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monysmediareview · 4 years ago

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Shadowhunters (Freeform show) Review

Review #2!!

In case you missed it, I wrote a review on the Mortal Instruments book series books 1-3 (they’re the only ones I read because a chapter into book 4 and I was over it). I had mixed feelings on it, as I do with most things - including the Shadowhunters TV show, which is what this review is about!

Casting

Let’s talk about the casting in this show. First of all, I think the cast matched the physical descriptions of each character in the books and I very much enjoyed that. I do like when shows take liberties with casting, especially for the sake of things like diversity but there’s something very satisfying about seeing the characters exactly as they were written.

I don’t think all of the acting was fantastic, but it’s FreeForm so I really didn’t expect much. It did get a lot better as the series went on and I think the actors really found their footing with these characters. It’s one of the reasons that I love series so much more than movies for things like this because there’s growth and the chance to really explore characters as they exist. These characters really took on a life of their own in a way, but we’ll get into that as I go through the rest of my points here.

One thing I will say is, while this show did much better than others in terms of diversity it is not lost on me that the BIPOC characters in this show (and in the book series as well) were all “other” characters. As is often the case, people of color in fantasy media are usually portrayed as animals such as werewolves, or other “undesirable” characters. This is an incredibly complex part of casting, creating, and writing, and I will not get into it here, but I didn’t want to not mention it.

Gay Pride & True Love

If you read my review of the Mortal Instruments series then you already know that I love love love Alec and Magnus, but that love grew exponentially when I watched the show. Magnus was an interesting character in the books but Harry Shum Jr. really brought the character to life and that show especially in the scenes with Alec. The show also gives Alec a ton more depth than in the books and I love that they didn’t keep him hung up on Jace (a straight man) for most of the story. He fell for Magnus and he fell for him hard. Magnus is the one that broke through Alec’s shell and encouraged him to be himself. By cutting away all the petty teenager shit that was in the books we were able to see this real, complex, but honest and deep love story that rivaled the main love interests immensely. I would watch this show over and over just to watch these two again.

Representation and diversity are two huge factors when I think about whether or not I liked a piece of media. These kinds of things are what makes media so relatable, real, and ultimately enjoyable in a lot of ways. This show didn’t make the characters gay-ness a main factor of their relationship; they just showed a relationship as they would with a straight couple. They didn’t ignore their gay-ness either, though, and acknowledged the difficulties within that. By making this normal, they took huge strides in showing these kinds of relationships on TV and I adore that. And I just cannot get enough of this pairing in general - there are so many contrasts and compliments in their relationship and it’s what I honestly consider to be a perfect OTP relationship in any kind of romantic plot.

10/10 would watch the show just for Alec and Magnus.

I like Clary better in the show than in the books

Clary is by far, not one of my favorite characters in the fantasy genre. I find her to be selfish, martyr-like, and just kind of annoying but I really felt like the show was able to redeem the decent characteristics that she has and shed off most of the aggravating ones.

As a whole, I am not a fan of how stupid the books make Clary out to be. Clary falls into the category of characters I don’t like because there is ultimately nothing very special about them yet they end up with a guy who is completely out of their league in every way who is head over heels in love with them. It infuriates me so much and Clary is not an exception to this rule. Her character is still this way in the show but it is much less evident because she seems to be more of an active participant in her own life and I don’t have to sit through her endless internal monologues about how attractive or strong or whatever Jace is. Thoughts that she still has while she thinks they’re siblings. At least in the show, these characters seem to draw a strong boundary here when they think they’re related rather than making out in a field like they did in the books.

Clary also has a much stronger sense of self in the show and often reflects on what her life was and what it has become, how she’s grown. And I think that’s a huge part of it - that she has grown when in the books she was just constantly such a dumbstruck teenager who only thought of herself. I absolutely love the difference in her character here so I’ll give the show a star for that.

Her relationships with other characters is also so much stronger. I believe this is in part because we don’t know her every inner thought about them and we also aren’t distracted by her distraction that is Jace. Her relationship with Izzy is so much better and stronger. I’ll always give good reviews to strong female relationships! Even her friendship and relationship with Simon is more in depth in the show. Their book friendship is very baseline; they constantly say they’re best friends but that’s not really reflected in the way they act around each other. In the show they have anecdotes about the past we never see in the books, they talk in a comfortable way and even show their relationship with each other’s families a lot more. This plays into her being an active participant in her own life as well.

The Lightwood Family Drama

This might be something that happens later on in the books (however I don’t think so because of some spoilers I’ve received on my main account) but I really liked the Lightwood family subplot. I would imagine they have some marital problems after Max’s death in the books but considering they don’t kill him in the show, divorcing them earlier and giving Maryse a second chance was a fantastic choice. I kind of wish they had kept Max’s death because to me, it was the driving force between Izzy and Simon, but overall I don’t mind the way they did it. It just felt like a missed opportunity for drama and angst.

Back to the point at hand - families are complicated and the only “normal” or rather, nuclear family we see in this series is the Lightwoods. Clary was raised by a single parent, as was Simon, and no one else really has parents that we’re introduced to to be able to judge their family life. By making their family story a complicated one, rather than the “ideal”, it becomes not only more dramatic, which is fun and interesting, but real. And it may seem counterintuitive to make things seem real in a fantasy genre show/book series but that, in my opinion, is what makes it easier to believe the fake stuff. I can focus more on the magic and the demons and the end of the world as we know it if it’s grounded in something that’s familiar to me. The Lightwoods feel like a very real family with complicated relationships between kids and parents, adopted children/siblings, and marital issues that affect everyone differently, which invites us as an audience to relate to them and doesn’t make the Shadow world so different from ours.

A scene I loved specifically is when Izzy brings the doctor she’s seeing to the Hunter’s Moon and they’re all messing with each other, eating, drinking, laughing, talking. They really felt like a family there, like adult siblings which can be a really difficult feeling to capture but I think it was done very well. I didn’t want to go through this review without mentioning that part since it was something very special for me.

Design Choices

Changing topic just a little bit, I wanted to talk about the design of the show. First thing I noticed was that the runes were not at all how I pictured them. Now, that may be a fault of the writer because they weren’t very well described so it all landed on imagination which is different for everyone. The show design gave me kind of Henna tattoo vibes, whereas the books gave me full black ink vibes.

The clothing was also something very strange to me. Izzy was always described as wearing long silvery skirts. I very much imagined her as wearing borderline rave outfits in most of these scenes but she mostly just wore crop tops and low cut shirts. I also noticed that as the series went on she dressed in a bit more of a conservative way compared to the first half of season 1 when I recall her wearing literally just a sports bra as a shirt in a few scenes. It was apparent to me in the books that the way Shadowhunters dressed was something that separated them from humans, made them stand out, and the show lacked that. I think this also took away the idea that Shadowhunters are a whole race of people with a history and culture separate from being human (they are, in essence mixed raced, but this comes with a lot of implications and is not a complete statement or comparison in any way). My point with this is mostly that I wish there had been more of a separation visually between Shadowhunters and humans beyond their runes.

I also pictured the Institute to have a very non-human, Catholic type of design and instead just got pseudo-futuristic feel. I didn’t hate it, it just feels overdone in these kinds of shows and movies. For example, the Divergent series or Maze Runner or even Tomorrowland all have this type of vibe and I was hoping for more of a DmC: Devil May Cry approach.

Jace Wayland is a beautiful character

I had mixed feelings about Jace in the books; he felt stale and like every other straight, white, male, romantic lead. In the show, however, I think Dominic Sherwood did him a great deal of justice and gave him the depth that actually made him a desirable person that I could understand someone being in love with. He’s charming, and a little cocky but we also get to see a deeper side of him than we do in the books. We see his emotions, especially his unconditional love for Clary (whether I agree with that or not).

The Owl plotline was a waste of time in my opinion, but the scene when Izzy and Alec go to save him from inside his mind and we see him break down is absolutely beautiful. Jace is introduced to us from the start as hard, strong, calloused and here we see him vulnerable and scared with two of the people he trusts most in the world. I will accept the Owl plotline if only to keep this scene because I think it is absolutely essential to his character arc.

I also found that scene to be indicative of his relationship with Izzy. In the books it’s often alluded to that he and Izzy had been together in one way or another but that’s not the case for the show (thank the angel) and here you can really see them as siblings more than in any ther scene, I think. But this takes me to his relationship with Alec as well.

Parabatai

I don’t remember Parabatai being mentioned much in the books but it is a huge deal and talked about quite a bit. I this this is super cool, personally and it’s not something I can really think of too much in fantasy outside of sires or singers or the like in many vampire novels but that has a whole “owner” vibe that doesn’t exist with Parabatai. I am super intrigued by this idea and I loved how much they played with it being a strength and an essential part of their existence.

The relationship between Alec and Jace is obviously stronger than just brothers, but it also isn’t quite love in the romantic sense. It’s something else and it makes them vulnerable to each other. They feel everything the other person feels, sometimes literally, and while that can weaken them they use it as a strength. It’s really beautiful how honest and open these men are with each other. I feel like the Parabatai bond breaks down a lot of the toxic masculinity traits these characters might have otherwise and I will always be in favor of tearing down those walls. A+ characterization if you ask me.

I thought Izzy deserved better in the books - the show gave it to her

In the show Izzy is way more badass than in the books, which I wasn’t sure was possible. They made her so much smarter, gave her important roles at the institute like head of weapons and she even did autopsies? In the last episodes we even see her as Head of the Institute. Beauty, brains, and brawn simply can’t be beat.

Her love life was even more interesting! She wasn’t boiled down to just a slut who slept with everyone regardless of species: she was a lover who fell quickly and saw the best in people despite what people might tell her about “their kind”. She’s strong and very sure of herself; she doesn’t need a man in her life but she wants love and I think that’s a really amazing trait they gave her that deepens the character.

They made her an activist, too in a way. She’s found really standing up for her beliefs in the show and challenging the way things are. In the books Izzy is pretty stuck in the way Shadowhunters do things but in the show she speaks up when something isn’t right. Her connections to downworlders does a lot of really great things for the Shadow world as a whole. They certainly could have beefed this up a little bit, but it wasn’t a huge part of the show in general so I’ll allow the pass on it.

Her Yin-Fen addiction was so interesting! Again, I don’t know if this is something that happened in later books in the series but this is just another layer to Isabelle that I really loved. No one is perfect, even her, and it built her relationship with Rafael (another plot I was a huge fan of) which was incredibly complex.

All in all, I would die for Izzy. Please give me shows and books about her and more characters like her.

This series was steamy as hell

I can’t write a review on this series without mentioning all of the steamy scenes with so many of the characters. I mean, of course, I expected as much with Jace and he got a lot but so did everyone else. We got saucy scenes with Alec, Magnus, Simon, Izzy, Maia, everyone. (Not all at the same time, thankfully). But they were all very well directed and acted and I enjoyed them quite a bit. What can I say? Sex sells.

