#also it's not my fault the writers make the show so gay but i'm not complaining i'm taking it and running with it full throttle

[fantasticalleigh]

briefly mentioned punkintyre to my brother the other day while talking about ships in wrestling (bc my sister first brought up jhea and then the conversation moved to samijey and then i mentioned drew and punk) and he rolled his eyes and said 'you guys are reading too much into this stuff'

my guy you must have several vision issues if you can even casually watch one episode of raw and not fucking conclude there is something going on beyond surface level with all those characters like fucking come on.

[rise-my-angel]

I did some rewatching of scenes from House of the Dragon, and I think I've found a root problem with the writing.

And it isn't what was or was not adapted from Fire and Blood, or the plot or characters directions. There are issues there, but there is a bigger one I think that has been severely under analyzed. A massive problem with this show that has a big impact even when you don't realize, is how clunky and unnatural 90% of the dialogue is.

Something Game of Thrones did right, was take the dialogue from the books, and translate it to the screen by simplifying certain things, tightening sentences and changing wordage so that the actors had an easy time delivering the lines. It was a really good mix of the more formal speech and casual delivery. It meant lines that are good in the book, are good but different in the show because they cleaned up the dialogue so it didn't sound forced from the actors.

Everyone gets to speak in the appropriate manner for their class level, but it also is just quick and to the point. The actors all got a chance to do an amazing job, because they weren't forcing their talent through clunky and awkward to say dialogue.

House of the Dragon, is not doing this.

A significant amount of dialogue in this show takes way too long. Characters constantly use very overly formal, flowery, and fanciful language to say the simplest things even when they are alone in a room. Game of Thrones through all it's faults, knew how to cut to the chase and get the characters to just say what they are meant to say without trying so hard to sound fantasy like. But in HOTD, everyone talks like the writers are trying way too hard to make everyone sound like their from a different time when in reality it just bogs the show down and makes it boring.

A lot of good actors on this show fall flat because they have to force through awkward dialogue that normal people just don't sound like when they speak. Whenever Rhaenyra and Leanor discuss their marriage, it is so painfully unnatural. They are alone in the room, and neither of them ever just say what they mean.

When we saw this exact dynamic. As soon as Renly let the veil slip that he is struggling to go through with having sex with Margaery, she drops the act entirely and just cuts to the chase saying, "There's no need for us to play games." They are a bit more formal in the way they say things, but they still talk like real people. Rhaenyra and Leanor never had a single discussion that wasn't overly flowery as both characters talked around an issue we already understood. Laenor is gay and its putting a strain both on his personal mental health and their marriage as a whole. But neither of them ever get to the POINT without taking way too long to say the most basic of things.

Watch back to back scenes from both shows, and you will see that House of the Dragon completely fails to immerse you in it's dialogue beacuse it is trying so hard. Take the scene where Jace returns home after meeting with the Freys. Rhaenyra knows Jace is troubled about not being allowed to participate in the war, and this is the initial start of that discussion.

Rhaenyra: "You chafed at being prevented from action. Imagine my lot. I'm a dragonrider as well, with a war being fought over my ascension. And yet, I must wait here. Always prudent, sending others to fight and be felled in my name." Jace: "You are the queen. The tie that binds us. No harm can come to you." Rhaenyra: "And you are my son and I did not give you leave to go."

If I showed you that out of context, would you be able to tell me this is a mother and son disagreeing over their separate wants and choices during a war? No. It's full of words no one in Game of Thrones used in normal conversation. This is not how even highborns in this series talked to each other, this is writing dialogue in a way that is trying to sound like it is from a more medieval fantasy instead of just what real people sound like.

Neither actor delivering these lines sounds natural, neither can really portray the degree of frustration brewing between them when its being forced through this kind of bad writing.

Now take the same idea from Game of Thrones in a scene where Robb and Catelyn are in an argument over Robb's trust in Theon and Catelyns perceived frustration that Robb isn't putting priority on his sisters safety.

Robb: "Now I'm the one rebelling against the throne. Before me, it was father. You married one rebel and mothered another." Catelyn: "I mothered more than just rebels, a fact you seem to have forgotten." Robb: "If I trade the Kingslayer for two girls, my bannermen will string me up by my feet." Catelyn: "You want to leave Sansa in the Queen's hands? And Arya, I haven't heard a word about Arya. What are we fighting for if not for them?" Robb: "It's more complicated than that! You know it is."

Both use more formal language, but it's in how their sentence is structured rather then the words themselves. They're alone and they're both frustrated and they have absolutely no reason to mince words, they say exactly what they mean. By cleaning up the dialogue here to be more straight forward and simple, it allowed the actors to really shine. You truly feel Catelyns frustration stemming from her helplessness, and you feel Robbs understanding being overpowered by such a frustration that she won't understand his side. By the time Robb raises his voice and shouts at her, we don't take it as out of line because both of them have said exactly what they mean and the audience doesn't need Robb to apologize to know he didn't mean to yell and neither does Catelyn.

Not even the lowborn characters are saved from this in House of the Dragon. Theres a scene in Game of Thrones when Arya, Lommy, Hotpie, and Gendry are arguing by a stream about battle's and armour and they are all quick, talk over each other and it's very punchy and the flow is part of what makes it hilarious. Ser Davos is blunt and speaks with a very quick cadence to emphasize he was never taught to speak formally and thus feels comfortable saying exactly whats on his mind.

Most of the lowborns in House of the Dragon though, have very little differentiation from their highborn counterparts in the way their dialogue is structured. Some of the only differences is literally just, characters like Ulf have a lowborn accent, but that accent delivers the same kind of drawn out, overly formal dialogue that isn't present in Game of Thrones lowborns. It's very easy to distinguish who was raised how in the simple manner which they speak.

Highborns talk slower and more clearly and their sentences are structured a bit better, and lowborns normally talk faster with less refined accents and normally have no real issue saying whats on their mind because they are used to being surrounded by other people who don't care about being formal.

It might not be obvious, but the dialogue is a big reason why people struggle to connect to these characters far more then they did Game of Thrones. The dialogue is clunky, there is no distinction made as to why certain people talk this way or why it seems everyone around them speaks in the same manner when they have no reason to.

There's so much more to get through, to understand what these people are saying, thinking, and feeling because the dialogue works against them. The best acting is done, when the characters are silently reacting to each other because there's no fighting against bad writing to portray exactly what they need to.

Again, there are multiple comparative scenes that you could watch back to back and see this problem play out in real time. Scenes discussing similar issues or portraying similar emotions but House of the Dragon never reaches that emotional peak that connects it's audience to these characters as relatable, because we pick up on the fact that they don't talk like humans. They talk like they are performing a school play, not as if they are speaking like real people just talking to each other.

Try it yourself, the examples I used earlier. Say each set of lines out loud and deliver it with as much emotion as possible. Because I am willing to bet that the Game of Thrones dialogue will be a lot easier to say, and thus a lot easier to deliver with a real emotion.

There's no excuse. Game of Thrones took good book dialogue, and cleaned it up so it had a smooth transition into good show dialogue. House of the Dragon has the freedom to write most of it's own original dialogue since Fire and Blood is written as a historical record and not a pov narrative. There is no transition to make lines from the book that in full may sound clunky and unnatural out loud, into something clean and to the point that makes it easy for the actors to work with the dialogue instead of against it.

But House of the Dragon fails in inventing it's own dialogue, because at every turn it is trying way too hard to sound like the books instead of the show.

Trust me, you wonder why you can't connect, relate or really care about a lot of these characters? I'm willing to bet that the poor writing is doing a lot of heavy lifting for that.

If the characters don't even talk like humans, our brains are more likely to tune out, because it all sounds like actors reading a script, not characters speaking to each other realistically.

