#but your opinions of which actors are important are trash sometimes

[qqueenofhades]

I frankly sometimes feel like social media has ultimately given a lot of people the illusion of power, while also causing them to become corrupted in a similar way to traditional forms of power, only without any actual power that goes with it. The similarities in their behavior to the latter is disturbing as hell, ESPECIALLY given the horrid behavior of online types the past few months.

I really can't emphasize enough how much of a constructed and artificial environment social media is, especially these days, and especially the Social Media Platform Formerly Known as Twitter, which is still the main avenue by which a lot of people attempt to "do" social justice. Once upon a time, Twitter was a moderately beneficial public communication service because everyone and God was on it and you could therefore get communiques directly from the source, there was a blue-check verification service that actually helped you understand who was real and who was not, and while there were serious and ongoing flaws such as there is when useful public discourse is sacrificed on the Great Altar of Profit, there was at least some attempt to monitor or ban Nazis, white supremacists, bad actors, and eventually Trump himself. All of that changed and/or was directly destroyed when Apartheid Clyde took over and turned it into a revenue-generating service for Russian propaganda, alt-right cranks, bots, and the rest of the Elon Fanclub willing to pay $8 for a meaningless blue checkmark, while trashing the site's guardrails and any other useful features. It basically exists for Elon to fanboy Putin, Trump, white supremacy, his 4chan trolls, and anything else that makes his money (while Mr. Free Speech Absolutist arbitrarily bans anyone who hurts his man-child fee-fees). This is not an unbiased, neutral, or constructive environment to start with. You don't have any certainty about who you're interacting with or who is amplifying your messages, and only a hardcore-radicalized (of whatever persuasion) base of human users remain, while a lot of casual users have left.

As such, if you're basing anything (hypothesis, claim, source, evidence, opinion) on "what everyone on Twitter thinks," that is fatally flawed data to start with. Even at the peak of its popularity, something like 24% of all American adults regularly used Twitter. That still means 76% of the country who doesn't (and the number is larger now as Chucklefuck McGee has continued driving it into the ground). If you're forming your ideas or looking for "what America thinks" just by quoting or relying on the tweets of people who already agree with you, you've done basically nothing and you certainly haven't proved it, you've stunted your own critical thinking skills, and you are selecting from a data source that is already fatally poisoned and limited in any number of ways. Adding to the echo chamber of similar opinions on Twitter is not going to actually influence public policy or make lasting change. Yes, the interns and/or public relations staff of the public figures still on there will probably check the feed every so often and make note of things that come up, but couching it as mindless vitriolic abuse and/or demonstrably nonsensical things is not going to get back to their boss. It will just be ignored and/or given less weight in the limited space available for things that are deemed important enough to actually follow up on/make policy around.

Also, a lot of people saw Trump tweeting insane things at 3am for four years, and somehow decided that was actually how US/American presidential and governmental policy was made, rather than that he was a fucking narcissistic-personality-disorder psychopathic lunatic. But uh, and it should go without saying, it didn't work. Just because Trump posted something absolutely unhinged and announced it was now policy, that doesn't mean it was. Half the time he didn't even do so much as issue an executive order, those can be and regularly are challenged in courts, and so forth, because despite all its flaws, America is not an absolute monarchy where the king can rule by fiat and have it totally done, no questions, the end. That's also why Trump's second term would be even more dangerous than his first. In his first, he was flailing around and yelling on Twitter and not really paying attention to anything. In his second, the administration will be staffed top to bottom with dedicated fascists like the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 people, who have spent the last four years brooding on revenge and drawing up detailed plans to actually co-opt and suborn all the levers, checks, balances, controls, and functions of government directly to Trump's personal will (and/or the outrageously evil people pulling strings behind the scenes, because Trump is now basically a gibbering orange vegetable and the media is still far too beholden to the Biden Old!!! narrative to accurately report this).

In short, another Trump term (God fucking forbid) would be run by the kind of methodical and careful evildoers who know that policy isn't made by tweet, and would act accordingly. That would be much, much harder to remove, counteract, or fix, it would almost certainly lead to the end of American democracy at least for most of our lifetimes, and the repercussions of that would be absolutely terrible. But because we still have people who act like Trump is somehow a preferable option, who think that it's bad that Biden is trying to work through established and long-term channels to make sustainable policy and not just get short-term chuckles from an internet dopamine approval rush, that is the risk we are running from now until November 2024. After that, either way, we'll know for sure: we'll finally have a measure of safety, or we will be comprehensively fucked for generations. We all have the power to influence which of those outcomes come to pass. I suggest we use it.

[thequibblah]

I have read and re-read your work so many times, it's unbelievable to me that I get to read such great writing for free! Thank you!

I'm trying to work up to writing something, in your opinion what is the best perspective to set a fic from? Do you have any big no's or tips? Thanks so much!

aww thank you for reading! i am glad you enjoy my writing <3 answers to the rest under the cut!

and hmm i'm not sure i understand the question about perspective. do you mean which character's pov should the fic be from? for me that always depends on the story. sometimes it's a bit more obvious, like which character is going to be moving the story along/the primary actor. for example in i bend like a willow, the story had to be from lily's pov because the story was mostly happening to lily. sometimes the story could be from anyone's pov, but whose thoughts or internal monologue will add the most to what i want to say? this was my thinking in unbelievers, where the story could easily have been multi pov or just from james's, but i wanted to focus on lily's tangled feelings about having shelved her career for a few years (like no surprises i wrote that in 2022 by the way). in come together i have a sense of who needs to be narrating most scenes for plot reasons, but there a couple where i'll be like [any marauder POV] or [any of the girls] in my outline, and i typically try to make sure whatever POV i pick is actually adding to the scene. remember that the cleanest, most efficient scene work is all about doing multiple things at once: can you further the action, establish character, deepen relationships, all at once? what pov is most fruitful to accomplish as many of those things at once with? especially when you're writing something with multiple or changing povs, it's so fun to play around with what parts of one character readers get to see directly, or see from another character's eyes.

in terms of no's: no self-deprecation. ever, not even as a joke. there's a difference between being honest with yourself and others when you want to improve your writing, and being like "here's my trash writing heehhoho" — i really do believe you can start to internalise the latter. be proud of what you've worked on, even once time passes and you improve, because that's evidence of the fact that you were brave enough to put yourself out there, and that you've come so far. don't get too preoccupied with promo or your numbers; that should always be a plus, not why you do it, especially when you're writing for free and it's not like kudos get you a royalty. don't write things other people are writing/things you feel like people want to read unless you're actually invested — why bother? fanfic is The place where your niche little story can turn out to be someone's favourite thing.

as for other tips: have fun! read widely, and reread often. when you read something you like, think about what it did that managed to capture you. how can you accomplish something similar in your work? when you're starting out, write often, even a few lines a day, just to keep that muscle warmed up. you can and should learn how you write best — in silence? with music on? in your room or in a public setting? during the day or at night? — but the most important thing is to just do it rather than trying to perfect the circumstances. hang on to every idea you have, because even if you don't end up using it right away, a banked premise can come back in a big, big way. and...have fun!!!

[thecottageinthedark]

#so saying moogle casually threw aside a large rock#had me in the first sentence but yes this is a big reason i don't really ID as a proshipper anymore#the other biggest one being that the proship movement/community has over time become self-selecting for its own callous; reactionary#anti-intellectual purity politics; which are detached from reality; and throw the entire party line behind NO ENGAGEMENT WITH FICTION CAN B#SHITTY EVER EXCEPT MISTAGGING SOMETIMES; SO YOU SHOULDN'T TELL PEOPLE TO KILL THEMSELVES OVER FICTION#instead of like. going. okay yes sometimes people can in fact be shitty about how they engage with fiction. to varying degrees.#you still shouldn't tell them to fucking kill themselves over it#and like. about how to build community norms + infrastructure that encourage grace and good faith; that's neither 'no bad actors can exist'#nor 'you wrote something kind of hurtful; and therefore if you grovel publicly you might get harassed less when we stalk you for years'#and also the idea that *criticism itself is not above criticism. the way in which you Have a Problem with Something can do harm.*#and that that can be the case with the best will in the world; and deserves grace as well even if the correction is not sugar-coated#and building community infrastructure that says okay how are you going to keep people safe if they *do* face harmful criticism that the#discourse du jour leans in favor of harming. how do you plan to protect marginalized ppl from being concern-trolled by racists and fatphobe#and transphobes and biphobes and people who try to kill survivors for writing abt their experiences. what are your safety measures for them#and more! and instead any kind of conversation about that gets shut down in favor of lovebombing antis' victims so that they're terrified t#so much as say 'i think [media] handled this abuse trope in a shitty way' or else face mass dogpiling and harassment and ostracization for#'anti rhetoric'; because then they will be excommunicated from the only community they have that doesn't want them fucking exterminated

#proshippers may not generally suicide bait you; but their communities are rampant with violence and abuse; bc someone dares have an opinion#about their blorbos they don't like. so yeah that's a big fucking reason. but also antis are the gamergate of transformative fandom and a#thousand times worse and more urgent to deal with; for many reasons including that they are a major arm of conservative ideals + legislatio#people like to say they're just a trickledown but they are ACTIVELY HUGELY ENABLING that legislation and making sure the way is paved for i#antis are why we're at the point where we've got fucking KOSA looming overhead bc if the internet had been up in arms en masse years ago#instead of not just shrugging at the net being tightened but actively cheering it on/enforcing it; i *know* shit would not have got this fa#just. yeah. i think 'antis' is important not to let fall out of circulation bc it is vital not to forget where this angle of attack started#but 'proship' does not encompass what's at stake here or the scale of it; it keeps the focus way too small. the iranian yogurt needs to be#thrown out because it's a problem that it's rotting and becoming a health hazard; keep trashing it; but it's not The Problem#antis cw#the salt files#harassment cw#current events cw

not proshipper not anti but a secret third thing (person who has a career in the media and, through covering legislative politics, has watched "associating with problematic fiction or entertainment is an indicator of moral degeneracy" rapidly become a mainstream GOP position that they are encoding in legislation to target the queer community under the guise of protecting children, thus coming to the conclusion that positioning the "can people enjoy things that would be immoral IRL in their fiction" debate as a proship v anti fandom debate is akin to pretending that "should we have the death penalty" is a discussion that only matters in Death Note discourse — the extent and manner to which fiction affects reality is an issue that is immediately relevant to today's US politics, and to summarize my opinions on the matter in fandom terms would be to diminish the ways this debate is affecting america Right The Fuck Now. and i have stopped taking "this person is bad for shipping the wrong anime thing and being horny about it" in any sort of good faith ever since I saw it literally used as part of a GOP smear campaign against a transgender state legislature in an attempt to defend the right from backlash after they used their supermajority in the Montana house to prevent her from speaking on the floor. Anyway I think everyone on this site, especially Americans, could benefit from ceasing to think in proship v anti vocabulary and instead developing coherent political positions on the nature of fiction that do not directly align with current fascist political tactics)

[thepoeticsofremembering]

sure, sure camila cabello is kinda cool......but fra fee is in the movie???????? and i had to find that out??????? this morning???????? instead of as soon as it was announced, when i rightfully deserved to????????

also very important: idina menzel, my QUEEN

[greatfay]

controversial opinions?

Cold pizza actually not good. Tastes like angry bacteria.

There’s a completely separate class of gay men who are in a different, rainbow-tinted plane of reality from the rest of us and I don’t like them. They push for “acceptance” via commercialization of the Pride movement, assimilation through over-exposure, and focus on sexualizing the movement to be “provocative” and writing annoying articles that reek of class privilege instead of something actually important like lgbtqa youth homelessness, job discrimination, and mental health awareness.

Coleslaw is good. You guys just suck in the kitchen.

Generational divides ARE real: a 16-year-old and a 60-year-old right now in 2021 could agree on every hot button sociopolitical topic and yet not even realize it because they communicate in entirely different ways.

Sam Wilson is a power bottom. No I will not elaborate.

Allison’s makeover in The Breakfast Club good, not bad. She kept literally and metaphorically dumping her trash out onto the table and it’s clearly a cry for help. Having the attention and affection of a smart, pretty girl doing her makeup for her was sweet and helped her open up to new experiences. Not every loner wants to BE a loner (see: Bender, who is fine being a lone wolf).