In conclusion, I liked this series a lot. I really was not expecting to. I was warned that it was bad, and to start off it was but I found myself unexpectedly enjoying a lot of it. There’s still work to be done and it is by no means perfect but it was entertaining and had some really good moments. I also give so much credit to the actors and creative team for doing so much with material that didn’t give them much depth in the first place.

Would recommend for something to enjoy but maybe not think too hard about.

xoxo

Mony

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velkynkarma · 5 years ago

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Why Brandon Sanderson Is an Amazing Writer (and Why You Should Read His Novels)

Last week I was recommending some novels to @bosstoaster and was really struggling to not fan squeal all over the place about just how incredible Sanderson’s novels are. Usually, when this happens, I try to pick 1-2 things I like about his writing to talk about, so I don’t talk a person’s ear off...but that usually means so much gets left out.

But I’ve been thinking about it since, so you know what? I can do whatever I want on my blog. So here’s my full, unadulterated breakdown of all the things that are so damned incredible (and consistent) about Brandon Sanderson’s novels (as well as his writing methodology).

Does contain minor spoilers, but not for anything huge, and I tried to keep even the minor spoilers vague.

PLOT

Incredible world-building—that isn’t generic medieval fantasy-land

I love fantasy as much as the next person, and I enjoy most generic medieval fantasy stories if the plot or characters are great. But Sanderson’s always exploring different kinds of worlds, and entering them is always engaging. Magical cowboy western? A world continually buffeted by enormous hurricanes on a regular basis, so everything evolved to survive them, including the flora and fauna? A world where ash constantly falls? A world that is literally the embodiment of thought and concept? There’s always something exciting to discover.

Incredible magic systems

Like the generic medieval fantasy world-building, I’m used to the D&D style magic systems with energies and fireballs. Sanderson doesn’t touch these kinds of magic systems, though, and I’m continually stunned at just how creative the ones he does use are. Ingest metal, and use it to activate a latent power of yours? Bonding with the literal living embodiment of a concept in order to gain abilities? Re-writing the history of an item so it believes it can be different, and it changes? Using color as payment for a system based entirely around souls and soul coding? The list is long and always entertaining. He’s even written a whole article about how to design magic systems, which is also worth a read.

Really good at the ‘good’ kind of plot twists that leave you genuinely satisfied

I know we’ve all been frustrated by the recent trend that media seems to have these days: viewers or readers guess the direction the plot is heading in, and creators, in a panic, throw in a completely unrelated plot twist (changing the whodunnit, killing off a character, adding a resolution that makes no sense). Those suck. Let’s be real.

Sanderson does the opposite. He leaves the clues in his stories—they’re always there, and you can figure it out with the context clues, if you’re clever. If you’re not, he’s real good at throwing in twists that are hinted at, but still feel incredibly impactful and really satisfying. The end of The Emperor’s Soul still gives me chills, and I still love the twists regarding the big bads in Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive.

Also? He genuinely will catch you by surprise, sometimes. I consider myself to be a pretty experienced reader, and a decent writer. I can usually tell where plots are going for most stories. That’s satisfying, of course. But Sanderson has a way of still managing to sucker-punch me with a plot twist or reveal that feels shocking in a good way. I don’t see a lot of these coming, but the result isn’t disappointment, it’s a “holy crap—wow, how cool!” followed by an intense desire to reread half the story to pick out the clues that were sitting in front of me the whole time, now that I know what they’re actually for.

Really interesting meta-level stories

Depending on how invested you want to get, there’s a meta-level of interconnected story with the Cosmere. All of Sanderson’s stories are enjoyable on their own, and you’re never required to go deeper. But if you want to, you can, and suddenly there’s a whole second layer of information and characters in the background that you never really noticed, because most of his stories are actually connected to each other too. You don’t have to know who Hoid is or how he contributes to each separate story, you don’t have to be able to find the crossover characters that have literally crossed over from other books, and you don’t have to understand the whole Shards angle, and you can still enjoy all those books on an individual basis. But when you do know how to spot them in the narratives, it’s really fun, and you feel like you’re in on a great secret.

CHARACTER

Only male author I’ve ever read that actually writes GOOD female characters

Brandon Sanderson seems to have hit on the not-so-secret secret that most male authors—who dominate the fantasy genre—haven’t seemed to figure out yet: women are people too.

Consequently, Sanderson writes incredible varieties of female characters, each with their own personalities and quirks, who don’t necessarily fall into the “damsel in distress” or “masculine-coded action lady” stereotypes. See the politically savvy Sarene, the scholarly Shallan, the clever and artistic Shai, rebellious and somewhat childish Siri, the formal and analytical Steris. (These are literally just the ladies with names that start with S).

But it gets better. Because even with action-hero ladies, they still have characterizations outside of ‘being a lady that beats people up like a man and strives to be as unlady-like as possible to prove she can beat people up like a man.’ Vin might be an action heroine, but she’s also a young woman who’s learning how to have a family, who’s scared of opening up to people, and who’s insecure about her place in the world. Marasi wants to be part of law enforcement, but admits to another character that she also likes the make-up and dresses and looking pretty—and she hates that people expect her to be a masculine action-lady that wears pants and starts fights, because she feels like she won’t even be seen in her field if she doesn’t, and like she has to represent all women.

But I think the biggest example of this comes from his short story Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell, which (despite its edge-tastic title), is about a mother trying to protect her daughter. Sanderson wrote it as a part of the anthology Dangerous Women, and in his post-script on the story in Arcanum Unbounded, he writes:

“I thought for a long time about the nature of an anthology called Dangerous Women. I worried that the stories submitted to it might fall into the trope of making women dangerous all in the same way....I didn’t want to write just another cliched story about a femme fatale, or a woman soldier who was basically a man with breasts.

What other ways could someone be dangerous? I knew early on that I wanted my protagonist to be a middle-aged mother.”

In short, Sanderson actually understands how women work and writes actual, believable, likable female characters, who are just people and not sexual objects or prizes for men to receive at the end of the novel. It’s something we need, and it’s refreshing to see.

But on that note—he’s not afraid to let his male characters be softer either

In the same way that most female characters in fantasy are forced to be masculine-like action ladies, most male characters are also forced into the same role. There’s this misunderstanding that male characters have to all be sword-swinging barbarians who can’t have emotions.

Sanderson punts this misunderstanding out the window and will have none of it.

There are so many good male characters in this series too that don’t immediately make you want to cringe. Look at Elend, who’s an intellectual doing his best but genuinely screws up a lot, and is all but useless for the first half of the series as a combatant. Look at Wayne, and his heartbreaking moment at the end of Bands of Mourning, who grieves for a person who’d been family to him and isn’t afraid to show how much he cares. Look at Adolin, who seems like the quintessential sword-swinging action-oriented jock, but then completely subverts all expectations by patiently and carefully helping characters with mental illnesses deal with them on their bad days, and being unhesitatingly supportive of his autistic brother. Look at Gaotona, who spends the whole book trying to educate someone on how they’re wrong—only to learn from them instead, and realize he was wrong, and to admit to it.

Men have their soft moments, written by a male author who’s not afraid to put those moments into his works. And that’s really good, too.

In general, just really good characterization

Sanderson’s characters feel like people. They have oddball quirks, realistic-sounding conversations, and occasionally do things that make no sense. Just like friends, family, coworkers, etc that you and I all no doubt know. Hammond’s philosophical rambling (and Breeze’s frustrated bickering over it), Lift making it her life goal to steal dinners, Wayne’s justification for his kleptomania since he ‘trades’ items instead, David’s weird speech patterns and idioms—these characters are just fun to read, and have extra layers that just make them feel more real.

His books have a strong non-romantic relationship focus

Media in general is inundated with romantic and sexual relationships, and doubly so for fantasy novels—especially when fantasy novels often have a ‘prize’ romance at the end of the epic journey. Save the girl, get the girl. It can be frustrating, especially for people who aren’t interested in romance as a genre (there is a reason a lot of us are reading fantasy novels, and not romance ones).

Sanderson loves focusing on all kinds of relationships though, not just romantic ones. Found family, real family, strong platonic friendships, mentorships, interesting rivals, bonds out of duty—they’re all in here, and Sanderson’s not shy about making it clear. Look at Kelsier openly telling Vin he wishes he and his wife had a daughter like her and admitting he sees her as one, or the way the rest of the team turns her into their little sister that they all teach and protect. Look at Wax taking in Wayne, a scared kid who’d gotten in over his head and didn’t know what to do. Look at Kaladin looking at an entire band of slaves and going, ‘yeah, you’re all mine now and I protect you all,’ and how he forms a whole family out of Bridge Four that ultimately turns around and takes care of him, too (and of course, a lot of Kaladin’s story is driven by his own relationship with his actual family, specifically his younger brother). Look at Shallan doing all that she does at the start of the series to protect her brothers. Look at Prof struggling so hard to protect his little band of Reckoners even as he struggles to protect them from himself. Look at Shai and Gaotona, how they’re set up as prisoner and jailer, and yet they grow to ultimately respect each other.

I could go on and on, but the point is, these non-romantic relationships are everywhere, and they are considered to be just as important as—and sometimes more important than—romantic relationships.

But on the flip-side, his romantic relationships are very well handled

Anyone who knows me knows I’m not a big fan of romance or shipping. It generally doesn’t hold my interest. In most books, I skim or skip the romance parts, because I’m just not invested in those relationships. They feel flimsy.

I don’t do that with Sanderson’s works. They’re the only books I’ve ever read where I genuinely feel invested in the characters’ romantic relationships.

Because here’s the thing: all of these characters that are romantically involved, are also good friends, and that’s the basis of their entire relationship to begin with. And that means these relationships are accessible to everyone, regardless of romantic inclinations or interests.

Adolin and Shallan just joking around and bantering, with him teaching her how to use swords, with her rattling off witty repartee to defend him in verbal spars? When they just genuinely enjoy each others’ company, without having to constantly make out or have sex to indicate why they like being around each other? That’s genuinely fun. It’s some lovely character interaction. Maybe I don’t “get” the parts where they want to do more romantically inclined things, but I can enjoy that they legitimately enjoy being around each other, that they’re good friends as well as romantic partners, and that they trust each other. And that means I can still be engaged in their relationship instead of yawning and skipping ahead a few pages.

Which brings me to:

He also takes common romantic tropes...and throws them in the garbage bin

Sanderson has other ways of handling romantic relationships that I (as a person who doesn’t like romance) finds so impressive it deserves its own section. Because he takes common romantic tropes, and subverts them, and makes the characters all the more healthy for it.

