#also see this movie is likeable YOU ALL ARE JUST HATERS

[writing-n-memes]

A list of things I don’t like about the Percy Jackson show in no particular order because I’m a hater

- Sally talks back to Gabe. She’s supposed to be a silent rebel and book Sally would never jeopardize Percy’s safety because she’s angry with Gabe. Because I think the writers forgot, the WHOLE reason Gabe is there is because she is protecting Percy with his presence

- Annabeth is too stoic. Obviously, tv Annabeth has emotions and expresses them but it’s very limited in my opinion. Book Annabeth is emotional about everything. She is quick to anger, pride, sadness and to not show it because she’s ‘too smart for that’ is dumb. She’s 12 and emotions are normal

- Instead of Percy seeing the fates cut Luke’s string, it’s annabeth. Annabeth may be closer with Luke, but it should not be her to be aware of Luke’s fate. She’s too close to Luke to be analytical. Percy seeing it made him realize the prophecy is about Luke. Percy is the main character and should give Luke the knife. Also, Annabeth giving Luke the knife wouldn’t be nearly as meaningful because she’s always had faith he would turn around; even after he trapped her under the sky in titans curse. Percy trusted Luke to do the right thing at the exact right time

- Grover is a whole different character. The only example you need to know he’s not book Grover is tv Grover straight up lying/manipulating the god of war to his face. Book Grover is brave but not like that. He has too much respect and fear for the gods. Don’t get me wrong, I like tv Grover, he’s just not accurate to the book

- Misdirect of Clarisse being the lightning thief. What was even the point? Just seemed very random

-Fight scenes were lacking. I can’t entirely explain it, but I was bored for every one of them. Hate to bring the movies into this, but at least the movies had interesting fight scenes that had me on the edge of my seat

- Poseidon was basically a saint in the show, which is a big no no. I’m not saying he can’t be likeable, but Poseidon was NOT that nice. First of all, he wouldn’t go against Zeus like that. Not for Sally, and certainly not for Percy. He would do some minor rebelling, but he would not directly fight or disobey Zeus for either of them.

- Despite the last point, they showed too much of the Olympian’s bad sides. They absolutely would do all of this stuff in the show and more, but Percy shouldn’t be made aware of this yet. Percy knows the gods aren’t great in book 1, but he doesn’t quite know the extent until he finds out about the story of the oracle in book 5. This is why he’s more bitter in heroes of Olympus. He knows more about the god’s bad sides. If book 1 Percy knew/saw all the stuff about the tv show gods, then he probably would’ve led his own rebellion against the gods and Kronos.

- Gabe’s death? Come on. What happened to ‘If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself’ (don’t know if that’s the exact quote). Sally deserved to kill Gabe. Percy could’ve done it, but Sally made the choice for it to be her. Ignoring the fact that Gabe wasn’t abusive, just a general jerk so he didn’t deserve to die, but also, the death being an accident felt easy. Sally killed her husband and she had zero remorse for it. She used his dead statue body to sell and use the money to go back to college and follow her dream of writing a book, while also meeting the real love of her life, Paul Blofis

- Kind of made this point already, but I’d like to specifically point out Athena being too cruel. Not to say she isn’t cruel, because she is. However, the show made it clear too early on. Annabeth is the favorite child up until mark of Athena, that’s why she’s so distraught over her hat losing its invisibility power. Annabeth always had Athena’s respect up until that point. Athena wants to protect Annabeth from Percy in the original series. She would not just try and kill her. At least, not in book 1

- Changing Medusa’s story. I understand to a degree why they did it. There’s been a lot of talk the past few years on social media about what Medusa’s story means to them. They did show Medusa as a victim, but immediately disregarded it because she uses it as an excuse to… kill children for no reason. Might as well have kept the original story in at that point. Not to mention Poseidon sucks, but only in this story, and he’s a saint for the rest of the show. Feels like that makes it worse

- Deadline didn’t matter. They miss it, but it doesn’t matter for no reason. Every book has a deadline, including in every spinoff so what’s going to happen with future seasons? Is the timeline going to be ignored because it was fine the first time? Or are they going to backtrack and say, ‘Ok, THIS time limit matters. Ignore the fact there was an exception the first time’

- Luke is too tamed. Too apologetic. He’s supposed to be angry. So sure he is right that nothing will stand in his way. Not any friend or family could talk him down at this point. We’re not supposed to sympathize with him. Not yet. He is the main villain at this point and there should be no sign of redemption yet. May’s story (his mom) happened way too soon. It was told in the last book for a reason. So Luke could gain sympathy and make Percy question his side; he does question it but doesn’t “trust” Luke until he gives him the knife 100-200 pages later.

- Annabeth was there for Luke’s betrayal. She should not be there because Annabeth is supposed to be a Luke defender for the whole series basically. ‘Luke was wrong, but he can change’ basically. I don’t know how she’s supposed to defend him when she experiences his betrayal firsthand instead of just hearing he betrayed everything she believes in. This is important because it’s the main conflict between Percy and annabeth through the series; Annabeth’s loyalty to Luke. Also, little side note: This is an example of tv Annabeth being too stoic. Book Annabeth would do what she’d have to in this situation, but she’d be a crying mess. Which is fine! Having emotions is normal!

- Dialogue is stiff. I don’t know why it is, but some things just don’t flow. Even direct quotes from the books doesn’t feel right sometimes. Maybe it’s because they rushed filming and should’ve done more takes to get it right? I don’t know. I don’t doubt the actors talents so I’m not blaming them. Walker Scobell did great in the Adam’s Project and he was only 12 I believe! He didn’t have a single line that felt stiff in that movie but his lines along with the other mains seemed a little off at times.

- Kind of goes along with last point; some dialogue is accurate to the characters, but not in the context it’s used in the show. Here’s an example that someone else pointed out and I agree with them completely. Percy’s line about Thalia having a pine cone’s fate is so out of character. Would Percy say that to Thalia in Titan’s curse? Probably. But would book 1 Percy insult and dishonor Thalia’s death after finding out she sacrificed herself for her friends? Absolutely not. Percy thought her story was brave and tragic. Percy would say that line in other cases, but he would not say it under those circumstance.

- Kind of the opposite of previous points, but why is Hades so nice?? They made him into a silly guy and play it off for laughs. It’s supposed to be a serious scene. There’s humor everywhere else in the series so use that humor somewhere else. Hades is angry because Percy ‘stole’ his helm and hates him for the rest of the series. How are they going to make this guy lock Percy up in the last Olympian and fight him? This is the guy Nico is scared of, which is why it was brave he stood up to him. This is the guy who told his son that he wished he died instead of his sister. Just doesn’t seem right

- They figure everything out too fast. They figured out who Medusa and Procrustes is right away. This series is kind of like an introduction to Greek mythology to kids who don’t know anything about it. It’s about learning, but also building up the tension. Knowing something is wrong, but not knowing what. I don’t care that they were all told Greek myths growing up and that 2 of them have been training for years. Learning something in the classroom doesn’t mean they will automatically know what to do in a real life scenario. Monsters are supposed to TRICK. That’s what happens in almost every book.

- Why were there four pearls only for them to lose one? When I first read the book, I didn’t think about them needing more than three so it felt super unnecessary

- I know I’m pointing out too much about each god that appears but I don’t care. Ares admitting he loves his family is soooo weird. Pretty sure he would take over and destroy most of them

- tv show watchers don’t know how close Luke and Annabeth are. Those two barely interact and they tell us a couple times they’re close from lines like ‘She’s like a sister’ and whatnot, but it doesn’t accurately portray the care they have for one another. It doesn’t help that Annabeth barely reacted to his betrayal in the show

[georgiapeach30513]

You are awesome. I love your response to the one anon who talked about Ryan vs. Chris.

I’ve always felt there was a subset of tumblr “fans” or fans of gossip that live to snark and say rude things about Chris. Way before soba noodles came along. There are some popular blogs on here I detest and loathe because they’ve said some truly cruel things due their anger and disappointment in him but since others loved these blogs they would agree with them. I can’t understand the concept of following a fanbase on tumblr for a celeb just to sit there and post negatively about them to other people.

Ryan is a bankable star but are his movies really that quality? Is his acting really quality? I don’t know if I agree because six underground remains one of the worst movies I’ve seen in a while. He also reminds me of Deadpool in literally every movie I’ve seen him. However, I still find him funny and likeable usually so I’ll tune in occasionally to his stuff. He and Blake are cute but also sometimes annoying but it doesn’t bother me.

I agree that CE is going through a bit of a career rough patch but honestly? I think you can kind of say the same about other actors too.

For example, I think Chris pine had a bit of a rough go with his directing debut (panned by critics and audiences alike - roasted by everyone). Dungeons and dragons was well received but didn’t do too much at the box office. Same with WISH. Same with don’t worry darling.

All happened this past year and this year. But are Chris pine fans roasting him 24/7? I mean, I don’t really know but I don’t think to the extent of which Chris E’s fans are doing to him. They probably hope he will get more opportunities to shine and want the best for him. Because they are his FANS.

It’s not really about comparing likeminded actors but I think CE fans and former haters have really crossed serious lines and it sincerely bothers me. The comments they’re left on that ASP post - throwing around the term nazism like it’s NBD. It’s revolting to me and I don’t see how they are pleased with themselves.

Sure I may have an unpopular opinion but I don’t think I’m wrong. I like that you remain positive but also realistic. You’re not a blind Stan and it’s really nice to see some spaces where you are maintaining your peace and giving others that as well.

Chris isn’t perfect, and I have said where I felt he lacks in his acting. But I’d much rather focus on positive things in his career. I see no point in constantly just focusing on the negative. What a miserable way to think.

Ryan can be bankable with the right script and role. But it can be very one note. This is someone who became aware of Ryan in Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place. I enjoy him but he’s not switching up his characters that much either.

I like one Chris Pine character and that’s Rise of the Guardians because I don’t have to see his face. I’m not a fan and that’s why I choose not to mention him. So we’re moving on.

I’m sure there’s a lot going on that most of us will never really know. There’s a lot of trolling, a lot of lying, a lot of distraction, and I just don’t care. I’m going to stay in my attic with fanfics and hopefully a new role real soon.

[gogandmagog]

thus further confirming my opinion of you as the person with the Most Correct TM Montgomery opinions, I saw your ff.net bio that the superior AoGG tv show is the PBS one and that you have everlasting beef with Kevin Sullivan---SAME. When he nails it, he really nails it (I think all of his stories have more charm than any of the new shows) but also some of the choices he made...sir....I simultaneously want to shake that man's hand and also make him answer for his crimes. On that note, if you could have a faithful adaptation of any of other Anne books like the PBS show, which would you choose? (we don't talk about the continuing story in this household)

Are you me????

KEVIN SULLIVAN is basically a full-on level-nine cuss word in this household. And I’m pretty sure it’s a cuss in Megan Follows’ household too. If Kevin Sullivan has a million haters, I’m one of them. If he has 1,000 haters, I’m still one of them. If he has 1 hater, it’s me. If he has 0 haters, it’s because I’m dead. ‘An iron has entered my heart.’ You surely never asked, but you have to let me tell you... when I say it’s on sight with this man!

Certainly, the first mini-series he did was a film masterpiece! Casting was on point (I used to google ‘Jonathan Crombie wife’ when I was eight, and get this rush of relief when it said he was unmarried and just be all like YES HE’S STILL SINGLE, and be all YEAH BUDDY I know why too, it’s so obviously because he hasn’t met me yet! Haaaa, fast forward to growing up, and catching on to all the musical theatre and then being like oooooh), the scenery was so lush and gorgeous, and there was hardly a single line that strayed from the books. 10/10, chef’s kiss, all the heart eye emojis imaginable.

The Sequel? Like... okay, we’re sliding downward, because we’re missing out on some wonderful, imaginative, sometimes hilarious Montgomery characters. Ginger the Parrot, Mr. Harrison overall, the AVIS, Paul Irving and Miss Lavendar. Charlotta the Fourth. We miss out on Phil Gordon, and Stella, and Pris! And maybe worse, now Gilbert is given actual Theodore Laurence lines. Literally word for word from the original Little Women film (Sullivan didn’t even try to change it), same proposal, and I could almost stomach it if I hadn’t been a book reader, knowing that the real, shining, sweet Gilbert only met with rejection with grace and kindness, instead of a cold “I hope he breaks your heart.” Those suit Laurie just fine, because Little Women readers know that Laurie is a spoilt trust-fund baby with some super not-cute anger issues (issues totally downplayed in every production, to make him more likeable). And the cherry on TOP, man, was this absent-father (tbh, it’s giving weird 19th century sugar daddy), one old enough to be Anne’s own father, being cast as a Roy Gardner replacement. But in the end, we get some beauty, too. I loved seeing John Blythe and Marilla’s interactions, I loved how Rollings Reliable was done, and even the matter of Dolly the jersey-cow, even I loved that Anne went to Gilbert in the height of his illness. So I could forgive much, on account of that! 8 out of 10.

UNTIL two things happened

First, of course, is the Continuing Story. I have never been so affronted by a movie in my liiiiife, lol. Total L. It quite sincerely achieved something that I did not think was possible in that it made me not like Anne. Utter character assassination. (I realize that by this point, LMM’s family was disinterested in working with Sullivan after the mess he made of the Sequel. Which was fair, for them. I get that, and support that for them.) Jack was a goofy, philandering dudebro, and his whole ‘international spy’ arch was so contrived and cheesy. It fell so flat. And the sheer notion that Sullivan sat there and thought, “Yeah, Anne could fall for this guy” is laughable, betraying instantly that he doesn’t understand her as a character. BUT OH WAIT, we can’t forget that Anne, whose kind doctor husband is out there risking his life while saving the lives of others in the middle of a world war... ACTUALLY engages in an emotional affair with this man. She slapped him when he published their book without her name. But what does Jack get, when he says, “Your husband is probably, most likely dead... but on the flip side, now WE can be together”? NOTHING. Anne hugs him. Pfft. PFFFFT. BE SO FASTIDIOUSLY FOR REAL. I get so mad when I think about it, lol. The whole movie just screams “male gaze” to me, because Kevin Sullivan is so incapable of seeing and realizing or transmuting the Montgomery magic. Best part of the whole thing was when Jack was shot. I felt nothing. I give this whole production .5 stars, because we did get a couple cute deleted scenes, lol.