Movie/show recommendations that start with a detailed “representation�� list read like status-effecting gear in an RPG and it’s actually a turn-off for me. I have to force myself to give something a try in spite of it.

Yelling at people to just “learn a new language” because clearly everyone who isn’t you and your immediate vicinity of friends must be a lazy ignorant white American is so fucking stupid, like I get it, you’re mad someone doesn’t immediately know how to pronounce your name or what something means. But I know 2 languages and am struggling with a 3rd when I can between 2 jobs and quite frankly, I don’t have the time to just absorb the entire kanji system into my brain to learn Japanese by tomorrow night, or suddenly learn Arabic or Welsh. There are 6500 recorded languages in the world, what’s the chance that one of 3 I’ve learn(ed?) is the one you’re yelling at me about. Yes this is referring to that post yelling at people for not knowing how to pronounce obscure Irish names and words. Sometimes just explaining something instead of admonishing people for not knowing something inherently in the belief that everyone must be lazy entitled privileged people is uh... better?

Stop fucking yelling at people. I despise feeling like someone is yelling at me or scolding me, it triggers my Violence Mode, you don’t run me, you are not God, fuck off. Worst fucking way to "educate” people, it just feels good in the moment to say or write and doesn’t help. Yes I’ve done it before.

Violence is good actually.

Characters doing bad things ≠ an endorsement of bad things. Characters doing bad things that are unquestioned by the entire rest of the cast = endorsement of bad things, or at the least, a power fantasy by the creator. See: Glee, in which Sue’s awfulness is constantly called out, while Mr. Shue’s awfulness rarely is because he’s “the hero.” See also: the Lightbringer series, in which the protagonist is a violent manipulator who is praised as clever, charming, diplomatic, and genius by every supporting character (enemies included), despite the text never demonstrating such.

Euphoria is good, actually. It falls into this niche of the past decade of “dark gritty teen shows” but actually has substance behind it, but the general vibe I get from passive-aggressive tumblr posts from casual viewers is that this show is The Devil, and the criticism of its racier content screams pearl-clutching “what about the children??” to me.

Describing all diagnosed psychopaths as violent criminals is a damaging slippery slope, sure. But I won’t be mad at anyone for inherently distrusting another human who does not have the ability to feel guilt and remorse, empathy, is a pathological liar, or proves to be cunning and manipulative.

It’s actually not easy to unconditionally support and love everyone everywhere when you’ve actually experienced the World. Your perspective and values will be challenged as you encounter difficult people, experience hardship, are torn between conflicting ideas and commitments, and fail. My vow to never ever call the cops on another black person was challenged when an employee’s boyfriend marched into the kitchen OF AN ESTABLISHMENT to scream at her, in a BUSINESS I MANAGED, and threaten to BEAT the SHIT out of her. Turns out I can hate cops and hate that motherfucker equally, I am more than capable of both.

Defending makeup culture bad, actually. Enjoy it, experiment, master it, but don’t paint it as something other than upholding exactly what they want from you. Even using makeup to “defy the heteropatriarchal oppressors!” is still putting cash in their pockets, no matter how camp...

Not every villain needs to be redeemed, some of you just never outgrew projecting yourself onto monsters and killers.

Writing teams and networks queerbaiting is not the same as individuals queerbaiting. Nick Jonas performing exclusively at gay clubs to generate an audience really isn’t criminal; if they paid to go see him, that’s on them, he didn’t promise anyone anything other than music and a show. Do not paint this as similar to wealthy, bigoted executives and writing teams trying to snatch up the LGBTQA demographic with vague ass marketing and manipulative screenplays, only to cop out so as not to alienate their conservative audiences. And ESPECIALLY when the artists/actors/creators accused of queerbaiting or lezploitation then come out as queer in some form later on.

Queer is not a bad word, and I’ve no clue how that remains one of few words hurled at LGBTQA people that can’t be reclaimed. It’s so archaic and underused at this point that I don’t get the reaction to it compared to others.

People who defend grown-woman Lorelai Gilmore’s childish actions and in the same breath heavily criticize teenage religious abuse victim Lane Kim’s actions are not to be trusted. Also Lane deserved better.

Keep your realism out of my media, or at least make it tonally consistent. Tired of shows and movies and books where some gritty, dark shit comes out of nowhere when the narrative was relatively Romantic beforehand.

Actually people should be writing characters different from themselves, this new wave in the past year of “If you aren’t [X] you shouldn’t be writing [X]” is a complete leap backward from the 2010s media diversity movement. And if [X] has to do with an invisible minority status (not immediately visible disabilities, or diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, persecuted religious affiliations, mental illness) it’s actually quite fucked up to assume the creator can’t be whatever [X] is or to demand receipts or details of someone’s personal life to then grant them “permission” to create something. I know, we’re upset an actual gay actor wasn’t casted to play this gay character, so let’s give them shit about it: and not lose a wink of sleep when 2 years later, this very actor comes out and gives a detailed account of the pressure to stay closeted if they wanted success in Hollywood.

Projecting an actor’s personal romantic life and gender identity onto the characters they play is actually many levels of fucked up, and not cute or funny. See: reinterpreting every character Elliot Page has played through a sapphic lens, and insulting his ability to play straight characters while straight actors play actual caricatures of us (See also: Jared Leto. Fuck him).

I’m fucking sick of DaBaby, he sucks. “I shot somebody, she suck my peepee” that’s 90% of whatever he raps about.

“Political Correctness” is not new. It was, at one point, unacceptable to walk into a fine establishment and inform the proprietor that you love a nice firm pair of tits in your face. 60 years ago, such a statement would get you throw out and possibly arrested under suspicion of public intoxication. But then something happened and I blame Woodstock and Nixon. And now I have to explain to a man 40 years my senior that no, you can’t casually mention to the staff here, many of whom are children, how you haven’t had a good fuck in a while. And then rant about the “Chinese who gave us the virus.” Can’t be that upset with them if you then refused to wear your mask for 20 minutes.

Triggering content should not have a blanket ban; trigger warnings are enough, and those who campaign otherwise need to understand the difference between helping people and taking away their agency. 13 Reasons Why inspired this one. Absolutely shitty show, sure, but it’s a choice to watch it knowing exactly what it contains.

Sasuke’s not a fucking INTJ, he’s an ISFP whose every decision is based off in-the-moment feelings and proves incapable of detailed and logical planning to accomplish his larger goals.

MCU critique manages to be both spot-on and pointless. Amazing stories have been told with these characters over the course of decades; but most of it is toilet paper. Expecting a Marvel movie to be a deeply detailed examination of American nationalism and imperialism painted with a colorful gauze of avant-garde film technique is like expecting filet mignon from McDonalds. Scarf down your quarter pounder or gtfo.

Disparagingly comparing the popularity and (marginal) success of BLM to another movement is anti-black. It is not only possible but also easy to ask for people’s support without throwing in “you all supported BLM for black people but won’t show support for [insert group]” how about you keep our name out your mouth? Black people owe the rest of the world nothing tbh until yall root out the anti-blackness in your own communities.

It is the personal demon/tragic flaw of every cis gay/bi/pan man to externalize and exorcize Shame: I’m talking about the innate compulsion to Shame, especially in the name of Pride and Progress. Shame for socioeconomic “success,” shame for status of outness, shame for fitness and health, shame for looks, shame for style and dress, shame for how one fits into the gender binary, shame for sexual positions and intimacy preferences, shame for fucking music tastes. Put down the weapon that They used to beat you. Becoming the Beater is not growth, it’s the worst-case scenario.

Works by minorities do not have to be focused on their marginalized identities. Some ladies want to ride dragons AND other ladies. The pressure on minorities to create the Next Great Minority Character Study that will inevitably get snuffed at the Oscars/Peabody Awards is some bullshit when straight white dudes walk around shitting out mediocre screenplays and books.

Canadians can stfu about how the US is handling COVID-19 actually. Love most of yall, but the number of Canadian snowbirds on vacation (VACATION??? VA.CAT.ION.) in the supposed “hotbed” of my region that I’ve had to inform our mask policies and social distancing to is ASTOUNDING. Incroyable! I guess your country has a sizable population of entitled, privileged, inconsiderate, wealthy, and ignorant people making things difficult for everyone, just like mine :)

No trick to eliminate glasses fog while wearing my mask has worked, not a single one, it actually has affected my job and work speed and is incredibly frustrating, and I have to deal with it and pretend it’s not a problem while still encouraging others to follow the rules for everyone’s safety and the cognitive dissonance is driving me insane.

It’s really really really not anti-Japanese... to be uncomfortable with the rampant pedophilia in manga and anime, and voice this. I really can’t compare western animation’s sneakier bullshit with pantyshots of a 12-year-old girl.

Most of the people in the cottagecore aesthetic/tag have zero interest in all the hard work that comes with maintaining an isolated property in the countryside, milking cows and tending crops before sunrise, etc. And that’s okay? They just like flowers and pretty pottery and homemade pastries. Idk where discourse about this came from.

You think mint chip ice-cream tastes like toothpaste because you’re missing a receptor that can distinguish the flavors, and that sucks for you. It’s a sort of “taste-blindness” that can make gum spicy to some while others can eat a ghost pepper without crying.

Being a spectacle for the oppressive class doesn’t make them respect us, it makes them unafraid of us. This means they continue to devour us, but without fear of our retaliation.

Only like 4 people on tumblr dot com are actually prepared for the full ramifications of an actual revolution. The rest of you just really imprinted onto Katniss, or grew up in the suburbs.

Straight crushes are normal. They’re people first, sexual orientation second. Can’t always know.

The road to body positivity is not easy, especially if what you desire is what you aren’t.

You’re actually personally responsible for not voluntarily bringing yourself into an environment that you know is not fit for you unless you have the resolve to manage it. Can’t break a glass ceiling without getting a few cuts. This one’s a shoutout to my homophobic temp coworkers who decided working a venue with a drag show would be a good idea. This is also is a shoutout to people who want to make waves but are surprised when the boat tips. And also a shoutout to people who���wait that’s it’s own controversial opinion hold up.

Straight people can and should stay the fuck out of gay bars and queer spaces. “yoUrE bEInG diVisiVe” go fuck yourself.

[glassprism]

1/2: I browse general musical forums sometimes I'm seeing more and more theatregoers viewing the Phantom as a predator, murderer, sociopath; Christine "a wet blanket"and Raoul the same. I know these are surface characterizations (though not untrue for Erik) but not everyone will care to read into the libretto or study Leroux to understand there is much more to it than these labels, as we phans do.

2/2: With each new generation becoming less tolerant of older cultural works using tropes or social/gender norms that don’t match up with modern definitions, and the increasingly haphazard ways cultural providers have removed/modified works for the sake of being relevant to the wider conversation, do you think POTO will fall victim to this cancel culture sooner than expected? With this “love story” getting less and less “timeless” and “classic” to the contemporary eye. 

Hmm, I think there’s a lot to unpack here.

The first thing to say is that the “vibe” on different social media is very different. The kinds of fans and the kinds of ways they talk about Phantom was one way on forums, which is very different from the way it’s talked about here on Tumblr, which is also different from how it is on Instagram, or Facebook.

I bring that up because, in comparison, I see a very different interpretation on Tumblr. After the recent stream of the 25th anniversary production, I did not see too many going on about the Phantom as a sociopath or Christine as a “wet blanket”. The opposite seems to have happened with Christine - many are actually seeing her in a far more positive light or regard her as the true hero of the story. Similarly, while many do not downplay the Phantom’s actions, they also won’t deny that it’s part of the complexity of his character, or ignore that all-important act of redemption at the end. Or if they do, then they at least love him in a “he’s problematic trash, but he’s my problematic trash” sort of way. Many are fully willing to admit the toxicity of the relationship, but they also acknowledge that 1) the book and show generally does not shy away from showing the negative consequences of it and 2) that there’s still something compelling and wonderful in it, and that’s okay. And these were also fairly casual fans who just put their opinions in the tag because the musical happened to be conveniently available to watch.

