of a chance for a long time... until COVID happened. But hey, at least we got our stimmy from Trump, right lads?

I’m still fully convinced that Trump never intended to win, and that his run was done purely for ego and financial gain, but his ability to effortlessly bait the media, as well as his unexpected exposing of the sham we all knew presidential elections to be, wound up rocketing him to success. Trump will no doubt go down as one of the most successful conmen in American history, one so slick he wound up conning his way all the way into the White House. The whole thing was like if The Producers was a presidential campaign, fascism included. Granted, I don’t think Trump was ever a true fascist; I think he wanted to be a dictator, but the actual job of being President was a drag. The cult of personality he accrued, however, was the biggest source of narcissistic supply that he’d ever experienced in his entire life. Hell, just being the literal President, the most important person in the entire fucking world, is a hell of a high that I don’t think he’ll ever really be able to reclaim. Trump’s going to be chasing that dragon for the rest of his life. Having “President” in front of your name is a lot nicer than actually, you know, having to be the President. I mean, look at how quickly Obama went gray. A lot of people are convinced Trump will run again in 2024, and I don’t doubt it, but unless something happens that completely throws us for a loop, I don’t see him being able to recreate the, er, “magic” of 2016. Everyone getting to see that, not only was his fanbase capable of having embarrassing public meltdowns just like the le epic triggered snowflake lib Hilary supporters, but that their meltdowns were even more embarrassing, and that they all looked like a bunch of fucking English soccer hooligans during the Capitol siege... well, I think that’s going to put off the swing voters, as well as the moderate Republicans.

Also, that Twitter knock-off founded by Trump’s aide, Gettr, being flooded by gay furries posting Sonic the Hedgehog foot porn? Feels like classic 4chan-style raiding. I approve. It almost feels like we’re healing, even if it’s just a little bit.

But what the fuck did we even learn from all this? What did I learn from this?

I don’t know. It feels like over the time I’ve been on Tumblr, what was once SJW became woke, and being woke has become very normal; so normal, in fact, that fucking massive corporations that use slave labor overseas will change their Twitter icons to rainbow every June because The Gays have become a safe, marketable demographic. On one hand, it’s nice to know that, at least in what I guess is considered the western world, LGBT people are more accepted now than they ever have been. On the other... god, it feels so cynical, doesn’t it? This is all very stream of consciousness, here. I don’t write very much on here since, surprise surprise, Tumblr’s been kind of dead since the porn ban. I still see people post, but it used to be that I couldn’t refresh my dash without seeing dozens of new posts. Now it feels like I refresh my dash and I’d be lucky to see a new post there an hour later. This is why I’m on Discord more. It feels like I have more productive conversations than I ever could on Tumblr or Twitter. Twitter is just... god. It’s like all the worst parts of Tumblr without the parts that made it fun aside from a few memes.

Sorry, I got off track there. The point I was going to make before is that, while I am still very firmly anti-censorship, I’ve managed to put myself in a position where it no longer feels like the stakes are so high. I can relax. I don’t have to feel like I’m on the defense the whole time as somebody grills me over some slip-up. I don’t use Twitter that much. When I do post something in response to somebody, I feel like I instantly regret it. I posted in response to some dumbass spreading a rumor that 4chan’s favorite Simpson’s meme about Sneed’s Feed and Seed is secretly ableist, and I got a response from some dude with an Umaru-chan avatar telling me how he’s proudly racist because he and his friends call each other slurs? Like bro, you’re posting cringe, you’re going to lose subscriber-

I don’t know what I’ve learned yet. Maybe that social media sucks and that chatrooms with friends are the superior way to communicate online. I tried out Telnet recently to go into some random IRC, that was neat. It just feels nice to not have to get into a fucking argument every fucking day over shit that doesn’t matter as much as people thinks it does, to not have to hear about every fucking time the President sneezes or farts. It’s not that there’s no longer anything to worry about; there is. I’d really like to see fellow lefties go after the handful of massive corporations that control the majority of the online experience, who censor not just all the racist white dude grifters in suits who all look suspiciously similar to one another, but us as well. I want to see us raise a bigger stink about the web being santized, sterlized, and gentrified to be friendlier to corporations who only want your precious data and eyeballs. Maybe without the constant distraction of Bad Orange Man, we could make that happen. Maybe.

Or maybe fucking Dream will breathe again and all the fucking children will piss their pants and clog up Twitter, fuck these kids, get off my internet, GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

#not fan fiction #political bullshit

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chocopvffz · 4 years

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My Problems with Fandom

It’s been a while since I’ve kinda just let out my thoughts and feelings on this stale hell site. It’s just now more than ever I’m having the weirdest realizations while I’m participating in any Fanbase. This topic may piss ppl off. But to that, I say fuck it, I’m gonna do it.

Around 2 years ago I took a backseat to actively participating in fandom. So I’d be more of an onlooker rather than someone who contributed. Just reblogging stuff rather than making my own content. Usually in fandom, things are said in the heat of the moment, with little thought and more emotions. Taking a step back I started to realize that while that’s fine in and of itself, You’re entitled to what you like and what’s interesting to you, but I’ve realized that people kinda settle for the bare minimum. Especially now that representation for marginalized groups is becoming the norm. Which is great, but there are still problems that plague us as a community.

I just finished watching Unicorn of War’s video on RWBY, and they delved into the absolutely garbage writing that surrounded The White Fang subplot. I highly recommend you watch the video, it’s about the bad representation of minority oppression and how it relates to RWBY as a whole. While this post doesn’t stem from that in particular. what did was though is how UoW confessed that they were guilty of completely ignoring how harmful the writing was for pocs, as well as downright silencing and downplaying poc that had a problem with the writing. Unicorn of War is not racist, the fact that they realized the type of systemic racism they’ve been inadvertently spreading is so harmful is a a step in the right direction. Here is where the problem lies. UoW said that they were a perpetrator of this because they were to focused on the representation the show did give the fans. They said that they lumped all of the genuine criticism of the problems with homophobes and bigots because they didn’t want to hear any of the criticism at all. RWBY has some pretty shit representation in ever field. UoW said that they were settling for the stuff they did get because they get so little, and their whiteness blinded them to listening and trying to understand why so man poc had an issue with the show.

Basically what I’m trying to say is that, a lot of the time In Fandom, ppl would rather settle for what they do have and what caters to them, rather than criticize a product of its faults and ask for more.

I’ve been scared to talk about She-Ra because the fandom is pretty scary. I liked the show. To me it wasn’t anything special. But it was a fine show, and I can’t wait for what the crew does next. But here’s where a lot of the issues come from for me. There are some problems both w/ the show, and the representation. Catra and Adora have been queercoded up until the very end where it does get revealed that they are in fact lesbians. Which is great and all but at the end of the day. They kiss at the very end of the last episode, nothing was explicit before then. But the thing is that Catra is an abusive manipulative person, that kinda just gets a pat on the back, and all is forgiven when she realizes she’s alone(both in the fandom and the show). I mean glimmer got more hate than Catra. The point I’m trying to make is that I’ve seen way to many ppl ignore the fact that they side stepped the development of Catra and Adora, and kinda get mad at the ppl that criticize that we could have gotten better rep. For a lot of the fans, at least from what I’ve seen, yall are okay with the problems the show has as long as you get some form of rep. Which is valid, but when that complacency spills over into silencing ppl with criticisms. This usually happens when someone has had another experience with the show where the thing that represents them isnt done as well. it rubs me the wrong way. Someone could see Catra’s behavior, liken her to a toxic person they knew, criticize how the show kinda ignores that. I can bet that some ppl would tell this person that they’re wrong, because she ended up where she did at the end.

