#because I refuse to believe that the writers planned anything beyond the single season

[angstics]

[jaskiersvalley]

Feral jaskier and himbo geralt are always lovely!!! “So many questions and not enough brain cells” was absolutely MAGNIFICENT

Nonnie, I am so happy you liked that line. It gave me a chuckle to write it too. Feral Jaskier and himbo Geralt are such a delight, I now feel the need to write a little more for you. Movie stars, stunt doubles and idiots ahoy!

Incidentally, this also seems to fit my @sugar-and-spice-witcher-bingo square ‘sharing a brain cell’.

Prompt: Sharing a brain cell Relationships (romantic/platonic/etc): Geralt/Jaskier, Lambert/Eskel/Cahir/Aiden Rating: T Content Warnings: None Summary: Geralt is the star of a TV series with Jaskier as his on screen arch nemesis. Thankfully that rivalry doesn’t carry into real life.  

The set was like a second home by that point. Geralt spent a good nine months of the year there, the crew feeling like family. It was their fifth season of filming, Geralt couldn’t quite get tired of the monster of the week format though. He loved it, loved how cheesy it was and the fact that it was a production that didn’t bait or bury their characters. The natural chemistry he’d had with Jaskier made it so much easier too. They had kissed on screen enough times that he was intimately familiar with the shape of Jaskier’s lips and the taste of the lip balm he wore. That had started three seasons ago and Geralt had been quietly wishing they could kiss away from the cameras too. So he had been planning, even seeking out the advice of those he trusted - namely Eskel and Lambert.

That had been a surprise friendship that Geralt had discovered. Eskel was brought in as he stunt double for more tricky shots. Usually, Geralt liked to do his own stunts but falling off a horse at a gallop was a little beyond him. As was surviving Jaskier’s rather flamboyant fighting style. Just for a laugh Geralt had sat in on a few of Jaskier’s training session and he was so very torn between laughing his arse off and feeling sorry for Cahir who was doing his best to help them train for their fight scenes. For all his patience and expertise, Jaskier seemed determined to add his own flair. The number of times Jaskier accidentally smacked Geralt, Eskel and Cahir during training and on takes was truly staggering. It could have been a blooper reel all on its own.

Thankfully it was a short day, something about a number of the crew requesting the evening off. As it was towards the end of filming, they were within the time budget, it had been declared that they could all have the evening off.

“Just make him a home cooked meal,” Eskel advised. “Guys love that, trust me.”

“It work for you?” Geralt was a little sullen and sceptic. He didn’t think a home cooked meal was what Jaskier would want. On screen they were enemies with a terrible habit of falling into bed. The reality probably wasn’t so far off either. Though, at least, they had become friends after a rocky start.

“Would I be celebrating my fifth anniversary this evening if it didn’t?” There was no small amount of entertainment in Eskel’s face. “It’s not like my looks are what draw anyone in.”

That had been an unfortunate accident from before Geralt’s time. Some pyrotechnic stunt had gone horribly wrong and left Eskel with the scars. If it hadn’t been for those and the different coloured hair, Geralt was sure they could have been mistaken for brothers, if not twins. Still, now Eskel only worked on sets where Lambert was the one in charge of anything fire related. Which was just as well because Geralt liked Lambert, enjoyed trading barbs with him whenever their paths crossed. As Geralt’s fame climbed, he got to ask for more and more things in contracts and, as he was fond of Eskel, he asked for him as a stunt double whenever he could and then asked for Lambert if the set called for it. It was nice to have so much power and be able to work with those he liked. Interestingly, Cahir was fast becoming another person who Geralt got on with quite well. That wasn’t to say Geralt wasn’t scared shitless of him at the start. Nobody should know so much about fighting with so many weapons without having a very colourful past - one that Cahir refused to talk about. Still, the guy was good at his job and Geralt could talk to him, so his advice was sought out too.

“Just tell him. Bring him something you know he will like. Show an interest in him and his life outside of set.”

For the first time ever, Geralt felt that Cahir was in a rush. He wasn’t quite as patient and measured as usual.