Now yes, this is only one forum of discussion, and only one recent incident, but I do think this is reflective of how the changes in the cultural conversation have shifted analysis of the musical in a positive way, in a way that, if anything, benefits the show and book because it sifts apart some aspects that have long been overlooked. And this is without the show changing anything at all (except maybe how the actors play the role - I do think more modern Christines play the role a little stronger than the original actresses, but on the other hand, I don’t think one interpretation is necessarily better than the other; it’s just another shift in how people are viewing the story).

And... I think that actually answers your question? Which is that I don’t think Phantom will really fall victim to “cancel culture” (which IMO is more of a fad than anything - many are already turning against it, canceling cancel culture if you will). Certainly new adaptations might modify it, though I don’t mind that; adaptations always reflect whatever is being talked about in that time and that context. But Phantom as a book won’t change, and I can’t really see the show being changed much either. That might partially be because it’s such a long-running behemoth that most would not bother or would just explain it as, “Oh, it’s a musical that’s 30/40/150 years old, it’s a classic and times were different”, which is not a great response.

But at the same time, I think it’s also because people are finding new and valuable insights into the show because norms and gender roles and expectations are changing, and have concluded that this new viewpoint doesn’t make the musical or book worse in their eyes, it makes it better. I mean, I’ve seen feminist analyses that places the story in a positive light, meta about the relationships as something of a female power fantasy, endless discussions about the role of society in creating its own monsters and the power of human compassion to elevate a person... all because of how conversation has shifted.

Again, this is all just my experience from my little corner of the Internet, and I certainly cannot predict how the conversation will change next. Maybe Phantom will be “canceled”, I don’t know. But from someone who’s watched and occasionally participated in a lot of the new talk about Phantom, I have not seen people getting disheartened and realize their “fave is problematic”; they’ve just found new angles to talk about it.

[demonkidpliz]

Things I learned while re-watching Star Plus Mahabharata (Part 15/many):

1) Are you kidding me? They co-opted the Sudarshan Chakra nicking Krishna scene into some kite flying scene? Hey Ram. Sometimes I am fed up of StarBharat’s creative liberties.

2) Also, not to panic on main, but Dwarka is literally under attack. Could you please stop flying kites and head home to protect your country? Is that too much to ask?

3) Vidur’s suspicious glare as Dhritarashtra calls him ‘priya Anuj’.

4) So is StarBharat finally making my dreams of evil!Dhritarasthra who was in on it the whole time, true?

5) Oh this chausar scene is A+ 10/10.

6) Haha, Subhadra playing the role of the spoiled princess. All Arjun/Subhadra interactions are on point. Also their background score, although not as nice as the one Arjun/Draupadi have, is amazing.

7) Where did Arjun get this 3D model of a Chakravyuh?

8) You really telling me that Subhadra, Yadav Rajkumari and wife of Arjun, doesn’t know about this goddamn Chakrvyuh?

9) Oh my god Vidur is literally telling them not to go.

10) But Yudishthira who is on a path of self destruction is still going to make his brothers and his wife go! 11) Nakul and his bali analogy. God, I love Nakul.

12) When Sahadev literally has purvabhash why the fuck do they never listen to him?

13) Arjun is very stupid if he thinks the Kuru elders will come to his rescue?

14) I will never not love Duryodhan I feel, expect during cheerharan.

15) Bhishma is a feminist, albeit a controversial one.

16) Not sure if banning women from the chausar hall is a step in the right direction of Later Vedic Age feminism.

17) Shakuni is very smart. He is getting Bhishma to make the conditions.

18) This dasi fallacy is amazing. If Draupadi can’t come in as a queen she can come in when she becomes a dasi.

19) Kunti is on point, like Krishna would never allow this. First of all, I am not so sure. Because after Shakuni, Krishna has the most incentive to see all this fall apart. And secondly, I’m sorry Kunti but you should not be depending on Krishna to be your sons’ moral compass. You should have raised them better.

20) This Shakuni is priming Yudhishthira like the latter is a sacrificial goat and he’s just falling for these slick words?

21) Yudhisthira, don’t do it.

22) Oh my god.

23) Nakul ko dau pe laga diya.

24) I think losing Nakul was the watershed moment. Because everything else that happened after that was a slippery slope of destruction. If Yudhishthira had never crossed that line with Nakul, none of the other heinous things that took place that day would have happened.

25) Arjun shaking his head at Nakul as he goes to sit among the servants. My heart.

26) Dhritarashtra has the audacity to laugh.

27) Dronacharya my man, standing up. This guy, I swear on the gods. Also this man is a tremendous actor.

28) Is Drona actually going to leave?

29) Haha, he is asking Ashwatthama to leave but he won’t! Because he’s Duryodhana’s sidekick.

30) Now Drona has no choice but to stay back. Coz the one and only thing he has ever loved other than Arjun is now at stake.

31) The cinematography here is astounding.

32) If Dhritarashtra was complicit in all this to the point he wanted all this to happen and did all that he could to facilitate this, then why was he surprised or even shocked when the Mahabharata happened and the Pandavas killed all his sons?

33) Gandhari has no chill. She is here to play the long game like her brother Shakuni.

34) Draupadi tells Yudhishthira to go back on his word to play chausar and she is absolutely 10/10 on point. He has nothing to lose. He has his brothers. Even if the outcome is war or death, it would be worth it to break up this game.

35) Part of me thinks the rest of the Pandavas should have taken up Duryodhana’s advice and sacrificed Yudhishthira and just left him in Hastinapura with the bloodthirsty Kauravas while they went back to Indraprastha with their wife and chilled.

36) My god I love Sahadev’s outfit.

37) Karna with the zinger about Arjun and Subhadra’s rakshas vivaah.

38) Arjun giving it back as good as he gets that Karna has sold his soul to Duryodhan. Why did they bother taking up arms? Karna and Arjun could have just gone to war in trash talk bake off.

39) How can you just...give the Gandiv away? It’s a celestial weapon. Gandiv goes to who is worthy. Which Karna is not!

40) This background score as Arjun leaves the podium. I have chills running down my spine.

41) How dare Yudhishthira reduce my golden boi, my main man, my one true love to this?

42) Bhim preemptively breaks his mace like he knows they are going to lose this round also.

43) Yudhishthira is just...getting up...does he plan on leaving his brothers...with Duryodhan?

44) Why is anyone...least of all Yudhishthira...falling for Shakuni’s drama?

45) Are you fucking kidding me right now Yudhishthira

46) After having five brave husbands I have to turn to my brother for protection? Oh my sweet Draupadi. Not even Dhrishtadyumna can save you now.

47) Arjun and Bhim rising up to Panchali’s defence is my jam.

48) Bhishma is pissed and I love it.

49) Cut scene to Krishna in Dwarka with a nuclear fallout happening in the background.

50) “Mat kheliye”. Are you kidding me right now Krishna? As if you don’t want this, need this desperately to happen?

51) Also Krishna is clearly not fighting. He is just chilling in this battle. On a chariot. With no charioteer. This was an important battle as far as I can remember.

52) Drona chiding Ashwatthama. Oh my god. This scene. The Drona actor is my absolute favourite.

53) Karna is now going to overstep his bounds.

54) Now it’s Arjun’s turn to curse.

55) These shraaps are flying thick in the air today.

56) Draupadi unsheathing Dushasan’s sword and threatening him with it is my jam.

57) Trying to go to Gandhari’s room was the right call but we wouldn’t even be here if she hadn’t dismissed Gandhari in the first place.

58) Why are there so many flower petals strewn all around the palace floor? Who decorates them? Who cleans them up? How futile!

59) God these episodes are hard to watch.

60) Wow. Dhritarashtra. Wow.

61) This cinematography of Panchali overthrowing the board and walking away is on point.

62) In my opinion the Pandavas should have just killed Dhritarashtra first.

63) Also, here is something I don’t get. No dharma is more important that your wife’s honour. Even if the punishment was death, the Pandavas should have accepted it happily and protected Draupadi.

64) I fucking knew it. Dhritarashtra plays the Ram dhobi card. Look what you’ve done, Ram. You fucked up the Dwapar yug people for good.

65) Even Dhritarashtra has the good sense to look shocked at this vastraharan suggestion.

66) Sometimes I think that when Draupadi knew that cheerharan was going to happen and she knew she had to call upon Krishna, she just transcended human emotions and reached a divine zen and calm that no human could spoil.

67) Draupadi’s disappointed look of disgust as Bhishma gives up.

68) Even Shakuni is backing down from the vastraharan agenda but Duryodhan cannot be tamed.

69) Vikarna talking sense. Bhim is going to remember this while killing him.

70) Now it’s Karna’s moment to shine.

71) Everything was fine. But there was no reason. None at all. To call Draupadi a whore.

72) I can just see Draupadi nodding because now she knows.

73) Oh man all the crowns, jewels and clothes flying off the men and landing at Draupadi’s feet.

74) Krishna keeping his word and returning every single thread Draupadi has lent him. Never forget ladies. When the going gets tough. Your guy friends will be there for you.

75) That scene. When Draupadi emerges from the cheerharan. Do not touch me Rajmata Kunti, main malin ho jaungi. What a line. Blessed by Narayan himself.

76) Draupadi’s ultimate curse. She will not tie her hair and not wear a choodamani.

77) That scene of Draupadi crying and Kunti consoling her. I am in actual physical tears.

78) Kunti is going to be like the Yadavs are going to destroy y’all. She’s not wrong.

[airtosted]

Just out of curiosity because your art is one of the most popular in the bitty tag-- what is the appeal of an "Edgy"? I only ever see them being mean and hurting people, it seems like they're sort of abusive. You seem to like them so I thought I'd ask.

First of all, thank you for asking nicely. Honestly, I got this question before and the persons asking weren’t very nice during the conversation, so it’s refreshing to see there’s still some civil and mature people out there. So yeah, thank you~

Secondly, I like Edgy because I find his character very intriguing and complex. I’ve seen around people posting their opinions or commenting on other people’s posts saying how they strongly dislike the Edgy bitty before, going as far as saying that they should be killed or burned because they’re nothing but abusive trash that only bites. Looking at it from those people’s perspective it does seem like the Edgy bitty is abusive and mean and uncapable of learning to behave good or having some manners and nothing more than just some wild animal or something.

But the thing is, that’s not how I see them. I see a creature, a small few inches skeletal creature, that has his own thoughts and feelings and wants to be loved and accepted, kind of like humans in a way. Lot of people see Bitties(and I don’t mean just Edgy, but all the other types as well) as a less intelligent creature or a “pet” cause of their size and their need to depend on humans for survival. They see a pet who they want to order around or control. Or as something they can use to earn money thru entertainment. But I see there’s more depth to them than that. Looking at all the things the bitties are capable of you can see that they’re capable of understanding and sympathizing with humans. I see them as creatures who are smarter(I’d go as far to say even ‘more human’) than any animal/pet. When I see Bitties I honestly think of a very little person who I could befriend if they were real and not just fictional characters. It’s just some would be easier to get closer to/along with than others.

To make it easier to understand what I’m trying to say I’ll compare them to a cat; some cats are more friendly in nature and don’t mind you getting close to it and touching/petting it, no matter if you own i or not, while others are more prone to bite you or scratch you if you try to approach them or pet them, but not to be mean, but because they feel scared, trapped or don’t trust people anymore due to past bad experiences.The first kind of cat reminds me of baby Blues. The last makes me think of Edgys which I’ll talk more below since your ask was about them not bitties in general.

Now that I covered my basic opinion of bitties, let’s talk about Edgys. You say edgy is mean and you know what there’s some truth there, he can be mean sometimes. But when he does that stop and think why he’s saying that. Usually people’s first thought is that he’s not trained good and needs to have that kind of talk/behavior punished(or worse, beaten) out of him. He’ll say you’re stupid or that he’ll kill you, but IMO he’s not saying that just for the lolz or because he’s stupid and doesn’t know such behavior isn’t socially acceptable, no, he's saying it because he’s scared. He’s trying to act tough to push people away in fear of being hurt or killed. So he insults and threatens you because he knows people don’t like that and there’s a big chance you’ll give up on your attempts and walk away. Sure he could teleport away, but bitties can’t use a lot of magic because it tires them out. The more magic they use and more often tires them out faster. And if they don’t have anything to eat to fill up those reserves back they’ll be weak. And a weak bitty could potentially be a dead bitty, as how Edgy would probably see it having his soul originate from his larger counterpart that lived in a kill or be killed kind of world. So teleporting away is out of the question or it wouldn’t help him much, and he can’t fight back(I like/support the headcanon(last paragraph of the backstory)) made by Poetax where she said that the bitties have some restrains regarding their magic), so what can he do? He curses up a storm and yells at you to back off, hoping his plan A works.

