#I'm so sick of the 8 episode format

[nerdishpursuits]

Blissful Mafin gives me life

[stairset]

I do think probably for me the biggest takeaway from both Mando season 3 and Ahsoka is that the Disney+ shows desperately need to abandon the stupid ass 8-episode format already cause both shows feel like they're trying to do so much and just don't have the time to properly flesh it all out which results in some great setups with some pretty underwhelming payoffs. And really this applies to like every streaming service period like at this point I'm just so fucking sick of TV seasons that are less than 10 episodes long. Like we seriously need to go back to the days when serialized action shows had 13 episodes per season at the bare minimum I'm not kidding.

[ronanceautistic]

OKAY I'M ABOUT TO COMPLAINNN

I'm so fucking sick of so many people being like "rah! where did 20 episode seasons go! why aren't they making those anymore!" while the point goes seemingly completely over their head.

Because it's not the people making 8 episode seasons who made 20-episode seasons in the first place!! It was network TV!! And the format of streamed content suits 8-10 episodes all released at once which tell a tightly-knit, long running story, network TV doesn't.

The issue is not with the shows themselves, it's with the fact that networks just don't have the audience or money for them anymore because our gluttonous asses only want to watch streamed content and streaming service's gluttonous asses want a monopoly on TV. But for the record ABC still has Abbott Elementary. NBC has a new sitcom coming out in November, and FOX is still running all the animated comedies it usually does. Is it far less than we used to get? Yes, I'm not denying that. And I miss it, too. But I'm not complaining about the shows currently being made either tbh.

Like, if you want a fundamentally different show to the one you've been advertised then go fucking find one 😭 Or take the time out of your week to watch an episode on TV and give them the ratings they need to justify keeping shows going lol.

Also, just like, as an aside, you guys know you don't have to watch stuff you don't want to right? Like, hate watching only makes yourself miserable and lines the pockets of the people you don't want to give money to.

[inthe-afterglows]

do you ever get nostalgic for old hobbies and not even hobbies you no longer do but the ones you do but over the years the way you do that hobby has changed? like i've always been a reader. I read so many books in high school that I can't even count but then when fanfic became real popular I got into fanfic and it was reading but, in a way, better because it was free! So i stopped reading published books but then over the years, the fanfic authors I'd invested in stopped posting and new ones popped up and I'm sure they're great but then maybe I just got sick of reading about the same characters written in a thousand and one different ways and I'd finished uni so could afford books again and so I went back to published books and yet, sometimes I still find myself nostalgic for fanfic. Or movies and shows. I used to watch a movie in a cinema and hang for the DVD release, buy it and watch the crap out of it. I still remember my The Mummy obsession when I was in Year 8. I would get home from school and watch one of three movies each afternoon. Now, I can not tell you the last time I rewatched a movie on streaming after already watching it at the cinema, let alone rewatching it more than once. And shows, again, I remember hanging for week-by-week episode releases but then when Netflix introduced the whole drop one season all in one day, I loved it but now I find myself nostalgic for that one-episode a week format. I don't know, don't you ever just get nostalgic for hobbies and how they once were?

[thevalleyisjolly]

Dimension 20/ 1, 8, 9 & 25

Ey, thanks anon!

1 - the character everyone gets wrong

It's admittedly very hard to get on Murph's level and balance the right amount of awful shithead with the right amount of earnest caring, but I can't remember the last time I saw a good take on Cody that really understood his personality and characterization. It's not any one thing in specific, I just don't often encounter takes on Cody that make me go "Yes, this is the character Murph played, he would 100% say this/do that."

8 - common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

The Ravening War is actually really good. I understand if you don't like Matt or his style of DM-ing and don't want to watch the season because of that. As someone who did watch it though, the cast were absolutely impeccable, the season really deepened and explored so much of the lore about Calorum, and I'd say that from a narrative standpoint, even considering that it's necessarily tighter in format as a 6-episode season as opposed to a 17-episode season, it's slightly better story-wise than ACOC. No pressure or obligation to watch it, everyone makes their own decisions about their media consumption, I just think it's really good despite all the pre-season flack it got.