Real people talk like the characters in Game of Thrones. No one talks like the characters in House of the Dragon.

And that is a massive problem.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - I'm having a GREAT time

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Aug 2024 Week 5

Ongoing Series - Thai

Monster Next Door (Thai Thurs Gaga ) eps 7-8 of 12 - I do love these 2 a lot. It’s such a slow burn sweet comforting quiet little romance. It’s not complicated, it’s not stretching my thoughts or imagination, but it is easy and absorbing. I'm entertained by it without being taxed. And sometimes that’s nice. It's what Thailand does best.

Addicted Heroin (Thai Tues WeTV) ep 3 of 10 - Oh I’m still enjoying it. It’s only episode three and they’re basically boyfriend’s palling around shopping together and hanging out on a bicycle. What’s not to love? Also he got to meet the in-laws. Well… eventual in-laws. Also the girlfriend character. I totally forgot about her. Good times.

Sunset X Vibes (Sat iQIYI) ep 12fin - Baby faints. Bad guys caught and beat up a bit. Lots of romantic moments, come checking in with ALL the sides, and it ends.

Summary?

Classic CEO meets ingenue archetypes make for a somewhat banal and simplistic romance. This could’ve come from an 80s Harlequin, except that they’re gay. It's... old fashioned. There was nothing meta about this, there was no subversion or commentary on anything BL, queer, or beyond. It’s just a straight up (okay not straight) romance. I was not wild about these characters for this particular pair, but that’s not the pair's fault, they did a decent job with their parts and I look forward to their next show - here’s hoping it’s a bit more meaty. I preferred the side couple because they were more complex and true to BL archetypes, even if they were also a bit miss-handled. A serviceable show if somewhat lacking in its convictions, but with some beautiful sex scenes, people, and fashion. I was a particular fan of Lin‘s gender bending femme style. It’s groundbreaking to see that aesthetic on one of the leads. There were multiple times they could’ve leaned into well established plot points, paranormal elements, and character tension, and instead just glossed over them.

This should probably get a 7/10, but I’m giving it an 8 because of that one oppa line at the beginning, Tenon's tatas, and the call back to Big Dragon with that iconic musical refrain in the final episode. It was a pretty fun ride, emphasis on pretty and ride. 

Battle of the Writers (Sun YT) ep 5 of 12 - Lots of kissing this episode. And lots of different kinds of kissing from the same two actors in various different forms and characters. I really liked it. It’s nice to see that this pair can mix it up a little bit, even if it's just with their lips.

I Saw You in My Dream (Weds Gaga) ep 7 of 12 - OK the leg care massage was so boyfriend I can’t even. Who are they trying to fool? I love the way Ing always knows exactly what is going on. Thank goodness for that confession! I’m very much looking forward to the next episode.

(The socratic method, is it?)

The Trainee (Sun YouTube) ep 9 of 12 - Still couldn’t care less about the hets. Yawn. Ah Jane’s ex shows up. (Is that Green? Hi baby!) Meanwhile, Jane gets worried and jealous. I loved Pah in this ep, and almost wish this were a show just about him. Like a grown-up Green Fictions. (Where tf did Poon COME from allasudden? He’s a killer actor. GMMTV better use him wisely.) Also, in that scene with Pat and P’Jo, they’re eating some of my favorite food. I got a little bit of linguistic negotiation with Khun Par Phi. Cuteness. And we end with some actual communication. Yay!!! It’s kind of hilarious to see OffGun in a tentative hug. I don’t think they’ve been that way for a years.

In fact, this whole episode was pretty much about communicating properly between ages and ranks within an office and social structure. I loved that. I’m liking this one more this week. It’s still not my favorite currently airing, but I think that mostly has to do with how much other good stuff is on right now.

SPEAKING OF...

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

The On1y One (Taiwan Thurs Gaga) eps 3-4 of 12 - Uh huh, a game of one-up-man-ship is it? I think not. That boy wants to jump his cute stepbrother’s bones so bad that big brain of his is starting to melt. I'm here for it. Also, said sunshine cutie is clearly a big old cock tease. Everybody is happy about this. They sure know how to end these episodes on cliffhangers too. I don’t know how I’m gonna wait until next week.

I’m legit mad about how fucking good this is. After Unknown too?! Taiwan is spoiling us this year and THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN DOING IT ALL ALONG.

Sugar Dog Life (Japan Sun grey) ep 3-4 of 10 - Oh my goodness do I love this show. It makes me laugh, I adore the premise, I'm wild over the characters, and the acting is killer. I’m just really happy about this show, OK? I tend to sing and clap: Oh they so cute.

Baby got his first crush and he has no idea what to do about it. I ADORE how angry he is about it. Like... How dare I even consider falling in love with somebody? How annoying of me. It’s great. I even liked the girl in the confession and how cool and sweet they both were to each other over his rejection. Bang up job. This is fantastic BL of the newer modern style. (As contrasted to On1y)

These top two shows are neck and neck for best of the week, for entirely different reasons. But I love all my sons.

Speaking of...

Cosmetic Playlover (Japan Tues Gaga) eps 7-8 fin - Oh it’s so adorable with the drama and the little subordinate coming to their rescue, and them meeting each other’s family. "I want to become someone who is essential in your life" = peak romance.

Summation?

I loved this little show. It was a classic office BL about the older workaholic who loves his job and the younger upstart who unexpectedly loves his boss. It’s a hyung romance where everybody is extremely earnest and sweet and pretty about everything. Except our seme, who is slightly unhinged and a little obsessed in all the ways one likes best from Japan. Plus the kisses were good! I can’t ask for anything more, utterly charming unexpected gem of a show. What a great time! 9/10

I Hear the Sunspot AKA Hidamari ga Kikoeru (Japan Weds Gaga) ep 11 of 12 - The lack of communication between these 2 may actually drive me insane. But I still love them. Such a sad ep. 

Seoul Blues (Korea Fri? YouTube) ep 3 of 8 - Argh but also oooooo. I bet the uncut version was fantastic this week.

First Note Of Love (Taiwan Mon Gaga) eps 5-6 of 12 - I'm starting to like this better. I’m still not convinced, but I did enjoy watching it this week. I’m getting some chemistry off the leads. Admittedly. that’s because they both behave like 16-year-olds. Surprise MosBank cameo - looking handsome as ever, boys. (Honestly, Taiwan really wants that King of the Cameos crown.) And FINALLY our side couple. I’m looking forward to next week primarily because of them. And I don’t even have them yet!

Takara's Treasure AKA Takara No Vidro (Japan Mon Gaga) ep 9 of 10 - OK the lap cuddle was v cute. As was the handholding. But hiking with a metal griddle? Insanity. Might be the craziest thing in a BL this year. And The Sign aired this year. Meanwhile, not a dead fish kiss! Yay! 

It's airing but...

4 Minutes (Sat Gaga) eps 1-6 of 8 - Gaga picked this one up so we can watch it there. I'm waiting until the end, it seems angsty and confusing and full of awful people being awful. But also... high heat and I'm shallow. So we shall see which devil wins (and how it ends).

In case you missed it

Meet You at the Blossom (China) - I'm eating crow, binging the fucker, and live blogging. It's just taking me some time. This isn't really a bingable show, not for me anyway. It's A LOT to take all at once.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

Coming SEPTEMBER 2024:

9/? The Time of Fever (Korea iQIYI) 6 eps - HoTae & DongHee are back! Side couple from Unintentional Love Story, same actors, same character names I an WILD for this.

9/1 Live in Love (Thai Sun Gaga) 5 eps - Short series featuring and online romance turning IRL.