This brings me to my last example, during my watch of Infinity Train, I started getting a little bit more involved in the fandom; reblogging, commenting. During the show I noticed a small amount (larger than I would have liked) making passive aggressive remarks toward Grace (the only black girl and protagonist of the season). They were all in regard to her having a redmeption arc. At first I was kinda in denial. Like most ppl are immediately after suffering an injustice, cuz despite her being an awful person at first. She gets better. And there are so little black women that are protagonists. I felt represented. But then I’d see ppl demeaning her in order to make her friend Simon (basically the antagonist) more sympathetic. Mind you he’s white. And after the show ended I had a weird encounter. There were many posts about how enthralling it was that Grace, a black women, telling Simon, a white man, that his problems were his own, and she doesn’t have to be the one to fix them. Most of the ppl that made these posts were woc. The show isn’t about race, but the fact that the character is black resonated with a lot of ppl.

Under ever single one of these posts, I saw multiple people, getting weirdly angry at them. Like “this has nothing to do with race, why are you bringing it up here.” Which I guess is fair, but no one says it as much to ppl when the post is about sexuality. So getting fed up, I responded to one of these ppl explaining how odd it is that the characters that get really popular are always of the same archetype. White Sad Boys, it’s the same with ships. Instead of critiquing the show or anything I wanted to call attention to subconscious biases in fandom. The person accuses me of calling them racist, tells me that race isn’t an issue in fandom, and tried to gaslight me into thinking that what I was talking about doesnt apply to how ppl choose who their favorite character is.

This issue here isn’t about the race, or the actual content in the show. It was about the person telling me that the empowerment I and other woc experienced while watching infinity train s3, doesn’t exist and we shouldn’t criticize ppl putting her down in order to uplift the antagonist.

Which leads back to the point I’m trying to make. So many ppl in fandom settle for whats there instead of trying to make things more representative of everyone. Representation can always get better, we just have to stop fighting ppl that give constructive criticism to the things we like.

And I’m completely guilty of this too, that’s why I took a step back. I don’t like silencing ppl when they try to criticize something that resonates with me. So I try to sit back and let them tell me what can be done better based on their experiences. I’m still struggling. I’m pretty sure I was ultra defensive with the person telling me that race doesn’t matter.

This happens a lot more with white ppl than it does with people of color. And this isn’t a dig on any white person at all. It’s just that white have a vastly different experience than a poc. A white LGBT person is going to have a completely different experience than a black lgbt person. Just like a cishet white person is going to have from a poc cishet person. And since we have different experiences, there are aspects of my life you won’t understand and vice versa. An abuse survivor is going to be more equip to tell us what works better than other things in a story that tackles those subjects. You see what I mean.

I just want everyone to take a step back and consider the criticism that is being made. And try to understand why this person may see it that way.

TLDR; We need to stop silencing marginalized ppl just because they criticize things we relate to, especially when it pertains to their experiences. It’s settling for the bare minimum when we deserve better. Just because we’ve got a gay character doesnt mean the show is perfect. It happens way more than we think. Especially now more than ever.

Sorry this is so long, and full of typos. I just needed to rant.

#she ra spop #spop spoilers #she ra princess of power #infinity train #infinty train spoilers #rwby v7 #rwby volume 8 #rwby #queen of typos #just getting my thoughts out

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miazeklos · 3 years

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love what you said about the scripts and I think I may be with you on the not-hating-D&D train. on one hand, I appreciate their unapologetic support of JC and all the content we got out of it. on the other, I do think that they fundamentally misunderstood the characters and the overall story, and that made for some questionable creative choices throughout the years. even on the JC front, I’m conflicted. I love having a version of the story where my OTP doesn’t take the beating that they do in the original, but I also think that that beating is essential to their story. I won’t bore you with the intricacies of my interpretation of asoiaf but, suffice to say, I’m not a big fan of D&D’s interpretation. that said, I used to be much more critical of D&D’s writing until I started thinking about GoT like a big budget, canon divergent, lannicest-centric fanfic. which isn’t ideal, but it’s fine. no adaptation could have pleased every subgroup of a huge fanbase and tbh it’s pretty obvious at this point that most people are just parroting the critical talking points as a way to justify the hissy fit they threw over their ships not being endgame. the average audience member doesn’t actually have an ounce of media literacy and you can tell that simply by asking them WHY the things they didn’t like about season eight* fall under “bad writing” and not under “I personally didn’t enjoy this”.

*it’s also ironic how they only ever talk about the final season, despite the fact that GoT’s storytelling problems started around season 3. it’s almost like they don’t know what “bad writing” means and don’t care to find out.

so, that’s it lol. sorry about that long ass rant it’s just that you’re literally one of the first people I’ve seen being critical of the mindless GoT hate.

much love <3

Hello! Honestly, you make a great point about the 'good writing' and 'bad writing' thing being largely affected by whether people actually liked what was happening on screen. I recognise that my own point of view might be affected by that because, again, a good bit of the show was tailor-written for me in a way that the books, as much as I enjoy them, are not, so it only makes sense that I'd approve, and that goes for the people who were dissatisfied, too. To top liking the content, I enjoy their writing style, too, so that helped.

I'd love to hear your interpretation, to be honest! They definitely have a whole different view of the characters, separate from GRRM's vision, and it does occasionally feel heavy-handed in a way fanfic does - and I say that with a lot of love in my heart, because it's what I do when writing those characters, too, even if it's obviously on a much much smaller scale.

IMO the divide mostly stems from the fact that D&D want to present the Lannisters as fundamentally right in their choices and the rest of the narrative is spun around that*, which doesn't happen in the books because, as you said, their harsh/generally bad decisions have much worse consequences in the books and they get away with essentially everything (until the very very last minute) in the show. Tyrion actively gets away with everything, even, and the twins are remembered well, and the narrative shoves all those things in your face really smugly, which, again, I enjoy and was inordinately gleeful about, but I do realise that it's not for everyone.

*One thing that immediately comes to mind is how they said that Dany killing Viserys - who, while terrible, was her caretaker as a child - was one of the earlier signs of something being wrong while also explicitly showing Cersei - who has actively been antagonistic towards her brother for the majority of their lives - sparing Tyrion's life with no real gain from it twice because none of the three of them actually want each other dead. I think one of the Ds specifically said it in the commentary for 8x04, where the above happens, and the parallel shoved my third eye open with a crowbar. I don't even know if it was a conscious decision they made, but it was... telling about why the show's narrative is what it is.

'I used to be much more critical of D&D’s writing until I started thinking about GoT like a big budget, canon divergent, lannicest-centric fanfic' I love that, haha. With a generous sprinkling of Starks! Honestly, at their core, all adaptations are just that, and you really can't win 'em all. I do think that they could have probably been at least a bit more neutral about it, but then I bounce back once I look at even a fraction of the bitter, thinly-veiled misogynistic venom fans a-la r/freefolk spill to this day, and think that this is exactly what they deserve.

That being said, I agree that the characters are fundamentally different in the show from what they are in the books and, as you said, they diverge very early on - earlier than most people would admit, so what happens in the books would have never worked once the show went on its merry way and shaped its own canon, and while the bare skeleton of the ending is very likely the same, I'm sure a lot was lost in the process and was padded with their own bias and 'lessons' for the audience, which are definitely a whole other thing from what he clearly has in mind.

I don't know if that makes much sense, but the thing that D&D had that GRRM didn't when he was in the process of writing was all the material that he has, all at once, so they sidestepped several corners that he's definitely written himself into by just doing something completely different so that they'll have a finished product even if they're done before him - which they, in the end, were. And again, I love that product, but there's no way the rest of the books will follow even remotely the same storyline, other than a few bigger points, and that's fine, too. It's a rather unique situation to be done with the adaptation before the source material and, whatever the latter ends up being, I'm sure I'll enjoy it, even if the show will now always be the true canon in my heart - for no other reason than because I love what it did with the characters, which takes us back to your point about how for most people 'good' or 'bad' is less about the actual quality and more about their tastes.