The second thing that happened that took back all my Sullivan forgiveness was watching lengthy and/or recent (within the last five years) Megan Follows interviews. I learned so much! She doesn’t speak to Sullivan anymore, but she mentions the Continuing Story often enough, and that she had to fight Sullivan, because he wanted Anne to kiss Jack. THANK GOD she was successful. Megan’s also noted for saying that the reason the first series was such a success was because Sullivan had ‘help’ and basically nothing to do with the script. (Bonus reason to despise this man, in case we needed more: Megan mentioned that they filmed three separate endings to the first series, because Sullivan wanted Anne to hit Gilbert for giving up the Avonlea school for her. I… I can’t.) When Sullivan was approached about making a sequel, he said he read all the remaining books and thought, keep in mind this is REAL quote, “Gee, no thanks!” He goes further and says that the thought basically they were dull, and that he wanted to do his own version. Could you be more short sighted??? Again, to me, this just proves that this man places no value on quiet, lovely, non-noisy (if that makes sense) stories that are centered in the home, and around women. I think it’s that same interview where we learn also that Kevin based Morgan Harris on his own father, who was something like apparently 25 to 30 years senior to Sullivan’s mother. And that? Was the sound of my last Sullivan-tolerant--nerve breaking into a million pieces, lol. HOW DARE YOUUUU, Sir.

I AM SO SORRY THIS IS LONG. 😭

All this to say, lol, that Kevin Sullivan does not deserve your hand shake! You are too wonderful, and thoughtful, and so insightful, and that man doesn’t get up to your ankle! He deserves no less than a life sentence in literary jail.

BUT BUT BUT, to answer the question… I struggle. I would be happy with any, to be fully honest. But if I got to pick, and they said “you can only have one” I’d be flipping a three-sided coin between Anne of the Island, House of Dreams, and Rilla. 🥺 We could skip Windy Poplars easily (sorry Rebecca Dew, and Katherine-with-a-K), even though if I won the lottery, I’d personally pay for start-to-finish-by-the-book production. HOW ABOUT YOU?

[mjflovebot]

I see way too many negative things about Shrek The Third, and that's fine! No one has to love the movie, and I understand that to some it is very weak and I won't ignore the flaws it does have. But! I wanna see more positive things talked about because I feel like the really good stuff is just blatantly ignored, so I have made a list of my favorite things from the movie. (Feel free to add anything if you think I've missed something!)

• First, the music!! 9 Crimes by Damien Rice and Royal Pain by Eels are such amazing songs on their own, and not only do they fit the scenes they play during, they also fit very well as "Shrek songs". They are criminally underrated for no reason. The score is also amazing as always :]

• Every scene between Shrek and Fiona in this movie are so sweet and tender. I cannot express how adorable they are in this movie but sometimes I will watch this movie just for those scenes because they're so sweet. Maybe a bold take but maybe some of the cutest scenes in the entire franchise. I love them to death.

• I do not care what anyone saids but this movie is really fucking funny and all the jokes are very overlooked for no good reason. Shrek saying "Well somebody better be dying" and it cuts to King Harold dying, not to mention the guilty look on Shrek's face, very nice comedic timing and I love the little touch. Puss's "you are royally fucked" joke makes me giggle every single time without fail. Shrek trying to relate to Artie by using slang 'teenager lingo' and then Artie running away has no reason for being that funny but it really is. Shrek's line "Hahaha, you made a funny." brings such a stupid grin to my face because it sounds like something I would say!!! When they're all cornered by knights, and Puss attempts to do the cute face in Donkey's body but they all think he's ugly, and right after that they all start acting like Shrek is some big celebrity and Artie asking if they got the list of the dressing room and Donkey listing off this big order and Shrek going "I just lost it!" is probably my favorite scene in this whole movie. It's so good I could watch it over and over again. (I resonate with Artie so much here, I will defend Shrek's honor with my life).

• I adore Artie a lot, his character is really funny and one an audience can resonate with since he's just one of the more normal humans! I feel like his character brings something new to the franchise because he's shy and awkward, (yes, I do see some of myself in him but that isn't important.) while other characters tend to be very outgoing!! Just brings something new to the table, and it's always nice to see more of Fiona's family!!! Little world building is good world building!!

• PRINCE. CHARMING. I adore this guy to death, I love the scene out in the alleyway at the beginning of the movie, where he's crying to the picture of his mother, and the scene that ties in with it later in the movie where he's in his dressing room talking to a figure of her saying that *their* happily ever after is almost complete. He really misses his mom and in my eyes its portrayed that he's doing a lot of this for her. I wish they tapped into this a little but more but REGARDLESS. I loved him in the second one, and seeing him here more is a delight. Seeing him convince the evil fairy take creatures that Far Far Away is their's is a fun scene, and I also love the scene where he's practicing for the big play and he has pink leg warmers!!! Very cute in my opinion. I love how he's just the embodiment of a theater kid (Me too) Shrek 2/The Third musical when?

• The entire baby shower scene is just *chef's kiss*. 10/10 I love everything about it. I love seeing all the princess there ESPECIALLY DORIS! (I will get to her in a second btw.) It makes me happy they're all still friends with Fiona because in the second movie in her diary it said she hung out with them when she was younger, so it's nice to see they're still around, and the continuity feels very nice makes me happy. Dragon being there also makes me so happy. And do not get me started on the fact that the three little pigs, Wolfie, Pinocchio, and Gingy all pitched in to get that baby carrier for Fiona that whole scene is so adorable and Gingy in the carrier!!! All around a very sweet scene I could rewatch it over and over.

• Speaking of the other Princesses, I am OBSESSED with how they're portrayed here. I feel like after the Shrek first movie they went a little lighter on making fun of Disney and overall Fairytale troupes, don't get me wrong they were still there, but Shrek at that point became it's own thing so it's understandable that they slowly drifted away from it. But the princesses ohhh man, everything about how they're portrayed feels so Shrek and DreamWorks all the way around. Firstly their designs, they look very different from how Disney draws them, love that, Sleeping Beauty's medium length brown hair reminds me how i looked when I was younger, and Rapunzel's hair being braided and tied up is very pretty, I like how they're all kinda.. i guess snobby is the best way to put it? Which feels in characters since they are spoiled princesses. When they're in the prison and all get into 'position' and just say "we're waiting to be rescued." is just, so so good, maybe I'm looking in too deep but it feels like DreamWorks is almost sayinf "These princesses are useless and are a bad influence on young girls" which makes the payoff of the scene were they kick it up a notch and save far far away feel all the morr rewarding. Also Rapunzel getting with Prince Charming like, you go girl!

• TIME TO TALK ABOUT DORIS! I'll try to keep this short as to not sound like a broken record because she is talked about a lot, BUT I LOVER HER SO MUCH!! She got the screen time she deserves in this movie and she's friends with Fiona too AND IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY!! And when she saids "A baby will only strengthen the love Shrek and Fiona have." IT'S LIKE, YOU GET ME DORIS YOU'RE SO RIGHT!!! Me and Doris being Shrek and Fiona fans very real and true!!!

• This is a small thing but I can't help but love it. We get a better look at the Dronkeys in this movie!!! We only got to see them at the after credits scene in Shrek 2 so I'm beyond happy they got their time to shine! They're all very adorable and we even learn the name's of three of them, which of course are, Coco, Peanut, and Bananas!! Very cute and energetic buddies, love them to death. Also the scenes between Donkey and Dragon are very sweet, love how DreamWorks was able to portray an absurd relationship so sweetly.

• Don't worry I did not forget the scene with Shrek and Artie by the campfire. Very warm and calming scene, love to see Shrek take on the fatherly role and reassure Artie. The line "It may be hard to believe, what, with my obvious charm and good looks, but people used to think I was a monster. And for a long time, I believed them. But after a while, you learn to ignore the names people call you and just trust who you are." gets me every single time. I love how Shrek finds a way to lighten the mood while staying serious, helps get a good giggle out before the emotions really kick in. I feel like the line gives a good little insight to Shrek's life before the movies, like he never saw himself as a monster in a say, just took on the title because it was forced onto him, which makes me more emotional because it again shows just how much Fiona changed his life.

• The line "It's not my life I'm worried about ruining, it's the kids." is just another fantastic line, I wish they explored that more within the movie, the idea that Shrek does want kids (I feel as though it's never properly expressed, besides this one line of course) he just doesn't know if he'd be an amazing father. But regardless still a line I adore and it's hard in the emotions department.

• And lastly, a lot say it isn't needed, and maybe it isn't, but all in all Donkey and Puss changing bodies is very funny to me at least, it is a kids movie so you gotta expect those kids things, it's a nice little background conflict. Seeing Donkey learn how to walk/run is very amusing, and neither of the voices fit the looks, all around so good, and I love how the whole thing makes them more friends and we get the littke duo of them! I just love it, it's cute!

[scared-aquarius]

me very aggressively complimenting the signs

Aries- You have so much passion for the things and the people you care about that it is SICKENING. You’re so goddamn DETERMINED to meet your goals it is absolutely fucking admirable. You were BORN to be a leader whether you’re leading others or taking control of yourself. You’re not afraid to do what needs to be done because you have the fucking strength. You bring people TOGETHER. You have BIG SHORT PEOPLE ANGER ENERGY and it will get you FAR. You WILL accomplish the things in life by continuing to be your CONFIDENT and BADASS SELF. FUCK

Taurus- You are the definition of a RELIABLE HUMAN BEING. You are the rock that so many people need in their lives. You’re so fucking devoted to any task thrown your way. You make life problems YOUR BITCH. You do this by enduring all the garbage that gets thrown at you and wading it out sometimes based on pure goddamn stubbornness and you come out the other side with a BIG BAG OF ACCOMPLISHMENT and a MIDDLE FINGER IN THE AIR. Even when you want to give up you DON’T because you’re a responsible PIECE OF SHIT with GLITTER ON TOP and I love that.

Gemini- FUCK GEMINI HATERS. Some may call you two-faced, real ones know you are ADAPTABLE. You are fucking CHAMELEONS. You were the person in high school who had friends in ALL different friend groups. You are truly a gentle person with a curious heart, do you fucking hear me. You have the ability to reach so many people with your WIT and CHARM. You’re not afraid to take off your mask in front of people which makes you that much more RELATABLE. PEOPLE AREN’T ONE-DIMENSIONAL SO YOU SHOULDN’T GET FLAK FOR IT. Direct me to the Gemini haters, let me roundhouse kick them real quick. 

Cancer- You have the BIGGEST HEART and your ability to make others feel comforted in their time of need is EXQUISITE. Those closest to you know you will defend them to your LAST BREATH because you are loyal as fuck. The way you can find even the smallest things to be important or sentimental is VERY TOUCHING. You’re like a $100 8 oz piece of medium rare filet mignon covered in a sugary honey garlic sauce, SWEET and TENDER, SHIT. You can empathize with just about everyone, even those who have wronged you because you really are just that fucking PURE.

Leo- I would very much LIKE TO BE AROUND YOU. Not only do you know how to light up a room but you can FUCKING keep my ATTENTION. You absolutely know how to dominate a conversation, teach me how, you are a goddamn NATURAL. The CHARISMA, it OOZES, sometimes when you don’t even realize. You are the person others go to when they need a good cheering up. You know how to make a person laugh under any circumstance, you fucking wizard. If you were in a movie you’d be the hot one and also the comic relief and also the main character who everyone loves, holy SHIT

Virgo- You very much should receive the RESPECT that you fucking DESERVE. You put in the WORK, bitch, you know how to fucking GET SHIT DONE, bitch. People may misunderstand you for being cold, but in reality you just know how to put your own feelings to the side in order to do the task at hand, and do it with PERFECTION, because you are so fucking detail-oriented, you never miss a single fucking BEAT. You would be the person to find a cure to the zombie apocalypse in less than a fucking week. You can get things right even on your first try because you’re EXTREMELY FUCKING CAPABLE.

Libra- You aren’t afraid to put your faith in others and THAT is what makes you so fucking LIKEABLE. You are humble while still remaining STRONG and true to WHO YOU ARE. People fucking love you because you know how to view a situation from all sides because you have an OPEN MIND and an OPEN HEART. It is truly disgusting how amazing and rare that is, you fucking gem. YOU GODDAMN PERSONIFICATION OF GRACE. How are you able to fight for the things you believe in all while remaining sympathetic to all, it’s beautiful. YOU ARE FUCKING LOVED, UNDERSTAND THIS. 

Scorpio- You are the person who your friends would go to when they need to get rid of a body because you’re that fucking TRUE and FAITHFUL to the people you LOVE. Not only would you get rid of the body, you’d also know how to do it with 100% certainty you’d never get caught because you’re so damn resourceful. Is this morbid as shit? MAYBE, but you don’t care because you’re the FUCKING COOL ONE. You are a FIERCE BITCH who people close to you LOVE and your enemies should FEAR. Never underestimate yourself because you have the PASSION and the CUNNING to get through all fuckery. 

Sagittarius- If I had to sit on a 30-hour long flight with someone, it’d be you because you would be SO FUCKING FUN TO TALK TO. You truly do not give a SHIT what other people think about you and it allows you to speak your mind freely, it’s so fucking amazing. Your love to travel and learn new things makes you INTERESTING as FUCK and you know how to put anyone in a good fucking mood. You make people feel INCLUDED. Your thirst for adventure is CONTAGIOUS, I would like to explore the inside of the earth with you, fucker. You are a prime example of WALKING the FUCKING WALK.

Capricorn- You know how to get the most out of literally ANYTHING, if you were given enough popsicle sticks and glue you could probably build a second fucking Golden Gate Bridge. You KNOW what you want and you know how to fucking get it. Your mind is SHARP AS FUCK. You have so much discipline and self-control you could probably become Lord Commander of the ENTIRE FUCKING WORLD and you’d be fucking GOOD AT IT. You are a goddamn force to be reckoned with in both your personal and professional life because you take yours AND others' mistakes and learn from them, it’s fucking BRILLIANT.

Aquarius- The world is your fucking OYSTER, BITCH and you are ready to mold it into what it needs to be. You are CREATIVE, you are INNOVATIVE, you are a fucking VISIONARY. People love you because they know you give a shit about them because you SHOW them. You don’t fucking tolerate those who hurt others and people ADMIRE YOU FOR IT. You aren’t afraid to be your own fucking person and that spans from how you think to how you act to how you look. IT’S ABSOLUTELY FUCKING ALLURING. You help others feel comfortable in their own skin when they’re around you without you even REALIZING. 

Pisces- You are a GODDAMN PIECE OF ART. You are the type of person who would fucking die to save a stranger. You are deeply connected with your emotions and because of this you are able to create ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE FUCKING THINGS, not to mention it allows you to really connect with others. People from all different walks of life get drawn to you because you’re SO FRIENDLY. WE ALL WANNA BE YOUR GODDAMN FRIEND. You see the beauty in the mundane. Describing a personality like yours would turn into fucking POETRY. YOU ARE A SOFT PIANO SONG.