9 - worst part of canon

This isn't about a specific canon event, but I think in general, seasons are stronger when they have clearer rails and narrative beats. The limited-run format of the show as a whole does not lend well to an open-world sandbox approach, and all of their strongest seasons have been ones where the story structure is evident and the players work within and around that structure. Sidequests like ACOFAF and Coffin Run were really great because they had clear goals that everyone at the table understood (navigating the social dynamics of the Bloom to achieve your own goals, getting Dracula's body back to the castle). Likewise, the strongest seasons narratively were FH:SY, TUC, and TUC II. And in all of these seasons, the players still had a ton of room to improvise and make their character decisions. Railroading is negative when it prevents the table from having fun, but having rails is not a bad thing in and of itself, and I wish seasons would go back to having a little more structure and narrative guidance.

25 - common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing

It's not a complaint, but I don't think we really need Fantasy High: Senior Year. I wouldn't complain if that does end up being a future season, but I think there's also value in letting a story and its characters rest. Going back to Elmville in, like, a one-shot or in a campaign focused on other characters (i.e. The Seven) is great, but I like the arcs that the original PCs had across Fantasy High and Sophomore Year, and while I'm sure they could always come up with more stories to tell, I'm satisfied with where they concluded in Sophomore Year.

[the-insomniac-emporium]

J Watches Arcane: Ep. 4a, Random Thoughts/Play-By-Play

Oi, only took me fucking months to finally get off my arse and watch the next episode, oops. What can I say, I'm allergic (and yet addicted) to sadness? Anyway, these are just thoughts that I have as I watch, with timestamps. Nothing super in depth, but I just enjoy keeping track of what I notice (might forget otherwise), and it helps with forming bigger pictures with the scraps later on.

Under read-more for length and spoilers (obvs). Seriously, tho, I had a lot of thoughts on this one, even if you ignore the parts that can be summed up with "J, your gay is showing" or "J, your gender envy is showing". I mean, seriously. I mean, like, I had to break this into two parts for formatting reasons. It's kind of absurd. Ends at roughly 22 minutes into episode 4

(1:53) WHAT IS THAT. I WANT TWENTY. FLUFFBALL. Why have I not heard of this fella before?

(4:29) Right up until this shot, everything post-intro/opening gave me low-key Bioshock Infinite vibes. I really should finish that game...

(4:42) Well, first of all, let me just say that I'm glad Caitlyn's mom is still a milf, I guess. Second of all... I know that there's a timeskip between episodes 3 and 4, and I think I read it's somewhere around 7 years, but the contrast between hearing Cassandra talk about Jayce now compared to the last time they interacted is just. It's there. I'm thinking about it. She's a politician, tho, yeah? Feels like she's got experience with putting reputation/public image first. Guess I'm just noting that here in case it pops up again- good source for conflict, yeah?

(4:52) MY WIFE! My wife has a dumb hat!!! I love her dumb hat!!!

(5:29, "we really have descended to anarchy") I am going to melt over her smile oh my god. Also, I appreciate her and Jayce's friendship/basically being siblings (which I have heard a bit about). The way that Cait is so clearly miffed about her post/things with her mother, but still softens up to joke around with Jayce- and the fact that Jayce took the time to come over in the first place :D

(5:55) OH IS IT MY BOY? IS THIS THE FIRST GLIMPSE OF MY GROWN UP BOY? I legit don't know if Ekko's role in the firelights (is that the right name? I have been trying to avoid spoilers) is, like, a huge thing/big reveal, so I don't know if I'll be upset that I got spoiled on it ages ago

(6:22) MY OTHER WIFE. Not to, like, make 50% of this post about how gay I am but-

(6:40) oh hey cool, I got the name right. also just want to say I fucking LOVE the firelights' designs, everything from their outfits to their tools to their sick ass hoverboards

(6:58) that was the smoothest fucking thing I have ever seen oh my god. if I was there to witness that, I would be proposing on the spot. marry me, cool mask man

(7:42, "oh no, she's here") is it my other other wife? is it time for me to start crying, from here until the end, as the chances of recovery slip further and further out of her fingers? will I weep neon pink tears of grape soda gamer fuel glimmer, as the echoes in her skull overwhelm? oh, to be so small, in a world so big and so loud, to feel like one must scream onto the void until their lungs give out, if only to be seen at all- if only to prove that you exist-

(8:52, "... hi")... I mean, like I said, it's a build up, ya know? the end of the rope doesn't feel as bad if you never saw how long it was to begin with, after all

(8:53, *click*) lmao never mind, love my poor, poor feral lass

(9:24) and so it begins. Or, well, it doesn't so much begin as it starts to rear it's ugly head. One thing that I've noticed, and will probably make a separate post for at some point (so the thought doesn't get lost in this jumbled mess), is that the little flashes we see of Jinx's hallucinations here aren't new, per se. Literally in the very first scene of the whole ass show, when the enforcers are walking through the smog, their masks glinting in the firelight, we see those flashes of comic-esque facial expressions, the sort of "signature Jinx graphic". From a design standpoint it's neat, but more importantly, recalling that from the first episode is a great way of showing two things.