But let’s say the human isn’t listening and still tries to touch him or capture him. Proceeding like so he might go for plan B and now you’re entering the biting zone. Is biting someone considered nice behavior or fun? No. If you don’t listen to Edgy’s warning then there is a 100% chance he’s going to try to bite you. His bites the way I see it are a reaction to being small and being treated as someone small. He is anxious about being small and being controlled by those larger than him. Let’s be honest nobody would like that. Having someone huge like a giant compared to small you, with the possibility they might treat you like a marionette and/or hurt you just cause you are small and can’t fight back.... yeah, I don’t know about you but that’d make me very anxious and scared. So I see Edgy usually biting for two main reasons;

1) As a way to gain control of the situation he’s in. If people aren’t respecting his physical boundaries(which he let you know previously) then he’s going to bite you.

2) He bites as a source of his only power and influence. Because again he be a smol bean and yelling sometimes doesn’t work. But listen, I believe if Edgy feels comfortable and that he is in a place where he is respected/safe and doesn’t need to keep his guard up all the time around the person, he will respect the other person in return. Living with Edgy doesn’t have to be painful or full of constant biting, it just takes time and patience to earn his trust and show him you’re not going to hurt him. Basically if you guys are cool his biting will drop to 0, or at least will go from being painful and bloody to playful nipping.

But you also mentioned that you see him as abusive?? First I want to say I don’t support abusive behavior or abusive manipulating people. I know sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference, believe me, it took ME almost 13 years to learn it. But an abusive person and hmm let’s say a person with anger or anxiety issues(mixed with lack of trust in people) are two different things. An abusive/manipulating person will appear nice in public to trick others into believing they are this person they appear to be, and they are controlling their emotions and/or situation while doing so. They’re master actors to put it simply. Since Edgy is based of his larger counterpart his anger issues are mellowed down a bit(at least how I see him) so he is more grumpy than angry IMO, but his larger counterpart(who is actually Poe’s UF Sans named Red from her story The Skeleton Games) WOULD fall into the category of someone with anger and anxiety issues. His bouts of rage and yelling are at the moment when they happen uncontrolled and results of his emotions taking over. He doesn’t know how to control his emotions or how to express them in a more easier less vocal way, but that’s not something he couldn’t learn(with a little bit of help from a professional ofc) over time. Red doesn’t pretend to be someone he isn’t, he has a basically ‘what you see is what you get buddy’ kind of attitude about himself. He is not trying to control anyone, he is just scared about dying or worse losing his bro, anxious when he’s around humans he doesn’t trust, angry at the world and humans cause they trapped his species under a mountain and all in all in general just a big huge depressed self hating mess. But he just needs someone to help him out. He needs someone to help him work out his anger issues and to let things go. He needs someone to help him get his HoPe back.....

And Edgy taking after him has similar like issues. He is scared of being hurt, anxious around humans who he doesn’t trust cause of many encounters with bad people in the past, angry at the world and humans cause they made him so small so they can boss him around and control him. In short, the way how I see him is that he is just a big tsundere character who’s been hurt, and wishes to be accepted and loved like the other bitties by a owner, who instead of judging him based on their first meeting will try to understand him and break down his walls. He needs a owner who can withstand the storm long enough to see his mask crack and they’ll see there is some goodness in his soul. Despite him being classified as a monster, Edgy isn’t a monster. That’s how I see him and that’s why I like him. To me he is more than just some abusive, mean bitty who likes to bite people all around. There, you have my answer...

Of course, you don’t have to agree with me on this. :) You are allowed to have your own opinion or to disagree with me. I just hope that reading this might help you see things from my perspective and help you understand my adoration for the little nibbler. Or just make you stop and think a bit more about the character and see that he could be a good companion/friend(see how I didn’t use the term pet, Edgy isn’t found of being called or considered that) if you give him a chance.

💀❤ If you have patience and a lot of understanding you might make a good friend for life who will be loyal to you as long as you never betray or abandon him. 

💀❤ He will protect/guard you from dangers, despite his small size. He will protect you because you are important to him.

💀❤ You’re his owner, the only owner who he trusts and loves(though he’ll never say it out loud) and he feels safe around you.

💀❤  He feels happy around you... He feels finally like he found his home...

💀❤  He feels finally like he is worth more than his EXP now that he has you...

[anubianreviewsstuff]

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina:  Main Characters

Let’s begin with a breakdown and my overall reactions to the main characters of this series shall we?  Over all, I like alot of them, the actors for many are skilled and their skills make everything else bearable to be honest.  But narrative wise, they have a lot of issues.

Harvey:  Nice guy, he comes off heavily naive and just Sabrina’s man puppet toy right off the bat.  He’s oblivious to the fact Sabrina is a witch, as he should so his reactions seem normal, but he is overly forgiving at times.  Personality wise he comes off as weak-willed and easily manipulated, which he is, his best reactions for me, have been when he broke it off with Sabrina, because he was tired of the horrors she often unleashed into his life.  Many of which he eventually just forgave or was forced to “get over it” which, for one particular event, his brother, felt so jarring.  A lot of the time he felt like a caricature of a male rather then a real person.

Roz: At first she was insufferable, she came off as a typical woke feminist type of character you want to see vanish into some narrative void and never come back.  She only really became more like a real person after she loses her eyesight and then, even after regaining it, she continued to be an actual person and not some tumblr activist insert.  I like her more then Sabrina which, says a hell of a lot.

Theo: Now, I’m all for having characters who explore their transgenderism in a show, and a show like this, could have the space if we had LESS characters taking up space.  There’s so much going on, so many subplots and side-quests going on off screen, or in the background that at times in many episodes it’s clogged and muddled and I felt it just took away from this experience.  For what it was, it was great and Theo is a fun character, who came into their own and kept challenging gender stereotypes in the show.  This was sort of weird considering the muddled time-frame the show takes place in, but we’ll get to that later.  Over all I liked Theo and her transformation from Susie to Theo.  I felt they needed less going on to really give this a fair shake to be honest, though.  Alot of it got lost in the supernatural world ending apocalyptic events unfolding in the next scene stole alot of power and impact from this and made it feel in places, tossed in for woke points.  Which I didn’t like because the parts we did see were well written imo.

Auntie Hilda: I love this character.  She is bubbly, loving, sweet, kind, and will shank you in your sleep if you come for her family.  She is so warm and a great chef, she is always supporting her family despite the abuse from her sister.  Whom she loves dearly.  She got a lot of screen time but not much of it was exploring her as a character as much as they gave to other characters.  When she started breaking out to have her own life I was thrilled, she found love and was happy.  She deserved it, I loved seeing her find happiness away from the family she is virtually slave too.

Aunt Zelda: So, over all I kinda like her for her assertive and constant devotion to family, (mostly how she verbally whips Sabrina at times because she deserves it so much).  Besides that she left no real impressions on me other then narrative issues we will get too later but the jist of it is, she way to easily hurls life long beliefs into the trash on a whim.  I’m all for characters who are adaptive but when it’s your life-long religion you threw everything of yourself into...you just don’t shrug it off say “ah well who cares” and move on like you broke your favorite mug.

Ambrose: He is a fun and knowledgeable character but unfortunately he suffers from being a man in a show about women, whose writers clearly have severe slants that show like glaring plot holes.  His wisdom is often ignored or he is laughed off at times for “haha being a stupid MAN, what’s he know!”.  In the start Sabrina often gets helpful advice from him, and sometimes followed it, he was valued then, somewhat.  But as the show progresses he is ignored more and more as a valuable confidant and becomes just another male character who doesn’t really have self-agency alot of the time.  By the end of the 3rd season he is pretty much laughed off as just “a man who doesn’t know anything.”

Father Blackwood: He is so evil he makes the DEVIL seem tame.  I love him as a villain, he is so devious and vile.  I enjoy how he keeps being a villain.  He is well written and evil, like and evil cult leader should be.

Lilith: She is such a fantastic manipulator in this show that really shows her power and ability to walk a tight-rope between truth and lying.  She is murderous, and ensures Sabrina commits the worst corrupting crimes in the entire book while also giving her plenty of openings to just...not do what she says.  The dynamic between her desire to be free of Lucifer’s abuses and being her own entity seeking her own goals and agency.  She in my opinion, is basically the hero of this show, unintentionally.  Michelle Gomez really brings her to life and lends a magnificent personality to the character, she brings Lilith life in a way that makes her more sympathetic then the main character.  Gomez’s expert acting talents for me, really brought the character to life.

Sabrina: Ahh the wart on the boil.  At first she was actually relatable, decent, and sympathetic.  But she over the course of the show’s seasons became increasingly unbearable as a terrible person without any good traits.  She went from being a normal teenage girl to being an insufferable child with such an over-inflated ego that it begs belief that she can walk without keeling over.  Really this change is most noticeable between season 2 and 3, she changes from being a manipulated child wanting her independence from THE DEVIL’S OPPRESSION AND SLAVERY TO HIS WILL, to, thinking if she demands the universe bend the knee, it will just happen.  Sabrina is perhaps the most oblivious character in the entire show, as well as the least intelligent, without any sense of nuance, masquerading as a character who has a moral compass (she doesn’t), nor does she have foresight.  She’s pretty much become a character that is a typical arrogant teenager who thinks they already know everything and doesn’t need anyone’s help, ever, except she constantly needs hand-holding.  She’s dumb, easily mislead, arrogant, self-absorbed, and values no one’s advice but her own, even as she abuses her romantic partners and ignores their plights because her own little problems are more important.  If ever you could watch a character pretend to be the hero but is actually the worst villain in the entire show, it is this ones.  Good gods is she the best villain that doesn’t realize she actually is the villain.  I honestly loathe Sabrina because of how unintentionally dumb and vapid she is, good lord, she just commands other characters to do her character development for her, instead of doing it herself, while she runs off to pull other plot points together and somehow we are supposed to root for her when every time she gets yelled at and broken down, it’s so enjoyable because she absolutely deserves it.  My one moment of utter loathing for Sabrina had to come from when her boyfriend came back from literal Hell.  He sacrificed his soul and body to save the world and Sabrina by being the prison Lucifer gets sealed into, then dragged into Hell where he was debased, violated and abused daily by Lilith for a good while.  Shocking when he came back from Hell with PTSD and horrifying nightmares and Sabrina, ignored his needs and plights as unimportant because “something something, it’s not about me”.  Then she yells at him that his suffering doesn’t matter because she is busy.  Sure, it was important what she was doing but Nick didn’t deserve to be told to fuck off and his suffering was just not important to her to deal with at the time and she could have either waited or delegated it to some other character for awhile and help her boyfriend she claims to love, deal with his issues that are destroying him.  But no, it wasn’t worth her time.  She is despicable.

Lucifer:  I love Luke Cook’s devil.  Albeit the Devil is...the devil...what do ya know the PRINCE OF LIES is evil...shocking.  But Cook makes him fun and enjoyable to see as an evil entity.

[sometimesrosy]

1. So, there’s a music-less version of the Other Side hug scene floating about, and after watching it, I noticed a few small things that added so much depth to B/C past and present. First, idk if you could see Bellamy mouth something else to Clarke after he says, “I heard about Abby,” or not, but I’ve always thought he was saying, “I’m -“ as in, “I’m so sorry,” but cuts himself off. The musical-less version confirmed it as you can HEAR the ‘I’m’.

2. People were saying B didn’t care about Abby or C because of him only saying, “I heard...” but that small dialogue shows there WAS more, that he WAS empathetic (though I think his facial expressions did a fine job of conveying that). No one has ever talked about it and the way he just cuts himself off, like he’s swept up in Clarke’s pain as she starts to cry. Just wanted to get YOUR thoughts on why he cut himself off/what you think of the conversation and the “emotionless” dialogue claims.