[tinylilvalery]

From what I understand back when the discussion first started, it’s not that you’re not allowed to hate on Sally. It’s more that if you don’t like her because of her personality, shouldn’t you also hate Barry who is a murderer? But I’m sure there are people who want to dismiss what she does because there’s another character who is so much worse than her.

Barry being a murderer isn't a personality. Sally being abusive isn't a personality either. You can like Sally even if she's abusive. You can like Barry even tho he's a hitman. They're characters. How about we talk about them and all their flaws instead of just thinking one has done no wrong and the other has. It's so reductive otherwise and low-key insulting to the complex writing that has gone into both.

This show is also fictional. Meaning even tho Barry has killed people, it's not real - so saying I should like him less because of fictional murder is kinda funny. I feel like a lot of Barry haters and Sally stans really rely off the argument that "he's a murderer therefore Sally is automatically better and more likeable". It sounds like a lot of the Barry fandom hasn't watched any shows or movies where a character is a murderer and still likeable. Hannibal is literally a serial killer cannibal and he's one of the most well loved characters of all time because his character and personality is likeable and compelling.

Also, I made that post about Sally being abusive not to say: she's abusive you shouldn't like her and Barry has never done anything wrong. It was in response to people that were calling him abusive because he yelled at her once, and conveniently forgot how she's been treating him the whole show. It's hypocrisy and it's double standards.

I also found it funny because a lot of people had been siding with Barry the whole show and ONLY NOW have gone "oh wow did you see how he yelled at her? Look how she was trying to be nice to him after. Wow he's really a villain." As if this dude hasn't been a fucking contract killer the entire show, who has killed a lot of people. For me it's like,,, that's what tips you? When he yelled at his partner that has been using him the whole time and who is never there for him emotionally and has actually hit him? THIS is what really makes you go,,, "oh,,, maybe Barry isn't an angel." Like it blows my mind how black and white this fandom can seemingly be over characters that are fantastically grey. No character is cleanly good or bad. That's why they're so fucking brilliant.

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Movie Review: Sonic the Hedgehog (Spoilers)

Spoiler Warning: I am posting this review the day the movie is first released in the U.K, so if you haven’t yet seen the movie do not read on until you have.

General Reaction:

It's difficult with today's movie going audience to predict how movies like Sonic are going to perform and be received. Especially when the ad campaign did absolutely no favours for this movie other than convince Paramount that Sonic needed a more truthful redesign than what they originally put out.

Here's the thing. Sonic the Hedgehog to me is trying to be 2020's Detective Pikachu capitalising on that nostalgia of a beloved classic franchise.

However, I do feel that the haters and internet trolls out there are not going to be able to get past the comparisons this movie draws to 2011's Hop, which was a live-action/CGI-hybrid movie starring James Marsden who becomes the companion of a somewhat overbearing CG creature.

But, I encourage all movie goers, including the haters, to go into this with an open mind...particularly if you have any history with Sonic because you will get some enjoyment and walk away afterwards feeling happy overall.

My personal history with Sonic is slightly less-so than I would like. I played the original 2 SEGA games countless times and did watch some episodes of the earlier animated shows.

Having said that, my main Sonic fandom actually comes from the mid-noughties series Sonic X, which I feel this movie could have adapted but alas. Also I played the Shadow the Hedgehog spinoff game and more recently Smash Bros where I actually won as Sonic recently.

Now this movie reminds me of those shows and games practically in no way. I mean there is that opening sequence where you see Sonic running around and looping like he does in the SEGA games, I do also feel like James Marsden's character could easily be an older version of Chris, the boy from Sonic X, but aside from that, the gold rings and Robotnik...there's not a lot for the Sonic fans to spot.

I can't say this is a perfect movie, because it really is not. There are a lot of super speed gags and some of them do stick but some just fall flat and at times feel repetitive.

The worst crime this movie commits in my opinion is stealing Quicksilver's gimmick of speed scenes. By which I mean there are not one but two occasions when time is slowed down to almost a halt and we see Sonic running around still. They even have songs specific for these scenes.

Also, because I'm not fully aware of every Sonic incarnation, I did not understand why Sonic is effectively The Flash with being able to generate lightning. I mean I understand the laws of physics of generating enough friction can create static but I have never known Sonic to have any electric attacks.

I did like how the static electricity was preserved in his quills when they fell off though. In animation and the games you don’t think about Sonic’s realistic hedgehog qualities such as having quills so it was a nice touch.

I am also aware that Sonic has turned Super Saigen before with the help of the Chaos Emeralds I believe, so the fact we see a similar transformation here is quite good to see for that reason.

In terms of story I do think this is a simple plot that has been done numerous times, Hop is definitely one example that comes to mind, but I feel it’s also a very accessible story for non-Sonic fans.

I don’t know if Longclaw the Owl is an original character or one from Sonic mythology but I did not really vest much interest in her. Baby Sonic I thought was cute, but I refuse to accept anyone saying he is cuter than Baby Yoda as no one is cuter than Baby Yoda.

On the subject of age, it was good to see them acknowledging Sonic’s age for a change as opposed to just presuming because up until now I did always think he was some sort of teenager but this confirms it. If Baby Sonic is around 5-9 years old then Sonic in present day is late teens which makes sense with his temperament.

The gold rings being used as teleportation devices, I don’t know if they’re meant to be in the games but loved their use here.

I enjoyed the use of technology in this movie and particularly Robotnik’s commentary on how technology is more reliable than people which ties into his ultimate fate of being stranded alone without another soul on the planet he is sent to which forces him further into insanity.

The fact Sonic’s story is about fitting into society while James Marsden’s character is about figuring out what’s right in front of him are great parallels and do balance each other out rather well.

Also where he ends up with effectively being part of a family as well as a town hero was a nice way to wrap things up.

However, that mid-credits scene showing the arrival of Sonic’s faithful protege Tails to the real world looking for his friend screams for a sequel, especially if this means that more of Sonic’s companions could be introduced in the future like Knuckles, Shadow or even Rouge the Bat.

Characters:

Dr. Robotnik:

I don’t want to say he is the best character because I feel all four of the main cast members do a great job, but my favourite definitely is Jim Carrey as Robotnik. This is Carrey back on form and there were so many great shades of back when he was at the top of his game in the 90s with work such as Ace Ventura, The Mask and The Grinch.

From his first scene he stole every scene he was in. You could tell that he was taking the role seriously while also having the time of his life with it and this is why, back in the day, he was on such high form.

He may not have been the overweight bald megalomaniac, at least with the latter two not until the end of the movie, but he was the evil genius and mad scientist and almost every line he delivered he nailed.

I think “rockonnaissance” is going to be the new “joygasm” for him but it worked for The Riddler and it works for Robotnik.

I’m also happy he was nicknamed Eggman in the movie by Sonic because of the shape of his drones, I thought it was fitting. I can’t wait for Sonic to see the new bald version.

Sonic:

Yes Sonic is second but I said it before, there were times when he was overbearing.

Ben Schwartz by the way does a fantastic job voicing the character, I know he voices Dewey in the new Ducktales series and also for some reason voices BB-8 in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, but this is my favourite role of his voice is so realistic for a wide-eyed and somewhat innocent “alien” hedgehog.

I enjoyed how when he first came to Earth he was this urban legend around Green Hills who spent those 10 years people watching and either making up nicknames for the citizens while also longing to fit in with them but knowing not to.

Also the movie’s comedy was never as vulgar as Ryan Reynolds or immature as Russell Brand. I think they had one fart joke in the movie but the rest was generic comedy movie material which was hit and miss in comedy.

It was quite touching also that he was so protective of Green Hills and the status quo so much so that when Tom said he was planning on leaving to move to San Francisco, he was so offended and I thought it was going to be that trope of “Oh now they’re going to separate only to discover they need each other later” but instead it was a few digs and then they got over it.

I am so happy they did redesign the character because the movie’s original look for him was horrendous and did make Cats look reasonable whereas this is more like the Sonic everyone knows and I did not realise he didn’t have his traditional running shoes until Jojo, the niece of Tika Sumpter’s character, replaced them for him.

I will keep saying I want a sequel just because I am interested to see where Sonic’s story takes him next, especially with Tails now on Earth and the potentiality that others could join.

The Wachowskis

Again I thought James Marsden and Tika Sumpter did very pleasant jobs. This is my favourite James Marsden performance to date. Up until now his roles have been either corny or simply bland for me but here, yes there were a couple of dodgy jokes and moments but overall I thought Tom was a very likeable character and at the very least a driven character.

His wife Maddie, first of all props to the movie writers for having a mixed-race couple front and centre in the movie. But also, Maddie, who is also an accomplished career woman alongside her accomplished career husband, did not weigh Tom down or the story down as simply being “just the wife”.

I also enjoyed Maddie’s sister and niece, Jojo is quite cute and for the little screentime that she has does well with it for a child her age. While Natasha Rothwell continues to grow in my estimations after her fabulous turn in Love, Simon as the very sassy teacher.

Others:

As for the rest of the cast, this was a great who’s who for spotting the great jobbing actors as Lee Majdoub, Neal McDonough, Michael Hogan and Adam Pally all have minor supporting roles that do not go unnoticed.

Meanwhile Colleen Villard (née O'Shaughnessey), who voices Tails in the video games as well as voicing Wasp in The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes series and Sora in the Digimon franchise, reprises her role as the anthropomorphic fox in an uncredited mid-credits scene. I am hoping she returns for the sequel because it is good to hear her acting again.

Recommendation:

I do see a future for this movie in terms of a franchise. I do not quite see it crossing over with Detective Pikachu as I know there were rumblings of some sort of Super Smash Bros.��movie cinematic universe.

However, if the movie does warrant a sequel, and with a current Rotten Tomatoes score of 64%, considering this seems to be a deciding factor for some cinema goers, I don’t see why not. I am hoping the future of this franchise does see the introductions of Knuckles, Shadow, Rouge and even Amy.

Potentially also spinning off from this franchise, there could be Donkey Kong, Mega Man and maybe even Mario to create that Super Smash Bros. universe.

Overall I rate the movie 8/10, it’s a great movie and definitely has some rewatchability to it.

Having said that I can see where some cinema snobs or even haters may come from as they inevitably target the movie but I encourage everyone not to be taken in by other people’s opinions, not even mine, make up your own minds and see it for yourself.

So that’s my review of Sonic the Hedgehog, what did you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Movie Reviews as well as other posts.

[aveaugvstus]

ALL ABOARD ! The HMS PROMETHEAN welcomes  AUGUSTUS SUTHERLAND  to the expedition in their capacity of  THE SCION. They are  24 YEARS OLD & CISMALE  and might be painted as  ROME FLYNN. When you strike up an acquaintance, address them as  HE / HIM. Their deeds on land prece their arrival — people say they are  CHARISMATIC, GOOD-NATURED, DAUNTLESS  but  ARROGANT, RECKLESS, OBSTINATE   when the tide turns. Their purpose aboard the Promethean falls in line with  “protecting the interests of the Commonwealth and maintaining order”, the pursuit of adventure, chasing the thrill of the unknown and hunger for all that lies beyond the edge of the world.

PINTEREST.    /    ARCHETYPES,  INSPIRATIONS,  ORIGIN,  WANTED CONNECTIONS BELOW.

I.  ARCHETYPES.

beautiful charming himbo™ that is actually super genuine and easygoing and gets along with everyone (much to his haters’ dismay)

super rich kid with the suffocating family legacy looking for a little fun and rebellion

pure of heart!!!!! dumb of ass

longing for purpose and capable of being more than he is beneath all the layers of carefree frat boy and clueless pretty boy

loyal to the death, ride or die for his people (which is most people unless you go out of your way to actively antagonise him)

II.  ORIGIN  /  HEADCANONS.

augustus was named by his grandfather, former admiral of the fleet in her majesty’s royal navy, and a fervent zealot in his glorification of the roman empire and civilisation.

his full name is augustus julius sutherland in case you had any doubts about the full extent of his obsession.

the sutherlands are old, old, old money. (if you traced their genealogy all the way back they don’t truly descend from any house in the peerage but they’ve won the prestige and esteem of nobility through centuries of climbing the ranks of the military and have reaped the accolades, rewards and bestowments of land.) war and conquest runs in their blood. august comes from generations of decorated admirals, generals and commanders.

his parents met when his father’s ship came into port at the bahamas. she’s painted as the exotic temptress that beguiled him with her beauty and feminine wiles because he was engaged at birth to be married to a nice rich white english girl.

august is half-afro-cuban and understands spanish but can’t speak it, having learned the language only through his mother’s lullabies and occasional slips into her native tongue.

august is sheltered growing up from what being mixed truly means — he gets the whispers and stares but it helps being the heir apparent of an extremely powerful and wealthy family. it also helps that he’s very likeable, handsome, good-natured, etc. his mother raises him to treat all people with kindness (with a touch of casual but well-meaning manipulation, it helps to be loved to earn loyalty, after all). as such he’s not raised spoiled rotten and pretentious like most of his peers.

being the embodiment of sunshine he is, he gets along with literally anyone he meets just by sheer force of will and personality — it’s the puppy eyes. he’s respectful, polite and genuinely interested in everyone from all walks of life and doesn’t care about class or station when it comes to making friends.

he’s risen steadily through the ranks of the academy, not out of any particular ambition or necessity but because his family name and presence essentially paved the way. a fact that’s pissed off plenty of people and former comrades-in-arms. if there was one word to describe augustus sutherlands’ life thus far it’d be “effortless”.

august sees his allegiance to the british empire as a perfunctory thing. he’s not bound to the commonwealth, the military, or his rank by any undying sense of duty and obligation and if anything, is quite naive about the realities of the empire and warfare. he’s young, impresssionable, and inclined to the see the best in people and situations. he view of the royal guard and being stationed on the hms promethean is one of adventure and limitless possibility. a means to an end to fulfil his thirst for something greater and more glorious than the mundanity of military life and high society.

III.  VIBES  /  INSPIRATIONS.

—    people: dave franco (in most of his movies but especially 21 jump street). michael b. jordan’s general energy and sheer charisma. zac efron in high school musical, not the character, but like his general ‘everyone’s high school crush’ vibe. —    tv: jason mendoza, the good place. joey tribbiani, friends. andy dwyer, parks and recreation. —    film: ferris bueller, ferris bueller’s day off. flynn rider, tangled. johnny storm, marvel. —    literature: peter pan. finnick odair, the hunger games trilogy.