On at least two occasions (in Stormlight Archive, and in the sequel Mistborn series), Sanderson has set up a classic love triangle...and then immediately broken it. In one novel, one of the male love interests graciously offers to back out if it will mean the female love interest is happy, because he really just wants her to be happy even if that means he’s not around, and she chooses him anyway...whereupon he makes it clear he’ll definitely help her with her mental health and he wants to be supportive of her. Holy shit, what a wild notion, an actual supportive character in a love triangle. In the second series, the love triangle gets set up, but ultimately broken when the man ultimately chooses the arranged marriage over the ‘true love’ angle, and then realizes he actually, legitimately enjoys the company of the lady in the arranged marriage, and the ‘true love’ love interest realizes that actually, that would have been a terrible idea and she wants to pursue her career. Again, a refreshing and ultimately all-around healthy take for all the characters on something that normally has some nasty fallout.

In Mistborn, my first introduction to one of Sanderson’s series, I remember being genuinely floored and in awe of Elend’s and Vin’s relationship...because Vin is still really nervous about opening up to people and not comfortable with intimacy, and Elend is completely okay with that. He takes it slow with her, lets her set the pace, and doesn’t force her to do anything before she’s ready. Vin is most comfortable just being around/near him without doing anything inherently romantic, just being in his presence, and he is completely cool with that. And that’s such a healthy thing to see in a romantic story, because it’s really important for readers to see that yes, it’s totally OK to not rush into things, and yes, it’s totally OK for people to take it slower or easier for an uneasy partner.

I could go on and on, but basically, romantic relationships in Sanderson’s novels are also engaging because a lot of the time? They’re healthy, and friendly, and toss most dramatic romantic subplots out on their ass.

While on that note?

He doesn’t do sex scenes

This one might be a loss for some, but it’s a win for me. Depending on how I feel on a given day, I’m either ‘irritated by’ to ‘really uncomfortable by’ sex scenes in novels...and unfortunately they’re prevalent, especially in fantasy novels. I usually end up uncomfortably flipping through these pages, trying to figure out where the scene ends so I can get back to the actual story.

I honestly can’t think of a sex scene in any of his novels though. In fantasy, it’s stunningly refreshing, and I feel super safe and comfortable reading his novels because I don’t have to worry about uncomfortable surprises. Plus, circling back to the above points, it’s kind of nice to see characters having established relationships without it having to be solely reliant on them having a good or bad sex life.

Has LGBT+ relationships

Yup, they’re there, and edge past ‘strongly implied’ to ‘blatantly stated’ in some cases too. Offhand, I can think of a pair of men in the Stormlight Archive who are noted to be in a relationship with each other, and a lesbian gunsmith in the second Mistborn series.

What I find important is not just the inclusion of these blatant relationships, but also how it’s treated as completely normal and not taboo in the context of these worlds, too. Non-straight relationships aren’t treated like a scourge or a difficulty these characters have to deal with; it’s just normal in these realities.

Additionally, what I really like about them is the way other characters will get called out about it if they do cross a line (usually accidentally). In the above cases, Kaladin makes an ignorant off-hand remark about his gay Bridge Four soldier and is immediately called out about it by the rest of the Bridge Four gang, whereupon he realizes he’d crossed a line and apologizes right away. In the Mistborn series, Wayne repeatedly makes passes at lesbian gunsmith Ranette, who spurns his advances. But when he realizes she’s actually into girls, he backs off and respects that, rather than insisting on her dating him. These are some nice little lessons on how straight people actually should react regarding their non-straight friends and family, and normalizes non-straight people existing in society.

Sanderson has also been openly responsive to and cool about people interpreting his characters in non-straight relationships or reading “implied” relationships/romantic subtext, even if he hadn’t originally intended to put them there. Offhand, I can think of one situation where a reader told him he probably didn’t realize “just how bi” he’d written Shallan in regards to her interactions with Jasnah, to which Sanderson’s response was basically, “Well that wasn’t on purpose, but alright, cool, cool.”

Also very good about inclusivity for mental illnesses and disabilities

While we’re on the topic of inclusivity, let’s talk mental illnesses and disabilities as well, because Sanderson is great about including these too. In Stormlight Archive alone, we have:

Renarin, who in addition to having some physically disabilities (specifically, seizures and being physically weak), is confirmed by Word of God to be on the autistic spectrum. And he’s treated with respect and support by his family members and friends. His father shows up to meetings or events he wants to go to, just so he can feel comfortable going to them to show interest in things men typically aren’t supposed to. His brother protects him fiercely in combat but also does his best to give him space to grow, and understands that his brother is incredibly intelligent but sometimes just needs a little time to organize his thoughts or figure out how to communicate. Kaladin understands his physical disabilities immediately and is able to give advice on how to deal with them. The entirety of Bridge Four adopts him as another brother. Jasnah finds another way. I could go on, but basically, Renarin is great

Kaladin has clinical depression, and possibly some form of PTSD, even if they don’t have the technical words for this in-universe. He really struggles with this a lot in the series. Despite that, other characters look out for him a lot, and this creates some genuinely tender moments.

Shallan rapidly developing some identity disorders. Actually breaks down and admits this to another character. The other character is fiercely supportive of her despite that and doesn’t give up on her so easily

Lopen doesn’t have an arm, but despite being physically disabled, Kaladin still immediately values him and he finds a place on the team. He’s also just...legitimately chill about being an amputee, makes missing arm jokes all the time, and doesn’t seem terribly bothered by it. I believe Sanderson even stated that there’s no real tragic story behind the missing arm...it’s just Lopen. That’s it.

Teft struggles with substance abuse and insecurity, but the entirety of Bridge Four is super supportive in helping him break it

There’s a character who ends up paralyzed from the waist down over the course of the series. She thinks she’s done for and her life is over, but her mentor keeps encouraging her to try things anyway.

Honestly, this series is enormous—there’s probably a ton more I’m not even remembering off-hand.

All of this is usually handled pretty tactfully and often brings in some really heartwarming character interactions when characters struggle with issues and other characters help them overcome them. Do you like hurt/comfort and whump in fanfiction? Sanderson does this in actual fiction. It’s great.

WRITING METHODOLOGY

He actually takes the time to write good stories

Sometimes a long-awaited book in a series coughDeathlyHallowscough comes out and you just know it was rushed. You can see it in the way the plot threads are resolved, in the way some threads are just never resolved and end up hanging there open-ended, in the way the epilogues are short and empty.

Sanderson doesn’t do this. He’s pretty transparent about it on his Twitter, where he’ll post updates on his writing progress percentages. Sometimes he apologizes for a delay on a book, because he wants to make sure it’s done right or he works out a plot point just so, or he needs to go back and re-read some old material to make sure there’s no hanging plot points.

This is good. This is great. This means he genuinely cares about his work, and he wants to produce good content. I will happily wait an extra couple months if it means the book that’s going to sit on my shelf for years to come has a satisfactory start, middle and end.

He’s always ready to give advice to up-and-coming writers, and he’s great about fandoms

Sanderson has a whole segment on his blog devoted to answering questions about writing. He also has a whole series of lectures available for free online. I’ve even heard him in podcasts and blogs in other things. He’s not shy about giving advice and encouraging up and coming writers, and he’s always so encouraging about it too. He’s also totally cool with fanfiction, unlike some big name authors out there who get very elitist about fandoms and the comparative “worthlessness” of fanfiction.

Some of his novels are available for free, right now, on his website

A bunch of his novels and novellas are available totally for free on his website, which means additional accessibility for people who don’t have the cash for books, ebooks, or audio books, and don’t have time to get to a library.

Many of them are also available as audiobooks, which means you can probably snag them through your local library’s audio book checkout system as well.

In conclusion

Brandon Sanderson rocks, his stories rock, and everyone who likes fantasy should really give them a shot, for all of the above reasons.

#Brandon Sanderson #honestly this writer's work is what I aspire to one day achieve #and I will unapologetically spend two hours writing up this hugeass post about all the good points of his works #because they are so good #give them a shot guys for real

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purpleswans1 · 7 years ago

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My Favorite Hidden Anime Gems

I’ve been watching Anime for several years now, and I’ve watched a lot of really good series (and a couple of bad ones). Among them are some series that are a lot of great series that I believe don’t get the attention and following they deserve. Some of them may be more popular than I realize, or they were popular a while ago and just faded over time. But all of them are, in my personal opinion, definitely worth a watch.

Quick note: I tried to put down why I believe some of these shows aren’t as popular. More than one of them is because the original material comes form Light Novels, which aren’t a readily available to the western fans as manga and anime, which alienates those fans since they believe they are missing some of the story.

Now, on with the list:

1. Kemono no Souja Erin (Beast Player Erin)

I can’t express to you how much I love this show. The best way I can summarize it without giving to many spoilers is that it’s a coming of age story about a girl who wants to be a beast-veterinarian like her mother, and follows her as she grows up That doesn’t really go into the juicy bits though. It has strong women in positions of power and male-dominated fields, brilliant world building, and the main focus is on the relationship between mothers and their children. It’s very refreshing, and I think tumblr would love this.

Now this one actually has a lot of reasons why it is less known. First of all, the original source is a light novel. In addition, the anime’s art style is much more simplistic than most anime a fans are used to. Finally, although the plot is entertaining for all ages, the show is actually geared towards kids. As anyone who’s watched Gravity Falls or Steven Universe will tell you, this doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. This does mean though, that the audience that it’s intended for doesn’t have easy access to it. That being said, I definitely suggest that people watch this.

2. Saiunkoku Monogatari (The Story of Saiunkoku)

This one is a court romance, and a really great one at that. The story begins about a sensible girl who is asked to turn the king of her country into a decent ruler by becoming his wife, but the story grows into something greater, focusing on politics, the magic of the kingdom’s origin, and the girl’s dream of becoming a court official. There are several well-done female characters, some who take on traditional feminine roles and some who want to be in male-dominated fields. There’s a little bit of a reverse harem situation going on, but the main character is well-rounded and most of the boys are just supporting from a distance. the main focus ends up being on the political drama rather than just the romance.

The animation is a little old, and the original story is from a light novel. In addition, I suspect that the second season ends before the ending of the light novels so we still have some unresolved business that we’d have to track down the light novels to find out. One of these days I’m going to find and read them. Still, this is definitely worth it!

3. Zetsuen no Tempest (The Civilization Blaster, Blast of Tempest)

Okay, I’ll admit that this one is a little weird, and completely shifts narratives halfway through (which, now that I think about it, happens in several anime I know) but is still worth the watch. I swear the two main guys are kind of psychopaths, but they’re also very real and their relationship is a very interesting take on friendship and complex relationships. The story is set in a world where everything in civilization starts being devoured and people are dying, but these two guys get roped into helping a witch trapped on an island save the world because she promised to help them get revenge for the one guy’s sister. It’s also full of dialogue and plot references to William Shakespeare’s works (especially “Hamlet” and “The Tempest”) and who doesn’t love a good reference to the bard?

I… really don’t know why this anime isn’t that popular. Other than the narrative being a little confusing at times and some of the characterizations being incredibly unique (i.e. not cliches) It’s a really good anime, and you guys should check it out.