3. Last bits: you can also hear the breath B takes when he buries his face into Clarke’s neck. It’s deep and shaky, like he’s releasing tension. It’s a ‘thank God’ breath. Relieved. Grateful. Like he hasn’t been able to really breathe until he physically has C in his arms, sees she’s safe. Breath can communicate nonverbal things (like a loud sigh when one’s bored), and that breath made me think that’s what B/C have always done regarding each other: hold it in.

4. B/C have DEEP feelings, but to be the heroes/leaders they need to be, to do what ‘has to be done,’ they bury them. In their world the stakes are too high, and it’s the ‘only choice.’ People thought B didn’t care about C during the Sanctum battle, but that breath proves otherwise. I love when their feelings leak out in eyes/looks/breaths. The subtlest bits have so much depth with them. What do you think about the Bellarke subtleties? What do you think of their Hero Mode/suppressed feelings?

I don’t know what Bellamy was about to say, and it almost doesn’t matter. He had more to say than he was able to say. I think I agree with your interpretation.

I don’t think I agree at all with the interpretation that Bellamy is “emotionless” in that scene. I’m not sure where they get that concept because that isn’t what was on screen. When they hugged, they both ran into each other’s arms, he held onto her tight. That isn’t emotionless. He asked about Abby, not the battle, showing he was concerned about HER feelings, not the battle or what happened with him. This wasn’t platonic leaders checking in on what happened. This was Bellamy Blake connecting with Clarke Griffin, and it was all about Clarke.

You can’t say definitively what emotions are inside of characters. Even if they say the words, there’s no guarantee that you can take those words at face value. Emotions are almost always a subjective interpretation-- if you’re trying to come down to the exact emotion a character is feeling-- especially if you’re trying to read looks and sighs. Emotions are abstract things in the first place so trying to pin them down is hard. 

The way I look at it, you have to look at the whole scene, not just the actors, because the characters aren’t real people so it’s not just how an actor plays a scene, but also how they are written, how they are filmed, the music. The scene is FULL of emotion. They run together and hug each other tightly. The breathlessness and wordlessness you are talking about. The music. The buttery light that is beautiful and romantic and soft and comforting. How close they are standing, how they don’t break eye contact. 

Bellamy takes her in his arms, talks to her about the most important things. Abby. Their intention to do better. She says she tried to do better, and she says “I.” Meaning her alone. Meaning her isolated, bearing the weight, and the loss. He says “WE” did better. Meaning she was not alone, they did it together. 

I do not know what emotions the complainers were looking for. Bellamy was there for Clarke. Clarke needed him. They have both known loss and pain and horror at their own actions. She needed a steady heart to ground her in the loss of her mother so she could deal with it. Bellamy was there to remind her who she was, who they were, that she was not alone and they were together, that they did this together and that it was about something bigger than themselves and that she succeeded, that THEY succeeded. It’s also important to remember that this was a call back to the s2 finale outside of Camp Jaha where se couldn’t bear what she did and he said “what we did.”  It wasn’t enough last time. This time it was what Clarke needed. And she needed him to hold her. And he did.

I think that the complainers were looking for melodrama and histrionics. This show has enough drama, and we don’t need the characters wailing and rending their clothes. Sometimes it is better to step back from dramatics and present a more subtle scene. Because you’re right, Clarke and Bellamy put their responsibilities ahead of their feelings and personal needs. They lead. They fight their battles. They do what’s right. And Bellamy acknowledged this and that it sometimes means they are hurt.

I don’t think they complainers are right and I think we should remember that just because someone has an opinion does not mean it’s a GOOD opinion. Too many people don’t know how to interpret a thing outside of their own bias, or have an actual agenda that they are trying to push with their statements and will, on purpose, twist canon to support their agenda. And because they think their opinion is more important than canon, it doesn’t bother them to outright lie about what’s on screen. I think too many people think of shipping in an antagonistic manner, and if it isn’t being against the opposite ship it’s being against anyone else’s interpretation of your ship-- including the canon one.

People’s feelings and how they feel about a show are important, but those feelings are not canon and not necessarily a reflection on the story. And that means that if we don’t agree or don’t like the opinion, we are free to discard it completely, and not respectfully agree with bullhockey. You do NOT have to take into account interpretations that make no sense and don’t fit with canon. You do NOT have to have the same fanon as someone else. You do NOT have to want the same outcome as someone else. You do NOT have to agree. You actually have come up with your own evidence to dispute their interpretations. Trust yourself. (But be aware that if you do trust yourself and your interpretation and your evidence that people will call you names, because they don’t like their unreasoned interpretations questioned and their freedom to assert bad hot takes as deep wisdom curtailed. I have been called arrogant by a lot of people who are so arrogant that they think no one is allowed to disagree with their ideas, who think their theories are unassailable facts that are more important than canon. People who think they can’t be wrong HATE people who think they’re wrong. It’s very egotistical to think no one can disagree with you.)

The scene was FULL of emotion. Bellamy was Clarke’s rock. Which was what she needed so she’d understand that she did the right thing and not run off again to bear it on her own. If fandom wanted some other scene with “more emotion,” (I’m not sure what that means, tbh, what that would look like, did they want him to kiss her? That would be inappropriate. Or say sorry? Why? That word is not a magic pill and Abby’s death was not his fault,) then they wanted a story that wasn’t being told. They wanted fanon. If they didn’t find that scene satisfying to them, that’s fine for them. Ok But I’m not sure what WOULD satisfy them. 

I suspect nothing. 

Why listen to people about what should happen when they would NEVER like ANYTHING that happened. When all they like to do is complain and say Bellarke sucks and JR is a bad writer and The 100 is trash.

Like. Really. You have permission to ignore bad opinions. Just because someone says them does not mean they are an accurate interpretation of the show.

[wtfzodiacsigns]

THE SIGNS AS I KNOW THEM (excuse the shade):

ARIES: sometimes intimidating, extremely confident people with crazy desire to share their opinions and ideas with the world, massive flirts, loud mouths, independent and super funny. They tend to hide away their true feelings and pretend they don’t care about anything. Intriguing personality that can make anyone fall in love with them almost immediately.

•

TAURUS: perssistent, easily manipulated, great listeners, romantic —low-key would do anything for their loved one—, classy and natural beauty and sense of style. They associate friends with family. Fun to be around yet stubborn and independent. They love learning new stuff.

•

GEMINI: artistic —even if they aren’t artists—, big eyes filled with joy and hope, whimsical minds, bad puns that somehow sound hilarious when they tell them, exotic minds, witty —they know something about everything and have a large range of information and facts—, actually loyal. Can be a little over-dramatic but that doesn’t mean they’re lying. Usually stereotyped as two-faced but in reality they are just honest —thing that bothers people—.

•

CANCER: trying to seem arrogant, overwhelmed almost all the time, in need of attention and approval, artsy —they’re aesthetically pleasing and have good taste in all kinds of art—, secretive before they know they can trust you, shy when it comes to confessing love, trying to be something they’re clearly not. They handle criticism with sarcastic humor; they know they’re better than you.

•

LEO: doesn’t need approval from anyone in anything, goal-oriented, can make their way out of any kind of situation by simply using their charm and intelligence, uses a variety of memes to describe their feelings. They don’t easily fall in love but when they do you’ll know it’s real. #extra without even trying. CONFIDENT.

•

VIRGO: resting bitch face but deep down sensitive and caring for those who are close to their heart, grammar cops, pretty sexual —pretty much—, party animals at night, robots functioning on caffeine during the day. Minimalistic sense of style that reflects the art of simplicity in which they strongly belive just like aliens belive in taking over the world. (This description is a mess but so they are sometimes. Shh, you don’t know it from here).

•

LIBRA: fashion masters, goofy and weird, the real trash talkers just because they’re bored and, honestly, better than you. Overall peace-makers and cheesy. Cute instagram feed, delicate manicure and light makeup. They know A LOT of people —sometimes it’s annoying because they bump into people they know, all the time they step outside the house—. Charming and flirtatious, showing their intelligence through fantastic humor.

•

SCORPIO: somehow scary —but honestly, they wouldn’t even be able to kill a fly—, too proud of themselves to admit shit they’ve done wrong, wanna be cool, actual softies, sexual creatures who can eat you alive with just their eyes. The definition of possesive. Paranoid and moody —one moment all hot and sexy, next second cooler than ice—, more intelligent than you think. They can be bold when showing affection, just because they want to warn others that you belong to them and only them.

•

SAGITTARIUS: rarely freaks out FOR REAL, sassy kings and queens, original, naturally born with a dramatic side that makes them extraordinare actors, passionate. They inspire by using their intellect —which btw, yes, they have haha, you haters—. Literally good at anything they do (tell me your secret, please). Showing love might be hard just because they generally feel unsure of their true feelings.

•

CAPRICORN: dark humor, actual selfish people who only think about themselves, masters ar stressing over minor problems, the real foodies, probably the coolest people in school/on instagram/at work —or whatever environment you’re in—, attractive in an unexplainable way. Touchy —plain and simple touchy—. Protective. Born smart. Easily hurt by negative comments but would never EVER admit it.

•

AQUARIUS: their charm makes them appear fake —which they might actually be, not gonna lie—, plain and simple weird, angry at their unlucky destiny, daydreamers, softies who hide their desire for true love, probably dreaming of the idea of soulmates —right now—. Their kindness usually makes them look like fools and that’s why people don’t give them credits for important stuff they make in this world. “The best friend”. Crying at movies and SUPER clumsy and awkward. Tired of being labeled as “not important” or “the cold one”; they kind of love attention.

•

PISCES: more selfish that you may think, attention whores and tea spillers. They want to look and act cute all the time and are hurt if someone says it looks fake. Always up to impress intriguing people they are attracted to, by using their most valuable talents. Family guys —and girls—, food lovers, sports oriented, extreme love for alcoohol. Sort of mysterious and hard to figure out. Bubbly flirts who don’t play hard to get.

Source: astrologers-cloud-club

[silenthillmutual]

23, 25!

23 - How do you deal with writer’s block?

I’ve never really been good at dealing with writer’s block, tbh. usually when i get it i try and force myself through it, but that doesn’t tend to work out very well. so lately i’ve been trying to just... sit on whatever project i’m having writer’s block for. it means i have a lot of unfinished drafts and unfinished works on ao3, and that does feel kind of bad, but i think it’d feel worse if i published something i wasn’t proud of or that didn’t feel right to me. 

so sometimes i try and write for a completely different prompt or a completely different fandom altogether, and if all else fails i just kind of journal about my life to see if i can figure out what’s keeping me from producing content. at the moment i’ve had some writer’s block that’s due to lack of focus and also because i’ve been extremely stressed lately. a lot of it is getting better because i’m taking better care of myself, but since i’m not totally in a mindset where i feel like i have enough time to work on my projects, i’ve been distracting myself by picking up reading and watching film obsessively again. and i think that tends to be as good an inspiration as any!

25 - What advice would you give a new writer?

i’ve actually given this a lot of thought. i don’t get asked this question a lot, but i’ve seen people kind of lamenting before that they feel like they don’t write well or asking other authors for advice. and it’s true that no one thing will work for everyone, and while there are always kinda general tips to improve your writing style (i think the most well known ones are “show, don’t tell” and “avoid adverbs”) i try to steer clear of saying anything that would negate someone’s style. 

so i really just have two pieces of advice:

the first is that you need to practice. which is easier said than done, of course. but you don’t even really need to write about anything in particular. to be honest you could just be writing about your feelings or making up a stupid argument based on something that’s been on your mind lately, but just writing it down will get a lot of the clutter out of your head and also help you determine if you’re expressing what you’re really thinking, what you’re really feeling, what you’re really experiencing. which will come in handy whether you’re writing papers for class or writing non-fiction pieces or writing meta or writing fiction, because you’ll learn the best ways to communicate just by trial and error. it’s really easy to get caught up in embarrassment over your past works and if you really hate something it’s okay to trash it, but you’re never gonna love every word you ever write and it’s okay if sometimes the things you write are just okay. someone’s going to read it and love it, even if that someone isn’t you. but writing really is like any other art, any other skill, like driving or dancing or math or singing: if you want to be good at it, you have to practice it. 

the second is that you have to read. you HAVE to read. you don’t draw without looking at pictures and you don’t sing without listening to music and you don’t act without watching other actors do it, so why would you write without reading? it doesn’t even have to be good, mind you. you don’t have to read the classics and by all means there are some that you just flat-out shouldn’t read no matter how much old cishet white guys insist they’re the best (and i’ve a thing or two to say on their opinions of movies as well). you should read bad things, good things, nonfiction, poetry, fanfiction, meta, essays, gossip columns, top ten lists, satire, op eds, obituaries, horror, screenplays, short stories, song lyrics - whatever it is you want to read. read things that got panned and things that you love but are embarrassed to talk about and read things that make you angry and things that you think are overrated. pinpoint what you loved about words you loved reading and figure out how to emulate that in your own writing... but i think it’s just as important (if not more so) to pinpoint what you hated about the words you couldn’t stand so you make sure you never ever do those things. but reading is fundamental to writing, because other writers are your peers (not competitors) and you should know what they’re saying, but you can also get a lot of ideas about what you want to say from things other people bring up. and you can figure out your niche and your own sense of style from seeing what other people do. 

ty for asking!!writer qs here!!