9/3 Happy of the End (Japan Tues Gaga) - Based on a manga, longer than usual run time. A boy is disowned for being gay, dumped by his boyfriend, and ends up in a dysfunctional co-dependant relationship with his would-be kidnapper. We were due for another messy JBL. Here it is!

9/6 Kidnap (Thai Friday GMMTV YouTube) 12 eps - Ohm Pawat is back for Frigays it's gonna be a blast.

9/7 The Hidden Moon (Thai Sat ????) 10 eps - This is a supernatural romance (my ghost boyfriend trope) ‘เดือนพราง’ by Violet Rain (I Feel You Linger)... A Bangkok writer is hired to write an article about an old mansion in Chiang Mai which is being converted into a café. He gets into an accident and nearly dies on his way there. After that, he sees the ghosts of people who died at the mansion, one boy catches his attention. Was substantially recast.

9/9 Jack & Joker (Thai Mon IQIYI) 12 eps? - Be gay YinWar, do crimes. Dehup gives us Yin, War, Mark and a few other familiar faces in a Leverage sitch, only queerer.

9/14 Love Sick 2024 (Thai Sat ????) ?? eps - Remake of the original. I'm scared too.

9/15 Bad Guy My Boss (Thai Sun Gaga) 10 eps - Assistant to a player boss who is in love with that boss decides to quit to save himself. The boss then makes a move. (A gay What's up with Secretary Kim?)

9/17 Love is Like a Poison AKA Doku Koi: Doku mo Sugireba Koi to Naru (Japan Tues Netflix?) 10 eps - Lawyer and a con artist meet at a bar, pair up, fall in love.

9/28 Teenager Judge (Vietnam Sat YouTube) ?? eps - oh I don't know just Ba Vinh doing his thing with pretty boys again.

Adventures in miss-captions

(been a while since we had one of these)

SNICKER "nail you" and a "nail you down" = completely different things. But this being Japan they might have met either or both. (Cosmetic)

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Why yes, you do have the prettiest lips in the biz. No need to tease us like that. (Battle)

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are a pain.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

Sigh, Tumblr in its infinite wisdom doesn't like too many tags.

[strangerthingsfanworkrecs]

Artist Highlight: Ihni

This week, we're highlighting @ihni! All recs this week will be for her work, both fics and arts. @ihni writes and makes comics for Harringrove and Metalsandwich ships. We're highlighting Ihni for her hilarious dialogues and heartfelt moments. She also puts out adorable Harringrove comics.

You should check out her Pacific Rim MetalSandwich AU for some stellar enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Steve and Billy with Eddie's sincerity and openness gluing the two of them together. And she has books of her comics available here

original image here She answered some questions about her work under the cut

Why Stranger Things?

It's all Billy's fault, really. I mean, I liked season 1 well enough, but in a more normal-person, casual-watcher way. Then season 2 showed up and ... to be honest I didn't like Billy much at first. But then that scene with his dad happened, which explained a lot about him, and I did a 180 and adopted him as my favorite on the spot. Looked for fanfics, found fanfics, and that was that. He's been my #1 since then.

What's your favorite ship (platonic or romantic) to create for?

Honestly, ships are less important to me than (my favorite) characters, and I usually like any situation where characters interact with each other, and I like seeing what happens. I will write and create works where Billy interacts with just about anyone, because it's interesting and fun. Romantically though? I'm a Harringrover at heart (ie Billy/Steve), but am also not opposed to Mungrove (Billy/Eddie) or Metalsandwich (Billy/Steve/Eddie). (When reading, I am not opposed to other Billy ships - as long as it's a gay ship - but I don't really create for it ... except that one Billy/Argyle fic I did, which I just remembered.) All that was a long way of saying: As long as Billy's there and somewhat of a focus (and it's not a het ship), I'm in.

What's your typical writing process like?

Lots of groaning, lots of staring at a screen, lots of checking tumblr and discord and youtube, lots of doing literally anything but writing (like sorting through the bathroom cabinet or making a piercing cradle for future bookbinding projects, etc). Sometimes, inspiration strikes and I can write a whole fic in a day or two, just to forget everything I've written immediately after posting and being surprised to re-read it a couple of weeks later. But often, it's somewhat of a struggle. Normally, I am a pretty slow writer (see abovementioned penchant for distractions), so it often takes me YEARS to finish a longer fic. But I normally don't post WIPs, so it doesn't matter that it takes me a while because no one is expecting anything from me. I recently posted my longest fic yet (first one to reach 100K, wohoo!), and that took over 6,5 years for me to finish.

What's your typical drawing process like? Depends on what it is. If it's doodles, then a quick sketch, then lines, then erasing the sketch, and then colours (and if it's something else, well then it depends on what media it is; acrylics, pens, pencils, oils ... I like to try a bit of everything). I prefer watercolours for colouring doodles but I only have a TINY bit of black left in the watercolour set that I normally use to colour, so I'm gonna have to do something about that soon. Also I have done most of my doodles on the same kind of paper (I have like, 12 of the same kind of drawing ... pads? Book of blank papers! ... that I got at my old workplace, but I'm on my last one now so soon I'll have to switch to either a different kind of paper, or to drawing on the back of the doodles I have already done! I don't like that thought of that - I am a creature of habit that way.

Bonus: a picture of the doodles I have done that I still have (with some, I have sent them off to whoever inspired/asked for them)

Where do you get inspiration for your doodle faces?

You mean the faces on the doodles? I honestly don't know, I just want them to express some kind of emotion, and I try to convey that in the simplest forms possible. Sometimes, I succeed.

What's been your favorite project so far? Why?

Oh no, why would you ask me that? It's like asking me to choose between my children (I don't have children, but like, if I DID). I like a lot of what I've done, actually. I can't say that I've had a favorite, but if I go back and look at some old doodles or read an old fic of mine, I can feel very proud of myself and be happy that I did it that way. I also like having physical evidence that I've done something, so I have put my doodles into books and I've printed off my own fics and put them in my bookcase, and sometimes when I feel like I have done nothing with my life, I look at them and think "Actually, look at what I've done" and then I get to mentally pat myself on the shoulder and feel better.

What's been your hardest project so far? Why?

There have been some fics that have been difficult to write. Most often, it's one that is for another person, like for an exchange or something - then, I really want to make something for the recipient that they will like, but sometimes what they are asking for or their favorite things are things that don't come naturally for me to write. So then I'll have to struggle a bit. It's always harder with ideas that didn't pop up in my brain unannounced. I still try to do my best with them, though, because I want the recipient to be happy.

Is there a big source of inspiration for you? Books? Art? Games?

Well for doodles, I'd say tumblr. Many doodles have been inspired by or straight-up taken from tumblr posts. For writing, it can be anything; books, scenes from shows, movies ... I am very damaged by now, so when I watch a movie there is always a part of my brain that are going "How can we make this about Billy" or "How can we make this Harringrove". I have a long list of AUs that would 100% work for them, that will never get written by me.

Is there an upcoming project you're particularly excited about?

Not a particular one, I'd say. I have a couple of WIPs, and one fic that I'm kind of close to finishing, so I'm very much looking forward to finishing that one. I'm always excited about finishing fics and posting them, because then they are finally out of my brain - there's too much rattling in there anyway, on a good day, so anything that gets finished is cause for celebration! XD

Do you have a memorable comment or some other interaction with your work?

Many. I love comments, and I save every single one. I have a specific folder in my email inbox where I save all AO3 comments for rainy days, when I need a pick-me-up. Just in the last month or so I have been lucky enough to receive several comments that straight-up made me blush, I was so happy to read them. And while I love ALL comments (including single-sentence ones, keysmashes and emojis), I have two favorite kinds of comments:

The longer ones where someone takes the time to tell me what they liked, or theorize about the events/characters, or what something made them feel.