“Excited for the evening off?” he asked, trying to be friendly. And maybe he was practicing Cahir’s advice on him so he could be sure it worked when he talked to Jaskier.

A soft, shy smile crossed Cahir’s face, making him look younger and much less severe. “That obvious? It’s my anniversary today. I want to make it special.”

“Maybe bring them a gift that they’ll like?” Geralt offered with an amused smile. “I have it on good authority that it works.”

Laughing, Cahir clapped Geralt on the shoulder. “Best of luck. Now go get your man.”

Finding Jaskier wasn’t an issue, Geralt just had to follow the sound of laughter and singing. Unsurprisingly, Jaskier was sat with a gigantic sparkler while Lambert was packing away. Those two were a dangerous combination at the best of times and Geralt knew Jaskier had, on more than one occasion, dropped by the writers’ room to posit new ideas that centred around more pyrotechnics. The ideas had obviously come from Lambert but they were mostly good so got used surprisingly frequently.

“Aha! My companion for the evening has arrived!” Jaskier hopped off the box he had been swinging his legs off and approached Geralt. “What say you? Dinner. You and me. We enjoy this rare evening off with some good company and good food.”

“Sounds good,” Geralt agreed readily, it saved him having to ask Jaskier.

Turning back, Jaskier waved at Lambert. “Enjoy your anniversary this evening! Make sure you can walk properly tomorrow though!”

Another anniversary. While Geralt had been feeling quite confident about asking Jaskier out, the news that it was yet another person’s anniversary somewhat ruined the idea. Geralt knew Jaskier liked to be unique, adored being different to everyone else. To ask him out now and share an anniversary with three people they knew, it felt a little less special. Mood taking a bit of a dive, Geralt slouched next to Jaskier as they walked towards the cars.

“Why the glum face?” Typically, nothing went over Jaskier’s head. “Would you prefer a night of solitude?”

Shaking his head, Geralt resigned himself to the knowledge that Jaskier would wheedle until he got the truth out of him. So he saved them both a lot of time and agony. “It’s stupid.”

“Nothing’s ever stupid, just needs to be valued correctly.”

“I wanted to ask you something. But make it special. It’s not special though, not today. Maybe I’ll try tomorrow.”

That made not a lick of sense to Jaskier and he frowned, bumping his shoulder against Geralt’s. “Just ask.”

“But it won’t be special. Three other couples we know have an anniversary today.”

A soft laugh from Jaskier pulled him from his grumblings. “So many people have their anniversaries every day. It’s not like one single day can be declared as only one couple’s.”

For someone so smart, Jaskier sure wasn’t putting the pieces together to solve just what Geralt was trying to say.

“But would you really want an anniversary when Lambert, Eskel and Cahir each have theirs too?” It was actually a little odd, now that Geralt thought of it. Three good friends all sharing an anniversary.

There was a moment of silence before Jaskier was rounding on Geralt, hands on his shoulders to stop him mid-walk.

“Dear heart, please tell me I’m hearing this wrong. Firstly, if I was so lucky as to have an anniversary, I wouldn’t care who I shared it with. I would love to simply have one, especially if you’re offering to have one with me. Secondly, please tell me you know why those three all have their anniversary date today.”

Mind whirring, Geralt tried to process everything Jaskier had just said. He picked the easier bit to reply to first. “They were on a night out together and met their partners at the same time? Bit like how people date within the same friendship groups or even date siblings?”

Face falling, Jaskier cursed under his breath. “And I thought I wasn’t being obvious enough. Oh dear. Geralt, those three, it’s their anniversary together. As in they’re all dating each other. And Aiden is at home, waiting for them. He got the day off today too.”

Geralt’s jaw fell slack. He couldn’t quite believe it. “They-they’re together?!”

“And they’ve not been subtle at all about it!” Jaskier was laughing. “I love you but you are so dumb, I swear.”

That forced Geralt back into the moment and he smiled. “I love you too.”

He didn’t expect an enthusiastic kiss out in the open but he really didn’t mind it at all. With a huff of a laugh Geralt returned it, arms wrapping around Jaskier’s waist.