[leoninapelliolovesconchitawurst]

ENGLISH TRANSLATION (by me)

Wurst in the old FM4 Studio

Photo by Lukas Lottersberger

"I am both Conchita and WURST."

By Daniela Derntl

https://fm4.orf.at/stories/2995448/

Songcontest winner Tom Neuwirth has on his new album "T.O.M. - Truth Over Magnitude quasi reinvented "as WURST. Instead of Conchita's glamorous diva ballads, evening gowns and wigs, there's now danceable electro-pop, vinyl, leather and sex. A conversation about the new record, self-discovery, the jurors activity on "Queen of Drags" and the upcoming tour.

FM4: Recently your new record "T.O.M. - Truth Over Magnitude "came out. And that's also your debut album for your new project WURST. The CD has been out for a few weeks. How were the reactions?

WURST: The reactions were very positive. I think I was the least nervous. Probably the people around me a little more, because you do not know if that happens or not. I was extremely pleased that what was happening was understood , and the music is also liked. I love this album, I can hear it up and down, which is not so obvious to me. I'm more of the category: I do not look and listen to my own stuff. But I love this album!

FM4: Which song is on Heavy Rotation right now?

WURST: Currently it's "Can’t Come Back" because I'm going to perform live soon, in a very special cast. And that's why I have to listen to it a bit, so I know the text. It's always a story with the text. Sometimes I like to improvise.

FM4: I also wanted to talk to you about this song anyway. Because it is interesting that you speak now also as WURST in dialect, and before as Conchita only spoke High German. Are there any other entrances when singing? Because in this just mentioned "Can’t Come Back", you also sound quite different, especially at the beginning of the song.

WURST: I sing so deeply, like never before, and that's actually not that easy. So to intonate is a challenge. But that's also a point of this album that I can really show my full range. And also show a bandwidth that I did not even know I had.

WURST about the start of the new project

FM4: When was it clear to you that Conchita could not go on like that - and you have to change. When was the starting signal for the new project?

WURST: The starting signal came after the decision that things could not go on like this. I think - quite banal - when I got up, and was no longer happy and had no mood for anything. I put that on for a few months, and I thought, yes, that will be all right. But it did not happen again. And then I dealt with myself. Then I also started talking therapy because I thought I could not go on alone, I seemed to need a new input somehow. That helped me a lot. And then I also really understood that I am responsible for my own life and I cannot fool around and say: They do not understand me. And they did not understand me. No! I did not understand it anymore and that's why I had to do something new.

FM4: What other insights have you got there, especially on the artistic path?

WURST: First and foremost, I looked closely at my ego and thought about how I go through the world and how to deal with people. Whether I'm really as fabulous as I think? And unfortunately we are not all! (laughs) We hurt people with our behaviour, and seeing and accepting that in its entirety has given me, I believe, this freedom boost to do something where nobody would have said, yes! Electropop! Great idea! And with that freedom it was ‘wurst’ (not important) for me. I did not care, I just had to do it, and then it all happened.

WURST about working with Eva Klampfer and Albin Janoska

FM4: So you had to go through a dark tunnel and then, together with songwriter Eva Klampfer aka Lylit and producer Albin Janoska, saw a light together at the end of the tunnel? Can one say that?

WURST: Definitely! I have wandered through many songwriting camps in recent years. Unsuccessful, because I'm not terribly talented when it comes to it. And then, by some coincidence, Severin Trogbacher, who plays the guitar in my band and is also my band leader, introduced me to Albin Janoska. And Albin says: Would you like to work with Eva? And I thought, that is not possible. You travel all over Europe to somehow write songs, and then they're all sitting there waiting.

FM4: Albin Janoska maybe known from Count Basic ...

WURST: He also produces Count Basic and son. You listen to the record, and understand what it's all about!

FM4: Eva Klampfer aka Lylit wrote the songs for you. And I've read - and I'm asking you now if that's true - that the character WURST was created while working on the album. So it was not clear at the beginning who the songs would be written for now?

WURST: Exactly! Eva and I have talked a lot about who this is for now. What is my name? Is that somehow okay? Actually, some songs were finished and I knew that "Trash All The Glam" would be the first single. That was the moment we sat together and kind of wondered what the video might look like. And I'm a very visual person and it just came suddenly. We went on location scouting and we just saw this shot that I was driving down the escalator, and then I said: There must be WURST in red letters like an exit sign. That was a moment when everything was clear to me. That's it: I'm both Conchita and WURST. It's so absurd, if you think about it in hindsight. It all happened to me by accident. But that's me. I love kitsch and pomp, and all the madness that the show business brings with it, but I like it a bit rude, simpler, clearer and without much frills.

WURST has reconciled with Conchita

FM4: You've reconciled yourself to Conchita through this metamorphosis? Can you say that?

WURST: Yes. In fact, I almost fell into the same trap again, because at the beginning of the project WURST I thought to myself: Now there are no high heels and wigs anymore, and the look is that, and blah. And then I'm like this: Oh wow! I'm doing the same thing again as I did before and restricting myself again. Of course, then came this TV show "Queen Of Drags" where it was all about showing all facets. Then I painted myself, and thought: Oh, there she is! And she is more beautiful than ever! And I think I did not get away from the mirror for half an hour because I thought: Oh yes! (Laughing). I love it!

WURST about his future plans

FM4: I have the impression that your metamorphosis is far from complete. You have a lot more sides, people, maybe even a whole ensemble in the quiver?

WURST: Yes, I also believe that there is still something in me that I do not yet know about. I also do not think that for ever and ever I'll just "stay in the music" under quotes. I also want to design sets, I also want to do fashion, I want to be a director and scream at actors. I want to write a musical about my life, because the boy from the mountains who wins the song contest is like "Sound Of Music". Sorry! And that's the way it will sound (laughs). Of course I'm wondering what the next one might be because the album is out now and I'm going on tour with it next year. I'm looking forward to it, but I do not want a standstill. I stir around a bit ...

WURST about "Queen Of Drags"

FM4: You're now also a juror on the new German TV show "Queen Of Drags", and there it hails from the queer community criticism of your co-juror Heidi Klum, because she has nothing to do with Queer and Drag. You clearly defend your colleague. But it's pretty much off, right?

WURST: Yes, fully. For one thing, I think everyone has an opinion. Hey, awesome! What this outcry from the community has just shown is that your character does not depend on your sexual orientation, because this community wants so much inclusion and understanding, and then somehow that does not work out. I find that a bit contradictory now. Yes, of course, there are not only fans of Heidi Klum, and I did not know her before either, and I have to say that this collaboration was just easy. And she was fully aware that it was somehow controversial, and she was just so respectful and so inside, asking questions without end, just wanting to be a part of it. I think that when it comes to judging candidates, we've always wanted to judge whether they're getting better. Because I would like to have all these ten Queens have a career after that and live on it. And I would like to give them what I have already learned.

FM4: Drag culture is also about body positivity. And that's just Heidi Klum as an executioner of "Germanys Next Top Model" not necessarily the right thing for something?

WURST: Yes, "Germanys Next Top Model" is a completely different format. And absolutely right there was a body awareness that was mediated, which is definitely not healthy. But even in this program, there was a learning process that has seen over the last few years.

WURST about pink-washing

FM4: Another reproach on the show was also the so-called "Pink Washing". So that now a broadcaster and a presenter who otherwise have nothing to do with this queer culture and scene capitalize on it. And you're almost the queer fig leaf on the whole. What do you say?

WURST: That's an absolutely legitimate comment. I want to say that I use it as well. Because I did not know Heidi before either, but she gives us the best slot on one of the biggest private channels to show what the queer community has on it to show people what's left. Of course! Excuse me! I get it - pinkwashing, et cetera. But I also take advantage of it to show how cool it is to be casual with each other, and how great it is to be supported. And how great it is when everyone can just be what he wants to be. And I love that too on this show. It works like nothing else. But when it comes down to it, keep it together. And I think that's exactly what it's about!

WURST about the Eurosonic Festival

FM4: Let's talk about your upcoming tour. In January you play at the Eurosonic Festival in Groningen, and that's a showcase festival for newcomers. And you're not really a newcomer anymore! But how is it for you to start from the beginning? Smaller halls to play, maybe not so many amenities to have. What is it like for you playing at a newcomer festival?

WURST: I think it's so cool that I'm allowed to get involved with the cool kids, and of course I'm really looking forward to this festival because it's something new for me. I do not know this kind of festival. Especially not as an artist. And I do not know the audience. And that's why I feel like a newcomer. But I'm no longer a newcomer in that sense, I realize. But I said it aloud, and now everyone believes it! (Laughing).

WURST about the concerts in Poland

FM4: No one believes you! It will also be exciting for you at the beginning of February, as you will play twice in Poland, in Warsaw and in Krakow. And the head of the Polish governing party PIS this year has declared homosexuals and transgender people to be "enemies of the state". So you can only be there with massive protective measures and safety precautions. How are you doing there? On the one hand you want to set a signal, on the other hand it is not without danger.

WURST: Yes, on the one hand, I am a pretty unconscious lamb when it comes to that, because in my opinion I always see only the good. I once had personal security for 24 hours when I was in St. Petersburg. That feels weird. I do not know if it will be the case in Poland. I do not want to sound cynical, but I - as such a public person - already have some protection because of this publicity, because if anything should happen then it would attract a lot of attention. And that's why I may not see my safety in the foreground right now. I'm just happy that I can play there for my fans, because I have so many from the East, and I just want to have a great time with them!

FM4: Thanks for the interview and all the best!

[sukkadeservedbetter]

Edge Of A Thunderstorm

Pairing: Tom Holland X Reader

Summary: A chance encounter during a thunderstorm leaves you freezing, caffeinated, and starstruck. 

Warnings: light swearing, brief mentions of drinking

Word Count: 2K

“Alright, I’m heading home,” You say to your co-workers as you place your laptop into your bag and grab your umbrella.

“You’re walking?” One of them asks in astonishment. “In this weather? Girl, call a cab.” You roll your eyes playfully.

“I can handle a little rain and we’re not that far from my apartment. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” they sing. “Catch you Monday!”

“See you!”

Turns out, you can’t handle this rain. Rain is one thing, but this? This is insane. The wind blows your umbrella so hard that you’re exhausted after just five minutes of walking. As you squint out into the grey, you can’t be sure which direction the rain is coming from. Cars speed past you, splashing you with the pools of water that were collecting below the curb. Thunder rolls above you and soon enough white flashes through the sky. You’re soaked and miserable. Okay, enough! This is ridiculous, you tell yourself as you run under a brown awning for momentary shelter.

You shutter under your coat and try to shake your hands dry enough so you can reach for your phone. Your fingers fumble over the keys. You open the Uber app and wait for a driver. You look up and see a figure through the grey, running for cover much like you had moments before.

“Jesus, this storm is ridiculous,” the man says from underneath multiple jackets and a hoodie as he reached the awning.

“Yeah, tell me about it. You would think people like us would listen to the weather channel,” You pity-laugh as you spoke.

“An inch of rain, my ass.” You laugh at the man’s comment, still looking down at your phone, hoping for anyone to pick up your ride request.

“I’d wager it’s closer to two,” You comment nonchalantly. Your phone buzzes in your frozen hand: Your driver will arrive in 59 minutes. You groan internally, debating whether the walk would really be all that bad. Thunder crashes simultaneously with a bright white flash of lightning. You jump and yelp, earning yourself a chuckle from the man next to you.