4. Guilty Crown

Okay guys, I’ll be honest with you: the first time I discovered this anime (back when my experience consisted mostly of Inuyasha and Code Geass) I described it as a Code Geass fanfic with a slightly altered preface. Which… really isn’t what it is at all. There are still some similarities though. The actual story is about a world where japan was decimated by an Apocalypse virus and has become entirely dependent on foreign aid, making it into a kind of military state. People are oppressed, so a terrorist group forms and a certain socially awkward boy gets a special power that was intended for the terrorist, and he gets roped into joining them. It has a lot of interesting characters and characterization, since part of the boy’s power is to reveal people’s hearts in physical form.

I’m not sure why this one isn’t very popular, other than having several troupes that are in other shows. If I had to guess, it might be related to how he narrative changes halfway, and how I swear the thing must have been funded by the band Egoist considering how much they are referenced in the show.

5. Seirei no Moribito

Oh man, this one… *deep breath* The main character is a spear wielding woman bodyguard in her 30s. She is tasked with protecting an adolescent prince, who after being infected with a magic egg (more significant than it sounds) is being attacked by his own country. They end up forming a mother/son bond over the course of the story and that is the main relationship focus. Oh, and the woman has a love interest who’s basically a healer with some mystic abilities, and they are so not subtle about the reversed gender roles.

The story is based on a light novel series by the same author as Kemono no Souja Erin. However, it only tells the story of the first book, so we end up with a well put-together story and maybe potential for season 2? someday? *goes and cries in a corner because that would be amazing*

6. Shiki

Kudos to @quasiplatonickarinhina for introducing me to this.

Okay, so you know how Twilight spurred a rise in popularity for vampire stories? Only, instead of being the Anne Rice and Bram Stoker bloodsucking-monster variety, they became excessively romantic good guys? Yeah, this isn’t like those neo-vampire stories.

By any chance, does anyone remember the first season of Supernatural? You know, back before it became a cult-followed soap-opera, and instead was basically a series of rural American horror stories crammed into an hour a week? THAT is what this story is like.

The preface is that a mysterious family moved into a small rural town, and gradually people start dropping dead mysteriously. Things gradually escalate, and the story dives into a lot of heavy psychology with some statements on humanity in desperate situations thrown in. If you like Tokyo Ghoul for the psychological horror, you’ll love this.

The series has a very slow build-up before the climax, so that might be the main reason why it isn’t very popular.

7. Shounen Omnyouji

You know that Abe no Seimei guys that will pop up occasionally in exorcist or historical anime? Well, this is about his grandson, who has resolved to surpass his grandfather as an Omnyouji and finally get out of his shadow.

I should also note that this is probably one of the only shounen protagonists I know of that actually shows respect to his elders and superiors (which probably says a lot more for the general trend of shounen protagonists than anything else, but it’s still refreshing.) Seriously, one of the biggest running gags is that he’s in his room yelling about his grandfather expecting him to do the impossible or having to big of shoes to fill, but he’s still very respectful when he’s actually around the guy.

Also, his love interest is… not annoying? Sorry she’s not really that awesome of a character, but she manages to be a traditional princess and not painful to watch. Which is unusual.

Oh, and there are all these super-powered Shikigami who gradually develop respect for the MC and have their own issues with one another. That’s always cool.

This series was originally a light novel series, and to be honest even I wouldn’t know about it if I hadn’t been looking for a different Omnyouji series. I should warn you though, this one has a kind-of-cliffhanger ending, and I don’t see much indication of a season 2. You can always hunt down the light novels though.

8. Arslan Senki

Not sure whether this anime is unknown enough to be here… No, it does. It hasn’t gotten the following it deserves. The light novel series has been going on for decades and that might part of the reason why the fandom has faded, but the most recent manga adaptation is by the Mangaka behind FMA, and apparently she’s done some changes to the original story. Which is cool.

Also, the whole thing clearly has some thematic and stylistic roots in the Crusades, and that’s got to appeal to western audiences right?

9. Tokyo Ravens

You remember those exorcist anime I mentioned a while ago? Well this is one of them. The short explanation of this series that that it’s about a bunch of high school students studying to be Omnyouji. Which makes it sound a lot like a Japanese Harry Potter, which admittedly it kinda is. Only not. There’s a lot of plot derived from the reincarnation thing and some family politics crossing actual politics.

This is another one where the original source material is a light novel series. It also ends in a sorta-cliffhanger, but I have a bit more hope for a season 2 for this one.

10. Rurouni Kenshin

Okay, this one probably doesn’t need to be on this list since it is still popular, just really OLD so the hype has simmered down, but It needs to come back because WE HAVE A NEW MANGA ARC!!!!! (Can you tell how happy I am?)

Now I could go on and on about how much significance this series has for me personally (I literally discovered online scanlations and the dark web for this series guys) but I’ll spare you the hour-long monologue. Elevator pitch: This is a historical fighting manga with a lot of interesting characters and themes and quite honestly a classic. I’ll admit that there are some issues with the story that weren’t as troubling to high-school-aged me, but overall it’s still a wonderful tale. I mean, the manga inspired a long anime series and 3 live action movies, so that should say something (I feel no urge to watch the OVAs, so let’s not mention them)

11. Silver Spoon (Gin no Saji)

Okay, I’ll be the first to admit that i usually am not attracted to slice of life stories. But a friend recommended this series to me and mentioned it was one of Arakawa’s mangas, so I decided to check it out. A decision I do not regret. The basic plot has to do with a city boy who decided to go to an agriculture high school. Its chock full of culture shock, interesting characters, and a realistic take on the agricultural industry. I identify with this story on a personal level, both because i grew up in a rural area and know how some of the agriculture stuff works and also because the MC is searching for a direction after loosing his “dream.”

Like I said, this series is a slice of life, which generally doesn’t get as much attention as the action-adventure stories.

Got any other animes you think deserve a larger following than they currently have? Feel free to recommend them to me!

#I'M SO SORRY I TOOK SO LONG TO WRITE THIS #I go distracted #and have been getting settled in the new apartement #anime #recommended

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themullettheory · 7 years ago

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Kill la Kill

I just finished watching Kill la Kill. I was told it was a big step towards feminism and female empowerment when it aired so I’m trying to put some thought into that.

Sure the protagonist as well as main antagonists are female, and when they are so scantly clad the male onlookers are portrayed as drooling simpletons. So there’s put a bit of focus on men viewing women as meat slabs for their enjoyment while the women in question are trying to tear each other apart. It’s not said directly (as far as I remember noticing) but the message is pretty clear that Kiryuin Satsuki and Matoi Ryuko could level the whole academy if they so wished and none of the students would be able to lift a finger against them.

It’s something very typical of the action genre but it stands out simply by having the most important and powerful characters be female, when most titles of the same genre have male protagonists.

It’s worth thinking about that a show like Kill la Kill can make itself noticed just by having a female protagonist and antagonist in a high octane action anime.

It’s highly enjoyable by being over-the-top silly and fast paced, although the transformations look downright painful in sensitive areas - I would not want that.

There is also a lesson to consider in Kill la Kill. Kiryuin Ragyo (Satsuki’s mother, in case you don’t remember) leads a worldwide clothing company and obtains the market monopoly. People have to wear clothes - we judge those who don’t - but by monopolizing the entire market she can do whatever she wants. In real life that wold mean a company could charge you a kidney of they so wished or they could deny you their products and make you an outcast from society. Any one company that monopolizes and entire market, whatever it may be, could claim world domination in their field and whoever opposed or rebelled would be cut off. And if you can’t afford the products then you’re just out of luck. It’s our products or nothing.

A real life example is that the government in my country had to stop a major publishing company from buying out and absorbing another publisher because they then would be too powerful in this country’s market. They were allowed a max percentage and another publishing company had to buy the rest of the one closing its doors. It is against the laws of this country to completely monopolize a market and the government can step in and control the competition.

Kill la Kill makes a good parallel to this by providing an exaggerated example of how much a monopolized market can fuck shit up. They do point this out by saying the world is not cut from one fabric. In other words: no matter the market, there is no one-size-fits-all solution and competition is important.

Competition is what’s making our smartphones better all the time. And our TV’s. And computers. Competition is what drives companies to make their products ever better all the time and helps technology evolve. Whether it’s a fancy white t-shirt that will never show a single sweat stain in the arm pit, an electric kettle that boils your water even faster and rejects buildup of lime, your shoes more comfortable than ever or your phone - competition against other companies is what drives the development forward.

I don’t consider this feminist. That’s just how markets work. Perhaps the feminism comes into play by showing that women can do what they set their minds to just as well as any man. And everyone stares equally when they’re faced with a certain amount of bare skin (note: all the men staring at Ryuko and Satsuki in their kamui and Mako’s mom, Mankanshoku Sukuyo, who stares at Mikisugi’s (glowing) crotch at the Nudist Beach HQ).

The amount of female empowerment you take away from Kill la Kill probably depends on where you’re from. It’s a cultural thing. Not all cultures teach their daughters that the highlight of their life will be their wedding day and they should live to please the men around them - but of course, sadly, some do. Personally I’m not feministically inspired by it, but I did enjoy it as pure entertainment.

#kill la kill

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imonclouddesign · 6 years ago

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Human Being, Doing, Thinking and Making Lecture notes

The empty space

“I can take an empty space and all it a bare stage. A man walks across this space whilst someone else’s is watching him, and this is all that is needed for an act of theatre to be engaged.” – Peter Brook, The Empty Space

Peter Brook (1925)

In 1969, Peter Brook was director of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

-Multi award winning

-Innovator of theatre at the time.

-Wrote ‘The Empty Space’, in which we analysed theatre as a sign system.

-Defined for types of theatre:

Deadly Theatre

Holy Theatre

Rough Theatre

Immediate Theatre

The Deadly

“Deadly” theatre in this instance, means bad.

The Rough

“…. The happening effect – the movement when the illogical breaks through our everyday understanding to make us open our eyes more widely.” (1968:101)

The Immediate

“Cinema, flashes on to screen images from the past.” (1968: 111)

The difference between a live performance. Call me the difference is a feeling, and understanding, the phenomenology of sharing a unique moment in time and space.

The holy

‘invisible-made-visible’

Rhymes and shapes in performance can refer to the words, movement of the performance. Through arranging these in a particular way, we can make me in for an audience.

-The human condition (which is invisible) is made ‘visible’ to the audience. They ‘feel’ it and experience it. That is the phenom part.

Tony Kushner’s Angels in America (1991/ 1993)

-Pullitzer Prize for drama

-7 Tony awards

-Drama desk award

-Two parts play that examines homosexuality and the AIDS crisis in 1980s America

-Metaphorical. Often symbolic

-All-star cast in HBO’s mini-series (2003)

“Art is the imposing of a pattern on experience, and our aesthetic enjoyment is recognition of the pattern.” -Alfred North-Whitehead

We recognise certain experiences, emotions, dichotomies of characters as our own.

Phenomenology is the philosophical name for the method of investigating or enquiring into the meanings of our experiences as we get them. The method is phenomenological reflecting on the pre-reflective all lived experiences.” – Max Van Manen

Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1908-1961)

-French philosopher

-The constitution of meaning in human experience.