“Come on then,” Jaskier finally said as he broke away. I believe we have our zero-th anniversary to have and make a solid start on new traditions. I think we should order takeaway as a treat for our anniversaries from now on.”

Laughing, Geralt linked their hands. He liked the idea of anniversary traditions. Jaskier most definitely had the best ideas.

[evilfairytales]

Star vs. The Forces of Evil Cleaved my Heart (not in the good way)

Okay, so massive spoilers are up ahead, needless to say. And frankly, if you enjoyed the finale, or really Season 4 in general, you’re better off moving along. More power to you, but there’s not much for you here, I’m afraid.

Okay, so I dusted off my old tumblr page here because I just HAVE to get this off my chest. Star vs. The Forces of Evil has been one of my favorite shows of the last five years or so. I like having it on in the background while I write or do other stuff. And I’m still going to do that, up to Season 3. Because I refuse to let Season 4 take my love of the first three seasons away from me. That would be letting it win.

The only other thing I can think of offhand that makes me want to rant like this are the Star Wars prequels. That’s because I don’t like to hate things. If I’m going to spend my time watching or reading or listening to something, I’d like to enjoy it. So even if I don’t think something is great, or even really that good, I’d far and away prefer to focus on what I actually did like about it and try to gloss over the bad things. 

So I tried to like season 4, I really, really did. And you know what? For most of it, I was doing a pretty good job of liking it! There were some very funny bits in there, and some very sweet ones. ‘Curse of the Blood Moon’ in particular was a great episode. I liked Kelly & Marco being break-up buddies, that was adorable, even if we all knew it wasn’t gonna last. I think Pony Head can be hilarious under the right circumstances, and she was in fine form in both ‘The Pony Head Show’ and ‘Queen-Napped.’ 

Right from the beginning, I thought that Moon just being on Pie Island and wrapping that up so nice and neat seemed kind of anticlimactic, but I could deal. As time went on and it became clear Eclipsa really wasn’t planning anything more sinister than getting Globgor uncrystallized, I started thinking that maybe this last season was going to call back to earlier days. Not so much an intricate plot, but just fun adventures with the characters we love. The fact that they seemed to be setting up Mina as the big last antagonist seemed to support that. Ludo, too was one of those cases where I thought they could have done more with it, but he ended up happy, so that’s okay. Maybe he’d help out a little in the end! 

In light of all that, when Star went back to Echo Creek, I was 100% into it. I was feeling it. Again, Beach Day ended up feeling rather anticlimactic, but it was sweet, and I saw what they were going for. We have some fun back on Earth, Mina causes trouble, they go back to fix it...maybe Mina ends up on Earth somehow and we gotta beat her there, whatever. Star probably decides she wants to stay on Earth with Marco, at least for now, the end. I might end up feeling like I wanted more, but I would have been quite pleased with that. 

Then they just decided to set fire to the whole fucking thing in the last four episodes. Let’s start with Mina working for Moon. That was a legitimately shocking twist when it was revealed. And if they had done something GOOD with it, it could have been a great plot point. But seriously, Moon’s ENTIRE plan was to turn Mina and the Solarians loose and force Eclipsa & Globgor to abdicate & exile themselves. And her only contingency plan was a spell to turn the Solarian’s power off that she obviously hadn’t tested. That is a STUPID and DESPERATE plan that puts so very, very many innocents, both Mewmans and Monsters, in lethal danger. It is unlike Moon on just about every conceivable level. 

But you know what? The fact that they just threw Moon’s character into the woodchipper DOESN’T EVEN MATTER, because the situation is just ripped out of her hands almost instantly. Seriously. Imagine if Mina had gathered her army by herself and was acting alone, and Moon really was just there to help. What would be different about the way the plot unfolded? I guess Star wouldn’t be angry at Moon, but she never really DID anything about that anger, so...yeah. You just made Moon a villain for no reason whatsoever. Nice. 

Or was that anger supposed to be what pushed Star over the edge into deciding magic was bad? This. This development, pulled COMPLETELY out of nowhere, was really what made me hate the whole thing. Frankly, this whole bit makes me so mad I can hardly see straight. Magic is bad, and we need to destroy it? When up to that exact moment we’d been using magic, learning about magic, protecting magic, remaking magic, loving magic. 