IV.  PLOTS  /  WANTED CONNECTIONS.

fun and chaos, to put it simply. august is always looking for trouble, whether he knows it or not. most of it is harmless but he’s fond of dares, exploring places he shouldn’t be in and doing things he definitely shouldn’t be doing and getting away with it.

literally if you dare him to do anything he is honor-bound by the himbo code to do it.

not sure what the liquor rations are like on hms promethean but fuck it because august will happily get drunk with just about anyone on the ship. he demands drinking games! revelry! stolen moments in the dark

extremely good at finding things — be they lost or contraband that can’t be secured via the quartermaster. perhaps your character has a strange request for something that august can provide.

if a character ever finds themselves overboard, august will be the first man doing a perfect swandive into the water to rescue them, whether they can swim or not

people see august as trustworthy, so he’s privy to a lot of gossip and secrets he otherwise should definitely not be told. he doesn’t have a big mouth but he’s guilty of not treating things seriously enough when he should. those that spill their hearts out to him beware...

august loves a good tale of the adventure and will sit wide-eyed listening for hours to a captivating master storyteller

not to say that august is....... dumb but he’s a little gullible at times and has a fascination with conspiracy theories and mysteries. Loves ghost stories and horror stories

he has an equal affinity for animals as he does with people, he adores them despite being allergic to things with fur. he’ll pet your creatures and spend hours sneezing but he refuses to have regrets (ragrets). 

THE CHALLENGER. someone that august can’t seem to charm and bend to his will no matter what he tries. the thorn in his side that sees through all the rich boy bullshit and doesn’t care for it. a person that, against his better judgement, infuriates him because he can’t get a hold of them or why they seem to dislike him so much.

THE SWEETHEART.  a guest passenger that’s of the same warm, easygoing sensibility that he clicks with from the first moment. an instant kind of bond and warmth despite their differences in background or life. a person that brings out the big loveable heart in august and sees him for who he is.

THE CATALYST.  an older character that’s jaded and hardened and has their eyes completely open to the atrocities and sins of the british empire. a character that confronts august’s worldview and wakes him up, sparks a fire in him that leads to his disillusionment with the empire and the role he plays within it.

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

(Sansa anon here) I don't understand how fans can be so malicious to an 11-13 y/o character. They write meta about how she is so terrible in comparison to the other Stark kids, so weak and mediocre, malicious, two faced, doesn't know what love is, etc. And say that anyone who disagrees is stupid, wrong, just a "Sansa stan", etc. Has GRRM said anything to back any of it up? Or the books? It's been years since I've read them, but IDR anything like it. It hurts my heart...Sansa is special to me :(

Sansa anon! I haven’t heard from you in years! So good to see you, so to speak, and I hope you’re doing well, especially considering… everything really, sigh.

Anyway, again sigh, I don’t understand those malicious fans either. I wish it were only shownly fans and their attitude towards a now-adult woman, but I still see it from supposed book-only fans too. Stupid damned shipwars certainly don’t help – they’ve even given a terrible reputation to “sansa stans”, and it’s so hard to fight that when there are horrible character-bashing Sansa fans being misogynist and delusional as fuck in the name of their awful ship. (Though you sometimes get some misogynist and delusional ones on the other side, too, alas.) Nevertheless, I do claim to be a Sansa stan, still, and fuck all haters (both sides, tyvm).

Do the books back up this hate? No, I would certainly say – of course people can interpret things the way they like, but they’re wrong. :)  Though I’m afraid I don’t have the time to research word-by-word, sorry, but let me just refer you to @turtle-paced’s wonderful post about Sansa’s intelligence, for one, and other posts on @asoiafuniversity about Sansa may help you too.

Has GRRM said anything to back up the hate? No, not at all. The opposite, rather. A few points by him:

He did say when he created the Starks, they got along too well (families aren’t like that), so he developed Sansa as Arya’s opposite. And that Sansa and Arya still have deep issues to work out. That doesn’t make Sansa “terrible”, just very different from her sister, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

His original pitch letter for ASOIAF did not include Sansa as part of the “five central characters” and in fact gave her a pretty bad fate. However, he was very annoyed that the letter was released to the public, as it was intended for him and his publisher only. He said that in the outline he was “making shit up” and “characters changed along the way”. And notably, when asked about the fates of the “main five”, he also included Sansa: “Tyrion, Arya, Jon, Sansa, you know, all of the Stark kids, and the major Lannisters, yeah.”

“[We] mentioned to George that some people gave Sansa and Catelyn a lot of grief, claiming they “whined” too much. George was quite adamant that he disagreed with those readers.”

“… it is not a case of all or nothing. No single person is to blame for Ned’s downfall. Sansa played a role, certainly, but it would be unfair to put all the blame on her. But it would also be unfair to exonerate her.” (more on this subject here)

“I don’t concern myself over whether my characters are “likeable” or “sympathetic.” (I had my fill of that in television). My interest is in trying to make them real and human. If I can create a fully-fleshed three-dimensional character, some of my readers will like him/her, or some won’t, and that’s fine with me. That’s the way real people react to real people in the real world, after all. Look at the range of opinions we get on politicans and movie stars. If EVERYONE likes a certain character, or hates him, that probably means he’s made of cardboard. So I will let my readers decide who they like, admire, hate, pity, sympathize with, etc. The fact that characters like Sansa, Catelyn, Jaime, and Theon provoke such a wide range of reactions suggests to me that I have achieved my goal in making them human.” (source)

So, yes… Sansa may be a divisive character in the fandom… but that just means that GRRM thinks she’s more fully human character than a less-divisive one. Which I think is a good thing. :D   I hope this helps you, my dear Sansa anon, at least a little bit, and please feel free to use my submit box if you want to reply anonymously while my inbox is closed, no worries about the guidelines there.

[ruwithmeguys]

The chances of an eighth season of Arrow is high, but beyond that… I think the chances have dropped for more than 8 but I could be wrong.

Why I think it’s ending after S8 (and why it may not):

Both Stephen and Emily have stated they want to write and direct but haven’t, despite the chances. They may want to work on new things after next year.

Though he’s agreed to an eighth season, Stephen has made several comments the last 12 months indicating his acceptance of the end and how Oliver really only has one true goal left to accomplish.

The show doesn’t just feel like it’s hitting a new milestone: it feels like it’s preparing us for something (unless it’s just a shocking SL and I’m very wrong)

The interest in superhero tv shows is starting to dwindle because of the sheer number of options available. This however, is open to change. Especially after the last avengers movie hits the cinemas. They may turn to shows like Arrow as an alternative.

Unless the show comes up with a brand new focus to pit Oliver against, beyond his own darkness, then… what? What’s the story?

Indications that John may become the GL means he’s available for other shows after Arrow ends.

Where Oliver goes, Felicity goes. The indications that Oliver will eventually step back from the hood keep ramping up.

They are leading the show towards the future: it’s an obvious passing of the baton.

They are limited in terms of comic origin as there’s only so much story they can pilfer from the comics before DC stop them.

They will need an intense, captivating original story to keep Stephen/Emily and the audience on board past S8 and where they go, the audience go.

We know Arrow won’t live past 10 seasons anyway.

Why I want Arrow to end after 8 seasons:

Too many new characters – unless the show axes at least two of the regulars, we’re never truly going to get the depth we deserve in the scenes focused on our mains… HOWEVER. You can also argue that they don’t need more depth because we basically know them inside out. Another reason right there.

Run its course - Arrow is that show. It isn’t even that good to be honest – the script is either amaze-balls or ridiculous and illogical, the action sequences take up too much space at times and continuity is a huge issue – however we love it as if it were made of gold. Despite our complaints, we watch it because it gave us something that most shows don’t. It gave us a love story for the ages that wasn’t supposed to exist and demanded acceptance of it. It dared so it has our respect.

However, Stephen said something recently. He said, all that remains of Oliver’s story is to leave a legacy. He doesn’t have to die for it to happen, but it has to happen. There two ways for this to be possible: have a baby with Felicity and become a legend. He’ll do both, huzzah! But, barring the immediate concerns of this story, there isn’t a whole lot of character building left to accomplish (suck it Barry/Kara) for Oliver. It’s all outside material. His sister is an issue too, but after this season, focus on him for her story won’t be required. I’m here for Oliver, then Felicity. Just them and in that order.

Thea’s story is done folks, save the peripheral. Whatever happens next for her doesn’t have to be on screen, though I will be stunned if she doesn’t come back for the finale of the series. I have no wish to see more of it, unless it’s Roy inclusive. Why? Because so much of her story kind of… IT BLEW, OKAY? I was bored to tears with her after season 4 and only season 2 and 3 interested me for her character and Roy was entwined in that.

Building a legacy doesn’t mean characters just… disappear - and they don’t have to. So regardless of the end, Felicity will be out there. So will Oliver.

Diggle. This is a big one for me. He’s been changing since Oliver and Felicity left 3.23, since he killed Andy. But we haven’t seen the Dig we know and love since 5.23. That’s 32 episodes. For me, if what was broken isn’t fixed by 7.22, then I truly won’t care what occurs for him in the future, beyond simple curiosity. There’s been too much damage. There’s changing into a different person and then there’s being likeable. One episode is all I’m asking. Believe it or not, I’m actually enjoying his progression, but it’s progression that falls away from the man we dearly miss. Since the chances of him becoming the green lantern has risen… I have to say, I’m not surprised at the idea that John could leave his family behind both literally and figuratively. He’s done it before. He’s doing it now, but it has less impact if his ties are loose and not taut. I need them tightening. 13 episodes are left on S7. He needs to take steps. So either Dig becomes the green lantern… or he dies. If either occurs next year, then S8 will most likely be the end anyway. OTA are the main fixture: they know it, they’ve said it. Once one of them leaves, it’s a ticking clock.

The longer the show lasts, the more time they have to screw up.

I can’t stand another crossover where Oliver is verbally battered for existing.

Too many birds give me hives.

Dinah has become the new boring and siren, the cordelia: I can live without both.

Curits is such a poor example of a human being, it makes me rage, which is unhealthy

Rene is finally interesting to me again, even if I don’t trust him because he’s a fickle sod… which means I never will. So, I can’t like his storyline.

I’m so done with watching Felicity be friendless and treated with disrespect by people that she has to refer to as heroes whether they’ve earned the title or not, I feel like writing fiction where she kills them all and Oliver just stands there in approval.

The longer Arrow lasts, the longer Flash lasts and… NO.

The longer Arrow lasts, the longer Supergirl lasts and… NO.

Since they aren’t doing a thorough Constantine Drakon villain – an enemy with the potential to be amazing since he very literally crucifies the green arrow – I really do miss the big villain. I miss Malcolm: he was twisted but he was effective. You were supposed to hate him. I miss Slade: he’s still my favourite villain. Adrian was the best but they took too long introducing him so he falls short of the tension pedestal for me. Despite being sucktastic, Diaz presents a decent conundrum: he’s supposed to be an arsehole that won’t die so he’s a constant threat. We don’t have to like him. So I desperately need Stan to return. I need that creepy/psychotic enemy that throws everyone for a loop. Without it, I’m not sure about the show’s moral integrity goes to that isn’t about revisiting old ghosts since it’s based on good Vs evil etc. I need to wait and see where they go with this: it could become an organisation or an idea (vigilantes for the people: who watches the watchman type thing) instead of a person and I’ve given up hope on a woman villain who doesn’t irk me. I don’t need 1950’s cheese ball KC: it’s not effective.

Felicity. Now… I love what they’ve done with her character, even in S6 for the most part! However, this whole idea that her wearing a mask would undermine the meaning is pathetic. You had a street kid and a lawyer wearing one after less than a few months of training, but sure: Felicity wearing one would destroy the significance. Now, in one part, this elevates her character: she is the character that all others must work off at least once. It makes her too important to loose: Oliver, Barry, LL, Siren, Ray etc. On the other hand, it limits her capacity and keeps her boxed in which is why S7 has been such a relief to may of us. But I would have loved to have seen this woman suit up: at least she’d be convincing. Any chance of us seeing it happen now are slim to none which is a shame because, to me, her potential is limitless. What we would have given to have everyone else react to her kicking ass and taking names in a mask, with a moniker, and a headset/vice that details the logistics of buildings, sends out Trojans etc. She’d be a nightmare.

I think one more full season (20 to 22 episodes) on top of the 13 remaining, is enough to close Oliver’s legacy if done right which… is a stretch to hope for.

With so many superhero movies in play, if gone on long enough, Arrow will no doubt attempt to copy them as they have done in the past to ill effect.

Another year of rude anons/haters making claims, demanding I do as they tell me, being ridiculous and being constantly wrong in my inbox would be a welcome subtraction in my life.

…And why I want it to live forever:

This show was the show that made me aware of social media. It’s also the show that I needed at a dark time in my life: I was jobless, friendless and things were happening with my family that were less than desirable: it was a grand distraction that borderlined obsession. Or passion. Hm.

Despite certain plotlines, illogical character progression, overused devices, and faulty scripts; it truly is a one in a million show. Very different from all other shows.

The actors can ACT… for the most part.

The CGI effects are good.

It’s angsty x 10

The love story is worth the angst

There’s always more story to tell with good characters!

Once Oliver achieves the status he deserves, I want to see him revel in it.

…A 10 episode season 9 that focuses on olicity alone because I want it so bad?

The chance to bring back Tommy somehow

The wonderful people I talk to online daily JUST because of this show

The genuine friends I’ve made JUST because of this show.

The fanfiction that will continue longer if the show does

The posts and metas I don’t want to live without

The asks in my inbox that I enjoy answering and the anons I enjoy engaging with

TUMBLR – (with the smut please)

If the show has a chance of lasting past season 8, then what I want to see is a season that focuses ONLY on Oliver… and I’d have it elsewhere. I’d have the government involved. Felicity too. Dig. Just them three (it won’t happen).

The chance to see Curtis crash and burn

The chance to see Dinah crash and burn

The chance to see Rene crash and burn

The chance to see siren… go away somewhere

Felicity in a mask

An actual 9pm slot that’s used to it’s fullest extent

A crossover that focuses on what could have been on another earth and you KNOW they’d have Felicity be the vigilante, with Oliver as the guy who loves her despite her violent escapades. OR another life where they’re regular people that fall into an elaborate conspiracy or something.

There currently isn’t another show that can fill the void that Arrow will create when it ends.

A crossover where Oliver/Felicity kiss no one but each other… please.

A crossover- nay, an ENTIRE SEASON, where Oliver is praised for alllll his hard work and sacrifice.

An episode that marks Felicity, truly, as irreplaceable, necessary and needed for every other character to shine.

An episode arc that allows Felicity to be the one that defeats the bad guy.

You know… YOU KNOW that at some point they’ll deliberately have DC and marvel intersect.