You don't need to apologise! Especially not since I ranted in response. ;D Much love right back! ;3

#asks #game of thrones #grrm #D&D #got #writing #I guess technically

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gildedmuse · 4 years

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Oh, wow. Super sorry for all this ZoLaw headcanon content. I tell you what, tommorow I will continue blogging the hell out of Zou. You will not have to hear about any crazy ZoLaw AUs.

Probably. Maybe. That could be true.

For now though.... @nat-tea-n-coffee apparently is my kinda crazy as they approved the Sora: Warrior Of The Sea idea, and even suggested a beach episode. And I don't know if it's become clear or not, but I will answer every ask, request, and even suggestion because I am super weak but also, hey is one person enjoys it, then worth it.

Doesn't hurt that I got to spend a lot of time thinking of Zoro, Law, Luffy, Mihawk, Ace and Shanks, just hanging out shirtless.

Sora: Warrior Of The Sea

(A RedHawk Production)

[Studio Mandated "Lighter" Episode]

Oh, that's right. Two seasons in and the studio is already interfering. "Look, the show has gotten some pretty good reviews and critical response, support among fans is high. It's just gotten a bit too story arc and not seralized enough, which is bad for new viewership. Also, your last few episodes have been such downers. Look, what we need is a lighter, happier episode that isn't connected to the main plot. Maybe something classic like a beach episode."

Luckily, Law isn't actually in that meeting and so Shanks or Mihawk doesn't have to hold him back from ripping out any throats. Though he does go on an hour long rant when he hears the news. Which is why Nico Robin is chosen to write this particular episode.

The second the fanbase hears about this, there is a conflict of opinions: on the one hand, the story had been really ramping up, how could they take a break now for something as cheesy as a beach episode? On the other hand, Nico Robin is the lead writer? Fucking hell yes! Look, certain corners of the internet just know that Nico Robin is the writer that brings the fan fuel. Point to an episode where Daichi and Sora were super gay together? Nico Robin wrote it. Point to one where Electric Blue and Wench Green have a strange amount of chemistry and closeness for brothers? That's a Nico Robin penned episode. An episode that focused on Poison Pink, Oikaze Pandora (or her pirate persona Ōshige), or Vice Admiral Reijin Umiko beng badass and clever with either no romantic overtones, them being the ones to hit on the guys for a change, or in Umiko's case, her just coming off as a total lesbian? Yeah, Nico Robin wrote that shit. The less time the male characters - especially Sora and Daichi - spend in shirts the more likely that Nico Robin was the main writer of that episode.

And it's not just her own ships. Unbeknownst to the Sora fan community, MissFluerDeTwist - one of the most popular fanfic writers out there - is RedHawk's very own Nico Robin (she's damn good about keeping secrets from both work and the fandom) so she knows what is up. Which is why she will gladly throw in some hints of Prince Santeki/Daichi, Stealth Black/Sora, even some Stealth Black/Pandora. She's been known to include some scenes of fantastic tension between Sparking Red and Daichi and, hell, Sora gets at least one scene of blatant flirting/sexual innuendo with everyone. Nico Robin is on this, you all. You wanted backstory to why Prince Santeki is so unlike his other brothers, you got it. You wanted to see when Daichi joined the marines and first met a young Ensign Sora and understand how these two became so connected that Daichi has dedicated his whole life to being a steady, unbreakable rock at Sora's side? Well you deserve it, good people.

Of course, she also knows what to leave up to fan imagination. Where Umiko and Sora ever actually in a relationship? What happened to Daichi's little sister and his parents? Who is Reno Pop and what's his connection to Lord Vineykur? How does Pandora know Brimi? What happened on the Lost Rock and how did Sora and Daichi escape? Those are the kinds of questions you let fans feed on. Nico Robin is no fool.

(For the record, if it's an episode that is very true to the manga, maybe incorporating creator approved information from other sources and likely part of the overall arch, that's by Law. The ones that tend to fill in the gasp and go on fantastical, wild journeys are by Usopp. Jinbe's episodes tend to explore heavier, metaphorical themes. If Diachi's stands his ground through strength/stubbornness, Pandora is the love interest who is wise enough to hide her cleverness and power and rather than directly attacking uses her evasiveness and redirecting attacks to her advantage, Umiko shows flexibility and adaptability during battle (not too mention some fancy fucking footwork), while Sora is creative and open enough to harvest all these as needed (and, if it's not obvious enough, just uses the hell out of haki). Yeah, that's a Jinbe episode. Though he really prefers to direct these days, meaning he's slipping a little philosophy into most of the episodes anyway. Shanks? Oh, well, Shanks and Mihawk tend to stick to reviewing and rewriting scripts as needed but when Shanks does pen one himself he does whatever the fuck he wants.

People really look forward to a solid Shanks episode.)

Anyway, back to the studio and their nonsense request. It just made the most sense, Mihawk and Shanks agreed, to give this one to Nico Robin. It's right up her alley. They wouldn't be surprised if she already had one fully finished and ready to go.

(Technically it's a beach fanfic, and it's almost a shame she's put it online so she'll be unable to use those scenes now. Too bad. Having Daichi save Prince Santeki from drowning was a big hit, and the scene where he pulls Sora back from going into the water without proper protection? Both funny and hot if she's honest. Oh, if only she hadn't wasted it and could watch Ace have to squirm and shiver under Zoro's hands. Ah, well, there is plenty of more fun to be had.)

So, thanking Mihawk and Shanks for the opportunity (and ignoring her coworker's continued fuming - she has a feeling he'll come around to the idea fairly quickly once he realizes exactly what such a storyline will entail) Robin sets out on writing an episode that balances the show's canon, studio mandates, fandom desires, practical matters such as budget and time, and her own little twisted sense of humour. Keeping in mind all those requirements, she is pleased with the results when she finally sets the first copy in Law's hands.

Sora: Warrior Of The Sea

S2E06: Sora: Distraction Of The Sands

(Yes, like in the manga, every chapter/episode goes Character Name: Blank of the Blank. It's an annoying format but Law's very insistent)

Act I, Scene I

-LOCATION: The TENNO SEKAI approaches a small, idyllic looking ISLAND. The SEAS are a beautiful clear blue, the BEACHES sandy and white. We see SORA aboard the ship, standing at the railing. He is wearing his marine jacket, but unbuttoned. We can't see below his waist. He stretches out, smiling and reaching towards the warmth of the sun-

SORA: Finally! A nice, safe harbour on a small, out of the way island where we can enjoy a well earned break!

-As always, DAICHI is standing just behind SORA to his right. He has his arms crossed, wearing a slightly serious expression. He isn't upset at SORA, only doubtful.-

DAICHI: Are you sure about this captain? I mean, after the incident on Carvano Island shouldn't we be out looking for Germa 66?

-SORA continues stretching, enjoying the sun. He rolls his eyes at his friend's serious manner. To be honest, after his near defeat and eventual retreat at CARVANO, SORA needs time to regroup, yet he refuses to show any such weakness in front of his friend and subordinate officer. After a moment's pause, he looks back to DAICHI with a knowing, teasing smirk-

SORA: So you would rather be out chasing after Poison Pink than spending a nice, relaxing time here with me?

DAICHI: *Eyes go wide at the suggestion* N-no, that's not it at all, Sora! I just want to make sure that Germa is brought to justice.