Up until that exact moment there had never been a single instant where the characters, or us viewers, were asked to even consider the idea that the world would be better off without magic. And in one little fit of pique, Star just turned one of the show’s central concepts on it’s head. It’s like one of those impulsive bad ideas she has that someone needs to talk her down from...except this time everybody, even people who will cease to exist, just go right along with it! 

To be honest, I actually don’t like the ‘In the End, Magic is BAD’ trope in fiction in general, even if it’s set up well. It’s reminiscent of those stories where someone from our world ends up in some amazing magical realm, saves the day, and decides to return to Earth. It’s like the lesson is that our mundane reality is somehow better than an awesome fantasy world. (For the record, if I was the magical savior of some mystical realm where I’d be a hero forever, unless I’ve got the love of my life and/or non-adult children back here, I’m gone. Sorry, friends and family. I’ll try my best to send word so you know I’m not dead, but...)

This time, however, it was NOT setup well. This was GARBAGE. They just threw it in at the last second, and expected us to go right along with it., despite it being completely against the tone of the show up to that exact moment. This is just BAD WRITING. 

Was it supposed to be some kind of allegory for power in general? Because if so, it’s a REALLY shitty one. The people in charge are always going to have power, magic, military, political, whatever. Whoever’s gonna end up in charge of Mewni Creek is still going to have power, whether they’ve got magic or not. The idea should be to use that power responsibly, for the good of everyone. 

So, magic is gone. The Magic High Commission is dead. I mean, I guess they were fiendish villains, even though we had no time at all to process them in that role. So, I guess they deserved it? Even though Moon was at least as culpable as any of them, and we forgave her instantly. Well, again, that didn’t really matter at all. And Glossaryck’s gone. I mean, he doesn’t necessarily have to make sense, and he really stopped being a character in Season 2, so that’s legitimately okay. I mean, it seems like they might have been going for something with him creating the wand and giving it to the first user in the past...that seemed like a thing worth exploring. But then a lot of other things did, too. Like ‘Eclipsa’s’ most dangerous spell. That REALLY seemed like that was going to be a thing. But it was really just Solaria’s Total Annhiliation Spell, and it didn’t really go anywhere. Eclipsa used it, and it was bad, and she didn’t use it again. Guess we’re done with that!

Poor Doop-Doop though, huh? And Spider With a Top Hat, the Warnicorns, the Narwhals...bummer for all of them. I mean, they REALLY fail to make it clear whether ALL magic is gone, or just the Butterfly magic. Admittedly, killing all the magic in the universe seems like a gigantic decision to make for literally everyone...seems like that would wipe who knows how many sentient beings out of existence. And then Pony Head can still float...honestly, it’s obvious the writers didn’t really care one way or the other, so why should we?

But either way, the spells in the wand are all dead, and so is Doop-Doop. Was Doop-Doop a subtle hint that the show’s creators had stopped giving a shit, and so should we? I mean, being voiced by Justin Roiland, he kind of automatically has that ‘nothing matters’ tone from Rick and Morty. And showing up at the end like that, his only real purpose seems to be to remind us that he’s gonna die along with all the other spells. To say nothing of Hekapoo. It’s ASTONISHING how little we’re supposed to care about the effects of what they did beyond ‘Magic is Bad, Stop Mina.’ Mina got slurped down by a corrupt unicorn that also never really got any kind of satisfactory exploration, by the way. 

This was SO BAD. AWFUL. TERRIBLE. It’s so bad, I honestly can’t believe the creators actually thought it was good. I mean, I can see Nefcy & Company being really upset about not getting more than four seasons...that is justifiable anger, and Disney should DEFINITELY have given them at least a fifth season. Were they so upset that they just kind of wanted to torch the thing on the way out? Or did they just not care and they felt this was just the easiest, laziest way to shut it all down? Because I do NOT believe that they thought this was a good finale. I will NEVER believe that. 

By the time the worlds merged, or Echo Creek was absorbed into Mewni, or whatever the hell that all was, I was pretty much emotionally numb. So, yeah, that part’s fine, whatever it’s supposed to be. 