The ones left by someone I know; friends and people whose usernames I recognize. I don't know why, but it feels extra special when someone I know a little choose to read/look/reblog and leave a comment.

But that said, all are good. Fandom is a community, and I am 100% pro-feedback.

Is there anything we didn't ask that you'd like to add?

Just reiterating that I am pro-feedback. I try to always leave a comment or a tag on the things I see and like, because I know how happy it makes me, and there's nothing wrong with trying to spread a little happiness around in these times. If something I have made has made someone smile, then mission accomplished. We live in complicated times and some days it feels like we are bombarded by bad vibes from all sides, so fandom should be fun and simple and good vibes only. We all need a respite, sometimes. And for me, fandom is just that.

[let-us-cultivate-our-garden]

I used to be part of the TOH fandom but left after the finale - I felt it was very lacking and was a huge letdown for all the reasons you said. Patting itself on the back and lore erasure. But I'd like to ask about something different.

It's no secret Dana hates Disney. But saying it everywhere, the jabs at Disney in the actual show, the attitude of fans parroting her, especially when the news of the shortening was first out - it was legitimately intense. Disney the company has done bad things. But there was a period where I felt like a bad person for even remotely enjoying Disney movies and Disney-published books. I hated myself and felt I was 'betraying' the show, because I had been told Disney was the enemy and nothing more. Disney shortening the show was not a good decision. But it also provided fans with a convenient scapegoat to put every bit of blame on when the show had the tiniest flaw. Comics of beating up Mickey Mouse, 'Disney' being treated like a swear word, praising TOH as the holy grail of animation and saying Disney hated gay people - it made me feel I was a traitor to the show and to myself. (I'm still figuring out my sexuality, but I know I'm not straight.)

Do you think the Disney blame game was too much?

The toh fandom has this incredibly binary way of thinking; the show is the greatest thing in animation and if you don't agree then you're a bigot. Lumity is the best sapphic ship ever and if you don't think so then you're lesbophobic. Shipping non canon ships is tantamount to a war crime. And of course, any criticism of the show has the convenient Disney defense. Any and all flaws of the show is because Disney is evil for not letting the show reach its full potential.

Listen, getting your show cancelled or shortened sucks. But, unfortunately, it's not unique and writers need to prepare for that because it seems to be an occupational hazard in the entertainment industry. A lot of shows get cancelled without even having a conclusion (thank you Netflix for ending the Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance on a cliffhanger! even after the show won a got dang Emmy! 😤) so people should be thankful that at least the toh crew were allowed to finish the story.

I can give grace when analyzing a show's elements knowing what the writers had to deal with. But if they make decisions knowing ahead of time that they only have half a season and 3 specials left, and proceed to add more characters and plot lines that would require a longer season, then those are all fair game.

Dana knew of the Shortening around the production of Eda's Requiem, yet decided to add the Collector, because screw it! We like this little guy and want to see where it goes! They had Hunter get possessed and kill his best friend, yet barely any time is given to him to process that trauma. In the penultimate episode, Boscha, of all people, gets a mini sub plot despite not being relevant for a full season. Luz's angst arc gets 4. separate. resolutions.

None of this is Disney's fault. This all on the crew for not using their precious time wisely and tossing whatever they can to the wall to see what sticks.

So yeah, the Disney blame game is too much but it's also a blessing in disguise because now it's a convenient shield for whoever doesn't want to hear criticism about the show.

As for feeling guilty about liking Disney; listen, Disney has been foundational for literally millions of people for decades. Its presence and influence is seemingly inescapable. And the company has done some awful things in the name of corporate greed and profit.

But you should never feel guilty for liking something that brings you joy.

Remember that writers and artists are responsible for the shows you love. Many queer folks have seen themselves in Disney movies for a variety of reasons and there are many queer artists that have worked for Disney (hi Howard Ashman and Andreas Deja!)

So no, you're not a traitor for liking Disney.

The toh fandom has a very reactionary, us-vs-them attitude and it's incredibly toxic. So don't let the haters get you down!

I wish you well on your journey and hope you're in a better place.

Thank you for the ask!

[billyvell]

I think it's complicated because, I can kinda see the show possibly framing this as Lochy acting predatory towards Saxon, which, it's not what I want, and like I said, not what I think of it when looking at the whole situation objectively. But I kinda get why people are throwing that around. I think we'll have to wait and see how things are gonna go on the next episode, and even the ones after that, to fully grasp what's the truth of this situation.

Well, I don't see how Lochy is being predatory at all? Because he's attracted to Saxon in the first place? That's not convincing for me, and I can't stand that so many fans just run with that.

Saxon is significantly older, allegedly more mature and responsible. Saxon got him drinking alcohol in the first place, Chloe offered Lochy drugs. Chloe (with Chelsea's tacit approval) dared the boys to kiss each other. Lochy pecked Saxon on the lips and laughed, then Chloe demanded more, so he kissed Saxon on the lips again (more like on the chin if you go frame by frame) and held his face, for 5 seconds, still an utterly chaste kiss. Saxon looked weirded out.

That's it. If that's considered sexual assault then Saxon already assaulted Lochy by swinging his ass and dick around and talking about porn and masturbating in episode one.

The fans who are disgusted with Lochy piss me off, because to me, this isn't literal incest. It reads as a gay coded character getting to express his carefully concealed attraction for a straight coded character, and if the fans had it their way, he would be crushed like a bug and ostracized forever. He's irredeemably predatory and creepy. This hits a little too close to home for me. I've had feelings for straight men, never acted on them, but made the mistake of verbalizing it to so-called friends who immediately acted like I was a sexual predator. That shit hurts.

If this were literal incest, they would be mad at the pretty unambiguous victim of his groomer brother. That's why I brought real life into it. No matter how you slice it, the fans who are disgusted with Lochy have all their priorities wrong.

I'm not saying Lochy is a naive little lamb like a lot of the defenders do. But I just don't accept the interpretation that he's being predatory. He's not helpless, he has agency, but I still see a lot of innocence in his actions, even if they involve drugs and alcohol and incest. He's a dumb sheltered kid who's never done this before. He's attracted to his brother and he's acting on it only because he's so inebriated and other people are cheering him on. And his actions (so far) are just two fairly innocent kisses.

I agree with you though, I think Saxon also has deeply buried feelings for Lochy, which in my opinion would raise a lot more red flags lol. Saxon also majorly gives sheltered kid but since he's older, he's learned to project confidence and swagger when he feels awkward or vulnerable. I think Lochy is exposing that vulnerable side of Saxon, which will make Chloe/Chelsea more attracted to him, hence the foursome (I have no idea what specifically will go down).

I don't mean to keep dumping essays on you, this fandom is just getting on my nerves and you're the first blog I saw who doesn't think Lochy is a creep and who also doesn't oversexualize the "evil manipulative twink yas!" of it all like Twitter gays do. That's why I also don't like the "Well Lochy is just turning around Saxon's creepiness back on him, don't feel bad for Saxon," because I don't think Lochy's even doing that. But we'll see what happens.

It's less than I agree with the idea and more that I can sadly see the writers somewhat going with that, you know? I mean, I have some hope that they won't like, actually villanize Lochy, but they might go with the idea that the incest is "his fault".

The fact that they have Saxon literally say "I don't take drugs so don't take advantage of me" makes me a little scared, even though, like you said, that would be Chloe's fault and not to mention his own for drinking so much.