SORA: Ahh, I see. *Wags a finger in DAICHI's face, again wearing that same knowing smile* You want to have the glory of being the one man to finally catch Stealth Black then.

DAICHI: *Sighs, already tired of SORA playing such games with him* Isn't it our job though, captain?

-SORA gives DAICHI a real, honest smile. The one he saves only for those closest to him. He reaches out, musing up DAICHI's hair like he used to when they had first met. DAICHI as always, tries to avoid being treated as the little brother figure and attempts to duck out of the way, but he is clearly starting to come around to SORA as he usually does.-

SORA: Of course, and I take pride in protecting the North Blue. However, Germa isn't exactly a subtle bunch. If they try and pull anything, the alarms are sure to sound immediately, and you know Tenno Sekai is the fastest ship in this sea. She'll get us there in plenty of time. So instead of sailing the seas aimlessly, why not take some time to enjoy one of the many spots of nature, ethereal beauty the North Blue offers?

DAICHI: Right… But we didn't exactly pack for the occasion did we? I mean, I only have my uniforms and a few - Ech! *Is cut off by a pair of swim trunks landing across his face. He peels them off, blinking a few times at the vision in front of him.*

-We cut back to SORA, this time in full view. While still wearing his marine coat, he is now in a pair of WHITE SWIM TRUNKS. They sport yellow and blue accents and are reminiscent of his costume. He gives DAICHI a bright smile. His vision seems to be lit by something more than the sun, his skin glowing and a faint shine all around him-

DAICHI: *Looking between SORA and the pair of swim trunks he has peeled off his face* Wait? How did you-?

SORA: *Wraps an arm around DAICHI's shoulder, giving him a cocky smile. He never doubted he could talk DAICHI into this little vacation.* I've seen your wardrobe. I figured you might need some. Look, I even got them in green.

-SORA smirks proudly, knowing his friend far too well as DAICHI examines the swim trunks as if he's never seen anything like them. They are his trademark color and his exact size. Once again, SORA amazes him.-

SORA: *Giving DAICHI a shove by the shoulder* Go on them! Try them on! I want to see how they look. Though the girl at the shop I gave your picture too promised me they'd be quite flattering.

-SORA gives a playful wink as DAICHI flushes at the implication of SORA handing his photo over to some stranger girl. SORA laughs, happy to get his friend's usual reaction whenever the subject of women comes up. It is a relief after the mood that had settled over them following CARVANO. When DAICHI takes a playful swing at him with swim shorts, SORA only grins and takes a step back before dramatically diving off the edge of the TENNO SEKAI and into the sea-

Law: *Reading very careful, as if perhaps he's hallucinating or having a nightmare* Is this really the script?

Robin: *Giggles, unsurprised by Law's negative reaction* I think it's quite cute, don't you? It is definitely more lighthearted, as the studio requested, though there are still a few mentions of Carvano, The Stealth Black innocent, and their last run in with Sea Storm without them being distracting to potential new viewers.

Law: But… *Flips a few pages* There's a scene where Sora, Daichi, Pandora and Umiko play against a disguised Germa 66 in a game of beach volleyball. Doesn't that seem…. Silly?

Robin: *Nods, still smiling as if Law is finally beginning to understand*

Law: Also, Robin-ya, not to call you out but there's a part where Prince Santeki - Sorry, "Sano" just starts blatantly flirting with Daichi.

Robin: *Cocks her head, looking completely innocent* Is there?

Law: *Raises an eyebrow and points down at page*

Robin: *Leans over, politely rereading it* Ah, I believe you are mistaking the character of "Sano" being in a confused state. He both wants to mock and defeat Daichi, who of course is unaware of his identity, but following his sister's comment can't help but remember this same man is the one who pulled him from the sea, sparing his life.

Law: *Narrowed eyes* And then suddenly Sora is constantly calling for Daichi, making sure he has his attention, pulling him into group huddles.

Robin: It's a group huddle, Law, you have to pull everyone in. But, yes, Sora has very sharp instincts as we know, even now when he is desperately trying to ignore them. He already stated he wasn't sure about their fellow beach visitors, and as we have seen time and again he is rather protective of the few people around him he truly considers friends.

Law: But if Daichi is just getting competitive with "Sano" why should it bother him.

Robin: *Finger on chin, remembering back to past episodes, specifically ones Law himself had written* Well, we've seen Sora get bothered before when Daichi will stubbornly focus on one of the enemies. So perhaps it is like those cases, where Sora knows Daichi can become obsessed with such relationships. Besides. *Mischievous smile* I only said that was Sano's motivation. I didn't indicate what Daichi's might be. I suppose we will have to let our own Roronoa Zoro, and Benn, of course, decide how to play the scene. Perhaps Zoro-kun will have more insight into how Daichi would react to such a brooding, mysterious character alternating between hostility, shyness, and open admiration.

Law: *Pointedly ignores that comment, looking back over the script*

Robin: *Innocently* You wouldn't have happened to have read over Act II Scene 2, would you? I did have some concerns.

Law: *Does not even have to turn to that part in the script to know which scene she's referring to, but he does turn a slight pink* Right. I don't know if the studio would let us get away with such a scene.

Robin: Mmm… *Nods, very seriously* That is why I already spoke to Benn about how it could be shot to make it appropriate. He assured me that, so long as Zoro-kun is comfortable with it, he could easily cut around anything to… Full view for the studio. And it just so happens that Zoro-kun is perfectly fine being naked on camera from behind. *Robin Smile*

Law: *Blushing harder, suddenly very interested in reading whatever scene he's on* So you took the liberty of asking him already?

Robin: Of course. I wanted to make sure he'd be completely comfortable, not only naked but having to do so in front of the crew. Though I'm sure that only the most necessary of persons will be there. Benn, of course, and Franky since it will require certain practical effects. Lighting, Camera, Sound, Costuming….

Law: *Frown* That doesn't sound like-

Robin: A stunt coach, though I know Zoro-kun will insist he doesn't need one, cinematographer, Shanks-san and Mihawk-san obviously. Oh, and Ace-kun and Boa. Likely Luffy, if we're honest. *Smiles, giggling a bit because of course Luffy will be there and she doubts Zoro will be bothered at all* Oh, and of course usually you're on set in case script changes or edits are necessary, though I suppose no one will blame you for not appearing at such a personal shot. Surely, Mihawk-san can easily handle any problems that… arise. And Ace-kun has always been so willing to lend Zoro-kun a helping hand when problems come up.

Law: *Mutters something about how he's the one always working to make sure Zoro's scenes come off perfectly in the first place since he was the one against hiring a goddamn stuntman so if anything….*

Robin: I understand that the scene must seem too ridiculous for your taste, and if you don't wish to witness it I am sure everyone will be very understanding.

Law: *Hastily handing the script back* The last act needs more action. You've already set up Sora and Stealth Black, and Daichi had those moments with Sparking Red. You should expand on them and the fight.

Robin: But don't you think it would make more sense for Stealth Black and Daichi to face off?

Law: Stealth Black apparently feels conflicted about Daichi, while Sora made his distaste of the prince very clear.

Robin: Daichi and Poison Pink, then, given their history?

Law: Only you have too many scenes of Poison Pink and Umiko for it not to pay off. Put Wench Green up against Umiko's second in command. Pandora should be well suited to evade Electric Blue's attacks without making it seem like she can actually fight.

Robin: *Glancing down at the script, smiling* Yes, and the fact that Sparking Red has his flaming sword…

Law: *Shrugs, like he didn't even consider this* Despite what I think of his acting, Zoro is very talented with a blade, as is Killer. It will make for a good action set, which I'm sure the studio will appreciate.

Robin: I will be sure and make those changes immediately. *Starts to head off*

Law: Oh, and Robin-ya?