Firstly, Jinx has been going downhill for a long ass time. It's not that what happened at the end of 3 completely broke her, it's that life stuck its fingers in the cracks of her mental state, and starting tugging until everything split apart. Also want to say that the fight scene between Deckard + crew and Vi + crew in ep1 also highlights this, specifically with the way everything goes into slow motion, and we Powder at the center of it all, back against the wall, eyes wide and panicked, unable to do anything- because poor girl is probably remembering that shit on the bridge

Okay, tumblr is making me break this up a little, please ignore this random thing, something about a characters-per-block limit?

Secondly, that whole opening sequence sets up the entirety of Powder/Jinx's trauma. Violence, flashes of light, clutching desperately to those who offer her comfort, culminating in the first major loss: Her parents.

Point is, this shit hurts my emotions. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk, and please remember that I am not a psychologist/therapist, just a writing nerd with a skeleton full of closets :) yes I know that I fucked that one up, but honestly I think it's funny enough to keep

(11:13) oh. oh, Viktor, time will never be your friend, will it? Deep breaths, love, what you do with what you have will be more than enough. Also look at the little fluffball, back again. Look at them, Viktor, they will give you serotonin

(12:00) these are forbidden candy. I will fucking eat them. Jinx would take one look at these and cronch on one too

(12:35, "the next chapter of Hextech") oh, so you make it stable and the first fucking thing you build is a weapon? please tell me I'm looking at this incorrectly, but that looks like Vi's punchy gauntlet. *three seconds later* okay cool, it has other applications. had me worried there. I mean, I know it will be used as a weapon tho, so... it's a mixed bag :)

(14:00, "a decade?" "it zips past you in the blink of an eye") Heimerdinger, my dude. I know you're small and maybe can't see Viktor's face as well, because you as so close to the ground and so far away, but look at him. Are you really telling me that Heimerdinger is not at all aware that Viktor's health is declining? Has he grown so accustomed to the endlessness of his own life, that he has no concept of the fragility of humanity? just feels a bit insensitive, don't it?

(15:13) why hello, Ms. Bond okay, glad cameras are a thing, even if they're kinda basic at this point. wanted to make sure that my eventual dumb fics can include cute couple photos

(15:44) Cait. Cait. my god. Was that really the best landing you could do? What the fuck. Do they not make sure enforcers know how to get around a little? God, that landing was so loud. Loud landings = hard landings, hard landings = painful landings. You want soft, quiet ones, and not even just for stealth. The process just makes it a hell of a lot easier on your joints!

(17:16) um. okay. sorry, did... did Silco turn The Last Drop... into a night club?... no no no, it's okay, that's fine, no worries. I am just... surprised, is all.

(17:22) is this that one very minor side character that some folks on tumblr are really gay for, but not everyone I've seen can agree on their gender? and also they don't even have a page on the Arcane wiki? and I did definitely check because I saw a picture and suddenly understood tumble's interest?

(18:19, "the world's growing smaller every day") did Silco read that one post I made the other day, when I was having a breakdown at five in the morning?... is he disagreeing with me because I disagreed with him about how it feels to drown, or is he replying to the ending of my post, saying that "hey, no worries, the world does eventually get smaller?". anyway this has been a stupid joke

(18:27) Hawkeye?... oh, nope, just my gf again. sitting in the rafters (very gay of her, if I do say so myself). also, I love that Silco does not react at all to her dropping down directly onto his desk. How many fucking times has she done this? How often did she scare him before he got used to it?

(19:30) this part here is specifically aimed at me. because the creators know I hate eye stuff. I am taking this personally, and not just because it gives me an excuse to pause the show and not look at what I assume is about to be eye needle time. *half a second later* I hated that. Why didn't I just hit play while not looking at the screen? Oh, right, so I could see if I was right and then post about it, duh

(20:28) if anyone is still reading at this point, they're probably tired of me pointing out the fact that I have a crush on essentially every female character. So. Hey look, it's Mel, I can't wait to see what she's been up to :D

Okay, yeah, breaking this into two parts because I've now hit the whatever limit twice, and I have literally never done that before today, so...