“Scared of a little thunder?” He asks.

“That one just caught me off guard,” You reply.

“I’m sorry to trouble you, but could I possibly borrow your phone? Seems mine is dead and I’d really like to call a cab.”

“Oh, um, sure!” You say, handing the stranger your phone. “Let me know the wait time if you get through. Uber said it’s going to take at least an hour.”

“That blows. I’ll let you know.” You absentmindedly tap your foot as the stranger uses your phone. Something about his voice is familiar, but you can’t place it. The accent throws you off. “The lines are busy.”

“Hm?” You ask, realizing you had zoned out.

“The lines are busy. Looks like I’m stuck here.” He says.

“You would think Ubers and Cabs would be better equipped to handle rainy days. I know they’re probably busy but it’s a little annoying.”

“Yeah, and you would think they would employ more people for high volume days,” He says. You nod in agreement. “Oh well, I think I’m going to head inside and grab a cup of coffee while I wait for the storm to settle; do you want to join me?” The man tentatively asks. You look at the building behind you, realizing for the first time that it was a small cafe.

“Oh, sure!” The man holds the door open for you and you step inside to the heat and the faint smell of coffee grinds. You turn around to thank the man for holding the door for you but words don’t reach your mouth. The man had taken his hood off and you finally realize why you recognized his voice. Spider-man was standing in front of you. His real name was escaping you in the shock that Spider-man had just asked you to get coffee with him. He gives you a cheeky smile as he walks past you to the counter.

“I’ll have a medium coffee and…” He pauses as he looks back at you. You’re still standing by the door, mouth slightly ajar at your realization. “Whatever she’s having.”

“What? You don’t have to do that!” You stutter out.

“Hey, it’s the last I can do. You let me borrow your phone.” You know that those two didn’t quite match up, but you let it slide because it had been a while since a cute boy offered to buy you a coffee and how often do people like you get to hang out with a superhero? You walk up next to him and read the menu.

“A medium vanilla latte, please,” You tell the barista. You and Spider-man walk to a small, mosaic table in the center of the cafe. The soft yellow glow of the overhead lights makes the room feel warmer than it actually is. You feel bad calling the man in front of you Spider-man in your head, but you can’t, for the life of you, remember his real name. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I caught your name.”

“Oh,” He responds, slightly taken back by the question, like he expected you to already know. His eyes light up. “It’s uh, Tom.” You make a split-second decision to not make a big deal of his fame, a decision that you thanked yourself for making later.

“Nice to meet you, Uh-Tom. I’m (Y/N).” You throw in a cheeky smile as you bring your vanilla latte to your thawing lips. Tom laughs at your bad joke.

“So, where were you headed when the storm hit?” Tom asked.

“Home. I live about a mile and a half away. What about you?”

“My mate Harrison’s house. We were supposed to grab drinks. That’s obviously not gonna happen.”

“I don’t think binge drinking and massive storms really go together,” You muse.

“You obviously don’t hang out with the right kind of people.”

“Oh? And what do the ‘right kind of people’ do when they blackout and can’t figure out how to get home at the end of the night?” You ask.

“They wake up in a dumpster the next morning with one hell of a story to tell.” Tom shoots you a grin and you snort.

“Oh my, God. I’m so sorry.” You bring your hand over your mouth as if that would stop the noise that had already come out. Your face burns red hot and you sink lower into your chair. Tom bursts out laughing, tears nearly spilling from his eyes. “Tom! Stop laughing!” You whine.

“Aw, don’t get embarrassed. That was adorable.”

“That was horrendous,” You disagree. “So, what do you do?” You ask, even though you know the answer, hoping to change the subject.

“I’m an actor,” Tom smiles.

“What kind of an actor?” You ask. “Like a ‘starving artist’ actor? A ‘I have to bus tables in between plays’ actor? Or a ‘I’m the next Brad Pitt’ actor?” You were loving watching Tom laughing at your comments. It’s nice to know someone thinks I’m funny, you think to yourself.

“Hm,” Tom thinks. “Somewhere in between starving artist and Brad Pitt.”

“Been in anything I might have seen?” You ask. You’re teasing Tom and he has no idea. Where did all the confidence come from? Who am I? You ask yourself.

“Depends.”

“On?”

“Your opinion on superheros,” Tom says. He doesn’t meet your eyes.

“Tobey Maguire was better,” You deadpan. Tom’s head snaps up.

“You knew?!” Tom nearly yells, but he’s smiling wide.

“Of course I knew, Dude! Marvel’s marketing isn’t exactly subtle; your face was plastered everywhere earlier this year.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Tom asks with a laugh.

“Didn’t seem important until now.” You shrug. “Besides, I liked watching you try to conceal your real identity. It was very Peter Parker of you.” Tom laughs again.

“So, you’re a fan?”

“Kind of! I mean, I like the movies but I’m not, like, writing smutty Loki fan fiction in my free time, you know?”

“Gotcha. That Loki fanfic gets…” Tom trails off.

“Fucking wild,” You finish his thought for him.

“Exactly. Do you, uh, do you really think Tobey is better?”

“What will you do if I say yes?”

“Cry,” Tom jokes. “Sue, maybe.”

“I can’t afford to be sued by you, and I’d feel pretty bad if I made you cry, so let’s just say Andrew was the best and call it a night.” You raise your eyebrows at Tom.

“Oh, fuck off!” Tom quips. The two of you continue to talk well into the nigh. You blow through an array of topics and Tom tells  you stories that have you laughing so hard you cry. You don’t even realize how much time has past until the barista walks up to your table.

“Hey,” She rudely interrupts you telling Tom about the most embarrassing date you had ever been on. “We’re closing up.” You and Tom exchange a glance of terror and confusion. Have you really been here for four hours? You look towards the window, expecting to see grey. Instead you only see black with blurry bright lights peeping through the window.  

“Have we?” You ask.

“There’s no way…” Tom responds. You both stare at each other for a moment before you both bust out into laughter. Tom grabs your empty cup and stands up, walking to the trash. As you stand, a moment of sadness hit you. The last fours hours with Tom have been the most entertaining and carefree hours you have had in years, but Tom is a celebrity. Tom is Spider-Man for God’s sake. What would he want with you?

“So I had-” “Can I get your-” You and Tom speak simultaneously.

“Sorry you go,” Tom says.

“No, really, you go!” You encourage.

“Um, okay. Can I get your number?” Tom ask/.

“Seriously?” You squeak out.

“Are you seriously questioning it? Yes, seriously. I’d like to take you out sometime when we’re both not sopping wet and exhausted… if that’s okay.”

“Y-yeah! Of course! Here put your number in my phone and text yourself!” You hand your phone to Tom with a smile plastered across your face that you can’t quit. You stare at Tom as he types away on your phone. For the first time, you recognized how truly beautiful he is. His sharp jawline blended down into soft skin and broad shoulders. A curl of his brown hair cascaded down over his eye and his fingers were-

“(Y/N)?” Tom’s smooth voice interrupts your thoughts. “You’re drooling, love.” You blush like mad.

“S-sorry.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever get over seeing how easy you get embarrassed,” Tom says. Before you can say anything, Tom leans in and leaves a barely-there kiss on your lips. “See you soon, Darlin’.” Tom smiles and walks out into the rain without another word. You stand under the awning, stunned by the interaction you had just had.

You hop out into the rain like a little kid during the first storm after a long summer. Though it isn’t as stormy as it was before, the rain still pelts against your skin and seeps into your shoes and socks. The wind pushes you up the sidewalk. You knew you’d have a hefty Uber bill waiting for you for missing your ride, but you couldn’t be bothered; You had a date with Spider-man.

A/N: This is the first “fan fic” type thing I’ve written in, like, 3 years so let me know what you think!! I plan on writing a lot more for this blog so feedback is appreciated :)

[the-working-class-guide-to-films]

Green Book

How does a guy who has made such hits as: Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary, Shallow Hal; go and make something like the Green Book. Decent films, but they’re trash. They’re good trash, but nonetheless, trash. The Green Book was such a profound film, that I’m struggling to come to terms with the fact that Peter Farrelly, who directed this, also directed Movie 43, voted one of the worst films ever made. 

Green Book is about the famous black jazz artist, Dom Shirley, who hires Tony Vallelonga an Italian to be his bodyguard/driver whilst Dom tours the deep south of America with his band. Both are very different characters, Dom being reserved and particular, Tony, loud and abrasive, and also not a fan of black people in general, especially when he is bossed around by one.  As the film continues, we see how they both help each other to become a more rounded person, and how Tony learns to become a more thoughtful...well he stops being a racist.  

I found the film very enjoyable. I thought both Viggo Mortensen as Tony and Mahershala Ali as Dom were brilliant. There chemistry on screen really made the audience connect to the characters, both fantastic. I can’t judge Adam Driver as I never saw BlacKKKlansman, but Ali from the others I have seen should win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Viggo has it tougher, although he was great, I still think Bale in Vice should win Best Actor, he was exceptional. Whilst the two actors drove the story forward and really made it enjoyable, they weren’t the only things. The story was well controlled and the pacing was just right. I’ve heard criticisms of the film saying it wasn’t hard hitting enough. I thought for the 12A rating it was dark enough to give the message without showing too much violence. It obviously easily could’ve done more in that respect, but the film wasn’t showing the effect of racism on a country-wide scale, but on the personal level between the two friends. It done enough to show that, without being too much. 

(i know this gif has absolutely nothing to do with Green Book, but man, Viggo, I love you)

I really loved everything about this movie, however it didn’t blow me away. It did feel a little bit too nice. That’s not meant to sound contradicting to my previous point, but I just felt something was missing from this film to make it really special. To give it 5 out of of 5 y’know. 

4/5 There were a lot of good things about this movie. The story was powerful and got it’s message about understanding and welcoming without ramming it down your throat. Mortensen and Ali were both fantastic however and all credit should go to them for making this movie as good as it was.

p.s I’ve been contemplating doing this p.s, I still don’t know if I will or not. But I saw this film the day after the Liam Neeson fiasco. And I just wanted to say how important it is to talk and have conversations. This isn’t the best platform, because your point will never come across as you want it to. You can’t explain it as well as you would talking about this, so bear with. What this film done well was show that Viggo had racist ideas, it showed him putting two drinking glasses in a bin because black people drunk from them. We can all agree that’s racist right. By the end of the 2 hour film, and the journey that these two completely opposite men went on, Viggo changed. He wanted more than anything to be with his new friend, a black man. He invites him to dinner, and is torn up with him not being there. He is so happy when he does show up. He’s a different man. He’s not the man now who would put drinking glasses in the bin because a black man drunk from them. He’s changed for the good.

Liam Neeson had racist thoughts. He may not be a racist man now, but he did have racist thoughts 40 years ago. What’s important is that he has changed and is ashamed of his irrational thinking. I think it is so important that these conversations are held. It offers people the chance to be educated and put to right. I’m a white straight guy. I understand racism, but I do not know racism. I don��t know what that feels like. And I’m certainly not here to say that people should forgive Liam Neeson, or hold this against him. I just believe that difficult conversations like race, like sexuality and others need to be freely held to have some understanding, so we can see a different view point. Whenever something like this pops up, which seems to be more frequent, I try to ask my black friends their opinions on the matter. I trust my own moral compass enough to have my own thoughts and feelings, most of the time, they say what I thought, but sometimes they make me see another viewpoint that I hadn’t considered, or even thought about because I, as a white guy do not see, no matter how much I try to understand. And I think that it is incredibly important that conversations like this are held. 

I think there is a problem with white people in the respect that they hear a black man they know and respect, John Barnes for example, say ‘Liam Neeson deserves a medal for having the courage to stand up and talk about this’ and then not consider that not every black person will think the same as this ONE black person. They will be annoyed and be like ‘well John is black and thought this, why don’t you?’. John Barnes is entitled to feel that way, and every black person is allowed to agree or disagree with him. It annoys me so much when I hear something like this. For the record, I don’t think Liam Neeson deserves a medal. 