“We must therefore rediscover, after the natural world, the social world, not as an object or some of objects, but as a permanent field all dimensions of existence.”-Maurice Merleau – Ponty

Performativity

“In saying something or by saying something, we are doing something.” -JL Austin (1962)

-As Austin (1962) suggests in his publication How to do things with words, words are performance.

Richard Schechner (1934)

-Theatre director and critic

-Performance theorist and author

-A founder of performance studies – proposed a broad-spectrum approach

-Professor Emeritus at the Tisch School of Arts, NYU.

-Editor of TDR: The Drama Review

Key works

-Essays on performance Theory (1977)

-Between Theatre and Anthropology (1985)

-Performance studies (2002)

Broad spectrum approach – The study of performance in ritual and social contexts, interactions, sports, politics etc.

“If we recognise that virtually all human behaviour involves performing, then we can think of the theatre as a kind of laboratory where actors and directors stage experiments to help us better understand ourselves.” – Henry Bial (2010)

The secret service (2013)

The secret service is a performance work I made in 2013. I asked on social media, for people to anonymously submit secrets that they have never previously divulged. Among other things, I was interested in the idea secret (the invisible, intangible) having an existence in own right, a certain materiality.

Vito Acconci (1940-2017)

-Following piece (1969)

-Artist randomly selected a subject to follow around NYC.

-The stalking would cease when the subject entered a building.

-Documented his process and the art making itself.

Other works of the everyday:

Spy Project (1969)

Blinks (1969)

Sophie Calle (1953)

Research based projects: intervening everyday life: The Hotel (1981) To Follow (1980)

Calle worked as a chambermaid for 3 weeks, secretly investigating analysing and documenting the belongings of the occupants.

How do we perform culture/identity?

-Traditional Practices – Dance, ceremony, festivals, holidays

-Traditional costume

-Mannerisms/ Behaviours/ Etiquette

-Body language/ Representation

-Styles of Dress

A (very) Basic outline of sex vs gender

A person’s sex is either of the two main categories’ (male and female) into which humans and most other living things are divided on the basis of their reproduction functions – Oxford Dictionary

A person’s gender is either of the two sexes (male and female), especially when considered with reference to social and cultural difference rather than biological ones. The terms is also used more broadly to denote a range of identities that do not correspond to established ideas of male and female.

The difference??

-Gender is cultural and is the term to use when referring to women and men as social groups sex is biological; use it when the biological distinction is predominant.

-Sex refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define men and women. Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and woman.

Judith Bulter (1956)

-An American post – structuralist philosopher

-Queer Theorist

-Identifies gender as a performance

Performing Gender

“There is no gender identity behind the expressions of gender; that identity is performatively constituted by the very ‘expressions’ that are said to be it’s results.” -Bulter (1990) Gender Trouble; Feminism and the subversion of identity.

Drag- Majority male. Different to transsexual. Sometimes referred to transvestitisms or cross – dressing. Drag queen’s specialism in caricature of femininity. A break from dominant cultures’ assertion of what it means to be male/females performative.

#contextualstudies

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dirtiersocks · 7 years ago

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smutswap 2018 letter

Hi there! Here’s my smutswap letter for sharing purposes. let me quickly say up front that I am a porn sock. I am not new to fandom or a dental hygienist (not that there’s anything wrong with either of those things), and I’ve done a few exchanges and am a good commenter etc.

As far as general tastes go, I’m easy to please and hard to squick. Porn tastes revolve around humiliation/desperation, denial/begging, slavery, submission and obedience/dominance and control. Within those general fields I have extremely wide-ranging tastes - in a lot of cases what I’ve put in the additional tags fields is just what I could come up with off the top of my head, so if you get inspired for different/additional things please feel free to do whatever’s fun for you. (For example, I’ve read a lot of watersports because it often goes hand in hand with my kinks; I didn’t put it down because I don’t feel strongly enough to request it, but you certainly won’t put me off by including it.)

The only kink I have specific tastes around is orgasm denial - I like it best when denial lasts at least a few days. But even within that I’m flexible - could be a few days, could be months; could be a length of time dictated by the denied person’s behaviour, or determined in advance by the denier; whatever. I DNW bloodplay (except vampires), scat, and non-castration mutilation.

Critical Role Pairing: Delilah Briarwood/Sylas Briarwood/Vax’ildan Kinks: Brainwashing, Conditioning, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Mind Control, Mind Break, Mind Erasure, Vampire Bites, Used as a Party Favor, Used as a cocksleeve, Verbal Humiliation, Torture, Castration, Post-Castration Sex, Snuff, Magical Compulsions

I think everyone who enjoyed them in canon wants the same things I want: sex slaaaavery, where Delilah and Sylas slake their (hopefully cruel!) lusts and Sylas' literal hunger on Vax. I would like this ideally to be pretty creepy and at the very least dubcon, right through to noncon. Mind control, either through vampire mesmerisation or through Delilah using mind spells (I'm sure her spellbook is full of manipulative spells), ultimately breaking down Vax's mind, manipulation, emphasis on Sylas feeding from Vax (I don't mind if he finds this agonisingly painful or horribly enjoyable - if the latter, perhaps it becomes the only part of his captivity he enjoys), painplay if Sylas and Delilah are into it ... you will get mega triple bonus points from me if at any point Delilah uses Antipathy/Sympathy, Weird, Vampiric Touch, Suggestion (which I just noticed lasts EIGHT HOURS), Modify Memory, Dominate Person, or, heck, any spell from the PHB on Vax.

I would prefer it if Vax isn't freed or found by Vox Machina at any point (although the option can remain narratively open).

Pairing: Scanlan Shorthalt/Vax’ildan Kinks: Verbal Humiliation, Consensual Mind Control, Consent Play, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Magical Compulsions

I really love verbal humiliation and I think Scanlan is the mega-perfect character to deploy it on someone like Vax. I would love to see enthusiastic humiliation slut Vax, who loves to crawl as Scanlan knows the best things to say to make him squirm. I would love to see how consent play could work with Scanlan using his spells, whether Friends or Suggestion or even Modify Memory (or you don't have to use PHB spells, feel free to come up with something yourself) - consensually agreed to in advance but, of course, not really possible for consent while the spell is lasting. I could easily see a bit of spanking or impact play, unusual object insertion, whatever else, coming into play - feel free to throw anything in. Prefer no size kink.

A completely off-the-wall option: feel free (only if you'd like to) to combine this with my Vax/Grog prompts for a threesome playing on these dynamics.

Pairing: Grog Strongjaw/Vax’ildan Kinks: Size Kink, Rough Sex, Stomach Bulge, Throat Bulge, Spanking, Oral Fixation, Sex Addiction, Cock Slut

Uh, you know, this is a what-it-says-on-the-tin request. Grog, fucking Vax roughly, all sorts of ways and in all sorts of conditions, lots of size kink, rough sex, spanking, Vax being obsessed with sucking Grog's dick, etc, etc. I don't mind when in canon you set this - maybe Grog joyfully fucks Vax all over Greyskull or angrily fucks him to make him feel something as a revenant, etc etc. Feel free to throw in Scanlan and the prompts above for a threesome playing on these dynamics.

Corruption of Champions Pairings: Female Champion/Kelt, Female Champion/Hellhounds Kinks: Bestiality, Verbal Humiliation, Humiliation, Addicted to cum, Sex Addiction, Brainwashing, Objectification/Dehumanization, Oral Knotting, Bugs & Insects, Snuff

The fandom smutswap was made for! My only general request here is feel free to go absolutely overboard on humiliation and reluctant arousal.

Female Champion/Kelt - anything that continues their canon dynamic, with the constant misogynistic humiliation and force and the reluctant arousal, submission, and acceptance would be aces for me. Something like a bad end for the champion without transformation would be amazing, with the champion becoming Kelt's feeble human slave. (I don't dislike transformation fwiw, but most of the bad ends come with it, and I always want to know what they'd be like without transformation. So if you really like transformation don't feel put off including it!)

Female Champion/Hellhound - I don't think there's a hellhound Bad End, maybe because the hellhound doesn't seem sentient, but I'd love to know what it would look like if there was one. The champion becomes too into hellhound double dick and follows a hellhound back to a hellhound pack? The champion runs into the hellhounds' handler, who takes her as a slave to keep his pets happy and produce a new generation?

Original Work: Humans, No Incest

Pairings: Female athlete(s)/Female Cheerleader, Female Human/Female Vampire, Teenage Female Mad Scientist/Her Female Best Friend, Businessman/Male Office Slut, Male Kidnapper/Male Kidnap Victim, Male Orc/Male Human, Male original character/male torturer (emotional and physical), Depraved Nobleman/New Serving Girl, Female Prisoner/Multiple Male Interrogators, Male Prisoner/Multiple Male Interrogators Kinks: Verbal Humiliation, Humiliation, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Orgasm Control, ruined orgasm, Consensual Non-Consent, Abuse of Authority, Blackmail/Sexual Coercion, voluntary castration, Post-Castration Sex, Femsub, Brainwashing, Used as a Party Favor, Sexual Slavery, Genital Torture, Breast Torture, Somnophilia, Consensual Drugging, Conditioning, Objectification/Dehumanization, Bestiality, Erotic Electrostimulation, Gang Rape, Gangbang, Human Experimentation, Hypnotism, Magical Compulsions, Magical Personality Alteration, non-consensual object insertion, Non-Consensual Somnophilia, Object Insertion, Service Submission, Snuff, Spitroasting

I love all of these pairing prompts as a setting for consensual or non-consensual sexual slavery and abuse (I'm not sure how you make prisoner/their torturers an enthusiastically consenting sex slave, but if you can do it, I can read it!) I love verbal humiliation of any kind except racial slurs, consent play like drugging and somnophilia, eager submission, submission through force, submission through conditioning and brainwashing. I love the idea of the teenage mad scientist experimenting on her best friend's body or mind (with or without telling her). Stockholm syndrome sounds fun.

Orgasm denial work best for me when the denial period lasts a few days and there are so many possibilities here, maybe associated with conditioning - only coming when doing something specific to train their sexuality, only coming in painful ways to discourage orgasm - or submission - not coming to please a dom and focus on their pleasure - or in a non-consensual context, not coming simply because nobody cares whether the victim comes or doesn't. Maybe orgasms start out more frequent and get less frequent as the relationship deepens, or occur only as rewards for extraordinary service. Feel free to focus on humiliating begging. For especially cruel relationships, perhaps one partner is manipulated into consensual castration - in this case I would really love a sex scene after the castration that really emphasised the contrast between that character's lack of pleasure and their partner's pleasure.

