#People need to lose the fanon and look at the character in the films lol

[drunk-on-starlight]

Not only do a majority of you bitches not understand luke you fail to understand star wars

[emblazons]

you’re so right that some people will just accept mediocrity because it’s what they’ve come to expect. Like, I’ve even seen people believe that mike was purposely written to be a bad person (even though it’s been said again and again that he’s the heart) just because they don’t think byler will be endgame. They also think Byler is just another fanon ship instead of something intentionally woven into the narrative over the past 4 seasons. I think it’s just sad that people are so jaded that they miss what’s right in front of their faces.

Oooh, you touch on such a good point with your word choice—that people are willing to accept mediocrity in storytelling, not because no one tells stories well anymore, but because as a whole we’ve been subjected to a lot of weak narrative development & downright narrative betrayals lately…not just in terms of queer rep, but television in general.

(Forgive me—this got long lol)

I feel like so many people are just used to television disappointing them on all levels these days because so many writers/show runners aren’t as invested in the work or the process as they need to be for quality storytelling (or just…aren’t talented enough to pull off quality lmao). I think Game of Thrones is probably the most intense version of this in recent memory for sure, but there are a ton of shows and even film series that have made people lose hope that the media they consume is going to follow through with the twists, turns, foreshadowing and setups audiences have suspected for seasons—and all in the name of “subverting expectations,” which adds another layer of mistrust to the whole affair.

With Stranger Things and Byler especially, I think there is a twofold thing happening: either people have become so used to mediocre TV that they expect all television to be oversimplified and mindless (to the point that they insult people for thinking their media could be something else—the “a blue door is just a blue door” “you’re reading too much into it” people)—or they’re so jaded by having their hopes dashed in the past that they insist on “taking everybody else down with them” (aka loudly declaring that entire characters, arcs or even ships aren’t possible in the face of overwhelming evidence just so they can avoid feeling disappointed should it not happen). With both, I understand how people got there (either never expecting more because they’ve never been taught to, or expecting and being let down too many times)…but I think that’s why it’s so important to look critically not just of the setup in the story, but how the people creating the story live and work.

In the case of Stranger Things, it’s not just the story that makes me more confident—it’s The Duffers themselves, alongside a number of their fellow producers. Like. On top of the evidence that’s present in the narrative, I rest easier looking at Byler and the end of ST because I can see that The Duffers are deeply invested in their story and always have been—they’ve mapped and worked at the fullness of the ST narrative since the pitch (they have said repeatedly that they had a 25 page doc delineating all the lore of the UD & powers before S1 even aired on Netflix), in addition to the little things like the way the script Noah read to audition for the show was something Will ended up saying in S2–which shows not just talent, but intentionality and forethought.

The Duffers have always had the bones of a story from start that they happen to be fleshing out piece by piece on screen—they’re not winging the narrative every time it gets renewed, or adapting a work that isn’t finished and not knowing enough to make the ending worthwhile. They have talked about their process, their plans, and expanding it with other peoples ideas, yes—but they care about their story, and have always looked up to people who put their whole heart and mind into their work rather than winging it…which makes me feel more comfortable looking into their work deeply and giving a damn about the story they’re trying to tell.

I don’t remember who said it, but it’s true—the highest form of respect you can show a creator is taking their work seriously, and while I know the Duffers are far from perfect, they’ve put in the time, effort and energy to craft a story that deserves critical thought—I’m just taking the calculated risk of believing that they’re going to do their best to “see their work through to the end.” They’ve joked before that endings are always hard, but that they’ve put in the effort to “stick the landing” and won’t undermine the direction of their story just because someone might have been able to guess it, as some other creators have—because (as any good creator knows) “subverting expectations” is not the same as pulling something out from nowhere for shock value. In a well thought out story, putting in clues that people can see play out / catch in a rewatch only to say “I can’t believe I missed that” is one of the best parts of creating and consuming media, both because of the final payoff and because of the time & effort it takes to do it well.

All that to say—I understand why people are jaded, and even why they expect Stranger Things to be as unintentional or “mindless” as most modern television is, but…I am willing to have a little hope that the duffers are dedicated enough not to let me down, not just because of the quality show itself, but because of how the Duffers talk about it + how many other creators (filmmakers and authors especially) who I respect I see respecting The Duffers as well. Maybe I’ll be disappointed by the fullness of the outcome one day, but hey—if I am, I’ll cross that bridge in 2024 😂

Thanks for the ask!