I think this goes back to the whole argument about patriotism and about being English. I’m proud to be English, I’ve got my England flags flying outside my window during the World Cup, and I will loudly moan if someone is queuing up stupidly, and I will slap my hands on my knees and say ‘best be off’ when I wanted to leave 2 hours ago. But I understand why people do not like England, or more centrally, the British Empire. The British Empire committed horrific atrocities across the globe, they were murderers, rapists, the worst bunch of twats you could come across. The problem is, we aren’t taught about these things at school. We are only taught about the good things, Churchill winning the war (not the genocide he caused in India), Henry the 8th, and other stuff that is pleasant. It’s only that I took history as a subject that you start learning that Western Civilization were the bad guys, e.g Britain and America. I learned about The Troubles in Ireland, and how the Brits were at fault. I learned about Native Americans, and again how it was the Brits and the Americans who basically caused genocide to their people. But if you have a conversation with someone who doesn’t know, because they haven’t been educated, or haven’t had serious and deep conversations about the failures of a culture we have grown up believing ‘We are the good guys’ then they will think you are a nutjob. Again, education and conversation are crucially important to creating a better society. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBy0FLAAwKQ

That’s a link to Trevor Noah talking about it. A lot funnier and eloquently put than me.

I know this has gone off topic, but I wanted to say this. Did Liam Neeson have racist thoughts. He sure did. Do I think that Liam Neeson is a racist person now? I don’t think it is up to me, a white guy, to determine if someone is or isn’t racist. I don’t think that white people, or anyone for that matter should just always get free passes to make mistakes. I think in 2019 the majority of people know the difference between wrong and right, and possibly only in youth are mistakes made. But I’m not naive enough to know that there are plenty of people old enough who continue to be, dicks. I just hope that we continue to have difficult conversations, I only believe it makes us grow, individually and collectively. And if you want to talk about this, if you think I’ve missed the point, or have something to add that would benefit me, then please, drop me a message. Don’t just call me a c*** like that one guy did when I said that Venom had some scenes that was full of toxic masculinity, that benefits nobody. Or even if you wanna talk about the film, which is what this blog was about, then please do that. Anyhoo, best be off!

[theunseeliemperoress]

Ultimate Custom Night: Voice’s

(I’ve decided to make a post of all the lines from the game [not including phone guy’s] and give my analysis/opinion on them)

This is the video I used as a ref

Foxy: “Yar I came for ye booty. That be treasure you know.” “Yar. You never stood a chance.” “I can’t run like I used to. But I can pull my self apart just fine.” (Could refer to how he’d run at you in the first game) “Arr. So much more spacious in here. I may stay a while.” “Yar har har. Never underestimate the cunning of a pirate. Or a fox for that matter.” He sounds exactly how I thought he would.

Nightmare Fredbear:  “Let’s see how many time’s you can be pulled apart.” (pulling things/being pulled apart seems to be a reoccurring theme) “I assure you I am very real” “This time there is more than an illusion to fear.” (Both lines could be about how in FNAF 4 none of the animatronics are real) “We know who are friends are. But you are not one of them.” “Let me put you back together. And  then take you apart all over again.” I like how his voice is gruff and distorted (actually I like how all the fnaf 4 animatronics have distorted voices). It also sounds layered to me. Or there could be a second voice underneath.

Happy Frog: “Everyone underestimates me. But then they turn their back and I’m like boo! And their like wagh!” “Move over Freddy Fazbear! Happy Frog is the new star of the show.” “We’ve only just begun. I will never let you leave. I will never let you rest.” (Said in a whispered tone. Sounds more sinister than her usual voice) “I bet you weren’t expecting me were ya? Turn your back for one second and I’m like wozoo! Ninja skills.” “You and I don’t get to talk as often as I’d like.” Very cute voice acting. I like how they throw in one creepy line. That should throw a few people off.

Jack-O-Chika: (voice is distorted) “I am a burning reminder of your misdeeds.”) “Greetings from the fire and the one you should not have killed.” (Player character killed someone. Who? My theory at the moment is they’re the purple guy (or maybe one of them) and they’re in hell. But we’ll see if that sticks) “Did things get really hot in here? Or is it just me?” “Come and burn with me. The fire burns eternal. And now you shall as well!” (Further supports my hell theory) A lot of their lines contain hints towards the lore. But due to the distortion they can be hard to hear. Typical of fnaf lore (in plain sight but hard to decipher). My fave voice from the fnaf4 animatronics.

Lefty: (whispers everything) “Shhh...Come spend eternity inside. With me.” (Inside where?) “Shhh...I’ve been looking for you. And now I’ll never let you go.” “Shhh...I’m so glad that I found you. Let me make room for you.” “Shhh...It will all be over soon.” “Shhh...There is room for one more.” (One more in the suit?) His voice is actually one of the creepiest to me. Especially as it sounds like a little boy.

Mangle: “I wanted to wait till just the right moment to drop in.” “It’s so much more fun hanging out in here with you.” “He’s here. And always watching. The one you shouldn’t have killed.” (”The one you shouldn’t have killed” is mentioned a lot) “Don’t be afraid. Soon you will look just like me. Beautiful.” “Now I get to play take apart and put back together. You won’t feel a thing.” The fact they have a male and female voice actor makes me really happy.

Marionette: “The others are under my protection.” “Seeing you powerless is like music to me.” “The others are like animals. But I am very aware.” (Did the other children/victims loose their humanity? Why not this one?) “I don’t hate you. But you need to stay out of my way.” “I recognise you. But I’m not afraid of you. Not anymore.” (Further evidence player character was/is a killer) The childish voice makes an already creepy character creepier. Are they the one “You should not have killed?” (Though their voice sounds like a little girl and Mangled clearly say “He’s here”.)

Ballora: “I could hear you breathing.” “Admit it. You wanted to let me in.” “These are strange circumstances. That have brought us together.” “Don’t be shy. Why do you hide inside these walls?” Her lines are very flirty. Which seems strange.

Toy Chica: “Where’s my beak? Lodged in your forehead of course.” “*Giggles* You won’t get tired of dying will you? You won’t get tired of my voice? Will you?” (further evidence towards the hell theory) “Let’s go somewhere more private. So I can eat you.” Interesting but very fitting voice acting.  Nightmare Bonnie: “You will not be spared. You will not be saved.” “The shadows (indistinct) me. And (indistinct) you back to horror(?) “Your/You’re wickedness made of flesh.” “I’m here to claim what is left of you.” Creepy voice but I can barely understand anything he says

The Music Man: “Hear that. It’s the sweet sweet sound of your eternal silence.” “Hey keep it down would ya?” “When I’m here you play by My rules.” “A song was requested of me. And now I sing it.” “You and I will be making music together for a long long time.” A weird voice for a weird looking character.

Nedbear: “Stranger danger! *laughs* I was just waiting for you to drop your guard.” “Woops. That’s gonna leave a mark.” “This is how it feels. You get to experience it over and over and over again. Forever. I will never let you leave.” (A little girls voice can be heard just out of sync) “Don’t you hate getting killed by obscure secondary characters?” The hillbilly accent is fun. The little girls voice implies even these characters have dark secrets.

Nightmare Freddy (voice is distorted): “No light can save you now.” “I have always been hiding in your shadow.” “What a gift to relish a victim that can’t perish.” (Hell theory) “I am given flesh to be your tormentor.” “I am remade. But not by you. By the one you should not have killed.” Very creepy. Probably one of the easiest Nightmare to understand but still creepy.

Nightmare BB: “There just isn’t room in here for both of us.” “You knew I’d get you eventually.” “Come closer. Help me count my teeth.” “Flash that light all night/all you like. It can’t save you now.” “You’re not so big. Just a bite size morsel.”

Nightmarionette: (voice is distorted) “The nightmare is just beginning.” “Let’s taste (?) death again, and again and again.” “I am the fear of your reflection and the one you have created.” (The one you have created could be the Marionette) “This is a nightmare you won’t wake from.” (Hell theory?) “This time death can not save you.” (Hell theory) Voice is very hard to understand but very creepy.

Nightmare Mangle: Voice is covered by a lot of static and radio interference. I could hear something that sounded like “Come here come here” though it’s not clear.

William Afton:  “I always come back.”  Has a more human sounding voice despite being in a state of disrepair (like the nightmares and withered animatronics) which makes sense. The fact he and Springtrap are different animatronics throws a wrench in a few theories I’ve heard.

Orville Elephant: “I hope you enjoyed the grand finale.” “Now is my time to shine.” “He tried to release you. He tried to release us. But I’m not gonna let that happen. I will hold you here. I will keep you here. No matter how many times they burn us.” (a little girls voice can be heard just after his. Who are they?) “What did you think of my act? I don’t get out much. So you’ll have to forgive my enthusiasm. I love how he sounds like a sweet old man.

Pigpen: “Even monkey’s fall from trees.” “The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.” “The talented hog hides his claws.” “I consider it a dignified death. Not really it was actually quite pathetic.” “If you sit by the river long enough you’ll see the body of your enemy floating by.” The hillbilly voice really suits him, and the banjo makes me laugh.

Rockstar Bonnie: (Electronic voice, sings) “What a fine day to come here and say Your face and flesh I must flay” “What a treat, to come here and meet (?), your face as it hits concrete (?) “I found my guitar. now reach for the stars, As I bludgeon and pull you apart.” “Why so blue? You know I’ll be true. And now I’ll make slippers (?) out of you.” “So good to see you again. My truest friend. But now your life must end.” (Calls the player character his “truest friend”. Does he mean it? Why does he want to kill PC? Did PC kill him (if he’s one of the possessed animatronics)  Interesting how he’s the only one who sings.

Rockstar Chika: “That’ll teach ya for trying to trick this old bird.” “Thought you could fool me with that sign. But I was too smart for ya.” “I may not like wet floors but the smell of fresh meet is just too enticing.” “Looks like you’re the one who slipped up this time.” “That’s right. And don’t you come back now you hear.” Her voice makes me think of a female rockstar from the 70s or 80s.

Scrapbaby: “Time for your controlled shock.” (said two different ways) “Let’s see how many pieces I can cut you into.” “You won’t die. But you’ll wish you could.” (hell theory) Sounds just like Baby’s voice. (personally I’d have made it a little different but it’s fine as it is) Toy Freddie:  “It’s not my fault. I have these fat plastic fingers that can’t press the buttons.” “Mr hugs got me again.” “If I get jumpscared. You get jumpscared.” “That game was totally rigged.” “That’s what you get for leaving me hanging.” Voice could get annoying after a while.

Trash and the gang: (female voice, whispers) “Psst over here. Get closer.” “Excuse me could you come a little closer?” “Hey. Down here. Hello. I wanted to ask you something. Its something really important.” “Psst. I have something to tell you.” “Hey hey. I want to tell you something.” The voice seems to only be there to trick the player into listening more closely before they are jumpscared.

Rockstar Freddie: “Please deposit five coins.” (Said repeatedly during gameplay when active. After jumpscaring the player is said once and grinds to a stop)

Rockstar Foxy “Yar. Ye play with fire and sometime’s ye get burned.” Voice is very similar to Foxy’s but the slight difference is fitting.

Withered Bonnie: (voice has an electronic echo) “Time to face the consequences of your behaviour (?)” “Might as well face the facts. You were always destined to fail.” “You blinked.” “Why (indistinct)? Is it me (indistinct)? Or is it you? Perhaps it is us both.” “I’ve made (indistinct) fate. But (indistinct) taught (?)” Could someone please tell me what he’s saying?

Withered Chika: (Indistinct) through the vent. But now we are together.” “Let me show you how to break your face and look like me.” “I was the first. I have seen everything.” (The first what? Animatronic? Victim?) “Come closer. Let’s smile(?) together.” “I have seen him. The one you shouldn’t have killed.” The juttering voice is creepy though not the creepiest.

Baby: “I guess you forgot about me.” “Want to see the scooping room?” (Player character could be the main character from SL or Baby’s creator. Or both?) “Guess you forgot about me. Looks like something bad happened.”

Robot(?): “Now I will tell you a story.” “But he could not choose.” “He placed the remains together.” “He promised to never leave them.” Sounds like the War of the Worlds CD my mum has. Who’s story is it telling? The player characters? The Marionettes? 

Mr Hippo: NOPE. NO. Not doing it. I’m not typing all his lines. I’d like to do other things today thank you very much. (His line “maybe I met some sort of demise of my own” is interesting though) Sounds like an old man.