Enthusiastic consent would also be great - two people revelling in their shared kinks, even when they're unusual. Maybe the cheerleader loves to be humiliated, brainwashed, and passed around the team parties. Maybe the mad scientist's best friend loves to test out the scientist's crazy machines for breast torture and ruined orgasms. Maybe the office slut loves it when he lets the businessman slip him drugs in his drink at the office party. Hell yeah. I would especially love anything that emphasises the dominant partner's sexual and physical reactions as much as the submissive partner's.

I don't mind if you want to introduce more doms or tops in any of these pairings - or feel free to combine anything here with any of my pairings/prompts for other original work requests! I shoved even more ideas in the optional tags but the main set are my main faves.

Original Work: Nonhuman Group

Pairings: Adult Man Visiting His Childhood Home After Years Away/Monster Under His Old Bed, Alien Conquerors/Humans Used as Breeders, Alien Conqueror Expecting Resistance/Human Who Thinks We're Better Off Ruled By Aliens, Eldritch Abomination In A Human Skinsuit/Human Male Cultist, Eldritch Horror/Male Sacrifice, Female Human/Giant Spider, Female Human/Tentacle Beast, Female Human/Egg-laying Monster, Insect like Alien/Human, Master of Hounds & Hounds/Captured Princess, Tentacle Ovipository Alien/Male Human Character, Tentacle Monster/Male Human Kinks: Alien Biology, Bestiality, Body Horror, Sexy Eldritch Horror, Sexy Psychological Horror, Fear Kink/Play, Sexual Slavery, Breeding, Castration, Post-Castration Sex, Rape, Hunted with a sexual forfeit for getting caught (consensual), Hunted with a sexual forfeit for getting caught (rape), Raped by Monsters, Verbal Humiliation, Humiliation, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Emotional Manipulation, Brainwashing, Femsub, Snuff, Human Fucktoy

What I would love emphasised in all of these is the physical or mental, or both, contrast between the human and the alien or animal - alien or animal biology penetrating or affecting the human and them being super aware of it, whether it's a weird dick that doesn't fit without pain or tentacles where sensation normally isn't or everything being super slimy. For the psychological difference - thinking especially of the eldritch horror here - reactions that baffle the human, higher goals or purposes, cruelty or indifference to human needs or desires, manipulation ...

I guess I can think of three different consent settings, if you like - humiliated but enthusiastic consent, terrified but willing submission, and horrified noncon. I would love all of these. I think pretty much any of these pairings constitute a prompt in and of themselves!

Original Work: Femsub Incest

Pairings: Twin Brother/Twin Sister, Teen Girl/Male Family Members Who Gangbang Her Kinks: Blackmail/Sexual Coercion, Breeding a Blackmailed Person, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Orgasm Control, ruined orgasm, Abuse of Authority, Sexual Slavery, Training Sex Slave, Caning, Impact Play, Femsub, Verbal Humiliation, Humiliation, Incest Kink, Kink Discovery, Obedience, Somnophilia, Genital Torture, Human Fucktoy, Objectification/Dehumanization, Object Insertion

For this pair of requests I would especially like to receive femsub. I ticked OK with underage but prefer not younger than 15 - could go a little younger in the twin brother/twin sister pairing. I enjoy a lot of permutations of the combination of my suggested kinks with these possible pairings, pretty much anything will make me happy, but I especially like scenarios where the teen girl or sister starts out being blackmailed or coerced but through that discovers submission or other related fetishes. However, I'm also happy for her to continue hating it if you prefer that! Something else I especially enjoy in these requests is ease of accessibility - the idea that sex can happen any time or anywhere in the home. Orgasm denial note - this kink works best for me if denial lasts at least a couple of days.

Specific scenario ideas: twin brother/twin sister - ripe for sexual exploration and kink discovery. I would especially like them mutually discovering his dominance and her submission, with any attendant kink flavours. bonus for orgasm denial, bonus if they're sharing a room far later than they should be! One could discover another's phone/porn/laptop or they could simply be experimenting and make an accidental discovery. Alternatively, close tell-each-other-everything twins begin a sexual relationship after disappointment and find it's better than any other.

teen girl/male family members - I'm agnostic about whether you include father/uncle/grandfather here, equally happy with that or sticking to brothers/cousins. lots of obvious blackmail/force scenarios here - ideally minimal risk of discovery by female relatives, whether that involves divorce or holiday or whatever. teenager and her brother on holiday with her cousins discover their sexual tastes, brothers blackmail sister into servitude, girl is raised to serve male family members in all things ...

#smutswap #smutswap letter #letters

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howtomake-husbandhappy · 7 years ago

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Best Sex Ed For Amazing Results For All

Definition of Sex:

The concept of sex is related to a series of variants that lead to ideas in general, the differentiation of the species and the reproduction of the race. In biology is the process by which humans and any species mate leading to the reproduction of them. All this process in which an ovule is fertilized and develops in a mother’s womb until birth leads to define the sex of the fetus. In humans, the act of sex is more complex, since it does not understand the simple fact of reproduction, it is one of the few species that practice sex for pleasure.

Sex:

It is also called sex to the character that is inserted into the specifications of a specimen, these are what we know as female and male or male and female. Sex also represents an important population rate, since it separates the human species in two, defining each one’s tasks and exercises. The men, of masculine sex, are different from the women of feminine sex by their physical and emotional characteristics, whereas the man owns a musculature greater to one of the women she possess affective qualities that denote it and give a characteristic touch that gives them femininity

Sex differs from gender although they go hand in hand, sex differs between the physical characteristics of a woman and a man, gender does in the relationship at a cultural level or is male or female, leading to a condition that can change or modify despite what has been correctly said by society , this is where transgenders enter.

In relation to society , sex has always been the subject of controversy and discussion , in confrontations when presenting women as the weaker sex, without strength or power, and placing a man all power, reaching the term sexist qualifying It gives the actions by both parties disqualifying by emphasizing the differences and discriminating by putting into action what is known as the feminist or 4×4, and a macho man that only leads to achieve a domination or power of either man over the woman or the woman over the man.

Defining sex or the word as such and not encompassing all that entails is very difficult because it encompasses an endless variety of topics ranging from the religious to the psychological without forgetting the biological, which we know marks the characteristics among humans, the animals, marking the genitals as a starting point. Sex itself is extended from the sexual organs, the genital apparatus as a means of reproduction of both, the reproductive sex according to gender or race to expand the species, sex or sexual relations only for the pleasure of the body and engage in case of the animals the way of courtship.

The social or sociological , reference is made to the sexual and gender identity of an individual or sexuality that goes from its sexual orientation proper, that in some cases its sex of birth has nothing to do or does not relate to its orientation or sexual gender that pretends or wishes to be, sexuality as a mode of expression of the human being that does not have a relationship with being sensual, at the time of having sexual relations.

The positions enter into this area of sex, are part of it and there enters the desire for a purely carnal satisfaction of an active sexuality of a man and a woman, which in many occasions do not lead to safe or conventional sex to avoid diseases.

Sex has been the headline of the most famous and successful best seller, throughout the history of humanity on tumblr in the literary field filling pages written with explicit sexual stories and full-color illustrations, one of the most recent in the trilogy of 50 shades of gray , the singers have dedicated an infinity of songs where the protagonist is the sexual desire that they feel for a girl, as a representation of love, the cinema since the 50s, they carry out an innumerable amount of films full of morbid or very concrete as the so-called pornographies, which are full of literal scenes of sexual relations of any kind.

In many cases love has had nothing to do with sex, sexuality or anything that has to do with him, since to have an act of sexual nature is not necessary to love or be in love with the other person, and that if it is between adults they can have a consensual relationship to only reach an end to satisfy a physiologically speaking condition.

Sex in all its ambiguities is a part of society important for daily life, it depends on the reproduction of species and the maintenance of population balance. What we must understand and be clear that we must take into account is the way it is used or the term is given to this word, and as a way to lead a life, you must accept the responsibilities that come with it despite the decision of his gender or sex.

Sex also enters what we call the paraphilias, which are no longer considered a disease but a vital decision , that is, the person or individual has the power over their body for the enjoyment they choose, among them is fetishism, transvestism, sadomasochism or domination, transsexualism and exhibitionism, from, bestiality, homosexuality, and lesbianism, in more extreme cases such as necrophilia, which is the desire of the dead, among countless others .

The sexual health is a responsibility of human beings, having one or more relationships with multiple partners expose it to a myriad of risks of contracting the disease.

Best SEX Ed for everyone:

The romance and passion flow like never with your partner, but could do better? It never hurts to know one – or more – tips to elevate your hot meetings …

Life is about evolving day by day, why not do the same under the sheets? Therefore, we want to share the key guide to have the best sex of your life! Keep reading.

1. Plan the moment. Yes, on many occasions we have allowed ourselves to be carried away by spontaneity, but do you remember the expectation of the first date with your lover? Put on perfume, look for sexy lingerie and even light up the bedroom with some candles will cause a similar sensation.

Imagine it like this: you left a very flirty note in your breakfast and throughout the day you have not stopped sending messages to know what the surprise is about. Both are impatient for that encounter. What follows, you decide.

2. Do not use the words. Although one of the keys to having better sex is communication, it is time to explore new ways of saying things. Try covering her mouth with a chew and start kissing her whole body, watch her reactions. The rule is not to talk!

3. Take control. One of the best positions to achieve orgasm is the man, as you will be in charge of the intensity and depth of the encounter. Forget the insecurities about your body and enjoy. Believe us, he is not thinking if a little belly comes out.

4. Watch a sexy movie. Also, we are not talking about a porn movie. The female mind is stimulated much more with imagination – read 50 Shades of Gray – so a tape that only hints that there will be sex is perfect to help you have an intimate encounter off the screen.

5. The end also counts. Do not allow the shower to be thrown when finished. Unless you are looking for a second round, take a moment to rest together, as this will create a better couple connection. When both of you feel comfortable and loved … you cannot resist repeating!

6. Behave wrong. Play the “escort”, dance for him and get dressed up provocatively, or let him put on a sexy outfit and do an erotic dance, and in addition to having fun, they will ignite their libido like never before.

7. An extra help. Between 10% and 15% of women can not achieve orgasm only through penetration. It is important for your partner to stimulate the clitoris with his fingers, tongue or some sexual toy.

8. The dirty talk . You can raise the levels of emotion and help teach you a couple of new tricks. Use it to tell him what you want to do and he will be so excited that he will not even notice that you are training him. Practice alone so you do not feel strange in the moment of passion.

9. Goddess of sex . Show him that you know how to use your body and yours to make him vibrate with pleasure. Start by knowing yourself and what you like.

10. The large erogenous zone . Last but not least … Yes, there are the neck, the nipples, the thighs, etc. But do not forget that the brain is THE erogenous zone par excellence, because that is where the desire arises when choosing a couple. Everything is born in a part of the base called VTA, which creates dopamine giving us sensations of desire, ecstasy, obsession, energy and joy. For this reason, remember to say that you want it, either by loud voice or by applying the sexting hours before the meeting and, thus, igniting the sensual spark.

from How To Make Husband Happy http://ift.tt/2Dq7WT8 via IFTTT

#IFTTT #How To Make Husband Happy

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cosmoshiden · 8 years ago

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Commentary on Anita’s review of War for the Planet of the Apes.