Robin: Hmm?

Law: There's no point to the whole water fight scene with Daichi and Sora. It can be cut.

Robin: I believe it's important to show the two of them returning more to the roots of their friendship while also showing the evolution of their relationship - that Daichi no longer solely looks up to Sora, and Sora no longer sees him as a child, but that they have become closer to that of equal when away from their naval ranks. Besides, it sets up Umiko's comment about marine men.

Law: Which is cliche and overused and unnecessary.

Robin: But then she references it again when Daichi slashes through the bathhouse walls at Sora's cry.

Law: *Clearly getting frustrated by how well Robin is arguing her point and how deeply she's tied it into the script* I am sure you can come up with another clever quip to replace it, Robin-ya. Dedicate that time to the fight instead.

Robin: *Shrugs, not agreeing or disagreeing way, and walks off, still smiling rather pleased with the results so far*

Which is how eventually, despite all of Law's (and privately, Mihawk's) misgivings, they end up doing a beach episode. Which you will find out all about in Part Two. Hey, it was running a little long, okay?

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unforth · 4 years

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So I have no idea what The Untamed is, but I keep seeing it show up on my dash. So I kinda want to check it out. Can you tell me if there's actual queer representation in it? Or is it more of a destiel kind of situation right now? (Love your fanfic btw)

ALRIGHT ANON I hope you’re ready to listen to me go the fuck off cause I’m so gonna because I fucking love this show!

Right off the bat, to answer the “is it more of a destiel kind of situation” the answer is absolutely fucking not, nor will it ever be, because The Untamed is 50 episodes long and complete, so where it is now is where it will always be. And where it is now...okay, so The Untamed is based on a novel called Modao Zushi (variously translated but the most commonly accepted is “Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation”). MDZS exists in five different versions - the original novel (complete), an animation (in progress), a comic (in progress), a radio drama (...actually I have no idea if it’s done...) and The Untamed (the live action TV show).

What it is...it’s originally a Chinese BL danmei (a novel, in this case published serially on a subscription website) by an author who writes under the pseudonym Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. It’s xianxia, which is a genre of Chinese fantasy inspired by Chinese mythology, religion, martial arts, and all kinds of other stuff...as a Westerner coming in with no experience, it’s been a LOT to learn the genre tropes and I’m still getting the hang of it, but you don’t need to know anything to appreciate the show - I didn’t, and nor did many of my friends, and we’ve all loved it. It has a wonderful ensemble cast (...okay, well, full disclosure, it has a wonderful male ensemble cast, the women in the novel leave something to be desired, they’re much better fleshed out in The Untamed but I could still wish for more in that regard...) with tons of side shipping potential...like, my favorite character isn’t even one of the two in the main ship, and I’d honestly be hard pressed to even name a top five because I love them all so much, and there’s a side ship I love almost as much as the main ship, and is also so close to canon as makes no difference, at least imo. The plot is pretty well fleshed out (or at least the points that are nonsensical are surprisingly easy to ignore...if you’ve seen Jupiter Ascending it had some of the same feel in that regard, like “parts of this writing are a trash fire but I’m enjoying the overall effect so much that I don’t even care any more”). The sets and the costumes are absolutely fucking gorgeous and if the CGI for some of the monsters made me want to weep it was so bad...well, I was a fan of Hercules the Legendary Journeys in the 90s so I’m prepared to forgive a lot to watch hot guys kick some ass, and speaking of the hot guys...

The main ship is composed of this guy, Wei Wuxian...

He is a quintessential disaster bi and I love him and would die for him. The novel is told primarily from his PoV and even The Untamed tends to focus more on his angle than others.

His other half is this guy, Lan Wangji...

(okay the glasses are NOT canon but how am I supposed to resist that line??). He is rule-following, law-abiding, and I totally didn’t get him at first and now I adore him.

This is full enemies to lovers in the best possible way.

From a Destiel PoV, I basically write Wei Wuxian the same way I write Dean, and I basically write Lan Wangji the same way I write Castiel, and people tell me pretty often that they love my characterizations so...the personality parallels, they are strong.

Their ship is most commonly called WangXian. Are they canon? In the novel, yes. They are canon. They are literally married. They have actual explicit sex that you can read in all its glorious detail (actually I shouldn’t talk it up that much I didn’t personally enjoy the canon sex all that much but that’s a totally different topic). They are the most canon of canon, no holds barred, mano-a-mano, god I wish they’d use lube, I can tell you who canonically tops and bottoms and what their main kinks are, and they are so in love and there are ridiculous declarations at the worst possible moments and there’s a wedding...it’s canon.

Now, China has some pretty crazy censorship laws that include making it an arrestable, punishable offense to make the queer explicit in the TV show. Thus, there is no explicit moment where, in The Untamed, they say, “yes we are a couple and we are in love.” However, the following things are canon:

-they are soulmates (link to gif set by @ohsesuns - the source for these two gifs, I hope you can forgive me just embedding them but someone asked me for a guide and I think just linking might not get the point across/require too much expectation of people clicking through...)

-they have their own theme song...which is called the portmanteau of their ship name (link to gif set by @wangxiians, with two used for demonstration purposes...again, my apologies for embedding them like this, I’ll pull them if you’d prefer) And mind you, in this scene, Lan Wangji just sang their song out loud while a montage played of important moments in their relationship with each other it is the gayest most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.

-THIS IS LITERALLY HOW THEY LOOK AT EACH OTHER

-neither has a female love interest or any other romantic subplot or any kind of “fake out” and this is the way Lan Wangji looks every time Wei Wuxian is like, “you’re never gonna get a girlfriend with that attitude” (labeled as by someone named mabomanji on a website called tenor that I’ve never used before...)

-DID I MENTION THIS IS HOW THEY LOOK AT EACH OTHER

-oh and they have a son...sort of...close enough...okay it’s way more complicated than that but whatevs I don’t want to spoil all the fun...

-OH MY GOD I ALMOST FORGOT TO MENTION THE HANDFASTING? Lan Wangji constantly lets Wei Wuxian touch the “sacred headband that only family members and loved ones can touch” and at one point to protect Wei Wuxian he wraps it around each of their wrists (source for this screen cap is a set on twitter by krayziewes)

I’m sure at least three people will look at this and be like HOW DID YOU LEAVE OUT THIS OTHER THING and all three things they name will be DIFFERENT because the show is just that fucking gay.

So you ask me, is it like Destiel?

With Supernatural, with Destiel, the show writers, producers, everyone, strings us along, giving us just enough to think we’ve got a chance. The only risk they face in making it canon would be a drop in rating and alienation of some of the fanbase and yet they refuse to do it. I do not believe and have never believed that Destiel will be canon, and my reaction is constant disappointment, because seriously, what would it cost them to show it? Absolutely fucking nothing, especially now that it’s ending now, but they won’t. (okay, that’s just my opinion, I guess the last few episodes will show...but I at least have zero hope.)

With The Untamed...with Wangxian...literally everyone involved in The Untamed risked being disappeared by the Chinese government and actual imprisonment to make the show as gay as humanly possible without quiiiiiiiiiiite crossing the line into explicit queerness. Behind the scenes footage makes it clear that the entire cast and production crew have read the novel. The crew jokingly refers to Wei Wuxian as Lan Wangji’s wife (yeah, sorry, there’s some splashes of misogyny especially in the novel) and the looks on any of the actors’ faces when they’re interviewed and asked about (female) love interests are honestly fucking priceless...but no one can say it out loud, no one can make it explicit in the purest sense, because they risk their livelihoods, their families, their futures, their lives, if they say in reply to that interviewer, “um are you a fucking moron didn’t you realize there WAS a romance in the show and it was between two men?” But everyone with a half a brain knows. It’s not subtle. It’s not a secret. My straight cis male friend who is watching keeps screaming at me about how gay it is and he’s only on like episode 10.