[asterekmess]

Hi! I was wondering if you could give some advice? How do you take notes for shows? Like do you watch the show while taking notes or do you watch the show then watch it again to take notes? I'm asking for fan fiction, thank you!

Hey dovey, I'm sorry if this answer sucks bc I'm writing on my phone and I worked for 8 hours today, along with an hour and a half commute. I'm probs not all here, but I didn't want to wait till my day off to answer you!

The answe is, it depends? So, to start off, I try to sort of tunnel down, working from General notes down to Itty Bitty details, while I'm note taking. I straight up use an outline format like i would for a school lecture. I'm gonna specifically talk about the process of making/planning changes to canon, but this applies to just making an outline of the episode itself too.

Starting off, I think of the episode in general and its main plot points. For example, uhhh, the last episode of s2 (since that's real fresh in my addled mind), the big plot points I remember are erica and boyd getting taken, Stiles being kidnapped, gerard getting bitten, and Jackson dying/being cured. And i try to think of what I want to change. In this case, I changed Jackson's cure most obviously. Then, if I've seen the episode recently and still remember the general details/atmosphere of the episode, I just jump right in with the notes. If I haven't, i do a watch through first and try to get a feel for the episode so my notes and plans can match it in tone and Then I begin to comb through the episode, scene by scene.

It takes Forever, and I'll be honest, you won't really get to enjoy the episode bc you'll be stopping every few frames and going back ten seconds like five times to get the exact wording of a scene so you can fuck with it in your notes.

I prefer to just do One in-depth run of the episode, so I try to get in all the moments I need to change/make note of. Sometimes it takes me like 3 hours for a single episode. I write down every change I can think of that I want. Switching this word for that, moving this character there, and of course, I try to think of what needs to be changed in order to fit the Big change I want with the main plotline, or how each change I've made previously would effect things going forward.

When I've walked through the whole thing and I'm absolutely Sick of it, then i go back to the beginning, keeping the notes visible for myself, and rewatch it smoothly, trying to envision the changes I want and making sure I didn't miss something or that two changes don't cancel each other out or something.

I would highly suggest that if you Are making changes, that you add in a Reason for the change/some kind of explanation. For example:

-Jackson is cured when Derek claims him as pack : Makes more sense than true love, allows the pack theme of the season to have some kind of resolution. : derek yells for Jackson As pack, stiles is involved somehow

Yadda yadda, you get what I mean. Adding that little bit if extra detail makes things SO much easier later on. I can't tell you how many "changes" i had to just delete from my notes pages bc i had NO idea how past me intended to make it happen, or even Why she wanted it to happen, or where she even got that headcanon.

Anyway, I might come back and rewrite this answer a little more coherently on my day off, but until then, this is what I got for you. If you have any more specific questions, please feel free to message me! My dm's are open!

[redpapercranes]

85 Days Left of 2021.. What I've learned so far.

12:20PM Friday, October 8, 2021

Hello Tumblr,

So I've been trying to become "That Girl" or maybe I should say "That Woman" this past week. I can't say I've fully succeeded and made all the changes I would like, but I've definitely did better myself overall and will continue to do so.

I've been keeping my area tidy. It's not like anyone will ever see my hard work of maintaining a clean area but its the consistency that is not broadcasted that gives a person character. In addition to cleaning, I've successfully meal prepped my dinner for the entire week. It may not be the most healthiest meal, but I did receive compliments from my co workers every time I reheated my food. I'm also glad it helped me save some money. Thanksgiving meal, I'll revisit you when the holiday comes around.

I've been waking up early as well. Not very consistent but it's a start. The cough has been such a nuisance towards my progress. With that being said, several doctors appointments have been scheduled. This Wednesday I went to my new primary, got a physical and drawn up some additional bloodwork. He sounds like a promising doctor... we shall see since I will have an addition telehealth appointment to review my results with him next week. The week following I'm going to see my OBGYN to further discuss everything down there. I haven't seen her in a while, which means pap smear. The last thing I have to do is schedule a dentist appointment.