I think there's also the possibility that Saxon will blame Lochy for it because he's freaked out at what he did, and media illiterate people will take it at face value and not be able to understand that this is just him being in denial and not the objective truth... Because if it is really all on Lochy and he has no responsability than that's... kinda cheap? Like as storytelling? I want Saxon to have some responsability and have to deal with the fact that he did something, even if his first instinct is to keep repressing it.

And I say all of this while making the assumption that *something more* is gonna happen in the next episode of course, cause if it's just about the kiss than to consider that as some kind of assault or even something bad to blame Lochy for is indeed so ludicrous that I wouldn't even entertain the idea. It was playful and on a pretty light-hearted context.

I think stuff like calling him mischevious and diabolical is fine, if it's not meant as an offense. Most people are indeed not analyzing things and taking it as seriously as we are, but even some who are can also makes jokes like that and not mean anything by it (I know cause I know people also saying stuff like that while actually understanding him on a more serious level).

I know it might come off like that, but I swear I'm not trying to dismiss your feelings anon, just saying that maybe if you think like that + accept that some of the general audience will misunderstand him and the storyline as a whole bc "incest bad", it'll probably make it easier. Like that is kinda what I've been doing, instead of being upset at the people who are scandalized by the incest I just find it amusing. Unless someone is actually treating it as a serious social issue and judging people for shipping it, I won't be upset.

[coolbeesbro]

Brief brake from COTL content for a Helluva Boss hot take

This might be an unpopular opinion, but also this is a cartoon so keep that in mind before you light your torches please.

So I've been stewing on this since the release of the season two finale for Helluva Boss. Although I understand where people's irritation with Octavia is coming from, something that's being overlooked big time (at least from what I'm seeing) is the fact that Octavia's entire life has been in a house where her parents very obviously hate each other. Despite Stolas' best efforts to make things in the house ok and make her feel loved, her mother didn't exactly do the same. The constant screaming from her mother, who smashes things in fits of rage and verbally (potentially even physically) abuses her father isn't exactly an easy childhood.

Being a child growing up in an environment like that, she's bound to be dealing with untreated mental illness, like self esteem issues and depression. We as the viewer see both perspectives, and although Stolas is my favorite character I can see exactly where Octavia is coming from. He did leave her for Blitzø, however justified and right he was to do so given the circumstances, and left her all alone in a home with her mother and uncle who both don't seem to care about her at all.

She's still a teenager, and I myself at 17 wasn't exactly the best to be around and had a hard time seeing reason in times of conflict. Depression and OCD made things difficult for me, and it only got better when I started going to therapy at 18 and taking medication for it, and by 21-22 it hit me what people mean when they say you're not fully done developing until early to mid 20's. For Octavia, being 17 mixed with the feeling of betrayal she felt by her father choosing to be executed to save Blitzø on national television is a very heavy thing to experience. He chose to do this, saying his life wasn't worth living without Blitzø by his side, and that has to fucking hurt.

Once more, this situation is incredibly complicated. I do agree Stolas doing what he did was the right thing to do, but Octavia is absolutely justified in feeling the way she does.

At the time she is finally face to face with Stolas, she just came to the realization that her father was on happy pills for her entire childhood. She's unsure if it's her own fault, and even though Stolas tries to reassure her that that isn't true, she doesn't know what to believe anymore. There are so many things she's handling, plus the growing understanding that her mother is abusive and is celebrating her fathers downfall at her own expense, and her uncle doing the exact same, she's really hurting and has nobody she feels she can rely on anymore.

She's hurting, and in response is hurting the person she thinks caused it in turn. When she gets older I can see Octavia learning more about Stolas' childhood and see everything he did to break the cycle of abuse he lived with (even though he failed spectacularly in other areas). Unlike Stolas, she wasn't forced into an arranged marriage, let alone with someone who's very clearly a narcissist (at least from what the writers are showing us). She wasn't growing up with absent parents (I don't know what's up with Stolas' mother, and we all know how awful Paimon is as a father) and Stolas did things to distance himself from his father's actions. She'll begin to see why her father was so unhappy in his marriage (outside of being gay in a straight relationship), and will understand why Stolas was so attached to Blitzø.

I feel like once she hits 19 (the age Stolas was when Octavia was born) she'll also start to consider all the things he had to deal with at that age moving forward that she didn't before. They will probably make amends between now and then, and I also get the feeling that either Luna or Blitzø (or both) will be the one to bridge that gap. For the time being, for her character to grow she'll need time away from Stolas to come to her own conclusions. Most importantly, I think she needs to be the one to reach out.

Once more, this is just a cartoon, and I'm just a guy on the internet offering a different perspective.

[millermenapologist]

hey! saw ur reply to my post and it isn’t the lack of media literacy, it’s the erasure of the gay couple, i know it’s not going to be reflected exactly from the game as it wouldn’t work for tv but there is no need for them to have expanded seth’s plot, it could’ve been another character easily helping them. as a lesbian it’s very annoying to see the established bi character say ‘because im gay and your not’ and be boiled down to bi stereotypes. it isn’t a lack of media literacy at all. it is the cheek of the writers expanding characters that don’t need expanding and not expanding plot and characters which actually need it☺️

That Seth scene is like... 30 seconds. It's not an expansion, it's used to reaffirm how toxic he is. And I get that after the assembly outburst, many people in the fandom have started calling him the MVP and bullshit like that, but like... we can't really fault the writers for that, can we? Because both show and game are pretty clear on the "Ellie's revenge only caused her to lose everyone, it was a bad idea from the very start" thing. The fact that his little speech further legitimizes Ellie's desire to go to Seattle isn't a net positive.

Okay, listen... I have written a post about the "Dina's bi" thing that's already queued up so it'll probably go online before this, but, to sum it up: give a look at how medias used to portray bi characters before 2003. Not only the representation was really few and far between, but it was also almost always extremely negative and ridiculed.

I think it makes perfect sense, for Show Dina, to need a moment more than Game Dina, who was born in a post-2013 world, to figure herself out and, for now, sum it up with "You're gay, I'm not."

And yes, character development and discovery is kind of needed? She can't just be Ellie's Revenge Companion without her own little side plot going on because she has already figured out everything about herself.

[lemonmoxy]

Ok, I know I'm a year late but MY BOY. They murdered my boy! Poirot is my favorite gay uncle, he is NOT my straight sad uncle.

So, I watched A Haunting in Venice which is an adaptation of Agatha Christie's Halloween Party by Kenneth Branagh, and I did not care for it. I did not care for it a lot. And that is why I have held you hostage here.

So disclaimer: I do not care about adaptational changes. I have the books. I have the David Scuhet's movies. Kenneth can make changes. Halloween Party is even a fine Christie story to change. It's fine but its not a masterpiece. It's just, if you're going to change things they should be lateral changes or better changes, not worse changes.

Now, for disclosure of bias. I have not liked any of these. I've found them all overwrought wastes of my time. But my partner loves Poirot, me, and doesn't mind wasting both of our times. And when he offers me fancy cheeses and movies, I say yes.

This movie was an absolute waste of my time. I did not like it. I got nothing of value out of it. It wasn't even bad coz that would have been interesting.

I do not like this Sherlock- I mean Poirot. They made him straight, they took away his OCD. They took away his heart of gold. He's just a sad mean old man, and he's not fun to watch. What does Kenneth think he's here to do? And its not just Poirot its the whole world. There's no sense of fun in these movies. In Orient Express it makes sense (although it made no sense to adapt that one first Kenneth). But Halloween Party? Guys live a fucking little.

Someone needs to explain to male directors that just because they're telling a story of cultural importance, doesn't make it epic. Agatha Christie's stories are fantastic! They're major cultural pieces of art. They are not epic though. They are fun mysteries. Kenneth, buddy, do you know what fun is? Because your movies haven't captured an iota of it.