[laufire]

Black Sails

Top 5 favourite characters: Max, Silver, Jack, Madi, and Flint.

Other characters you like: Mr. Scott, Anne, Miranda, Idelle, Eleanor, Billy, Eme, the Maroon Queen, Featherstone, Ms. Guthrie, Muldoon, DeGroot...

Least favourite characters: Rogers, Ashe, Alfred Hamilton and Richard Guthrie are my Most Disliked People lol. Dufresne and Hornigold can suck it too xD

Otps: Silverflintmadi, Flintmiranda, Maxanne + Rackanne, Maxanor. Don’t ask me to choose lol.

Notps: Eleanor/Rogers, Silver/Thomas. Though not with the ~passion I dislike other notps of mine -I just find the first depressing in canon and the latter tiresome in fanon *shrugs*.

Favourite friendships: Silver & Max & Jack; Silver & the Walrus crew (THE LOVE THERE), Idelle & Max.

Favourite family: Madi’s family >>>>>>>>. It’s not like there’s many options to choose from lmao, but even if there was, I’d still pick them. What a gr10 reversal of one of most hated tropes *-* (aka: having a character of color save or prioritize a white character at the expense of their own relatives, to the point where sometimes it even costs them their lives).

Favourite episodes: this is one of the shows I have most difficulty picking favourite episodes tbh. Every one in s4 (I still haven’t watched the finale... I should stop putting that off lol) has hit me where I live. Same with s3, really. s1 and s2 were less !!!!! but I’ve never disliked a single episode, so. Choices, choices. To pick one of each so far (minus s4 since I haven’t completed it): 1x03 (probably a... controversial choice, but it’s when I knew the show was something else), 2x10 (I love having my heart broken and this episode provided that. And I love seeing Max & co-winning and I got that too!), and 3x05 (the Silverflint!! Madi’s family!! Flint & The Maroon Queen’s scene! Flint’s visions! Max forcing Rogers to make a place for her on the council!! Max’s “I AM Nassau”!! Spoken Spanish that didn’t make my ears bleed!!!).

Favourite season/book/movie: s4. Each episode has been just. too much xD. So thematically perfect. I hope the finale feels like that too.

Favourite quotes: oof. How to choose. Max’s quote about refusing to make enemies of those one day she could call friends; her rant about Rogers sitting “in [her] fucking chair!!”; her speech to Anne in 4x08; Silver’s “I am no one from nowhere” quote; Madi’s about the “multitude of voices”; Jack’s “did I make up a lot of ground to catch you” speech; Flint’s “no daylight between you and I” (WHO SAYS THAT. IN *PUBLIC*. I swear it’s somehow the most indecent moment of the show. It overwhelms me xDD); Idelle’s quote about Max when she confronts Anne; Mr. Scott’s “only YOU” to Madi. I’d say those are my ultimate favourites.

Best musical moment: the intro. I love it.

Moment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest: Silver and Max’s interacting again in s4 made me lose it. Also, that Look between Max and Flint and Jack confirming later Flint had argued to kill her so she wouldn’t fuck with their plans anymore lmao.

When it really disappointed you: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Saddest moment: me at the progressive erosion of Silverflint’s relationship -> DDD:

Most well-done character death: Eleanor’s, I’d say.

Favourite guest star: Idek what I’d count as guest star with this show... I’m going with Idelle. If she appears too much to be considered a “guest”, the Maroon Queen.

Favourite cast member: JPK. She blends so, so well with her roles? Sometimes I have an incredibly hard time remembering Max and Nora West-Allen are played by the same person, ngl xD

Character you wish was still alive: both Miranda and Mr. Scott, though the latter has an edge because I have the NEED of knowing how he would’ve acted if he was in s4.

One thing you hope really happens: that I get the time I need to finish my WIPs and that NO ONE, EVER, tries to do a spin-off/remake/ANYTHING like that with it xD

Most shocking twist: Mr. Scott’s reveal in 3x04, if only because it was one of the few major things I wasn’t spoiled at all about xD. But I love how it changes your perspective of his s1-2 storylines.

When did you start watching/reading?: a few months ago.