I’m glad Star and Marco ended up together. But that was only one part of why I liked the show, and they were always going to get together anyway. If Starco was literally the only reason I watched the show, I probably would have been okay with the ending. But it wasn’t, and the finale shredded pretty much everything else. So, to hell with it. 

As far as I’m concerned, Divide & Conquer were the last episodes. 

[theonceoverthinker]

OUAT 1X17 - Hat Trick

Is this episode a cut above the rest or is it just a one trick rabbit? Find out what I think below the cut.

Press Release While searching for a missing Mary Margaret, Emma is kidnapped by a man whose affinity for hats has him teetering on the edge of madness. Meanwhile, viewers will be transported outside of the fairytale land that was for the first time when the Evil Queen persuades a skillful man of magic to come work for her one last time and travel to Wonderland in order to help steal something from the Queen of Hearts. General Thoughts Past I love this flashback. I think the dynamic between Grace and Jefferson was really set up, and the conflict was tighter than the father-daughter bond. Additionally, Jefferson and Regina have quite the rapport, one that only becomes better as we see them interact in future episodes. Here, we get our first glimpse of Wonderland, or at least Wonderland 1.0. While yeah, it’s definitely so covered in CGI that a stage that was literally painted black served as a better and more believable set, it’s also distinct and has this mood that just screams Wonderland. I especially love the maze. In one shot, we see that part of it is slanted at an angle. That and the Queen of Hearts’ court. The madness of this land is perfectly on display here as everyone wears these creepy masks and the queen herself talks through one of her underlings through a device.

Present Oh, man! I love when OUaT handles horror, and it blends so well with the drama here! The events of the present are like watching a Saw movie where Jigsaw is confident enough to ditch the mask and he’s all the more horrifying for it. There’s a great bubbling tension in this episode that comes in two forms. First, will Emma and Mary Margaret escape and get back to the station in time? Second, will Jefferson push just the right buttons to make Emma believe? It might just be the cynic in me, but a lot of Jefferson’s lines post-reveal are just making me roll my eyes. I’m not sure if that’s just an aspect of the character or just a flaw, but even though I’m fully aware that Jefferson’s right about the curse, the way he tries (verbally) to convince Emma that the curse is real is just idiotic. With Henry, this works because he’s just a child. He doesn’t know how to talk around something like a magical curse. However, Jefferson is an adult, and a clever one at that! He knew just what steps it would take to get Emma in his clutches, but he can’t pick up on how crazy he must sound to her as he’s relating history to one’s imagination. I mean, Emma already thinks you’re crazy, Jeffie boy! You’re not helping. If he was just crazy, it would be one thing, but again, he’s able to be persuasive! It just makes the moment where Emma hits him and reveals that she believed fuck all of what he said both badass and cathartic.