That's maybe a slight exaggeration. There was one moment that made me smile. When Poirot said he would kill himself if the police solved the mystery before him, that was a real moment.

Poirot doesn't need war trauma guys. I don't even know how to tell you this. I fucking blame all the Sherlock adaptations for this. The detective shouldn't have that much going on, because we're here for the mystery not Poirot's damage. And if he must have damage it should be from things that we've seen and care about, not like, his dead wife. Or God forbid his dead congregation, looking at you BBC One. come on.

Making the killer the mother who couldn't stand to let her daughter grow up is predictable. It was my partner's first guess and he never gets these things right. I had guessed it was a Romeo and Juliet went wrong, which I think would have been interesting. But no, once again the faults of the child belong at the hands of the mother.

Also the whole time my partner was joking that the movie was going to decide that ghosts were real. And it did (kinda). Bizarre. I mean if you're going to that fucking go all out guys. Show me the dead girl waving to the survivors through the window. Have any fun with the idea. Please

Why was the parrot there? What was the point of it? Why is this child acting like the most world weary 11 year old? Has Kenneth met a child? Normally I'd be like "oh Lemon, it's just for fun" but Kenneth is determined we not have any, so what the hell?

Ah yes, let's put the man in the sound proof room and give the key very pointedly to one person. My partner and I were like "well whatever he knows is going to his grave" and yeah dead next scene coz duh. It was all very... I mean I know it's rude to compare a writer to Agatha Christie, but they're the ones who decided to square up. Every important clue dialogue is so obvious. Every death flag. They might as well do a pop-up on the screen. I've played Nancy Drew video games with more subtly.

They assassinated Ariadne, Christie's stand in for herself. And I feel very very negatively about this. Ah yes, kill her movies with shitty adaptations and then do a character assassination of her self insert. I mean, you can't say they're half-assing this. Tina Fey was actually good, it's not her fault almost all her lines were terribly written.

You can get the Dutch angle privilege back when you show me know how to use it properly Kenneth. Until then it's on the shelf.

If you wanted to do a horror movie hiding in a mystery story or a mystery story hiding in a horror movie, you need to commit to either idea Kenneth. Do something.

I am so so so tired of directors who keep acting like they have something important to say when they have nothing and refuse to have fun with the things that they do have.

They cannot keep getting away with this, guys. It's imperative we do something about this. Don't go see Nolan's Odyssey, I'm begging you. I'll never escape any other way.

[monstermoviedean]

i think there is a point where while the framing of dean and cas's relationship is frustrating, it's more indicative of like. the writers failing to understand dean and cas's relationship or a result of not hiring misha as a third lead for the show, so castiel comes off as extremely flaky and continues repeating his mistakes even when he says he'll do better.

basically we should all hope robbie thompson or steve yockey is the showrunner for a potential revival bc they seem to understand dean really well.

like while i Understand that these actions are consistent for castiel it also mostly feels like writers struggling to actually let him grow rather than entirely his fault?

like i've seen deancrit casgirls look at dean kicking out cas in the bunker and basically go "that's completely bullshit and out of character, i'm not gonna incorporate it into my understanding of dean as a character because that's very obviously the hand of the author preventing dean and cas from interacting while cas is a human, because it would be gay"

i kind of think that cas should be extended that same kind of grace in being like. the writers don't seem to see this as an issue and as a result even though it is one, it's hard to see a character grow when most writers dont seem to recognize it as a problem.

like steve yockey identifies it as an issue in lily sunder, when dean is mad/worried about cas the entire episode for making a call on his own (killing billie) but is still defending him from ishim. but berens doesn't seem to see it as a repeated problem in 15x09, so it's not brought up except as a snide comment from dean.

that being said i think castiel thinks of himself as disposable, so him using his love and devotion as a weapon to save dean is wonderful for him but ultimately devastating for dean, who has never viewed cas as replaceable.

like cas firmly believes that his emotions don't matter, that his feelings don't matter (his own insecurities and upbringing), so dean saying "no you do matter, of course you matter" is wonderful! but unfortunately he made the deal with the empty, and he probably realizes how bad he fucked up making that deal (it's claire and jimmy again, it's john and dean again, making a deal to save your child that dooms the people around you to grieve your loss)

it's just very very tragic, and sad. i wish supernatural was good.

sorry for rambling lmao.

it's a yes/and for me. yes, cas has to be off-screen a lot because of budgetary reasons, and the writers could have addressed that in different ways that made it seem less like cas being flaky. as for repeating his mistakes and not being able to grow, i think that's a separate issue, but a writer issue as well. there are ways to address cas repeating mistakes that don't blame dean for those mistakes.

i try to reserve my judgment of something as ooc to a few extreme situations. that's just my personal preference. i can think of a handful of actions across the show that are best-explained by ooc writing. dean telling cas he can't stay in 09x03 is not one of those. i don't like it, obviously, but i can see why dean did that and why it makes sense in his context.

i get what you're saying about extending grace to cas, and yes, writer actions are always at play here, but i try to view and interpret situations based on what is happening in the show itself. again, personal preference, and i don't always stick to that. but for me, if i only looked at everything through the lens of "writers made them do it," that wouldn't be very fun for me because yeah, writers made them do all of it and it's a work of fiction.

but extending grace to cas - i always try to extend grace to everyone. i really do. sometimes i fail! i get frustrated that i often see others extending grace to cas and intentionally withholding it from others who they don't think deserve it. it's a double standard i find aggravating.

[erikahenningsen]

Thoughts on the movie? Spoilers welcome lol

MEAN GIRLS (2024) SPOILERS BELOW

Overall I really liked it! I had very low expectations, especially considering the track list showing that a lot of songs had been cut. That actually turned out not to be true, as there were some songs in the movie that weren't on the track list (Cautionary Tale, Someone Gets Hurt (Reprise), I See Stars). I expected a lot to be changed, but it actually followed the show fairly closely with some changes (they don't go to the mall, for example). A lot of the lines from the original movie and the Broadway show were kept but there's a lot of new stuff too that really made me laugh. Damian has some good one-liners.

Generally I liked the musical numbers, although I found Angourie kind of lacking when it came to performing during songs, although that's not entirely her fault. They changed Stupid With Love to be slowed way down and just like generally low-key and lines like "I am filled with calculust" just don't hit the same when you're singing it softly with no expression on your face lol. I've never been a big fan of Stop but I do wish Jaquel had had some song of his own. He just has Cady's part in Apex Predator now. The new opening song for Cady (What Ifs) was... fine, but I've never been super in love with Wildlife or It Roars so whatever. It seems like the writers never really could settle on what they wanted for that song since it had a lot of changes for the tour as well. They did totally remove Cady's dad's existence with no explanation which was kind of funny. (My new headcanon is that he was eaten by a lion.)

Definitely cannot go without mentioning that Janis is canonically gay and takes a girl to spring fling, and even Damian has a date he dances with! Regina does also tell Cady she likes her although I think they were going for platonic (could go either way). Cady had the exact same reaction to seeing Regina for the first time as Aaron, which was very funny to me. Obviously I didn't expect them to make everyone explicitly gay so I appreciate the little things they did add. (We know the truth.) I was worried they would completely remove the storyline about Janis's sexuality since the trailer showed the burn book saying "pyro freak," but it's still there. They also made Norbury and Duvall a canon couple which was cute.

I think they did go a little too hard on the gen Z culture aspect; I found some of the language was little cringy at times and felt like a cariacture, but I'm also not a teenager, so maybe it is authentic ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (any teens reading this please report back to me).

In summary I had a really good time and I have some minor gripes but the bar was really on the ground for me and I'm excited to go back! I'm bringing a coworker this week who didn't know me during MG on Broadway and has never seen or listened to this musical so that should be wild.