Unfortunately, the cons currently outweigh the pro’s. And if so, if S8 is the last, then that’s an AMAZING run time for a show that was supposed to be only 5 seasons. And the story had enough meat in it for me to be happy for it……… though when that occurs, I’ll probably need to book time off to recover because oh my god I can’t even imagine.

The idea, if true, is a sad one. But again, if true, it won’t be till 2020. We have some time.

[originaldisneydescendants]

I disagree with your opinion about abortion, but I have decided to not judge you as a person by this single thing alone. I can understand your point of view, but I still stand with mine. I'm still following you, both for the content you post and maybe I can learn a bit how people think differently from others. (I know this comes out of nowhere, but I have been busy with trying to understand people better and to not judge people by the way they think differently :) )

I just want to say, it’s my birthday today and this is the best message I could have gotten. 💖

I think the biggest problem in the world today is that no one is LISTENING to each other. If two people disagree on an emotionally charged issue, they often assume the worst of each other.

“That person is a Trump supporter? They must be a racist woman-hater!” “That person is a feminist? They must hate all men!”

I also try to never look down on someone just for disagreeing with me. One of my favorite books of all time is a narrative biography written by a late friend-of-a-friend of mine and at the center of it is the friendship between Christian and a Muslim (they even refer to themselves as brothers) who argue over theology/apologetics all the time for years yet it never occurs to them that they have to hate each other because they both think the other is wrong (I personally found their friendship to be very charming and would love to see this book adapted into a movie because they are both likeable dorks). It’s BECAUSE they loved each other that they argued. They both think “I believe I’m right on how to get to heaven and you’re wrong but I want you to be in heaven with me so I’m going to do what I can to convince you even if you’re offended by it. It’s out of love that I am trying to destabilize your worldview.” While their friendship gets strained at times, they never give up on each other because, “Even though we disagreed, I knew if it came right down to it, he would take a bullet for me and he knew that I would do the same.”

The title of the book is a dead giveaway to how it all ends, but regardless of whether or not you agree with Nabeel’s decision to become a Christian, for the reasons stated above, I HIGHLY recommend the book Seeking Allah Finding Jesus. It really is a great example of how just because two people disagree on something so important, it doesn’t mean they have to be enemies. You might get a few laughs out of it too because these guys have a good sense of humor. One line in the book that stands out in my memory is “Political correctness is for acquaintances. We were friends.”

If you’re interested, here are the two of them discussing the importance of relationships in such dialogues.

[celestialsushi]

Get to know me???