For this blogpost, I’m going to take a stab at a commentary on Anita Sarkeesian’s review of War for the Planet of the Apes. And oh boy, this is going to be hard to swallow. Now for disclaimer, is you have not seen the film, spoilers are no further than below. You have been warned!

“Let’s start with the two male figures who head up the film’s two warring factions, neither of whom have any real character development beyond the age-old male motivation of personal loss: Caesar (Andy Serkis), leader of the apes who, at the film’s beginning, hopes for a peaceful end to the violent persecution of apes by the humans, and Colonel McCullough (Woody Harrelson), the living embodiment of hypermasculine fervor and rage leading a group of surviving humans in efforts to crush the apes once and for all. Caesar’s struggle for peace turns into a quest for vengeance after McCullough murders his wife and son in the film’s first act. Thus, one of the film’s two female ape characters is promptly dispatched to fuel the story arc of the male hero. (Both of them wear beads in their hair because how else are we gonna know they’re female without some good old-fashioned gendered signifiers, right?!) The other female ape, Lake, serves little purpose in the story but to be designated the caretaker of Caesar’s surviving son. War, it seems, is man’s work, no matter your species.”

Watch the previous two movies to see Caesar’s development. To understand the circumstances of the plot and setting to War of the Planet of the Apes, you need to see the previous films as well. While I will concede the point of the female characters, I have to disagree that the protagonist and antagonist were solely motivated by the deaths of their loved ones; it was the fact that for the main character, he has been through hardship from the previous movies due to the loss of his people and the harm brought on by human beings before the apocalypse. The antagonist is hardened by the loss of his entire race and the possibility of humans becoming cattle like in the original novel and film Planet of the Apes.

“Meanwhile, what’s McCullough’s motivation for seeking an end to the apes? He, too, has lost a child. Because of course he has. See? He and Caesar are basically two sides of the same really tropey coin! The circumstances of McCullough’s particular loss are a bit different, revealing just how hateful and misguided his vision is: he’s a die-hard human supremacist, and won’t hesitate to slaughter his fellow humans under any circumstances if he believes they somehow compromise that inherent “superiority.” The presence of qualities like love and compassion are meaningless in his evaluation of whether any individual, human or otherwise, deserves to live, when they should be paramount.”

I’m sounding like a broken record here, but the first film establishes that a virus which was meant to cure Alzhimer’s disease, in fact killed most of the human race and is degenerating them to a race of speechless, brutish creatures like in the Serling movie and Boulle novel of the same name. And the concept of favoring one’s own species over another’s is called speciesism as populariezed by Peter Singer and the late Tom Regan. It’s not just race, but animal devaluation here.

“The colonel’s hatred for the apes is as contagious as the virus he fears will end humanity’s rule over the Earth; at one point, he riles up his soldiers into a frothing mass of blind nationalism and hatred of the apes just by standing on a platform above them and shaving his head while blasting the national anthem from tinny speakers. (Again, this is not a subtle film.) Moments later, he has the gates opened to a pen where imprisoned apes are held so that his soldiers can vent their hatred with brutal physical violence. For McCullough and his soldiers, making America great again means subjugating the apes entirely, and eradicating those who won’t bow to human rule.

Clearly the film wants to pretend that it is siding with the oppressed, the apes who so clearly represent any group that the dominant culture fears, exploits and oppresses. However, given the long, disgusting history of racial slurs and racist imagery that liken black people to apes, the more explicit the film makes its use of the apes as a stand-in for an oppressed group, the more uncomfortable things get. By casting the apes in the role of the oppressed against human enemies led by a white leader who, with his showy, head-shaving shtick, is blatantly intended to suggest neo-Nazism, and whose cruelty to the apes recalls the Southern slave master of Civil War films, War charges full-force into reinforcing this particular, deeply racist notion of the otherness and inferiority of black people. As Audre Lorde so wisely put it, “the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house,” and you cannot use imagery so steeped in racism to criticize and challenge racism. War spends so long dwelling on imagery of apes being beaten and abused that it crosses over into the realm of the white power fantasy.”

Anita, I think you are looking at this from a very narrow applied ethical position. It isn’t just cultural and racial relations you should look at the Planet of the Apes series, but from an environmental and animal ethical stance on how animals are treated by human beings, in the institution of science, agriculture, captivity and domestication and how we deny them the right to be able to flourish or enjoy the good life as we know it. Seriously, there’s a lot more going on here than just the evils of racism; the film is dealing with speciesism and meant to show how we humans are no different from the animals in terms of emotion.

“It’s also frustrating that, like other mainstream blockbusters that on the surface purport to be critical of violence, War is incapable of imagining an alternative, or presenting us with a vision of a way out. Time and again throughout the film, violence begets violence. The death of Caesar’s family sets him on a path toward revenge. A man the apes encounter loses his life because his fear and hatred of them leads him to respond to their presence by attempting to kill them. And on and on.”

At this point I would agree, but there was far more than just avenging his family at stake. Caesar was pushed over the edge, throughout the film series, and this was the tipping point that leads him to finally settle the score. What’s worse is that he finally acknowledges that he is becoming like Koba, the antagonist of the second film in this series, toward hating all humans.

“The film seems to shake its head regretfully at this state of affairs, but still builds up to a climax in which rocket launchers are fired and helicopters explode in spectacular fashion for our enjoyment. The only hope of the cycle ending, it seems to say, is if one side is all but completely wiped out, and though the film repeatedly acknowledges the ways in which racism, nationalism, and a certain strain of violent, virulent masculinity are so often linked, it offers no hope of escape from this particular gender knot, which lends these specific toxic masculinities, damaging as they are, the appearance of being natural and inevitable. What would be truly radical and wonderful would be to someday see a blockbuster that asserts that understanding, compassion, and cooperation can overcome, and that we can happily share the world with those who are different from us, though not so different as we may have once thought.”

I would suggest to Anita to take some time to read up on animal ethics from the perspectives of Peter Singer, Tom Regan, Martha Nussbaum, Rosalind Hursthouse, Christine Korsgard, David Fraser, Mariam Stamp Dawkins and Alister Norcross to get an understanding of the field. Also, I recommend reading the original novel for commentary on how we treat animals. There’s much more nuance going on here than just cultural discrimination and racism here. Now I’m not saying Anita should like the film, I’m simply wanting to point out that she making some overstatements in her review and that she should take some time to get some background on the matter discussed.

#Commentary

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jessicaborsetimedia · 8 years ago

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Castle On The Hill- Music video analysis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0ibBPhiaG0

The music video begins with a mid-shot of the main protagonist, following a close up and then an establishing shot of one of the major mise en scenes for the music video. The beginning mid shot of the main protagonist through the fields demonstrates a sense of what appears as isolation and being on his own until the narrative of the music video shifts .The mise en scene is a foggy dark lit country side, the costume of the main protagonists is what would be perceived a stereotypical teenagers outfit, consisting of a hoodie and jeans coupled with a dark blue colours that have connotations of masculine characters. Cutting to a shaky mid shot following the back of the two characters running to a long shot and then front mid shot (match on action), in order to demonstrate a theme of the teenagers being energetic. Furthermore to support that this music video is an illustrative on as the lyric states “running from my brother and his friends” therefore that lyric correlating with shots of the characters running. Switching to a mid-shot of the group of friends on a left-over of bricks, displaying a sense of making the most out of being with your friends, no matter where. Then cutting a mid-shot of the artist singer in his car, demonstrates that sense of moving through his memories of his late teens. The dark lighting coupled with a black outfit, demonstrates a sense of mystery as too where the artist is driving creating questions for the audience.

The next scene follows cutting between different mise en scenes as well as incorporating close ups (out of focus), mid shots and long shots in order to revolve the narrative round the theme of friendship especially when you’re a teenager. The mise en scene display a pool bar, demonstrating the group of friends socialising, following outdoor scenes such as by a bus stop and what appears as a race course. The dark lighting implies a sense of sadness on reminiscing on being young and living the life of a teenager. Furthermore the close ups of the characters drinking alcohol and smoking link to the stereotypes of teenagers being unhealthy (by smoking and drinking alcohol) and appearing to be reckless. Then cutting back to a mid-shot of the friends socialising by the pile of abaonded bricks in the bleak countryside, demonstrates them taking advantage of anywhere to socialise. The bird’s eye view over the English country side following the car (which the artist is driving) provides a sense of the audiences following the remisnisince of the artist through his memories of being younger especially a teenager. Then Cutting to a mid-shot (with the protagonist positioned as centre of focus, as the camera is on his side) both on the side and front facing the car which the male characters are driving. Following with a still mid shot of the groups of friends walking past. As the characters walk past they appear holding beers, which applies to that association with teenagers being the ones to drink more. Furthermore the outfits of the characters imply a scene of youth through bright colours such as reds and blues. Following a pan of the two characters at night walking past the roaring fire, this implies a sense of stereotypical teenagers being reckless in addition the black (night sky) against the bright flames contrasts in order to show that the audience is following the various situations the characters land themselves in. The shot revers close-up of the protagonist and the artist highlights the narrative, of the artist singing about his experiences as a teenager. Cutting to a pull focus of the protagonist looking at a female character, in order to portray his attention on her and conform to the stereotypes of being a teenager and beginning relationships.

Cutting to a mid shot of the characters driving in the car cutting to a birds eye shot of the cars, foreshadows a sense of the young characters on a journey to adult hood (parallel to the artist driving in the car). Furthermore the mid shot of the characters walking in an evening country side with a quick cut to the artist in the same place at day time, presents a sense o the artist telling a story and displaying his memory from different locations also. The extreme close ups focussing on the cigarettes and the characters smoking them, further supports the link between the lyrics and the footage. The mid shot of the two male characters walking past the cars, further conforms to the stereotypes of boys overall having an interest in cars. Cutting a mid-shot of the male protagonist kissing a girl (linking to the lyric) at night time links to the stereotypes of young love. Furthermore the mise en scene of night time at a bus stop, implies a scene of the characters being able to have a good time anywhere they go along as they are together. The characters all still represented in clothes associated with youth such as caps and hoodies with bright course, in order to extend the message of being young, as opposed to the artist being dressed in black which provides connotations maturity. However the scene continues with pull focussed and out of shot closes ups in order to demonstrate a sense of blurry memories as this is what the artists is reminiscing

Close ups of the characters in the bar mise en scene (demonstrated with that light of the gambling machine hitting and emphasising on the characters face) follows their expressions and enjoyment in their lives and being young. Furthermore the editing slowing down the footage emphasises that sense of the artist reminiscing on old memories, providing a nostalgic tone. The birds eye view shot the boys walking in the country side, sets a narrative the boys walking onto the next chapter of their lives as adults. Following to a quick cut of what appears as a house party, through the use of bright flashing colours such as greens and blues, further conforming of the stereotypes of what teenagers enjoy to do. The camera tracks around all the characters enjoying themselves and socialising, then cutting back to a tracking of the artist lip syncing the song. Cutting to a tracking shot of a bully picking up one of the characters then a quick cut of the protagonists reaction, enhances a sense of the artist reflecting on his memory as teenager and the good and bad memories The bright light behind the protagonist enhances the clarity of his expression to the situation.