[theneurospicynerd]

Hot take on final episode

Spolier warning!!! Last chance!

I'm not even mad about Izzy. It was sad, and I'm upset that he's died. It does make sense storytelling wise, and if I was the writer, I probably would have made the same choice, I did see it coming, but thought they might not do it because of the whole subverting gay tropes and this does seem a little 'bury the gay'... Izzy had finally accepted himself, could move on and be happy and he dies... but I get it. I understand why they did it.

However, I will say i wish they did it differently. It was a random ass bullet shot, it wasn't even aiming at him properly, it was chance, total bad luck. I guess it was for the shock factor, and how sudden things can happen during battle, and for a comedy/drama, it is still a pirate show, so people will get hurt and they will die, but I would have loved to see something more meaningful for Izzy's character development. We spent an entire season working through his trauma and acceptance journey, and it just feels a little.. anti climatic.

I would have loved for there to be a parallel from season 1, a show down with the British, Ricky shoots the gun at Stede, Ed is to far away this time, and Izzy jumps in front of him. It would bring his arc full circle, accepting Stede as family, approving of his relationship with Ed, and understanding that Stede makes Ed better, and while last season he gave him up to the British, here he is saving him, because he knows that without Stede, Ed may fall back into that dark path he was on and he wants to save Ed (and the crew) from that. It would have been a nice contrast of him helping break them up, and nearly dying from it, to dying to ensure they can be happy together.

I would have also accepted him maybe sacrificing himself for Lucius, the one he had a lot of tension with, because of his own self hatred reflected in seeing Lucius as everything he felt like he could not be, open, caring and gay without no fucks to give. Him then saving Lucius would have been a nod to him coming to terms with that in himself, that he doesn't have to be this angry hateful person, and also saving him now when last season his words and actions had a domino effect which led to lucius being pushed of the ship and a lot of trauma, so being a nice little parallel.

I wish we had more episodes, but they did amazing with what they had. There were pacing issues but that wasn't the fault of the writers, it was getting a rubbish budget and 8 half an hour episodes. I hope for a season 3, and I really really hope Con is still in it, even if he is Ed, Stede's or Lucius' ghost just making snarky comments behind them for the entire season.

Anyway, thank you for reading my Ted Talk!

[morskisir]

i'm really curious why you dislike the comics? /genq /nm

ooooh the dreaded question. i can get really passionate about this (i care too much) so i'm going to be as brief and simple as i can. i'm aware many people enjoy the comics and that's fine. /gen you do you. like i said; i care too much

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: we have no clue how much time or dedication was given to the comics by valve; the poor writing isn't necessarily the fault of the writers and i have no personal beef with them! with that said, old man yells at cloud /ref under read more/keep reading.

the two main gripes i have with the comics are lack of planning and tone problems.

as i already said, the lack of planning- and therefore the poor writing- does not mean the comic team was incompetent (the art is quite good a lot of the time, actually), but this does mean it severely hurts the quality of the comics themselves. it's clear they aren't sure where they're taking this (as evident by whatever the fuck is going on with helen) and what the story is even supposed to mean. the tone goes hand in hand with the poor planning; the comics aren't sure whether they want to be purely comical and action-focused or a DARK comedy; having serious moments and themes in the story.

in the end, the serious moments come off as either manipulative (iykyk. i am not getting angry about this for 40 minutes again) or as if they're being made fun of (cough cough sniper).

they also struggle to really build up those moments, so sometimes it feels as if they just came out of nowhere. it's really jarring.

there's also just. not a lot of conflict between the main cast?? there isn't a lot of pressure put on pauling from the mercs via questioning her actions, etc. (we only slightly get this from spy. but like once) (i get that it's to show how much trust they have in her but, really? not a single thing?) (this could build up to like. a "grand betrayal" sort of thing but yknow. they didnt think about the build up to anything)

this is why i think making it JUST the RED team really hurts the story- they already have set dynamics and don't need to develop or sort through any conflicts they have with one another. medic only has conflict with sniper of all people. MEDIC. who went to join another team which was actively hunting his previous one.

the comics introduce conflict and new dynamics by straight up making up new characters?? as much as i love zhanna- she was primarily put into the story just to be soldier's love interest and have a fun dynamic with him.... i'm so sorry miss.

they could've done that with demo btw?? since demo and soldier are supposed to be friends?? unless actually the team differences DO matter (which the comics do not make clear at all, engie is randomly blue while the rest are red. okay. why? wouldn't you like to know.) so red soldier and red demo dont bounce off of eachother as much as blu soldier and red demo do.

i'm not formatting this at all but remember the poor planning? ahem. sniper timeline. why did you make him barely 30. i will fucking kill you he was always clearly meant to be, look, and sound like an old man. its in his concept art its in how he talks. raghghgh

they keep giving themselves problems by adding new characters cause then the main fucking mercs who people adore get no time for themselves (demo, pyro, scout, engie) they're just kinda......there. it sucks. but it's what we got, i guess. just how canon the comics are is questionable- but i don't care if they are.

it's free real estate i'm doing my own thing!!!!!!!!!!! fuck around find out!!!!! be gay do crime!!!!!!! *gets arrested by valve for tampering with copyrighted material*

anyways, after all that negativity; shoutout to the only stuff i enjoyed from the comics: pauling, heavy, the art. goob byeeeeeeee

[scarlet--wiccan]

Why do people not like YA v2?

Mostly, but not entirely, I think the distaste for Young Avengers (2013) comes from a misplaced sense of proprietary nostalgia for the original series/characters, and an unwillingness to meet the challenge of a somewhat dense text that eschews many superhero conventions in favor of form- and genre experimentation. I understand that's not everybody's cup of tea, and the series is far from perfect-- Gillen executes many of these ideas more successfully in other projects-- but nine times out of ten, when people don't like the book, it's because they refuse to engage with it intellectually or in good faith. I'm just going to say it-- the magic systems and intersecting character arcs both require a certain degree of rigor to comprehend, and I can tell, when people talk about the book, that they aren't meeting that challenge.

It's also dated in a lot of ways, which I understand can put people off if they're coming to it for the first time in the 2020s. At the risk of being hypocritical, because this is a bit of nostalgia on my own part, the book just makes more sense if you were actually a college kid in 2013, like I was. A lot of its aesthetic sensibilities-- and I don't just mean the art, but the tone, dialogue, and general pop culture outlook-- are just very of the era. It connected well at the time, at least with the target audience of, to be honest, tumblr kids.

And for the record-- I like McKelvie's artwork. It evolved a lot over the course of his next project, The Wicked + The Divine, but I think YA was a strong showing. I do not see the faults that other people see in it, especially not when it comes to character design. As an example, I see a lot of folks ragging on Billy's look in this series, and it always strikes me as odd because in 2013.... that's what I looked like. I had exactly that hair, I wore an earring just like that, and I walked around campus in black skinny jeans and a galaxy print backpack. Again, I understand that this is dated, but you can't tell me that's not an appropriate design for a nerdy, slightly emo, eighteen year-old millennial gay guy in 2013. I lived it, and I had the black, plastic-rimmed glasses to prove it!

There are other, more valid critiques to be made. It's not a great sequel or continuation of the original series-- it's not supposed to be, but people have a hard time accepting that, and the fact that so much of the story is really just a continuation of the Kid Loki saga can feel a little unfair. Tommy and Eli's exclusion-- the latter of which is wrapped up in editorial red tape that's never been properly explained-- had a lasting negative impact on both characters. I don't think that David and America's depictions are necessarily offensive, but they're not perfect, either, and I understand why people feel driven to call them out. But the thing about books that are over ten years old, is that you have to be able to view them, objectively, as part of a larger picture, and this is where Young Avengers fans struggle. Again, that might make me a hypocrite, considering how I talk about titles like HoM, or writers like Peter David, but that is a very different magnitute of harm and problematic context.