Got this from @mymainisacook, because I saw it while browsing the blog and thought it looked fun :D Consider yourself tagged if you think this looks fun and want to do it too!

~~~

RULES: ANSWER all questions, ADD one question of your own and then TAG as many people as there are questions (or don’t)!

Coke or pepsi? Coke. And I like to add fruit syrup or alcohol to it :D

Disney or Dreamworks? Disney :3

Coffee or tea? Coffee, but I drink and enjoy both

Books or movies? Movies, but I still enjoy reading too! And some books just have better pacing than their movie counterparts

Windows or Mac? Windows; it’s what I’m used to

DC or Marvel? IT’S MAHVEL BAYBEE

Xbox or Playstation? Playstation, definitely

Night owl or early riser? Hopeless night owl, lol

Cards or chess? Gotta say cards

Chocolate or Vanilla? CHOCOLATE (but vanilla is nice too)

Vans or Converse? Don’t really have an opinion but leaning more towards Vans because DAMN, DANIEL!

Star Wars or Star Trek? Star Wars, but I wouldn’t call myself an avid fan

One episode per week or marathoning? MARATHONING. And the best part is that I usually end up coming in late to these shows so there’s plenty to watch for me from the get-go :3

Gandalf or Obi-Wan? Gandalf!!

Heroes or villains? Heroes. Very few villains I find likeable (and if they are, there’s a good reason for it, lol)

John Williams or Hans Zimmer? John Williams. I’m aware of the controversy but the music’s nostalgic

Disneyland/Disney world or Six Flags? DIDNEY WORL

Forest or sea? It’s the sea for me, but mostly for the land right next to it

Flying or reading minds? Flying, definitely. People stress me out too much already XD

Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings? Both are good, but HP resonated more with me

Cake or pie? Cake. But pie is delightful as well :3

You are banished to a desert island, which benedict cumberbatch character would you choose to take with you? I’m gonna have to agree with mymainisacook and say Doctor Strange because chances are good that we’d be able to find some cosmic loophole and get off of there quicker. That and magic, so we’d have food available

Train or cruise ship? Train. I’ve been on a cruise ship when the waves were rough o_o

Brian Cox or Neil Degrasse-Tyson? Neil Degrasse-Tyson if at the very least for the memes

The Wizard of Oz or Alice in Wonderland? Gonna say Alice in Wonderland because the Wizard of Oz didn’t really appeal to me as much

Fan fiction or Fan art? WHY YOU MAKE ME CHOOSE?? Okay, fine. I like both, but I’m gonna say fanfiction here because you can capture many more moments in time with written word. A picture is a still image of one moment in time (unless there are other picture inclusions OR you’re looking at a picture from the wizarding world, lol... or a gif XD)

The Hunger Games - books or movies? I’ve never read or seen this series, but I’ll say books just because they came first (and, well, books, lol)

Be able to see the future or travel into the past? Travel into the past, so I can give myself some encouragement (provided this wouldn’t kill off the entire planet or cause some other major catastrophe, lol)

Han Solo or Luke Skywalker? Luke. He was just gonna go into Tosche Station and get some power converters, and look at what happened instead

Lilacs or sunflowers? Of the two? Sunflowers

Spring or autumn? Autumn

Campfire or fireplace? Campfire because food :3

French fries or onion rings? French fries (with ketchup mayo :3)

Truth or dare? Truth. I’d rather talk than be made to do something

Winter or summer? Summer up north, winter in Florida

Vampires or werewolves? Werewolves (Because if I were in Bella’s shoes I’d take the guy with a pulse, thanks. Also, I never got into Twilight but Team Jacob for this reason alone, lol)

Red or blue? Blue but it looks awesome when paired with red too

Eyes or lips? Eyes

Burgers or sandwiches? (Sub) Sandwiches. But sometimes, you just want a big juicy burger

Friends-to-lovers or enemies-to-lovers trope? Friends-to-lovers :3

Pizza or pasta? Pizza (sometimes with pineapple, thank you. I’ll take what the pineapple haters won’t touch)

Ancient Rome or ancient Greece? Ancient Greece. Among other reasons, their food’s great, so gimme that ancient grease XD

Foxes or wolves? Wolves

Mermaids or dragons? *slams hands on desk* MERMAIDS

Kate Bush or Madonna? *shrugs*

The office or Parks and Recreation? I haven’t seen enough of either to make a decision, but I think I might enjoy The Office more?

Sci-fi or period drama? Sci-fi

Fairytales or Mysteries? FREAKIN’ MYSTERIES, BRO

Explore the oceans or space? Oceans, but only because it’s here on earth. Otherwise DAMN, there’s some hella creepy stuff down there!! O_o

iPhone or Android? Android; I is poor, lol

Pancakes or Waffles? Waffles; it’s better at holding whatever you put on it :3

Cinnamon or butterscotch? Cinnamon, but I recently discovered I’m fond of butterscotch too

[honeyedmilks]

strong woman do bong soon- the tumbly review

this is gonna come out as a straight up hate post from a tired soul, about a show that could’ve been everything but wasn’t, and i make no apologies for that. it’s messy and unkind (not as unkind as i could be) but... i’m fairly honest.

what i’ll be talking about: 

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon (2017)

a biased summary by :

Do Bong Soon, our female lead (played by Park Bo Young), is super strong- thanks to a power that’s been passed down the ladies of her family for years. there’s a serial woman hater in her neighbourhood terrorising everyone, and she gotta stop that asshole! there’s also some good looking men in this show with like four love lines too keep things interesting, and some flailing gangsters who are out there too that she beats up now and then, drinking feces wine. And if this sounds like an awful mess then good, i’m doing the show great justice then. 

a general statement and warning about this show: 

it’s not good. if you’ve not seen it then please do not waste your time and instead watch literally anything else. i say this out of love for you. if you want a female lead who’s cool and cute and punches things then watch legend of the blue sea. it may not be perfect but it’s better than this.

the production: 

the show is visually very pretty in some sense. stylish wardrobe choices, nice landscape shots, cool sets, and a whole showcase of good looking people. 

the directing and special effects, the tone of the show, it can all border cheesy, but the intent is to come off quirky, funny and energetic seeing as this a story about a woman with super human strength. 

it’s a bit comic bookish, which again makes sense due to the nature of the show and it’s characters. except it doesn’t work all the time. especially not when the bad guy of your show is hardly a comic book character. he’s a misogynistic guy who likes beating up woman and kidnapping them for his own twisted pleasures. 

the directing and writing of this show fails to balance out the light and the dark in this show, by downplaying Bong Soon’s powers and by diluting the story with meaningless backstories and characters we didn’t need. 

the performances of our leads vary. but the main cast are well known actors, and carry a lot of talent.

Bo Young manages to make our heroine likeable and relatable for a while. She’s believable and gives the show some spark.

Ji Soo who plays our muddled in the heart copper Guk Doo, can be painful to watch in the first half, you end up not liking him and his harshness, but Ji Soo brings a likeable softness to him in the later half. 

Park Hyung Sik, much adored and admired by fans, takes on the role of our lonely chaebol, but he’s not just rich and sad guys, he’s also a video game creator, spy man and tech genius, with flawless skin, who goes by the name Ahn MInhyuk. Hyung Sik’s performance starts off lovably eccentric, bouncing between suave and smart, only to slowly dissipate into boring and even annoying. I’ll talk more about him later. 

our side characters are even harder to digest- mostly unlikable, with the funnies wearing off far too early in the long run of the show, we don’t care much for them- except from the woman, held hostage by the shitty but uninteresting serial villain.

there were so many plot points that were awful that just slashed the quality of the show too pieces, and i can’t even begin to talk about them.

the soundtrack is nice. it matches the zany inside of the show for the most part. it’s noticeably more fun when we get to Bong Soon’s super hero antics. 

the show is bright, bubbly and cleanly set on the outside when it’s a cutesy office rom com, but turns bleak and even mesier when it tries to get serious. 

the romance: 

loads of people say that they only finished this show for otp loveliness but i couldn’t relate. 

people made gif sets with epic romantic quotes... you know those quotes where it’s like “that one guy who looks at this super strong woman and they’re awesome and shit and he loves her strength and shit...” you know those kind? yeah that’s nonsense. here’s why i think so:

Minhyuk sucks as a romantic lead and a partner well mostly when you ship him with Bong Soon. i’m not gonna lie. i was really excited for them at the start, i was head over heels for those moments when he called her sexy for calling him out on being useless and such. i liked their friendly interactions together, but... when you add her strength in the mix, everything turns sour for me. 

Ah Minhyuk... i’m not saying that he should love her for her powers, or because she’s someone who has them. he just saw her as Bong Soon, which i mean.. i guess you can call sentimental? but when he says stuff like “yeah ya strong but your just Bong Soon.” like that’s not... romantic?

he doesn’t trust her when she’s like a million trillion times stronger and powerful than him. i don’t see why she had to go to this guy to “control” her powers. i don’t like how he doesn’t think highly of her powers- he’s just shocked and “shook” but not ever in an admiring way. maybe on the surface, it seems like it but... if you look really closely at the way he says things... it’s not like that. 

he sucked at helping her when she lots her powers, didn’t comfort in the way you would have hoped.

he underestimates her when she’s A THOUSAND TIMES STRONGER THAN ANYONE ON THIS EARTH- I mean almost everyone has seen a super here movie right? mary jane admire spider man, but also loves peter, but trusts him, he’s always doing the saving but she doesn’t think she’s better than him. lous lane and superman? pepper potts (a cool ass woman btw who’s honestly a bit like min hyuk when it comes to some of her skills) and iron man? thor and jane? yet... swdbs... minhyuk is still the super hero. and there’s no one relying on Bong Soon to save the day because ... she’s just a woman... we need to protect her... we can’t let her endanger herself to save some people when... she’s the only one who possibly could. 

this thing in their relationship where he loved Bong Soon with or without her strengths could’ve worked if they had done it well. like if he actually saw how much of a loss she felt when she lost her powers(which she lost for... what reason again?)- instead... it was so underwhelming. he didn’t see her powers as special and heroic... he didn’t see something so amazing like that to be a great loss to her. 

i mean, he’s always down playing her powers- loads of people do, but it’s worse when he does. he’s asked her if she was actually a man and then an alien, like you believe a man could spin a car with their bare hands, but not a woman? so obviously she’s an alien if not a man? how am i supposed to enjoy a female superhero when all anyone does is try erase the fact that she’s a woman?

there’s no empowerment that makes you feel anything for them. that’s usually something you sense but it’s just not there. it’s normal to be worried for your partner but there’s literally no sense of trust and admiration. it’s been a while since i watched swdbs, but i’m pretty sure when Bong Soon saves those women Minhyuk isn’t even happy about it... did she not apologise? that’s nonsense. 

it’s not just that aspect of their relationship that bothers me- it’s how whiny and annoying Minhyuk can be. people romanticised his “won’t you love me?” line but it’s not a good line. it’s not a romantic line that’s makes me swoon or makes me feel like Bong Soon should like him. he comes off as clingy and pining and like she’s got to be with her because he likes her so much. 

he made his bodyguard make him meals... i don’t care how sentimental and sad he is over his mother. he literally moaned on at her. 

he kept a tracking device on her? 

he gave her a desk in his office. it was a cute desk alright, but he did it to keep her close and he didn’t even take her video game designing game serious; everything about their relationship is so flat. 

if he was such a skilled fighter, did he really need to have Bong Soon as his bodyguard? (she was also a terrible bodyguard but you know). 

i know i’m nit picking, but i could over look some of these things if there weren’t so many things that made no sense to me. if only half of these things weren’t based on weakening Bong Soon and her relationship with her super strength. 

i blame a lot of this on crappy writing because this could’ve been about Bong Soon and her journey to being a hero but it was just nonsensical. 

it was all done so crudely that... i just don’t find anything solid about it. 

i felt no chemistry- i liked them best when they were bickering or just being friendly. 

like Bong Soon saw her powers as some kind of hardship? something she couldn’t show Guk Du, who she was in love with for so long, but sure Minhyuk sees them and accepts them, but he’s not there to help her realise all the things she can do, or admire and respect her. NOTHING MAKES SENSE. 

i don’t even know if i’m right in thinking that Minhyuk could’ve been someone to help her harness her powers and be supportive and help her on her way of becoming a superhero- because does a man who loves you have to be the one to make you see your worth as a hero? but he didn’t even not do that, instead, he just felt like an obstacle telling her that she may have powers but she’s still just Bong Soon. 

It just seems like a confusing jumble to me. 

were the writers trying to normalise her powers in their relationship? because i could watch any other crappy show with a strong woman who’s human talents are put under her to save the man’s fragile masculinity. but she’s got super hero powers... super heroes are admired and thought of as freaking cool and shit- it’s supposed to be awesome and all that jazz. it’s not much fun otherwise

all these things just annoy me. because if they wanted to make Bong Soon’s journey with her powers be her own, then why was Minhyuk such a useless involvement in them? why did he have to come save her from getting stabbed... why... if they’re gonna add romance in with the story line with her powers... why are the writers so scared of making her powerful... why does she need this mediocre mans help? 

i don’t care if he’s a ceo... or a tech genius... he used the lgbt identity as some kind of publicity thing, he’s not nearly as zany and cool as he could've been as he just ended up as another person telling Bong Soon she’s not a superhero. 

this ain’t the avengers- it should’ve been Bong Soon’s story as a badass super hero, why do i have to see Guk Do and Minhyuk devise some genius dumb ass plan at the end? why not let Bong Soon defeat the asshole on her own? 

why are people scared of a woman being mighty? and a man being there for it without having to to larger than her? while caring for her safety at the same time? it’s just so poorly done. all these things shadow over any cuteness and softness these two had. 

Bong Soon, I see why she would fall for him, but in the end, I really didn’t care about them. 

it’s almost like her powers are a plot device for their romance. it wasn’t an epic story about a girl with out of this world strength. 

i guess their is a development that can be viewed as nice at that point where Minhyuk has to process the discovery of our leading lady being the same mysterious girl that saved his life. he has to love Bong Soon but also separate his idolisation for this hooded girl from his image of Bong Soon and then combine it all at once so what he feels is real love for Bong Soon as he had known her before. so it’s not some twisted sort of mess that’s him loving but then also being with someone he imagined as an angel sent from above by his mother. 

it can be seen as romantic that he would take a knife wound for Bong Soon and call people to take her wild drunk videos offline, but it comes at the expense of Bong Soon and her image as a strong women. like she can be weak at points in the story, it’s called character development, but to be constantly pulled under him isn’t what i would call pro female superhero story telling. it’s not feminist and it’s not a romantic dynamic i want to root for.

his heroic acts kept climbing higher than Bong Soon’s, and when we got to hers he was still there, apparently doing half the work.

the characters: 

Minhyuk: some final ranting about him. i’ve noticed that Hyung Sik has a pattern when it comes to acting out his male characters; no matter how soft and cute they are, they always have this brimming masculine toxicity to them. in swdbs it’s really unbalanced (even worse in hwarang). i honestly tried feeling sympathy for him, with his messed up family and his dead mum and all that but he was honesty no fun to watch. he wasn’t offbeat and interesting. he was saturated down to some rich ceo manly man who said that he was a “healthy man” instead of gay. 

like he could’ve been so much interesting if he actually were bisexual or a supporter of lgbt rights, if he weren’t making Bong Soon do this and that, asking if she were a man and pining here and there- honestly these characters are such a waste of potential. 

Bong Soon: i’ve not talked enough about her. i like how she can be brash and i like how she can be caring with her friends, and i know she’s not a genius of any kind but she can be a bit thick. the writing sacrificed Bong Soon’s intelligence for plot points- like she wouldn’t be that careless to send her friend out on her own when their’s a kidnapper out there would she? and then be so mad that she had to catch the guy? 

she has like three interests. Guk Do, video games and cooking. i just wish she were more developed, i wish this story was about her and not a thousand other things. 

i really loved how feminine she was at the same time as being strong. you can be powerful and kick ass, unashamedly girly and womanly and sensitive all at once, without erasing any of the other things to make way for the other. but lazy sloppy writing didn’t let these aspects of her character shine.

i liked how Bong Soon, for the most part, was very unlike her mother. her mother was abusive and mean and even though the show tried to redeem her, she still should've been called out for her behaviour because if you’re gonna write how woman can be just as horrible as men who are domestic abusers then you better hold them to the same standard and let your viewers know that it’s wrong. 

Bong Soon was flawed, and i’m not going to lie about that- but her flaws were used for comedy. and i don’t know if i like that or not. 

i wasn’t a fan of how she favoured people over the other- like the case with sleeping Guk Doo and Minhyuk but now that i think about it... i don’t care if she treated Minhyuk meanly or cursed him behind his back.

the way she viewed her powers and the way she handled them... was a convoluted tangle. she wanted to keep her powers secret and couldn’t hurt people but ended up making a mess almost everywhere, she said she never used her powers to help people and we were supposed to see this decision she made to step up and use her powers for good as a turning point but we know she’d been doing kind things with her powers for a while by helping old grannies up streets and saving people from the fate of a broken bus. her relationship with her family gift is not clear. there is no clear arc in this story

she’s not a fantastic female lead, which should’ve been the case since, well, THE SHOW IS NAMED AFTER HER AND HER STRENGTH. so that’s disappointing.

but again, in the hands of capable writers, she could’ve been an audience favourite. 

Guk Doo: at first, we all pretty much hated him. whenever he came on screen i felt like i was suffering for some sin i committed in the past week. 

but in the end, as we got to see how he felt about Bong Soon and when he found out about her powers- i really liked him. i liked him when he told his (not great) girlfriend about how he felt about someone else. in fact, i liked Guk Doo because he was never short of caring. even though he was busy and forgetful, he always tried to make up for it. he still cared about her. okay so maybe the whole bit where he realised he loved Bong Soon was a mess but again there’s the case of rubbish writing. 

he didn’t think Bong Soon was fragile and needed protecting because she’s a small women. he didn’t say his type of woman has to be small and flowery and fragile out of vanity or misogyny... he says it because that’s what he thought Bong Soon was, as she led him to believe. I phrased that badly but in short i’m saying he loved Bong Soon as he thought she was, and loved her still and as much with her powers in a way that felt sweet and sad (because as that moment rolled around when he found out about her powers, her heart was already somewhere else). 

dramabeans said it better and i’ll paraphrase: this image of his ideal women that he painted out loud was based around Bong Soon and when he find out about her powers and how she’s not as weak as she led him to believe, that feeling of love didn’t change.

he was also mature and almost gentle while he handled the discovery of her secret, fairly well might i add, as he realised all the things he missed as they were growing up. 

the villain: awful, who’s crimes on screen could potentially hurt people who’ve been abused in the past as they watch. the fact that the point in this was to have a women hater be defeated by a powerful woman was not driven home well. it could’ve been so good but instead we got a noodley thin version of this premise.