Best animal/creature: ... sharks xD. We owe them so much (if Silver’s parrot was canon here, well).

Favourite location: Nassau (aka Max’s Domain).

Trope you wish they would stop using: n/a. I love this show’s tropes and themes lol.

One thing this show/book/film does better than others: lots of stuff xD. Dialogue is one; deviating from expectations and archetypes is another.

Funniest moments: WHO’S BILLY. The Silverflintbones pseudo-triangle xD. Silver’s s1 antics.

Couple you would like to see: *coughs* I could’ve coped with Silverflintmadi going all the way xD

Actor/Actress you want to join the cast: Maggie Smith should’ve had a cameo ¬¬

Favourite outfit: one?!? Have you SEEN everything Max’s worn in season four?? Or Eleanor in s1-2?? Jack’s Iconique Looks?? *sighs* I suppose I have a soft spot for Max wearing red, so that.

Favourite item: “La Galatea”, the book Flint gave to Miranda as an apology. My heart :((( (not to mention it reminds me to my own original WIPs).

Do you own anything related to this show/book/film?: ................ the DVDs xD. They were a little over 20 bucks total and I gave them to myself for my birthday lol (I just don’t trust Netflix anymore and I don’t want to lose easy access to a HQ version the show, so fork it). I own the Treasure Planet DVD (which came along with a computer game), but I have no idea of where I put it. And I have a copy of Treasure Island ofc (that I want to re-read when I finish the show).

What house/team/group/friendship group/family/race etc would you be in?: my heart is with Flintmadi’s cause but my brain and need to win with Max’s team xD

Most boring plotline: eh. I didn’t much care for Blackbeard’s deal (though I felt for his death, because it was so fucking awful).

Most laughably bad moment: n/a.

Best flashback/flashforward if any: The Sword Flirting Sparring flashbacks ofc *-*

Most layered character: Flint and Silver ofc.

Most one-dimensional character: the one-note characters that are just there at plot devices. And of those with a little more relevance to our mains, Thomas is the least expanded-on by far *shrugs* (which doesn’t mean “poorly written”).

Scariest moment: Silver’s state when he thought he lost Madi. No wonder Flint was so worried tbh.

Grossest moment: putting aside the physically gross moments (of which this show has a few, lbr. It did not shy away from injuries, etc.)... I had my most visceral reaction to Rogers speaking with Madi. Like, fuck off dude xD. ALSO: Billy’s beard. Kill it pls.

Best looking male: Joshua was a dork and a cutie. Flint is so not my type but there are... moments xD. Same with Silver when he’s in a shippy context, even if normally I’m all ??? at his face lol.

Best looking female: now this one is a lot harder xDD. I always end up saying Max because... have you seen her. They style her so lovingly *-*. But really, which of these women isn’t absolutely gorgeous in their unique way.

Who you’re crushing on (if any): Anne. She reminds me of my ~first love lol (looks-wise at least xD). And I know I’d be drawn to her...  sunny disposition lmao.

Favourite cast moment: in my lurking over blogs to add stuff in the queue, I saw twitter exchange where Silver’s actor says Silver’s actions against Billy were revenge for the potatoes xD, and Billy’s replied he should’ve made him peel carrots, since he “likes their colouring”. LMFAO.

Favourite transportation: the Walrus, obviously. I’m sentimental :(

Most beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise): Charlestown in flames was hella pretty :))))))

Unanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you: n/a.

Best promo: I’ve seen a promo picture for s3 with Flint standing over a giant British flag on fire... very evocative.

At what point did you fall in love with this show/book: 1x03. I liked the previous episodes alone, but it was Max’s insistence of rejecting Eleanor’s help that took it over the edge. I’ve said before that although it made things harder for her in the short term, to me it showed how different and impressive a character it was and, knowing that things would go really well for her afterwards, made me see just how much promise the show had.

[mymblesbuir]

#Hey maybe him abandoning his training in ESB was bad actually#Maybe he accomplished nothing but losing a hand. Because Leia and Chenier and Lando had it under control without him#Almost like...his attachment to his friends was pointless and self-harming! Wild!#Also he's a jedi. Part of that is telling students they have to choose between attachment and training. That's the jedi way.#You need to be able to let go.#People need to lose the fanon and look at the character in the films lol

Not only do a majority of you bitches not understand luke you fail to understand star wars