People are entitled to their opinions, but overall, I just find the conversation around this book to be far too subjective and reactive to engage with. I like the series! It came out at exactly the right time for me, I understand and enjoy the supernatural elements, I like the characters, and I, personally, get a lot out of Gillen's esoteric bullshit and top-down relationship with form. If you don't like it, that's fine, but I feel like everyone complains about the wrong things.

[wenellyb]

What’s your take on the hunch that the show (now that Buck is confirmed queer) is going to kill him off because he and Bobby have their final goodbye in the s7 finale? The show’s creators said that Eddie will go into s8 feeling isolated, and we know that Peter’s contract isn’t up for the show, so Bobby’s likely not dying. Does anyone know if Oliver’s contract is up??? I really hope they don’t give us a bury your gays trope 😫

Hi Anon!!!

I don't know anything about the actors contracts and I don't know where that rumor came from but I know for sure they won’t kill off Buck. If it were Grey's anatomy I would have a different answer but the 911 franchise don't kill off their Main Characters so "easily".

And I don't even why they would kill off Buck "now that he's confirmed Queer"...?????? It doesn't make sense. I would expect 911 Lone Star to kill off Nancy, or Tk, or Carlos, or Paul.

I'm not saying it couldn't happen in the future, and for sure something dramatic is going to happen before the end of the season, but I can already tell you if they kill off a Main Character it won't be Buck ( if Oliver contract was ending, and I don't know that that the case, they would find another of making him "leave").

Eddie feeling isolated could be for different reasons, and also feeling isolated isn't the same as being isolated.

I think his recent actions show that he's in a weird place and he might isolate himself in fear of being judged. Or he might be isolated because some of his friends won't approve his behavior. There are so many storylines the writers could come up with...

So here's the wild part, I never really thought about how Eddie might feel isolated, but this is how I imagined Eddie's recent storyline going.

I don't know if Eddie will keep seeing Shannon's lookalike or not, but going on a date was already cheating and I don't know if he'll confess or not, but Marisol will eventually hear about it and probably break things off.

We don’t know what Eddie and Marisol's relationship is at exactly, but we know that Marisol and Christopher are really close, we saw it the last episode, but we also heard that Marisol often babysits Chris when Eddie goes out with friends, and once did it twice in the same week. And finally, Eddie wouldn't have moved in with Marisol if he thought Chris would have the slighest problem with it (she moved out the same day, but the 1st decision was taken seriously and having Chris in mind).

So here's my wild theory, and bear with me.... I think that when Marisol and Eddie break up and Chris finds out it's his father fault.... He contact Marisol and run away to see her, I think he'll only stay a little, like Marisol will call Eddie to tell him that he's safe and tell him it's better if he stays the night because he was pretty upset. So even if Chris goes back home, he will still be mad at his father and won't talk to him (leading to Eddie feeling isolated).

If Christopher ever learns that his father cheated on Marisol with his mother's doppelganger, things might be even worse, he might leave to go live with Marisol for a while or with Buck.

I know this isn't your ask, but I'm sure Buck is safe (from being killed off, not from other dramatic events).

And your ask made me think of my theory and whataver the writers do with Eddie and Marisol's relationship I hope they explore the impact it has on Christopher because we've already seen that they're really close and anything. I hope the writers don't suddenly forget about it.

Sorry for derailing but your ask was the perfect opportunity to talk about this.

Btw, does anybody know anything about Olivier's contract?

[itsana004]

erm… Vetrix (Tron) for the character ask? He’s my silly idk

Hiiii kanamori! I just want to start by saying IM SORRY IT TOOK ME AGES TO GET BACK TO YOU PLEASE FORGIVE MEEEE

Ohhhh Tron! He's a character I posted a few times about in my blog but I haven't really got into how I feel about him so this is a really interesting character suggestion! So here lays my truest thoughts on Byron/Tron.

•How do I feel about this character

Omg, I have a love/hate relationship with him?? There is a part of me who thinks he's one of the best villains of Zexal, he's an evil freckin gremlin and he's so funny and just wanna squeeze him to death, but then there is a part of me who wants to squish him like a bug and wants to see him being obliterated.

Do I hate him because of episode 54? Not really, I hate him like in a funny kind of way, I like to make memes of Droite flipping him off or just stepping on him but that's it really, oh but I have a visceral hate for the writers absolutely! Tron is just a silly old deadbeat dad manchild whose not in fault for writer's questionable writing when it comes to women and their pleasure in utterly humiliating them but that's that.

Also I find it interesting that he took this childlike form, has a childish behaviour while having a calculative and calm demeanor of an adult at the same time?? It really makes his character very fun and he definitely teases Faker and Kazuma about his youth while they get wrinkles every year.

ALSO CAN WE TALK ABOUT TRON'S VISCERAL HATE FOR HIS SECOND SON IV??? I FIND IT SO FUNNY AND THE MEMES ARE GOLD BUT LIKE OMG IV IS BETTER THAN ME CAUSE I WOULD NEVER RECOVER FROM THAT.

•All the people you ship romantically with this character

Let's start with HOW THIS MAN IS SO FVCKIGN GAY FOR FAKER??? Like he goes through the effort to make him coffee because of how stressed Faker is and Faker destroys the cup AND HE STILL REMAINS COMPOSED AND CALM, that's like... toxic level of simping right there, yes, this man is a fvcking simp and his decision as Tron to still save his life and work with the man lured him and pushed him off a cliff, betrayed him, left his sons orphan, made him go through hell, AND ALL IT TOOK TO FORGIVE HIM WAS FAKER'S SORRY ASS AND THEM FLOATING IN THE BACKGROUND JUST BEING GAY ASF, yes, at this point no matter what Faker does, this man is gonna come back to him because that's just how much he's gay for him. Like look at him how he keeps showering Faker with compliments to Kazuma while Faker is not there to listen LIKE??? And they both lost their wife, just saying, more trauma bonding and free gay to roam idk

And the revenge plan of Byron, you know what they say, the greatest hate comes from deepest love, and just when his toxic bf apologies showing remorse, he goes back back to him just like that

In conclusion, Byron is super gay for Faker, like on a toxic level gay, but I guess that makes it hot.

•My non-romantic OTP for this character

OTP would sound weird so let's just say any non-romantic relationship, I guess that would be with his sons and I guess I'm mostly influenced by the fandom memes and his hatred for his second son, they are all funny and sometimes makes me really wish for a sitcom for the Arclight family.

I also love his friendship with his old buddies Kazuma and Faker and idk maybe should all go for a gay bonding trip again

•My unpopular opinion about this character

Honestly I'm not sure about this one, I think we all agree he was the best villain in Zexal I

I think he should have appeared more in Zexal II, is that an unpopular opinion?

•One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character

Like I said before, I really want a sitcom of Arclight family and them just interacting with one another they are so funny

Also I will hate the writers forever for pretending that Droite and Tron never dueled, BRUH, LET THEM EXCHANGE ONE CONVERSATION? ONE TINY BIT? NO? FVCK. YOU. WRITERS. There was this fanfic where all the people gather to the W.D.C. party (before the Tournaments start) to the next year one and they have such a funny exchange and I FEEL ROBBED.

And I just wanted to see him brew more chaos in Zexal II while he barely appeared, I really want to know how he would play out in Zexal III.

I'm again sorry for this very long post and for taking such a long time! And thank you so much for sending an ask it makes me so happy to see them even if I'm not the best at answering them right away 💞💞