side characters: they were tiring. we didn’t need half of them. some stayed too long and the joke soon turned stale. some where offensive. Guk Doo’s girlfriend all i can say is... at least she talked to him and was honest in the end (after doing things behind his back). 

in conclusion:

i’m tired of people saying that the main pair are a power couple and that they’re the otp of all otp’s. 

the show is so overrated. it deserves the harsh comments that come it’s way. it was rampant with offensive bits for laughs and maybe we could let this show slide if it weren’t for these rubbish jokes, and how serious it took it’s main themes of women and power only to botch it completely.

other people's posts have been much more concise and articulate as they describe what i’ve talked about. these are just the thought’s i had to get out of my sore head.

here is a post that is very clear about what’s wrong with this show, in a much quicker way. and i whole heatedly agree with it. 

anyways. yeah this was rubbish and if you have high hopes for this like most of us did, then you’ll be sorely disappointed.

[cassandraclare]

on the rights of women to own their own work. crummy crabapple speaks!

Yes, this stuff is still going on. I was hoping it would have ended after this, but it hasn’t, and being called a bitch whore murderer gets wearing fast when it’s based on nothing.

Look, frank talk about this stuff on Tumblr is often discouraged — when you have a small but pretty active group of “haters,” as happens nowadays to most successful creators, especially women, the general rule of thumb is not to talk to or about them. Blocking them on twitter excites them: it’s attention. Replying is pointless, explaining is deliberately misinterpreted, the truth is a lie, lies are truth, up is down, winning is losing. You can’t win in this situation, anyway: nobody can or does, everyone loses. The creators, the fandom, those caught in the middle (actors, etc.) Everyone.

This business about me killing Alec isn’t a rumor. It’s a lie. A purposeful lie told to make a point: that I am a bad person unworthy of my creations and that if I am a bad enough person, it’s okay to say they don’t belong to me, that I didn’t create them, that there is essentially no value in the act of creation, especially when it is done by a woman.

As we all know but mostly don’t talk about because If You Speak It They Will Come, there is a small group of anti-TMI-book fans who believe the books and the show are at war.  (They are not the show’s fans. They are something else entirely. I talk to perfectly nice show fans all the time: these are less people who love Shadowhunters than people dedicated to the idea that if they scream about it long enough, the show will cease being based on this particular book series: an ultimately doomed goal that nevertheless leaves them plenty of opportunities to annoy the rest of us.) Instead of being able to accept that art is partly subjective, they are in a constant battle for an imaginary moral high ground in which they are the keepers of a version of the Mortal Instruments that has been objectively purified of all problematic elements. 

The problem there being, of course, that there is no such thing as perfect, unproblematic media. Art comes from humans and humans are flawed. If you expect perfection you will be bitterly disappointed every single time: I’ve watched it happen over and over, as the this showrunner is a gift tag turns into the This showrunner is not a gift tag,  and many of those who last year spoke glowingly of wrapping Ed Decter, their unproblematic hero (who once said to me in wonder, “You really worked a miracle with Malec, you know, people care about them as if they were a normal couple”), in cotton wool and fuzzy socks, now refer to Todd Slavkin as “Toad.”* Plenty of articles about the problematic elements of Shadowhunters have now been written and plenty of posts posted. (If Ed hadn’t been fired, he might have stuck around long enough to get called Ediot; these things are, after all, just a matter of time. (i get called “Casserole”, seriously, I am not kidding you, you cannot make this shit up.) ) 

To clarify: I am definitely NOT saying that a (potentially problematic) work should remain uncriticized to spare the feelings of the creators because they are flawed humans like everyone else. Criticism is valid; criticism is useful; criticism is important. What I am talking about in this post is not criticism. Telling a creator that her creations should be taken away from her because she “doesn’t deserve them”: not criticism. Making up funny names and mean hashtags for creators you don’t like: obviously hilarious for some, but definitely not criticism. And to some extent everyone knows this – so if it’s important to you that a creator be denied the right to claim ownership of, and pride in, her own work, it has to be because she is not just problematic but corrupt, evil, and cruel. She has to be morally bankrupt such that removing her from the narrative of her own creation is a moral good.

And so the lie that I’m planning to kill Alec (framed within the true narrative that killing off LGBT+ characters is a serious fucking problem in media) is a natural development: because wouldn’t that be awful and mean the books were morally very bad and wrong and shouldn’t creators who create bad wrong things have their creations taken away from them? Which would be just another Misogyny Tuesday on the internet except for the fact that it’s exploiting the fears of a vulnerable group of people (LGBT+ fans for whom Alec means a lot, in whatever format -- fans who have seen over and over LGBT characters die for nothing, for shitty reasons, for straight people, on TV and in movies and in comics and in books and are therefore in a place to be incredibly hurt by it happening again), to score a point in what is basically a ship war. And that is really shitty.

And yes, it’s a ship war.

There was really a “salty casserole” joke in there begging to be made. Missed opportunity!

So, why am I salty, you might ask? There is this belief that I must be Upset With The Show because people care about Malec on it more than Clace: my friends, the field where I grow my fucks is barren on this topic. I made up both couples. I don’t care which one you ship more, especially in a format where their story is not being told by me and for all I know, the showrunners don’t even want you shipping Clace at the moment. They seem into Climon and oh God, I have bored myself with this tangent.

I invented Clace and Malec. I’m writing a trilogy about Malec because I love Malec and have a story in my head about them, despite being offered three times the money to write one about Clace, as they’re “more marketable.” I do not have a favorite. Maybe writing works that way for some people but I doubt it. I’ve always said I don’t ship in my own books, and that is precisely what I meant. 

Moving on: Are there things that have upset me about the show and the way it was developed? Yes — being told my mostly-female audience wasn’t a desirable one because they’re female; the fact that the female artist of color who created the runes has never been paid or credited for their use; being told Isabelle was “tits and ass”, being told Alec being gay was “a strike against his likeability”, contractual shit you will never know about because that stuff isn’t public — but for some reason I’m supposed to give a flying fuck about who ships what canon couple on the show? For viewers, as it should be, this is a TV show: for me this is part of my brand and has real-world consequences for my life. Unsurprisingly I care about those, not some imaginary ship war.

I was thrilled Shadowhunters won a GLAAD award for Magnus and Alec.  (I was thrilled when the movie of Mortal Instruments got a GLAAD award nomination for Magnus and Alec though there was so little of them in the movie, it served to really underline the paucity of LGBT+ storylines in major film and tv.) I congratulated Matt and Harry on twitter; the comments below mine are something of a primer in why female creators are fleeing the internet in greater and greater numbers.

https://twitter.com/cassieclare/status/848497330999369729

The message is overwhelmingly: “Shut up, bitch, how dare you open your mouth and remind us that this show exists because your books do, even though you didn’t actually say that but you see, we like to pretend you’re dead and it’s inconvenient when you speak.” I’d imagine every one of those commenters would tell you they were a feminist, too. The idea that nothing is gained by shutting up women or denying that their intellectual property has worth or value is apparently one that seems good in the abstract, but falls at the first hurdle of but I don’t like her.

The abstract often does fail when it comes into conflict with the concrete. Being a feminist ally means being an ally even to women you don’t like, because being an ally only to people you like requires no effort and less thought. That doesn’t mean never criticizing women or their work. But it does require interrogating what’s going on in your own head. One of the most unpleasant haters I see on twitter, who viciously loathes me though we have never met, has read all my books; she has Malec in her username, and a quote from the books in her bio. She has Cassandra Jean’s art on her twitter page, and Valerie Freire’s rune designs in her text and background. That’s a lot of mental and artistic real estate devoted to the work of three women she refers to as 
“garbage trash.” (Though I think Cassandra Jean and Val are mostly garbage trash because they associate with me and should instead have waited ten years for the TV show to come along so they could draw pictures of it or something. I don’t really understand it: the cognitive dissonance that allows to you dedicate your life to “Malec” while crapping on the person who created both characters and their relationship is so enormous that I can only follow it so far and no farther. I understand thinking that the show version is better, but not whatever warped fantasy tells you that if the books had never been written the show (now called “Evilchasers” perhaps) would have heroically found a way to invent the  story of a gay demon-fighting warrior and his biracial warlock boyfriend anyway because that very specific story was floating around the ethereal planes waiting to be discovered by the psychic powers of Disney and it is only by great misfortune that I got to it first.) Point being: if your username is “Bubbles loves Malec” yet your twitter is dedicated to spewing venom at the person without whom the thing you love would not exist, it might be time to ask yourself some questions about cause and effect, and also, what that hate of yours is doing for you, psychologically speaking.

Look, I am going to get a lot of shit for this post, but whatever — the upside of being constantly screamed at for things you have not done (slut-shamed Isabelle, planned to murder Alec, thus contributing to the fucking awful homophobic trope of killing off gay characters, "stabbed the actors in the back”, promoted incest, poisoned the earth’s water supply) is that you no longer bother worrying about being screamed at for things you did do. I won’t do set visits or conventions since coming back from NY Comicon to stuff like this:  

I’m not going to comment on the specifics, save to say they represent a massive and almost hilarious (though probably deliberate) misinterpretation of literally everything that happened on that panel. (If the network didn’t want book fans there, asking me questions, they wouldn’t have brought me there. I was there to do promotion for the show by talking about the show and the books — I am the author, and what the literal fuck else do you think they brought me there to talk about? The history of Belgian cabinet-making? They don’t think attention paid to the books takes away from the show: only a small group of asshats think that, and it’s weird that the OP never paused to think that if they didn’t want me there talking about the books, they could simply NOT HAVE INVITED ME. Also did it seriously never occur to them that panelists are asked to speak at certain junctures or in reference to certain questions, or gestured at to do so, we don’t just randomly interject? Lord.

I will admit it was extreme of Harry not to leave me lying there on the floor or maybe drop a chair on my head while no one was looking. He should reconsider his choices.)

But that’s the thing: posts like this one are the reason I haven’t gone back to set, or gone to another convention, or promoted the show. Would you go to a convention if you knew people like this were going to be feet away from you in the audience? I’m a grown-up, I can take being called Crummy Crabapple (did the whole kindergarten class vote on that one or was it a decision by fiat…?) but the sheer hate that underpins the silliness of the post makes the idea of being near people who think like that fairly shuddery. 

I gathered a few such posts together to show to FF, and the network’s never blamed me for not wanting to go out and physically promote again. The sad part of all this is that mostly I pretend the show doesn’t exist because the downside of mentioning it is being screamed at for days by asshats (Let me be very specific what I mean by “asshats” = people who send threats, who use insulting gendered language, make anti-Semitic slurs, and repeatedly tell me I should not be allowed to own my own work — if this is not stuff you do, I’m not talking about you. Criticism of the books is fine and irrelevant.) 

We all know these asshats exist — and we are all sad about it: me, the network, the actors, the showrunners, because the net result of them existing is that I don’t talk about or promote the show, and that’s a loss for a show that could really use that outreach. Losing me, my online audience, my worldwide publishers, as potential promotional partners is bad, not good, for a show that these people theoretically love. Losing the book fans the show depended on as viewers, but who can’t stand the toxic atmosphere, is bad, not good, for the actors and writers they claim to support. Screaming “INCEST FREAK!” at every twelve year old who comes online and timidly asks when they will see Chairman Meow is not going to raise the show’s ratings. If someone is more interested in driving away the show’s potential audience because they regard them as moral degenerates than they are in getting it renewed, that’s their bliss to follow, but the reason I’m mentioning these people at all is 1) I’m disturbed by the narrative women shouldn’t be allowed to own their own work and 2) many many posts have now been made about what an awful place the Shadowhunters/TMI fandom is, and that sucks for everyone. Sadly, it doesn’t take that many people to ruin an online space.

The idea that the books and the show are at war for kibbles is a fannish one (most people, including my publisher, regard TV shows based on books as advertising for those books because from a book perspective that’s what they are) seems to come out of the fact that fans argue about which they like better, something that has happened since the dawn of adaptations. I remember it from when I was in the Harry Potter fandom: Alan Rickman understood Snape better than JKR, the movies gave Draco more depth, etc and so on. Looking back now I can see the irony of people with usernames like Lupinfan talking about how Lupin was sidelined in the books but not the movies, but distance gives infinite perspective, I suppose. If you like Malec better on the show: awesome. They still exist on the show because they were invented in the books. That statement will be interpreted as the height of arrogance, but it’s just flat fact. They matter in both formats to a lot of people. There will never be a hand of God that reaches down from the sky and declares either one better. It will always be a matter of taste and opinion. The fact that art is subjective is something we all have to live with.

This is what I mean about the “killing Alec” lie: it has become part of the justification for my unworthiness to claim to have anything to do with my own characters. Killing Alec would be a bad thing to do to Alec (and Magnus); thus I would be terribly maltreating Alec (and Magnus); thus I don’t deserve to have anything to do with Alec (or Magnus). Thus it is okay to tell me to get the fuck out – how dare I even open my bitch mouth to congratulate the actors playing my characters if I would do something so terrible to them, after all? And who cares if it’s a lie and no one can source it? (Come on now, be real — no one tried.)

Whether I deserve Alec and Magnus is somewhat beside the point: I invented them regardless, and there was a large and profoundly intense Malec fandom before the show ever aired, whose existence is in fact directly responsible for the fact that Malec are a thing on the show at all. (Initially, neither of them appeared or were even referred to in the pilot.) Reality doesn’t really intrude into the fantasy that Magnus and Alec and Isabelle and Jace descended, pre-created, from a sky cloud, though: the fan/creator ownership dichotomy has existed since before Arthur Conan Doyle was bullied into bringing Sherlock back from the dead. Fans and creators don’t always agree and creators aren’t always right. What they are, however, always, is creators.

(In case I had forgotten that I am not, in fact, a hot dude actor. ASTONISHING INFORMATION.) It is mysterious to interpret congratulating actors as taking “credit for Matt and Harry’s hard work”;  I neither need or want that anyway because I am not an actor; I am already credited on the show as the author of the source material, which is what I am. (I’ve won plenty of book awards but would be very puzzled to win, say, a Nobel prize for chemistry.) I congratulated the actors knowing I’d get a raft of shit for either doing so or not doing so: I chose to do so despite the inevitable annoyance factor because I like Matt and Harry; I wanted them hired; I like how much they love the characters, and I’ve always found them to be kind people who would loathe and despise the kind of tweets these folks are sending on their behalf.

Ironic, that.

But yeah, I also sent it because I’m proud of Malec. Deal with that. Women need to be allowed to be proud of their work sometimes without that being considered a deep evil. I don’t think the Magnus and Alec I created are perfect (by which I mean my writing of them, not their endearing flaws ;) but they represent years of work and love, and like any author would be, I’m thrilled to see the screen version of them acknowledged twice as something special. That’s very normal: for the GLAAD win, I got flowers from my publisher, congrats from the network and from my agents at CAA, because why wouldn’t you congratulate an author on something good happening to an adaptation of their books? The idea that when discussing an adaptation of their work, an author should reel back in terror screaming “I AM UNWORTHY TO BE MENTIONED IN THE SAME SENTENCES AS THE CHARACTERS I CREATED!” is so bizarre to most people that if you tried to explain to them that some women, not all women hahaha of course, but SOME WOMEN JUST DONT DESERVE TO BE ALLOWED TO TALK OR CLAIM THEY CAN “OWN” THINGS AMIRITE, they would back quietly away muttering that they had an important appointment to get their hedgehog dyed blue because they would literally think you were probably a serial killer.

This situation is not unique to these books, to me, or to this show: however, there is a special angle to this particular situation. Many commenters on all this have noted that the books are a female creation, the show a male one. Ed, Todd, Michael, Matt, McG, and Darren are all men, and in many ways, people find it much more comfortable, much easier, and much simpler to give uncritical admiration to men. They’re men, and therefore they have authority I don’t, and my continued existence as the author of the source material of Shadowhunters is seen as even more horrible because it makes it a girl thing, and “girl things” are less serious and less worthy. One of the things I often see the haters say is that the show is “older”; in fact the audience of the show is statistically younger than the book’s audience (I’ve seen the numbers) but I think it’s hard not to want to dismiss something so imbued with lady germs as being inherently inferior (and what’s more inferior than young women? It’s trendy to bash YA, which is seen as the province the young and the female – surely preferring men’s work makes you, you know, a more serious person? And surely if I had the sense God gave a weasel, I’d stop writing, give the book rights to some guy, and retire in shame? GO FORTH HARLOT AND WRITE YA NO MORE.)

Feminism does not mean you cannot criticize works by women. I’ve said that before, but I’m saying it again because it’s so easy to dismiss essays like this by saying “She’s hiding behind feminism and claiming we can’t criticize her because she’s a woman!” Nope. (Though it does mean you look for patterns. It’s kind of interesting there’s this small group of people who believe these characters/storylines really came alive when control of them was handed over to a series of ever-changing white middle-aged men. I mean, coincidence perhaps, but…?) I haven’t addressed criticism here really because it’s not the point: there is a huge gap between writing a bad review of a woman’s book and crusading for the idea that she shouldn’t be allowed to own her own intellectual property. Men taking away, literally taking away the money made from and authorship of women’s work is an ugly part of history (“Colette and [her husband] separated in 1906, although it was not until 1910 that the divorce became final. She had no access to the sizable earnings of the Claudine books [she had written]—the copyright belonged to him”) and it’s disturbing to see a group of primarily women argue that it should be repeated.

If the idea that a woman created Magnus and Alec, or any characters or world, is so horribly, terribly bothersome that you have to make up lies that, in your mind, render her unworthy of her own creation so that it’s all right to “take it from her” by discounting her role as a writer, her ownership of her own intellectual property, her right to exist as a person and to stand on the same stage at a convention as the “gem-like saint” male actors playing her characters —  maybe think about why?* What does screaming that I’d better not think Alec and Magnus have anything to do with me get you, really? Except the knowledge that if, one day, you write or create or draw something people love, you’ve helped create an environment in which it’s a veritable certainty you’ll get treated like you’re a piece of shit for doing it?