Cutting to a zoom out of the characters socialising together at what appears as a cheap car racing course, cutting to a ceiling canted shot however with the flashing lights links back to the scene of a party. Which features close up of hands to show intimacy and relationships that have been built as well as a mid-shot of the friends laughing together. Back to a birds eye view of the boys walking in the desolate country side and cutting to the artist lip syncing the song. Then when the song reaches a not so fast paced, the music video cuts to a slow zoom out of a burning sofa standing out against the night sky, in order to show the teenagers being reckless. However when the lyrics turn to talking about friends, the camera cuts to a quick paced variation of close ups on the friends, representing the artist reminiscing on what his friends were also like as teenagers. However cutting to a zoom out of the friends socialising at night with the fire brightening their faces in order to demonstrate their enjoyment socialising and being together. Then that brightly lit mise en scene contrast to an extreme close up of the protagonists, however with a daylight lighting, to show the protagonist smiling about his adolescent. Then from the tracking of the artist to a pan through all the different mise en scenes of memories as a way of tying in all of the memories.

The quick cuts from the mise en scene of the friends socialising to the artist lip-syncing, the camera pans around the group of friends. The use of the match of action from the young protagonist taking sip from his can to when the artist finishes that sip, enhances how the narrative of the music video being around the artist reminiscing and reflecting on his adolescent. Finishing on a zoom out of the characters socialising in the English countryside where they came from.

The representation the young characters in the music video focusses upon the stereotypical life’s of teenagers.The characters are represented as reckless by setting a sofa on fire at night time. Furthermore the characters are represented as young people through their clothing such as hoodies and caps which are associated with youth clothing, as well as brugh blues and reds coupled with the lighting in the house party scene, provides connotations of youth. And the events the music video such as drinking at bars and going to house parties, further enhances the stereotypes of teenagers. Furthermore the artist is represented as a contrast to the young characters a he is wearing dark lords such as back, which has connotations of maturity.

The ideologies which are presented, are often dominant ideologies, as they represent a message of teenagers socialising and building relationships, whether that be friendships or relationships, which is hegemonic. The close up shot reverse shots of the characters faces show their enjoyment in being together as well as the close up on holding hands, displays that building of romantic relationships. However some ideologies may be challenged, such as when the characters set the sofa on fire, it sent a negative message of teenagers being reckless and that coupled with the tracking shot during the bullying scene.

The genre of this music video is pop, therefore it follows the conventions of artist being dressed in recent and up to trend clothes. Furthermore the use of close ups to elaborate the enjoyment in the characters cafes, also links to the conventions of pop music videos which often have happy characters. Another convention is that the lyrics are often based around love and relationships, which this music video supports. As it is illustrative and as the lyrics talk about friends the footage cuts to focussing on friendship, as well as the romantic relationship which is also represented in this music video. Another convention of pop music is choreography, which this music video doesn’t feature, however only touches on during the house party scene. Other conventions being a link between lyrics and footage which this music video conforms to as well as being brightly lit, which is demonstrated equally to the amount of dark lit scenes. Close ups are a common convention, which this music video follows frequently as the majority of the music video elaborates the characters facial expressions through close ups and extreme close ups.

In relation to Stuart Hall’s this music video would be viewed as preferred reading, as the audience would fully accept the content and interpret it the same as the characters. Therefore because the music video is based on the enjoyment of relationships, that being friendships or romantic relationships, then the audience would have a preferred reading due to the happiness presented in this music video. However an opposition reading maybe also an influence, as the teenagers appears reckless displayed by the scenes of the sofa on fire and the bullying scene. A negotiated reading however would accept that the teenagers are enjoying themselves, however also disagree with their reckless actions.

In relation to Blumler and Katz’s Uses and Gratifications, which explains the reason as too why audiences chose certain pieces of media. Therefore, firstly is to be informed and educated, that being why an audience member would watch this music video to be informed on the events and memories of the artist’s teenage life. Secondly we use media as a way of persona identity, therefore audience members would watch this music video to aspire to have friends and memories like the artist one day, or too relate what they do to those of the characters. Personal relationships also, so the media provides a platform for a sense of knowing other people therefore audiences would watch this music video as a way of getting to know the artists more, through him sharing his memories. Lastly the need for escapism, relating to that feature of this theory audiences would watch this music video as a way of escaping from there possible stressful lives by watching the enjoyment the teenagers show living their lives.

Andrew Goodwin’s theory may also be applied to this music video as firstly the music videos does link to characteristics of pop music videos, through the use of characters being dressed in up to date clothes (and other factors previously mentioned). Secondly this music video supports Goodwin’s point of a relationship between lyrics and visuals, as often when a lyric describes a memories the camera will illustrate it, however there isn’t as much of relationship between music and visuals. However only a couples of times when the tempo of the music video speeds up so does the footage. The use of frequent mid shots and close ups on the artist relates to Goodwin’s point on how demands of the label will mean that there will be a lot of camera focus on the artist. However there isn’t often notions to looking, as there aren’t screens as the mise en scene of the music video is mostly focussed outside. This music video doesn’t have a reference to any intertextual forms of media. However it has intertextual reference to finding young love, which links into a lot of narratives within the media

Furthermore Levi Strauss’s Binary opposition’s theory links closely to this music video. As there are oppositions between female and males among the characters. Oppositions between old and young, as the artist contrast the teenage protagonist.

#A2 #A2research

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personalcoachingcenter · 6 years ago

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A Life Hack for Men Dealing with Pressure

New Post has been published on http://personalcoachingcenter.com/a-life-hack-for-men-dealing-with-pressure/

A Life Hack for Men Dealing with Pressure

In this article we will be able to share some lifestyles hacks tips on how to care for quite a lot of daily circumstances / the place we believe pressured to behave in manly methods that are not healthy for us / and how to counter these circumstances when others try drive us to follow the herd. These tips simply apply to both guys and women, for the reason that both genders endure from others looking to field us in with the aid of telling us how we should act / however because on this video i’m addressing men primarily, in poor health use examples from various men’s associated occasions.

Did anybody ever tell you: You throw the ball like a girl? / or you run like a lady?. Has any one ever made fun of you or tried to insult you with the aid of saying you weren’t manly enough?

To begin with – whats this type of large deal in doing something like a woman? Women are excellent! But of course, I have an understanding of what the insult means and makes an attempt to do. It implies that there is a specific manly approach to do matters. And if you do not do it in the anticipated manner – society wishes you to consider that there’s something fallacious with you. Accordingly being insulted in assessment to a woman, we start to emerge as overly mindful on how we act and try to forcefully act as a man must. Now i’m not saying that men will have to intentionally act like females, however i would like to impeach whether a person has to act in any particular, pre-ordered manner / like quote on quote – other guys do.

Is it particularly so dangerous to behave another way than others to with? Of course that strain from others to act in a designated means stays, despite the fact that we don’t adore it / and it can be increasingly intricate to behave the best way you naturally are drawn to behave, since of that prime and commonplace stress. Yet there’s a simple life hack that may incredibly help you in these occasions.

This hack, I’ve effectively used 1000’s of occasions in quite a lot of hindrance and it is all based on a couple of simple characteristics: curiosity and constructive questioning. So as to explain how this existence hack works, lets come again to the previous illustration of anybody telling you you throw the ball like a girl.

Probably we emerge as embarrassed, upset, and even irritated when anyone tells us that. However most of the time it occurs considering part of us believes that it is genuine / and that we will have to act in a different approach. However in an effort to preclude this needless and unfair feeling / as quickly as this emotion of shame comes up, you are making your self discontinue and redirect your vigor toward a further feeling. You flip it into curiosity. Then, with all sincerity you flip to the character that mentioned that and ask: are you able to provide an explanation for to me why that’s an dilemma?. Most of the time, you will be surprised with the look on that men and women face.

He will immediately become burdened, seeing that in the beginning he didn’t know himself why that is an quandary / and also you bring your concentration to it. You see, most of our moves are inherited and copied from others / and most of them we don’t question / appearing them out for various social explanations / corresponding to trying to set up a dominant role in a male world / seeking to be an Alpha canine through doing what other Alpha puppies we’ve seen do from new release to iteration / without rather working out why and how we do it.

Yet at any time when you turn on curiosity, no longer simplest you question that internally / this manner making house for doubt to arise before fitting harm / but you also confuse the other individual and make him suppose. Now I stated that this will probably be adequate probably / but some humans can be stubborn and proceed to insist that there is an challenge.

That is not an dilemma, so long as we continue to be genuinely curious. Sick offer you an example: You throw the ball like a lady rather? Why is that an problem? Well, on account that when you consider that ladies are weak! And that makes you a sissy? Are you certain ladies are susceptible? And what does a sissy literally mean? Could you outline it for me? Anything they say later, probably the most best ways I discovered to finish one of these conversation is via pronouncing something alongside the lines of: Your arguments don’t seem to me very powerful in poor health take into account it, however unless ill get a transparent, good outlined argument, I cant take this critique severely. Finish OF dialog.

Do you see the place i am heading? And trust me, it particularly Works! As stated before / now not simplest it confuses the other man or woman, however you additionally to change your point of view on these issues too. And it applies not best to aggressive assaults. Should you begin crying throughout a film and someone makes enjoyable of you, you turn in your curiosity and ask: Why is that a crisis? Can you show to me in a scientific way that its dangerous for a person to cry?.

Or should you dress in a method which brings others to claim you are not carrying manly garments, its the same factor! Why is it inappropriate for a man to decorate this fashion? Does it come what may harm others?. Now, one last recommendation I must say earlier than I permit you to apply this life hack to your own / is that you do have to be fairly sincere when utilizing this hack.

Or else it’ll not work internally through altering your own perspective / and will leave house to doubt your own questions. With out in reality it may additionally provoke others to recall that you are only being an ass / which isn’t what we relatively need. But as long as you allow your self to positively question / this questioning can truly be healthful not only to you but in addition to the opposite man or woman. There are many other life hacks for guys we could speak about, yet this one is fairly robust and simple whilst.

As found on Youtube

#Personal Coaching

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howtomake-husbandhappy · 7 years ago

Text

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howtomake-husbandhappy · 7 years ago

Text

Best Sex Ed For Amazing Results For All

Definition of Sex:

Sex:

The sexual health is a responsibility of human beings, having one or more relationships with multiple partners expose it to a myriad of risks of contracting the disease .

from How To Make Husband Happy http://ift.tt/2Dq7WT8 via IFTTT

#IFTTT #How To Make Husband Happy

0 notes