Would I kill for a canon kiss or an actual traditional love declaration?

Yes, of course, I’d love that.

But do I think WangXian isn’t canon in The Untamed just because it isn’t shown in those most simplistic terms?

Oh my god it is so canon WangXian are husbands and they are in love and they live for each other and it’s amazing and I adore theeeeeeeeeeeem.

Wangxian. Are. Canon.

#unforth rambles #the untamed #wangxian #i don't even know how to tag this #i hope you're prepared for my love letter to canon anon #because I seriously could not love these two more #Anonymous

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cutegirlmayra · 4 years

Text

When your tired after a 16hr shift yesterday so you rant about Sonic and explain why aggressive writing vs. neutral writing helps with sharing ideas

Me and my online Sonic friend talking about Belle. (I’m skipping some dialogue throughout the chat, this was lazily put together lol)

WARNING: It’s long, and it’s a rant. So please note that I’m blatantly aware of how wrong my aggressive, sleep-deprived rant was and that I’m stating “DON’T PRESENT YOUR IDEAS LIKE THIS!” because this is not a healthy nor effective way of sharing ideas.

ALSO, ALL THE MENTIONS OF WHAT I BELIEVE MY FRIEND IS FEELING OR THINKING DURING MY RANT ARE ENTIRELY MY OPINON. If she tells me to delete something or change it I will without hesitation but I find it funny, as I look back, to insert what I think might be going on in her mind XD She might have been oblivious to me but I’ll get her thoughts and change anything if necessary.

It’s also how most trolls and antis and even some ‘not experienced writers’ write their ideas out, and it can be easily avoided by using Neutral Writing Methods. So this is a ‘don’t do this, but try this’ post. Enjoy my badly written, sleepy aggressive rant~<3 (Also, my friend gave me permission to share this lol)

Me: She could be for entertaining little kids. But we already have too many OCs, and they're not 'dying off' any time soon so...I smell a mini-series backup plan...and I don't like what that means for Sonic. And it is cute, sorry, my brain is off the hook right now, I'll keep things to myself cause you may not like what I'm predicting and I'm getting sad thinking about it ;-; so, want to be wrong.

(Friend mentioned “Tinker Bell” spin on name.)

That's precious, but can I get a link to the reference sheet plz? Reference sheets can tell a lot about a chara's functionality if you compare it to the 'needs' of the casts. it can help predict their role. I think she's meant to help but also entertain the kids, maybe planted with a secret. Her goal could be to come back to Mr. Tinker but Eggman abuses that and tricks her into a new robot. I got a weird theory about her but I'll just say that she's probably gonna go a bit dark. But be cute and make the audience go, "Aww, poor thing! She's a cinnamon roll" at first, wonder if they'll equip her with 'happy backstory, tragic ending' kinda thing to switch the usual 'tragic backstory happy ending' but I feel this is a tragic character meant to pull emotion out.

(Friend understands my concerns but mentions there hasn’t been a ‘Bad’ Oc for the comic)

No one sets out to create a 'bad character' especially professional writers like these guys. But what makes a character 'bad' is if you ruin or oversaturate their purposes. If she's a main character that over-shines others with too much story then the audience feels 'betrayed' because they want that screen time for the main casts to express themselves and shine through. That's just an example. When working with IPs like Sonic casts, you HAVE to remember the fanbase is expecting things Do you like my OCs? be honest lol Not from my prompts. There's a specific way to handle a OC that helps the main cast shine and reveals their characters more. AU Ocs help Canon Characters in many ways.

(Friend admits they have not seen my OCs in some of my fanfictions, they’ve only really read my prompts.)

Oh, well, some of my fanfictions have OCs, not Lavinya, she's just a mascot. My Sonic OC that retried XD Sorry, I'm misspelling a lot but I hope you don't mind, my spellcheck sucks and I've given up on it lol Oh, so you don't know Harmony, Ol'Wizzy, and Data?Or the Metal Series? Well, there are specific Ocs that my readers like and they express/compliment the canon characters to where even though they're a main character, they don't intervene with the Main Cast's goals. They actually help. Then everything I'm gonna say won't have much merit so I'll just focus on waiting to see if my predictions for Sonic IDW will come true, but I really hope they don't do what it looks like they strategically might be pulling... I hate SEGA marketing-

(The beginning of my aggressive rant, please note that I’m not thinking about my image and am writing tired and lazy. This is an example of how NOT to express your opinions in negative ways. It doesn’t influence good at all.)

Their ploys are outdated and frankly, do not work for their IPs market. They target the wrong age group, they have no idea how to organize themselves, and they don't have a leading 'elder' so to speak (just a professional among them) to make good calls. So you have young adults (not super professionals, this might be their first real company job) trying to target internet culture and failing their IPs. They're doing outdated Nintendo tactics that only worked for NINTENDO! Also some other companies that have DIED so why are you copying their marketing strats!? stop! lol

Friend: Did you study marketing because this entire convo kinda flew over my head in terms of understanding (This should have indicated to me that my words were coming off too factual and had too many ‘jargons’ going on. I was losing my ‘reader’ through my rant, but my tired brain would not cease!)

Sonic's trying to morph into something he's not and they're following outdated college course books and it's not gonna help... they're leading Sonic further down and the creators in japan have no power cause all the power is in the stock holders who are stupid money-hungry americans who have lost faith in American SEGA leading SEGA of Japan to move on to other things

Friend: mostly just got you don’t like the marketing (Huge red flag! This means my friend is starting to tune my info out, it’s because I’m presenting my ideas in a slightly aggressive writing style. There are trigger words here that lead an reader to start doubting you. This is why, in most of my answer posts, I make sure to write Neutral writing methods, but I’ll mention that more after my rant lol XP)

It's just bad. Lol I have a Frankenstein degree, (Now I’m justifying myself, which was caused by my aggressive approach. If I simply stated this in a more ‘neutral writing method’ then I wouldn’t have to worry about creditability claims because I’m not trying to sell my idea as the high authority on it.) which means I have knowledge on many different fields. I never took a fully -dedicated- 'marketing class' I took a lot of different communication classes that went to my overall major. One was directly about how you present, sell, and look at marketing tactics. So I have my fingers in many different fields, my major was "Creative Writing for Fiction and Film with an Emphasis in Video Production and a Cluster in Theatre Arts." So I can be on camera, off camera, post and pre production, creative table and actual filming. Does that make sense? (I’m not fully awake to realize what I’m writing, but it’s clear at this point I’m starting to wake up and realize I’m ranting and tossing my ideals of how to present ideas out the window, but let’s watch my follies and learn from them, shall we?) I have theories on what SEGA is going to do, and I have my worries because it's all outdated. It worked for older companies but those companies also targeted a varying audience, which SEGA refuses to see themselves as for a 'teenage audience' which is exactly why they boomed in the 90s. Their target audience is now 20s.

Friend: There are Kids who also like Sonic, even if they don’t play the games though. (Due to my aggressive tactics from not thinking clearly about, not just the what, but the HOW I’m writing, it has turned my friend into a ‘contrasting neutrality’ which is amazing by the way that she did this! She noticed my writing was turning aggressively ranting, and being my friend, didn’t want to be rude about what she was noticing. -I’m guessing lol- so instead, she took the commentary approach, which is to state the good as well. This is a terrible position to put your reader into, and you should make sure to always have good examples and good praise mixed in to contrast any opposing or aggressive statements you ever make. -though you should avoid aggressive writing at all times- Sadly, this does put the reader, in this case my friend, in a very vulnerable position. It leaves them open for attack... but thankfully, she’s a wonderful friend and had trust that I wouldn’t hurt her on her counter-follow-up.)