So, I don’t know how much of a problem I consider this, but I feel the need to point out that the kidnapping story doesn’t do anything to further either Emma or Mary Margaret’s development regarding their present conflicts. It feels like the episode was paused when Emma was poisoned, played for a few seconds when Emma was freeing Mary Margaret before being paused again, and finally played after they were both freed. I wish that instead of speaking about random nonsense, Jefferson and his situation could’ve played a part in Mary Margaret’s decision to come back. As it stands, it feels like I’m watching two different episodes - two good episodes, mind you, but two episodes regardless. Both All of the props in the world here to Sebastian Stan. His acting is beyond versatile, going from charming and kind to desperate (On multiple levels of desperation, too, ranging from a subtle desperation when he tries to get Grace her toy to manic in the end of the flashback to a level that pumps like a heartbeat as Emma tries and fails to make a magic hat!) to sinister. Insights -Past!Jefferson’s robe has so much freakin’ CGI! Why does it have so much freakin’ CGI?! XD -Damn, hearing Jefferson talk about Grace’s mother hits so much harder with the comics in mind! -”You must have a huge family!” I wonder if a younger Emma ever pictured living in a big house with a big family. Maybe part of that carried over to her adult life and that’s why she kept looking for her parents. -I am getting so many Knight Rook feels from this flashback! Anyone want to write a ficlet about Killian and Jefferson sitting down over a cup of tea and talking about their girls? -Emma is just the freakin’ coolest person! She spends about one second panicking after being taken hostage before immediately coming up with an escape plan! I compared her to The Terminator in my review of the pilot, and I don’t think I was too far off. -That telescope is so fucking powerful! How close is this mansion to town? -Those neighbors are bizarrely so nonchalant about taking in Grace right on the spot, and I love it! -Jefferson is talking so much nonsense and Emma is just refusing to buy any of it. -Did the writers know that Cora would be Regina’s mother when they wrote this episode? Also, like mother, like daughter when it comes to those guards! -Last I checked, Henry Sr. wasn’t taken for leverage as much as he was taken as a form of punishment. Correct me if I’m wrong. -Okay, so Jefferson’s promise really touched a nerve with Regina, but I’m not fully sure I understand why. And speaking of nerves touched, Cora’s was certainly when Jefferson called Regina “The Queen.” -”Holding conflicting realities in your head.” If you remember, then what conflicting realities do you have? Jeffy, you have no alternate memories, and you’re about eight episodes early to touch upon it for everyone else! -”Crazy son of a bitch.” You’re damn right he is, Emma. -Present!Jefferson has a scar around his neck! What the hoo ha?! -Okay, so we all know that Jefferson comes back soon enough, so where the fuck did he go at the end of the episode? -”Absolutely.” How do these guys make such a cute Swan Believer moment with just a single word? Arcs Emma’s journey of belief - Okay, Emma’s journey of faith with Jefferson was total BS (At least until the end of the episode when she saw Grace and Jefferson in the book), and I loved the hell out of that fake out, but her journey really reaches a new high thanks to Mary Margaret. Here, we get to see a show of vulnerability from Emma that we haven’t seen since the pilot where she takes a huge step forward bringing down her walls as she not only gives Mary Margaret insight into her life, but also declares her family. Favorite Dynamic Jefferson and Grace. Every bit of Jefferson’s character owes itself to how well his relationship with Grace was portrayed. Thankfully, it was done superbly. We not only get the explicit scenes of them together, but we see how much Grace means to Jefferson just by how he talks about her and how much of Regina’s snark he’s willing to put up with. Their scenes together really sell their bond. Every bit of dialogue shows familiarity, kindness, and a desire to protect and be with the other. My favorite of the scenes is the tea party for all the reasons above! Writer We’ve got two writers today - one old and one new! Vladimir Kvetko and David Goodman are here. I don’t really have much to comment on, but I can’t help but feel like Goodman was responsible for the more heavy-handed bits of Jefferson’s dialogue in the present. Rating 9/10. This episode held up really well. It played our familiar characters in an unfamiliar setting and still let them retain the “lead” alongside their new focal character. Jefferson was a well-crafted character that had an equally compelling story. Additionally, though the moments of development were smaller than usual, what we got out of Emma and Mary Margaret’s story was incredibly effective. I’m keeping that point off for Jefferson’s speech in the present because it contributes to absolutely nothing and was apart from Sebastian’s acting was just uninteresting to watch.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Thanks for reading and to the fine folks at @watchingfairytales for putting this together!

Damn, even though this broke the chain of 10’s and Golden Apples, we still have a pretty good line of wins here. Check back next time to see if things stay as...stable ;)

Season Tally (148/220) Writer Tally for Season 1: A&E (41/70) Liz Tigelaar (17/20)* David Goodman (33/50) Jane Espenson (36/60) Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg (29/40) Daniel Thomsen (8/10)* Vladimir Kvetko (9/10* (* = Their work for the season is complete) Operation Rewatch Archives

[thegoing-gayhoax-blog]

Reflection (First Draft)