Besides doctors appointments, receiving my flu shot, and getting sick... I've been walking outdoors since I can't really go to the gym. I've been walking 3miles a day or been doing yoga. I would either listen to a podcast and switch it up to listening to some of my favorite jams. The podcast I'm currently listening to is the Hubermanlab. There was an episode that talks about dopamine levels; I've probably will have to re-listen to it carefully but it discusses how relying on addition resources to enhance our dopamine levels may be hinderance instead of benefit. These "enhancers" such as music, sex, Adderall, energy drinks or even working out can drop our baseline level for dopamine. Caffeine in coffee which is known to be dopamine stimulate is much safer in moderation since it allows the increase formation of g coupling receptors. Again, the information in this podcast is taken with a little grain of salt. I myself am curious on this study and have taken the information into consideration. So today during my walk, I decided to listen to music and a podcast for a bit, but towards the end I gave myself a break from listening to anything and just listen to the sound around me. Why do this? So then I can allow myself to enjoy the act of exercising without depending heavily on music.

This past week I've decreased the amount I've spent on my phone. Been refocusing that time on other things. Like making my bed, cleaning my room, practicing self love, etc... I've been practicing a lot of self love... this includes mindful eating, painting my nails, applying lotion, doing my skin care routine, shaving all areas ;), and attempting to drink more water. Self love... Self care.

Lastly, I've been studying here and there but I still haven't formulated a consistent schedule. I'm hoping next week, I can commit to studying more. Progress is progress, but I don't want leave any excuses and still would like to improve. So here are things I would still like to work on. 1. Drinking more water this coming week. 2. Taking my vitamins daily. 3. Formulating an entire week schedule and committing to it. 4. Exercising daily if not vigorously for 3/5 working days. 5. Read a chapter of a book. 6. Completing 4 Chapters of a MCAT book 7. 3 consecutive days of Anki Review 8. Make a list of my expenses. 9. Write out my two weeks 10. Treat others with kindness.

I would like to add how much I love and care for Nicholas. As always I hope I make him proud. I love you.

I just want to be a better person and end this year with a better version of myself. Depression, PTSD and Anxiety are things I battle with strongly. I'd like to take control of things that I can in life and for the things I am unable to control be able to handle with grace and integrity.

I am who I am.

With Great Love

-M

[monstermonstre]

Hi! I came across your reply about Even's hypo/mania on another blog and I just wanted to say thank you a lot for sharing your experience. If you don't mind me asking, did you know that Even was bipolar before you started watching Skam and if not, at what point did you realize what was going on? As someone who has very little personal experience with mental illness and only had a vague feeling that something was "off" in ep.8, I'm really curious how soon people with lived experiences caught on.

Hey anon,When I started to watch SKAM, episode 7 had just been released. I binged the 7 episodes in 24h and then, not taking time to process and without knowing the show’s format (so I didn’t know it was an ongoing thing with clips and screenshots of texts and everything) I went in the tags.There I immediately saw gifs of “the morning after” and I remember thinking Even looked classic hypomanic in them but at that point I had not considered Even could even (eveneveneveneven) have a mental illness. I had not processed a thing.So I keep going in the tags, surprised to see scenes I hadn’t seen yet but I thought it was from a trailer or something and then I came across (and I had to go back in my DMs to find it) @sanabakkouush‘s meta on why they thought Even had bipolar.And as soon as I started reading it I thought it was so obvious. I proceeded to message them very excitedly about it and we exchanged a bit.Then, when episode 8 dropped (because at that point I still didn’t follow the show “properly”, I still thought I should wait for the episode, don’t worry that didn’t last and I joined everyone in refresh hell after episode 8) I watched it and every scene with Even I was feeling sick in my stomach ‘cause I saw his hypomania everywhere. And when he talked about getting a hotel suite I understood he had tipped into mania and it was very hard to watch for me.It felt very real and it was extremely well done and to this day I still can’t rewatch that whole scene in one go without looking away at some points. Kudos to Julie Andem and Henrik Holm for that performance.Since then I showed the show to other people who have mental illnesses and I think everyone got that Even was mentally ill really early (again, kudos to the acting and direction).(also, now that I’m rereading that meta I’m mentioning, I realise I disagree with bits of it (they’re in my reply to that anon that prompt you to message me). but it was written when we didn’t have all the cards in hands. also this is not the place to expand on it. that meta is still what actively brought me into the fandom and i’m grateful for it)