So instead of using their 40 to 50 year old charts, start with looking at early millennial trends and desires. They tried for 'angst' to 'adultify' Sonic but it busted because we are STICKLERS for animation. Because their story was so scrapped together and had no actual character depth, motivation, or even emotional growth to develop for future game lore, they went for the 'easy made game' (Easy baked oven quote lol that’s just mean XD) We loved the trailer, it was well made, but they threw their animators elsewhere and made the programmers (WHO BLANATLY ADMIT THEY DONT KNOW HOW TO DO STORY/GRAPHICS) and made them do things they aren't trained in. Those micro-head movements and mouths took them A LONG TIME to figure out.

(My friend is now agreeing with me several times through my rant. This is a tactic that is used as ‘avoidance’ but also for ‘appeasement’. She’s probably tuned out by now, but respects what I’m saying but is also incredulous at it as well. It’s fair, I’ve cornered her into my sleepy-time rant, and being the lovable woman that she is, she is simply waiting for me to realize my follies lolol I wish she would have told me but I think she knew I was beyond ‘logical reasoning’ at this point and was just letting me get it all out lolol What a good friend TDT)

Animation can't be learned that fast AND expect them to program a game AT THE SAME TIME. Sonic Forces was a 'split up SEGA' trying to get those who survived and said, "Yeah, I'll stay in this job." to do things that THEY AREN'T EVEN TRAINED IN. you put a game programmer on animation and some other stuff they didn't know what to do with and expect it be a top-notch seller.

Friend: (in more attempts to join in and be a ‘participant’ of the conversation I’m clearly dominating -MY ABSOLUTE BAD- she tried to engage normal conversation flow into the discussion again. At this point, she probably did notice I wasn’t my usual self, and just decided to play along and enjoy the ride lolol I’m just guessing this tho, but it’s a good chance to reflect on what ‘wrongs’ I was doing and what ‘rights’ she was doing during this situation ;)b) My big issue with SEGA is that they rush everything. A lot of things would’ve been better if they had the proper time.

That was resolved actually.

Friend: Oh? It was? (Although this looks like an encouragement, it’s actually just another avoidance tactic to help me ‘get the venting out’ but it’s clear she’s not fully onboard anymore. When you write to discuss, you have to leave room for other’s opinions to shine through as well. Healthy conversation doesn’t mean forcing the other person to comply to you. A lot of this is educated guess based on past research, she knows this, and it’s clear she’s got her own research. Please remember to never shoot someone down when they try to engage you in your conversations. But again, this is the ‘don’t do this’ and me upset at my tired self for not waking up fast enough to contemplate how I was coming across in my wordings. Let’s continue to investigate and dissect the train wreck, shall we?)

That was an issue a few years ago but SEGA is taking their time, it's just that they can't organize themselves and hire the right professionals. They have old tactics, they have rookies that aren't 'Fresh Blood with professionalism' like they need. They don't need an old fart who knows his stuff, they need a new guy who is dedicated and passionate about their company who will remain there, learn them in and out, and knows his stuff SPECIFICALLY for the things SEGA needs. You have to grow that. You have to hire a very talented and young spunky and fresh professional, have him work with you for 10-15 years, and start training others. But SEGA is already recognized as a 'established' company.

(Friend is still agreeing with me, but is aware of my way of presenting it isn’t “As nice as I usually present it” so she starts mentioning the symptoms of Japanese Work Culture. A wonderful, insightful point to mention! But let’s see how I butcher this as well...)

It's not Japan though! (Again, shutting her down. Tsk tsk, sleepy me. Wake up, you lazy bum.) They won't let Japan interfere! They're all really rude to japan actually. The guys in charge, anyway. We all respect the officials, but SEGA of America people just want results. They are just funders, they don't actually work the company.

Friend: So you blame them for everything? (She’s trying to help me see that my writing is coming off as ‘hate’ which is because of my aggressive writing follies I’m doing so bluntly. Let’s please all admire my friend’s patience as she lets me rant and kindly waits for me to realize how bad I’m handling my 16 hr shift from yesterday lolol)

Look, business is really unfair, and I get that, but if I have to rant (I’m starting to wake up more, oh goodie.) I'd say they really need to humble themselves and ask Japan to please take ownership again. They kicked out people due to a money crisis but they need a game that will be 'safe to secure money but get enough excited momentum to help us push on and continue.' which isn't Japan's strategy usually. Japan likes risks, they also like money too. They trust America too much (especially in the beginning) because America is a HUGE consumer. For the world in fact. But I think they sacrificed too much for the company (common in Japan) and trusted America too much in making decisions. The officials are too nice to say that America screwed them over because America wanted full control. Well guess what? They have too much control now and their product is sinking..

Friend: You’ve got a lot of fire about this topic. (After I completely disregarded reading her follows-ups and continued to rant, my unconditionally kind friend finally threw in the towel, realizing I was no where near my usually ‘present’ self and was probably just flopped back in her chair smiling at my idiocy of not understanding her kind and subtly hints.) Go ahead and rant it out. (BOOM! Obvious right!? I should have corrected myself but at this point, I was writing like wild fire with droopy, waking up eyes and didn’t even read it during my long paragraphs...)

Sonic won't ever fade away due to it's fans, but the company is struggling to figure itself out for YEARS now. I just worry what they plan to do next. But I have a theory that they are really putting the next game in Japan's hands, a lot of activity is happening in SEGA of Japan, and they're spending WAY MORE TIME on the next installment of Modern Sonic (or Classic, still unsure which one it is yet.) I really think they need a remake game to give them profit, then use that profit for their next big installment. But so far, I think they are working on a game BUT corona might have effected production so I'm sure they are working but I'm concerned if Corona helped manage 'time and quality' or is helping to ruin it...That I can't investigate yet :( I just wish for the best (I’M FINALLY WAKING UP FULLY AS I STOP AND REALIZE-) Sorry for my rant! My theory talk showed through and I don't usually like doing that so forgive me. I'm tired and that's why T-T

Friend: It’s cool we all need to rant sometimes. (My friend’s going to make it to Heaven TwT she’s so kind.)

(Then I profusely apologized a billion times cause I realize how badly this all went down. lol)

(But the terror hasn’t ended... she mentioned some youtube videos mentioning other opinions as well. -which I’m usually cautious of cause some of them can be fanon.-)

OHhhh did he mention the arcade crash??? the literal WORST event in SEGA history??? That's literally where they sank the titanic, SEGA has never recovered from selling off their stocks. (I’M BACK AT IT AGAIN. -facepalm-) Shareholders are everything now and it's the biggest loss ever. Also, the problem is that kids don't play the games, (Rereading my follies and wanting to answer but still only just waking up...) but SEGA can't figure out why they like the characters and can't seem to take the FREAKIN' TIME to learn their lore. (Overwhelming the conversation again.) My easy steps: Re-establish Sonic lore CANONLY AND CORRECTLY, Re-gather the Japanese Officials original plans and notes, guides and study art, Re-make some popular games with the most details on Animation, Fluidity of motion graphics, and with modern Technology incorporated into the game. Once that is accomplished, they will have enough money to then- Create a continuity. Only with a flowing story and relevant past lore can they start moving forward. Animation will target their audience, Story and character re-established arcs will bring nostalgia and new blood to the field of their games, and then Japan's influences will keep it authentic for the continuities so we don't have fandom mixing with canon NEARLY AS BADLY as before anymore. Ugh, it does matter their sales, but I literally bought a book on the history of SEGA, and read a really compelling history article about more then just the Console Wars... I know SEGA has survived literally the edge of extinction on multiple fronts, but someone needs to take charge of their Sonic branch, and it's... it's just too outdated. kk, sorry for the rant.