Kara Ireland

WRIT 3160

Reflection

 What's in my portfolio? In my portfolio are various modes of the depiction of how the myth of going gay functions in society. I've compiled a series of gifs, pictures, and scenes from various shows. These shows include MTV’s Faking It, ABC’s Glee, FOX’s Scream Queens, and Freeform’s The Bold Type. My argumentative piece follows these depictions. I used MTV’s Faking It pilot episode as my main source of scrutiny. I listed numerous discrepancies I had with the show. Mainly, I wanted to highlight how damaging the very first portrayal of lesbians on mainstream television since The L Word. It was revolutionary for me because I was struggling with my own sexuality at the age of fifteen. Seeing two women in a same sex relationship at any stretch was good exposure for me, it increased my sense of normalcy. It wasn't until I got older and got more experience and a wider world view that I began to see how awful the show’s premise was. My argumentative paper ventures into how I felt it missed the mark. I then have a comedy skit that will be supposedly performed at Atlanta’s Gay Pride. This original piece is modeled after the kind of comedy I'd seen at my own experience at Pride 2017. Most of the comedy was made at the expense of heterosexual people. In a safe environment full of people who have had similar experiences, it was okay to poke fun at the majority. The skit touches on inappropriate touching, unrequited crushes, and personal experience with girls supposedly going gay. It addresses some of the bothersome situations lesbians often run into in a lighthearted way.

 The gif set from The Bold Type contrasts the problematic tropes shown in both Faking It and Glee. It supports a stereotype, then dismantles it. In the first gif set, Kat is shown identifying with the lesbian experience, but saying that she didn't think she could get past “all this” referencing to the female anatomy. The lesbian character of the show, Adena, countered her statement with “it's not about all this. It's about this” in reference to her heart and emotion regarding a person.

 I believe this is relevant to my discussion because Kat admitted that the sexual nature of their budding relationship was offputting, as she did not identify as a lesbian. She was merely exploring her sexuality, and she'd done so by kissing Adena. They hadn't gone further, and she didn't think she could pursue a relationship because of the sexual barrier that existed between them. Adena validated it, but also said that it wasn't about the body. Being in a relationship transcended sex and the parts involved. It rested solely on the heart and the emotion surrounding the couple that determined it's sustenance. This was the point I was trying to convey, myself through my argumentative paper. Too many people believe that “going gay” is about sex, when it is only a mere part of the exploratory experience. To truly give oneself to a same sex relationship, it needs more substance than an attraction and willingness to explore. The Bold Type executed this well.

 ABC’s Glee enacted several stereotypical tropes about lesbians and gays throughout their series, but it was mostly for educational purposes to highlight and identify bigotry. Nevertheless, the openly lesbian character, Santana, was made out to be predatory in several instances. Quinn was one of her best friends, and they eventually had sex together. The scene where it happened was on prom night, when they were both single and feeling lonely. Alcohol was featured heavily in the episode. It implied that intoxication can make someone “go gay”. Quinn then emphasized the fact that she'd never slow danced with a girl before, and Santana smirked at her. This is the predatory lesbian fallacy being portrayed. The scene then cut from Santana leading her away by the hand from the party to a suggestive morning after scene. Additionally, with prior knowledge from the season, Quinn had gone through a rebellious bad girl phase, and this was amongst the last things she did. It was never explicitly said that this was part of her regime, but it can be interpreted that way.

 FOX’s Scream Queens was a satirical show that was made to offend people in the masses. There was no stroke to identify why the quotes were problematic, but it was understood by most that it was satire. There was one butch lesbian on the show, who was one of the first killed during a serial killing. She was dubbed Predatory Lez immediately, and we never learned her real name. In her brief duration, she developed a superficial relationship with Chanel #3 based on lewd jokes. Naming a character Predatory Lez does not help the view that lesbians really are predatory and infringe on boundaries. Viewers never got insight on the intricacies of their peculiar relationship, but at one point, Chanel #3 begs the killer not to kill her because she was “sort of gay now too”. Beyond the implication that a few kisses and explicit jokes made between one another changed someone's sexuality, it was also used as a discriminatory saving grace. She partially identified as a member of the LGBT community to be pardoned. She denied it later. This abrupt change makes it hard for people to come out. Though the show is based on satire, it does have parallels to real, ignorant people that think this way.

 Through this class, I have discovered that argument transcends pro and con. Essentially, everything is an argument. Commercials, designs, font choice, music, inflection, gesture, clothing, hairstyle – everything has the potential to be an argument. Anything can be designed to persuade. After analyzing various shows, I began to consider them differently. Words are not the only mode of argument because everything has the power to make a statement.