*And “bitch” is “bitch”, friends. It doesn’t matter what letters you take out, it’s still misogynist and still shitty. You know what you’re saying, and so does everyone else. Try asshat, really. I recommend it.

[bforbookslut]

Bookworm Falls in Love with Brooding Neighbour in Chris Cannon’s The Dating Debate – An ARC Review

I have given The Dating Debate by Chris Cannon a ☆☆ rating. It is Book 1 of Dating Dilemmas series. It is Young Adult Contemporary Romance. Entangled Teen publishes it. It will be published February 5, 2018.

The blurb reads:

Nina Barnes thinks Valentine’s Day should be optional. That way single people like her wouldn’t be subjected to kissy Cupids all over the place. That is, until her mom moves them next door to the brooding hottie of Greenbrier High, West Smith. He’s funny, looks amazing in a black leather jacket, and he’s fluent in Harry Potter, but she’s not sure he’s boyfriend material.

West isn’t sure what to make of Nina. She’s cute and loves to read as much as he does, but she seems to need to debate everything and she has a pathological insistence on telling the truth. And West doesn’t exactly know how to handle that, since his entire life is a carefully constructed secret. Dating the girl next door could be a ton of fun, but only if Nina never finds out the truth about his home life. It’s one secret that could bring them together or rip them apart.

Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book is not for anyone who has to get in the last word, but it is for all book nerds, especially those who live next door to so called unapproachable gorgeous guys. There’s no debating the chemistry.

Add to Your Shelf 

Follow Me On: Goodreads | Instagram | Other Reviews 

Hi, kings and queens! Is February treating you right? I am on a roll and very proud of myself at the progress that I’ve been making with churning out reviews as often as I can. Let’s hope this momentum continues! As always, my reviews may contain spoilers. I say may because what’s a spoiler to you may not be a spoiler for me.

The fact that Nina loves Harry Potter should have been a giant warning sign, blaring in my face. While we bookworms might love good old Harry, it doesn’t consume our lives and we have more than one bookish interest, more often than not we have too many to count, but not just the singular one. But I was blinded by the fact that a bookworm was getting her own story, featuring a hot and brooding guy (because let’s face it, we love our fictional bad boys!). However, more than the bookworm and Harry Potter angle being utter clickbait, The Dating Debate deals with a rather annoying and obnoxious main character and one of the worst writings of mental illnesses I have ever witnessed.

The only reason I did not DNF it and even gave it two stars was because there was the cutest dog possible and every dog deserves a star, or two, because Gidget saved the book.

On to the plot, what started out as Nina, hater of Valentine’s Day, practically forcing and pressuring West to go to the dance (all because she is not a liar and refuses to lie which, is a pretty dick move) dissolves into the most boring play-by-play recap of their lives from brushing their teeth to tucking themselves into bed at the end of the day. It’s like reading a teenager’s diary but with less of the drama. It’s boring. So, okay, you say Avery, it’s Entangled, you shouldn’t be expecting much. Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce you to Julie Cross’ Breaking the Ice which was a phenomenal read.

Not to mention, the conflicts had zero fire and lacked any real feeling of fight. But, it was a typical teenage fight which, props to the author for keeping it real.

And, for the bookworm thing, it felt like an actual plot device instead of being part of Nina’s personality. It didn’t come across as Nina being a real bookworm at all even if she did all the normal bookish things like going to the library and hitting up the bookstore and being very invested in saving her local library. Like, no, sis. We don’t need you to pander to us readers.

Speaking of characters, Nina is being presented as a girl who loves debate when in truth, she just likes confrontation and practically shoving her opinions onto other people and expecting them to accept her words as truth. In fact, she actually strategises and feels very fulfilled whenever someone starts an argument, which just goes to show she likes “winning” and being right.

You know how they say that when you hate something about someone, it’s because you see the same traits in yourself. Well, I spent a very, very long time getting rid of this very behaviour that Nina has and to see her glorifying in it just bothers me so much. She’s not in the least bit likeable and I’m not surprised if West moves on after. And don’t even get me started on the “hippy chick” thing because not a single thing about Nina is hippy???

And West is your cookie cutter bad boy neighbour next door. Want a great neighbour story? Check out The Duff, the movie that is, because I’ve never read the book and have no idea if it’s the same. He feels like a caricature of what you’d expect a brooding, sexy hero to be like and in truth, he isn’t brooding and sexy, he’s just a loner by choice (or maybe not so much by choice, depending on how you look at it). He’s also incredibly flavourless; in writing this review, I cannot recall a single standout detail about him other than his leather jacket.

The only good thing to come out of this blandness in both Nina and West is that it’s very obvious they are products of their environments which I thought was a clever bit of writing.

I always save the best for last and oh boy, this is a doozy. Mental illness is always an incredibly sensitive and difficult subject to write about and so far, most books have took much care in how it is portrayed. But not this one. West’s mother is a hoarder and in an attempt to not upset her, West’s father is an enabler. Now, West doesn’t like that his mother is a hoarder (my mother is also unable to throw things away and I can see where he’s coming from), but the way both him and Nina speak about his mother’s illness is utterly despicable. They act as if a mental illness does not require any medical assistance and can magically disappear if the patient tries really hard. It turned my stomach every time.

As we draw to a conclusion about The Dating Debate, there is a lot more I can say about plots that were started and unfinished and Nina’s behaviour or the ridiculous minor girl-hate-and-shaming but then this review would drag on longer than I would like. To recap, I can deal with cheesy romances but this was not it. Nina is an obnoxious and selfish teen wrapped up in the guise of a bookworm and West is what happens when you forget to salt your pasta water: bland.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. This review edition may differ from the final edition.

[newagesispage]

                                                                  NOVEMBER         2017

 *****Bill Murray has been singing at Carnegie Hall promoting the new album with Jan Vogler and friends.

*****A beautiful eastern black rhino was born on October 2nd. There are only a few hundred left in Africa.

*****NASA just found 20 new habitable planets.

*****Loving , loving ,loving At Home with Amy Sedaris. Great guest stars and Von Mueller’s: The official maple syrup of the Third Reich and other humor of that ilk. It is like Pee Wees playhouse, Mister Rogers, Martha Stewart, local DIY shows, SNL and SCTV all rolled into one. Go Amy!!

*****The World Series did not include the Cubs. Astros V Dodgers.

*****The first African American full time Nascar driver since 1971, Darrell Wallace Jr. will drive for Richard Petty.

*****Some drunks at a wedding reception in Illinois jumped the fence at Wildlife Prairie Park to chase bison. The newlyweds had already left.

*****San Juan mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz called out Scary clown for his slow response to the Puerto Rico disaster.

*****Coming to Broadway this fall: The Cher Show!!

*****Robin Thede has a new show on BET called The Rundown.

*****So, Tim Allen was whining on Norm Macdonald’s program about Last Man Standing being cancelled. Allen said, ”There is nothing more dangerous to Hollywood than a funny likeable conservative.” What?? I could not even get thru one episode of that show. I think he was damn lucky that thing stayed on the air as long as it did. Friends and I were shocked whenever we would notice the show was still going.

***** Trump released demands to overhaul the green card system by hiring 10 thousand more immigration officers and more money to build the wall.

*****OJ Simpson is out of prison and his first meal was at McDonald’s. That is so fucking American.** Speaking of the arches: Mulan sauce.. that was a thing?

*****On the great new show White Famous, I believe I saw Jamie Foxx’s balls under that skirt!!

*****Stephen Colbert and Ted Danson share an ancestor. The same is true of Mary Steenburgen and William H. Macy.

*****Ines Rau, a French model is Playboys first transgender playmate.

*****Things sure exploded on The View because of the phone call Trump made about a fallen soldier. Rep. Frederica Wilson claims that he did not mention La David Johnson’s name and told his widow that he knew what he was getting into. **He seems to have no sensitivity but then we knew that. He is the Greg Stillson of 2017!

*****What a great couple of weeks on the late night shows. Thank you for Conan and his horse story on Colbert. Thanks for Paul and Dave and Biff on Kimmel. ** Kimmel’s son Billy is getting ready for a second surgery and there will be some guest hosts with Shaq, Dave Grohl, Channing Tatum and Jennifer Lawrence.

*****David S. Pumpkins now has an animated show and has really become a thing.

*****Dale Earnhardt Jr. and wife are having a baby.

*****It looks like the Czech Republic now elected a leader just like Trump in their choice of Andrej Babis.

*****Russian sanctions have still not been implemented and the deadline was October 1. Hey scary clown: Just signing the measure means nothing!!

*****Diane Lake, a young former member of Manson’s family wrote a book about letting go of Charlie. She promoted ‘One of the Family’ on Dr. Phil.

*****So.. It seems that the prototypes of the wall are near the Mexican border and it is drawing gawkers from across the border. So.. The wall to prevent illegals is actually drawing them to the site to check it out. Priceless.

*****Judas Priest is going on tour.

*****Mark Wahlberg hopes God will forgive him for Boogie Nights. C’mon own your fucking art.. You were lucky to be in suck a brilliant film.

*****Dave Letterman received his Mark Twain prize for American humor on October 22. He now claims, “I’m now the most humorous person in the world.”

*****East Peoria’s Joe Girardi is out as the NY Yankees manager.

*****Her it comes: The final season of Major Crimes.. This is a tough one, what quality acting there is on that show.

*****Days alert: It breaks my heart that they brought back Dr. Rolf back and immediately killed him off. At least he was in Abigail’s dream and boy was he hairy!!Please let him have a twin like on Night Court.** Why are characters heading to Memphis? Will they meet with someone who can help answer questions about Will Horton? Will Paul find out the truth before anyone else and will he keep it to himself? If Will is alive, is he the same person or has he went thru big changes? ** Rumors are out there that EJ could be headed back..fingers crossed.

*****Texas inmates donated $53,863 for hurricane Harvey relief.

*****Has Mueller filed his first charges in the Russia investigation?

*****Trump’s approach to Iran seems to be undoing all of Obama’s efforts. This, of course is the ultimate goal of the Trumpers so good news for them. Trumps use of the term ’Arabian gulf’ has helped to unify the diplomatic and revolutionary sides of the Islamic republic.

*****Too Funny to Fail takes on the subject of the failure of The Dana Carvey Show.

*****Robert Plant has a new album, ‘Carry Fire’ which he will support with a 2018 tour.

*****Congress did not reauthorize the healthcare program for kids so 9 million kids are booted off healthcare.

*****Bob’s Burgers did a great episode about brunch drunks. Oh that is such a thing!!

*****The new administration just loves pollution. Just one more thing to add to the ever growing list of climate change dismantling is Scott Pruitt helping to get rid of the clean power plan. I am sure their corporate polluter friends and Obama haters are pretty happy about that.

*****Scarlett Johansen and Colin Jost made their first public appearance as a couple at an SNL after party.

*****Word is that they have found Paul Revere’s outhouse and they are examining its contents.

*****I’m so glad that Curb is back!!! J.B. Smoove is killing it as usual.

*****Roman Polanski has a new film, ‘Based on a true story’ which stars his wife Emmanuelle Seigner.

*****Metamora High school in Illinois is reeling from a racist video put out by some members of the football team.  The entire school system of Metamora which includes Riverview and Germantown hills was closed October 3 due to a mass shooting scare.

*****The newest Eastwood film is the 15:17 to Paris.

*****Facebook had to turn over about 3,000 ads for inspection. Facebook employees offered themselves up to the Trump and Clinton campaigns. Only Trump took them up on it. Google and Twitter also embedded themselves in his campaign.  The staff used all they were taught to put bogus Hillary info out there and penetrate the rural vote.  They pushed a lot of buttons with infrastructure in middle America. The platform churned out 50 to 60 thousand ads a day.  By pinpointing the things you care about most , they seemed to use the trickery well because it worked.

*****They found the tomb of Santa in Turkey.

*****Nick Cage has his own candy bar in Japan.

*****Chris Elliott is on the Last man on earth. Thank you God!

*****The country talked about guns for a few days again after the Vegas shooting. No license or registration is needed in Vegas. Machine guns are perfectly legal. As saner people have mentioned: The GOP insists that the Vegas shooter’s gun arsenal is a right but medical treatment for his 500 + victims is merely a privelage. Well put Desirina Boskovich.** The American college of physicians says that gun violence is a public health issue and calls for banning automatic and semi -automatic weapons.** 78% of Americans don’t own guns.**Wayne LaPierre was on Face the Nation to reinforce that anti -gun people are elites. The only sane thing he said was that we need to enforce the laws we have in place better to start with.

*****Sen. Bob Corker is ranting about Trump and the ‘adult day care center’ we call the White house.

***** Oh my God.. Rick Springfield is on AHS. Whoa! Sometimes that show just amazes you with its direction. Hell yea.

*****Brett Ratner and Jared Leto will bring Hugh Hefner to the big screen.

*****Jedediah Bila has left the View and has been replaced by Meghan McCain.

*****Colin Kaepernick consulted a Navy seal about his peaceful protest. The Seal told him that he didn’t see a problem with the kneeling at the games. He found it more respectful than sitting. People seem very divided on this issue  but this country has always disagreed on their version of patriotism. Wearing the flag s disrespectful, kneeling during our anthem is not. Perhaps the players should hold AR 15’s instead of taking a knee. Our President does not seem to have a problem with protesters showing up armed.**Pence made a big show of walking out of the game after the kneel. Only loves the team if they think as he does. It was an expensive stunt.

*****California has been experiencing the biggest wildfires in state history.

***** Hmm. I see a movie with Liam Neeson , Clint Eastwood and Kurt Russell.

***** The Pioneer Woman speaks of a granny named Inee.

*****So, I rarely watch Fallon but that Hillary show was awkward and special. The respect and beautiful words from the female writers and Miley brought tears.

*****Can’t wait to see Suburbicon.. looks fab!!

*****350 barrels of oil were spilled in the gulf of Mexico.

*****Reporters were arrested in St. Louis as they interviewed demonstrators. This is in violation of their first amendment.

*****Anti- abortion advocate Rep. Tim Murphy had a bad week as congress was trying to pass a bill that would ban and bring criminal charges against those who have abortions after 20 weeks. His mistress Shannon Edwards claims that he asked her to get an abortion but it turned out the pregnancy was just a scare.  He now says that it is his staff who wrote the pro- life rhetoric he spewed. He has resigned.**Scary clown wants to broaden the rules to let more employees deny birth control coverage.

*****The Rolling Stones have 18 recordings pulled together for On Air. The collection of 1963- 1965 BBC show clips were never commercially released.

***** Harvey Weinstein? Secret employees? Everybody knew?  WTF?  Obviously we have some extreme self indulgence and mental health issues here. Why can’t powerful men control themselves? **Many of the liberal donations he made have been donated to charity.** The list keeps growing with thanks to Ronan Farrow and his exhaustive work in the story on The New Yorker. Weinstein’s wife has left him so he is in for some shit. ** More women are coming forward about other powerful men as well like R Kelly, Mark Helprin and James Toback.** When the movie is made of the Harvey scandal, I hope they cast Jeff Garland in the title role.**In the wake of the Weinstein tsunami there have been protests at public gatherings for other men with pasts .A retrospective for Roman Polanski  did not turn out so well.

*****Meet the Press and the AFI are having  film fest. Look for the film Heroin(e).

*****Paul Manafort and Rick Gates were indicted for hiding foreign bank accounts, money laundering, false statements, conspiracy against the U.S. just to name a few. There is now a viral video with the music from To Russia with love that shows Trump and various staff being taken in by the FBI. I teared up.. Could it happen??** George Papadopolous has pled guilty.

*****Kathy Griffin is slamming Harvey Levin and Andy Cohen. She claims that Levin was egging people on about her Trump head stunt. Her Mother in a retirement community and her sister dyeing of cancer were receiving death threats. Cohen who produced her ‘My life on the D-list” is taking over her New Year duties on CNN.  Her claim about him is he often tried to get her do coke and he is generally an ass.

*****Actor Anthony Rapp claims Kevin Spacey was sexually aggressive with him when he was 14 and Spacey was in his 20’s.  Kevin denied and apologized and came out.

***** You must check out Denis O’Hare as Edgar Allan Poe on PBS American Masters.

*****Corey Feldman wants to expose the pedophiles of Hollywood for 10 mil.

*****Does it bother anybody else that those on cooking shows never seem to use spatulas to scrape the bowl? They pour and move on.

*****Check out the Comedy Get Down with Cedric the Entertainer, Eddie Griffin, DL Hughley, Charlie Murphy and George Lopez.

*****Larry Flynt is offering 10m million for info leading to the impeachment of scary clown.

*****Ben Stiller takes on the 2015 prison escape of David Sweet and Richard Matt. The Showtime production will star Benecio Del Toro, Paul Dano and Patricia Arquette

*****Jemele Hill is back from her suspension form ESPN because of her tweets. Let the girl stand up for her beliefs.

*****Atlanta has voted to decriminalize weed, now if they can get the rest of Georgia on board!

***** So it seems the boy scouts are going to now admit girls.

*****It has been nice to see Charley Pride every now and again lately.

*****Hooray!! Jessica Tuck is on General Hospital.. Oh, How I have missed you Jessica Tuck.. Where have you been??

*****A report says that white nationalists are flocking to get their DNA tested  to prove their white heritage with some mixed results. Of course they often find they have African ancestry or other  blood they may not want to admit is running thru them. Duh!

*****Nellie (Cornell Iral Haynes Jr.)  was arrested for rape on his tour bus at a Wal Mart.

*****Chicago pastor Robbie Wilkerson and his wife Tasha were sentenced to 37 months and 12 months respectively for defrauding a summer food program for impoverished kids.

*****The 207 Nobel Peace Prize has gone to Jacques Dubochet and Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson for developing cryo-electron microscopy for the high resolution structure determination of biomolecules in solution.

*****Steven Avery of Making a Murderer has been denied a new trial.

*****Roseanne Cash is getting some backlash for her comments. Cash wrote, ”The NRA funds domestic terrorism.” Her life has been filled with threats because of her views with smears like, ”your Dad would be ashamed of you.” Some ‘fans’ obviously did not understand her Father.

*****The White house thinks NBC should apologize after their report about Rex Tillerson threatening to resign after clashes with Trump. The scuttlebutt is that Pence intervened. Word is that Tillerson called Trump a fucking moron. Rex says he never considered leaving.

*****Senate intelligence can’t seem to get anywhere on the Trump dossier because everyone refuses to cooperate.  The committee has reported they are still interviewing and going thru documents. The investigation is now in exploratory mode. They do know that Russia is currently active in meddling in our election process and our vote tallies were accurate. Republican members of the bipartisan panel are praising the Obama administration for their complete cooperation.

*****Marilyn Manson had to cancel 9 shows after being crushed by a stage prop!

*****R.I.P. Tom Petty, the victims of the Rt. 91 country music fest in Las Vegas, S.I. Newhouse Jr., Bunny Sigler, Ralphie May, Bob Schiller, Fats Domino, John F. Dunsworth, Robert Guillaume, Gord Downie, Richard Wilbur, Sima Wall, Jack Bannon and victims of the NY Halloween attack.