Friend: (After being multiple times ignored, even after my brief moment of clarity, is still an angel. Frustrated, maybe, but an angel.) And your steps sound really good. Also mostly just listen to his vids if you ever do. It’s ok we all need to rant. (THE WORLD DOESN’T DESERVE THIS GURL T-T)

I'm tired so my 'angry' is showing and it's not professional XD do you mind if I post my rant? lol Actually, no. (Realize how awfully I delivered my ideas, this is where I begin to see my errors and where the clarity comes into play. -we all have our off days lol- )

Friend: Go for it

I want to but it's too aggressive. I'm too lazy to rewrite it out so I'll just save that for another day XD You got a rare treat

Friend: (This is actually interesting and fascinating to her. But she realized then that I finally did see my error.) Concerned you’ll get aggressive responses back?

Honest opinion is sometimes too blunt and I need to be careful about that

Friend: I mean it’s always good to try and get most of the anger out so you seem more professional (Saint. Literally. A saint. She’s puts up with too much of my crap XD)

That, and also the war of 'But this is Cutegirlmayra? She's so sweet and constantly puts her answers in supportive, positive lights so that if SEGA were to see it, they would feel empowered to try it instead of threatened and throw it off as hate or something unprofessional.' I have an image too. I can't post something super aggressive or I'll lose trust. You're right.

Friend: I’m glad you put a lot of thought into everything you post

I apologize for it tho T-T I didn't mean to dominate with such opinions...lol I worry who I influence, you know?

Friend: Most people don’t and trust me they get into trouble cause of it. And yeah.

I don't want to create trolls or heated arguments. I want to teach people they can safely express an idea without using such awful communication. Exactly, it's professional fanism. lol Positive writing is what companies and their employees actually read. (I’m almost fully awake now lol, realizing my blunder and starting to explain why I was in the wrong. Good on me, pat on the back, admitting I was coming off as aggressive is the first step to changing and getting better lolol Also, I’m including her more, and I’m saying “You’re right.” and she’s going “And yeah.” which is a indicator that the conversation is slowly returning to an enjoyable and healthy one. ;w; happy endings lol) That's why I skip the aggressive stuff, even if it's passive, I write in a neutral setting so everyone feels safe to read, even someone who works at SEGA.

Friend: (Mentions some nintendo youtuber rant and also news as well, then says-) It was honestly very professional sounding and not rude. (MY HEART, YOU KNEW THAT WAS AN AGGRESSIVE RANT lololol So nice to me TDT)

Lol you had to have seen how slightly aggressive it was tho. (I’M CALLING YOUR BLUFF, BESTIE lol) You literally asked, "You blame America for it?" which is not always true but semi-true. They were way too prideful (Aggressive word) and haughty (Still aggressive terminology) about their success in other Japanese products that they wanted to completely change Sonic to their own wishes, pushing out Japan's creative "licenses" (I use this word loosely, and this gives a slightly aggressive feel but is also more dumbed down so it's more 'passionate' than just aggressive)

Friend: Yeah I saw it was slightly aggressive (Either is starting to realize it or at last admitting it now that I am fully aware of how I was coming across. I also used indicators to show what words were aggressive to help illustrate my point. This is showing I’m much more awake now :)b)

Gotta use those neutral tactics or no one will feel comfortable just reading your idea and instead, will constantly look for a place to intercept with aggression back, whether they agree or not, they're looking for ways to self-insert their aggression if you are also aggressive. I can't write something that doesn't somewhat support and uplift SEGA of America. Why? Because like I said, they literally have survived EVERYTHING and have stuck around. Without them, there wouldn't be an American branch and the money issue would have ended SEGA. Some might say, "But they've done so much harm than good! Why is the money thing such a thing to be praised for?" But it's huge, it's so big, it kinda does offset the wrongs. (Now I’m doing the healthy thing, doubling back and mentioning the good to try and recover. The damage may be done, but she did recommend some videos for me and was polite, so I’m just trying to smooth things over and leave on a ‘wrapped up’ conclusion. But... I should have just left it there in all honesty xD Some things you can’t double-back and correct lol) America is a great business-influenced mindset. None of us would be fans of Sonic without them.

(Friend continues to agree but realizes I may slip into ranting again. She just asks if I can watch the videos.)

America does have it's advantages in some fields and areas, but their biggest most redeeming quality is that they saved SEGA which gave us our biggest love and obsession: Sonic. Now, my usage in that writing was still off neutral, but combined with the slightly aggressive statements, made a GREAT contrast. It's still slightly praising

Friend: And they stopped Japan from giving him a human girlfriend right away.

Me: Exactly.

Friend: I will always thank them for that. (She’s still a sweetheart, working herself into the conversation so it stays healthy. lol Such amazing follow-ups too!)

So although I don't like what's happening, I'm also grateful... to a degree lol We need SEGA of America, which is why I think Japan just ignores them now lolol they know they owe them a lot.

(Friend mentions videos and as I go to save them to my ‘watch later’ sees that one of them is about Nintendo.)

Yeeeahhh I've noticed that Nintendo is starting to trail into 'cash grab' tactics and that's sickening (MORE AGGRESSIVE WORDING??? HAVE YOU NOT LEARNED YOUR LESSON CHILD?! It takes time to fully wake up lolol) cause before, I literally thought, "Nintendo can do no wrong" their marketing was ON POINT! but the stuff they said about Peach and now... I think new, unprofessional blood (like SEGA) has entered Nintendo and the older guys are either 'training' or 'retired to other ventures'. Nintendo is having it's own 'we used to not be prideful but now we're getting a little too pompous (Another aggressive wording... This can easily trigger people to comment with further aggression either against you or for you, but no aggression is the ideal. Which is continuing to show my lack of remaining conscious lol) about ourselves' and they're starting to act like Disney before their big crash. Disney also had 'limited time offers' with their VHS movies. Now, Nintendo is doing that. They'll make money, but at what cost? When you lose your costumer's trust...

Friend: And yeah the 35th Mario thing immediately reminded me of the Disney vault

Me: Yep. I'm worried for Nintendo. Don't get me wrong! Disney is really good with money grabs, but they... they also act high and mighty (More aggressive statements, wake up, darn it!!!) and their fanbase literally calls them 'an empire' so the fan-trust is gone. That makes you 'lame/outdated' and fans begin to look for 'what's cool?' instead.

(Friend is now re-realizing I’m ‘in and out’ so is trying to use a effective avoidance tactic by asking about different things to help my ranting fully stop.)

Sorry, I'm tired, I get on these rants and I don't mean too. (Trying to shake myself awake again.) I'm sorry.

So we returned to a healthy conversation, but I hope this interesting insight has revealed how to and what not to do about Aggressive Writing. Always stick to Neutral writing if you can, putting in a compelling counter-argument. In this aggressive writing demo, you saw that I tried to cover up my follies by saying counter-praise, but praise writing can be just as bad as aggressive writing. Passive writing can sometimes be annoying (aggressive word choice) too if you come off as disinterested or uncaring, which can still result in negative comments coming at you, or someone overly praising in their writings.

This has been all I’m showing you cause it’s kinda embarrassing ^^; but I hope it helps you in what ‘not to do’ while writing your ideas out :)b

Learn from my sleepy-time mistakes! lol

#cutegirlmayra #aggressive writing #what not to do #sonic #nintendo #marketing #sega #commentary #rant writing #an example to help teach #sonic the hedgehog #sonic idw #sonic comic #sonic rant

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