I have learned that the color scheme of a product or an advertisement serves to persuade someone, years prior. Since being in this class, I have learned that the mere existence of the product is an argument within itself. The product serves an argumentative purpose initially. It was difficult to wrap my mind around, but throughout the semester, my mindset has been malleable. It has increasingly made more sense. In reading Heinrichs, mostly, I was offered several new perspectives through relatable material. I would like to thank you, Dr. Harris, for assigning such a book – rather than a text that is purely academic. It was much easier to read and retain. By reading Heinrichs, it has become more apparent to me that argument lives in everything.

The philosophy of argument and writing is something I’m not entirely well-versed in. I understood it minimally when I came in, and I still have a tentative hold on it now. When I was a junior in high school I learned for the first time what ethos pathos and logos were. At Chamblee, Coach Smith taught it to us. It’s funny because we never even did anything with that information. I think we might’ve had one project or assignment that incorporated it, then I put it on the backburner. We learned the basics. When I came into WRIT 3160 three years later, I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t plan on delving into Aristotelian appeals because I didn’t know about them and truthfully, I didn’t care about that stuff. For every argument I’ve made in the past, every persuasive paper, it was solely the rights and wrongs and do’s and don’ts. It was all pros and cons. Never once did I think that my delivery itself was part of the argument, that my rhetoric was just as influential as my facts.

I didn’t care about the technicalities of argument. I didn’t care about the impact of pathos, logos, and ethos in real life situations. It was fascinating to discover that they’re all around us all the time. Reading Heinrichs was tedious for me at times because even though he made it relatable, I still couldn’t get engaged. This class was good nevertheless because it kept me writing when I didn’t want to and often times I resented the fact. As a writer and an author, I needed that push. This can now be used in my books, because my communication can be stronger.

The concept of rhetoric is still somewhat lost on me, just because it encompasses so much. I would not say that I’m an expert, nor that I could effectively explain it to someone new. It’s still confusing for me, but this class has offered a little clarity. Assigning a weekly riff and response forced me to read for comprehension. I would skim Heinrichs, then have to go back and read it over again because the meaning was lost on me. Because rhetoric is all new to me, it was hard to absorb and apply the information. However, creating a riff and understanding how an author initially wrote their piece turned out to be the key to comprehension for me. This was an incredibly original recurring assignment. You forced us to read for interpretation, and you can’t effectively interpret something that you don’t understand. The riff and response held me accountable for my reading. Without it, I very well may have skipped the readings altogether because being introduced to new topics I haven’t had any prior knowledge about intimidates me, and I just opt out of participating. The riff was easier to produce than the response, for me.  

Since discovering the intricacies of rhetoric, I have subconsciously been noticing and labeling certain moves as such. I’ve been decoding people’s decorum and spotting disingenuous advances. I’ve seen it a lot at work with my managers, the difference between their interactions with the customers at Target and their interactions in the break room. I can identify more deadly fallacies when I speak to people. The main ones my counterparts fall victim to are tautology, slippery slope, and the red herring. They love to change the subject. I’ve seen all of the Aristotelian appeals in play at work as a cashier, ranging from children using logos to get a toy, parents using ethos to justify their refusal to buy said toy, older adults using pathos to get a discount, people using Kairos to justify their splurging (“It’s on sale!”).  I’ve noticed code grooming a lot too, especially within mixed racial crowds. White people’s decorum shifts when in a predominantly black environment, they begin code grooming. Those are the few from Heinrichs that have stayed with me, those that I can readily identify. Without this class, those behaviors would not be blanketed by any academic terms. The child would be whining, the parent would be annoyed, the old people would be trying to mooch, and the splurgers would be irresponsible. My managers would’ve just been fake, just as the mixed crowds. I’m glad that I can pinpoint all of this as forms of rhetoric, even though they are not the conventional argument we automatically think of. Being in this class and reading these books give me a stronger sense of interpretation as I go through the world. It’s one of the more valuable things I’ll take from any class since I’ve been in college.