#i have one weakness and it is portrayals of how addiction affects familial relationships-

[maybeinanotherworld]

hey guys i just watched young royals s3 e1-5 and i am going to need to lie down for a very long time

[pines-troz]

List of my (unpopular?) Gravity Falls opinions

- My top three favorite episodes are Weirdmageddon Part 3 (satisfying conclusion that ties all loose ends and goes out on a high note), Northwest Mansion Mystery (great character development from Pacifica and Dipper, creepy atmosphere, Pacifica overcoming the emotional abuse from her parents, wonderful background art, the kids dress up in fancy attire) and Society of the Blind Eye (Fiddleford McGucket was fantastic and became a key player in the show’s main plot, great and creepy portrayal of cult, explains why most of the citizens of GF are unaware of the supernatural happenings in town, the memory gun as a brilliant metaphor for addiction). 

- While I do love Stan and Ford, I sometimes feel that the GF fandom focuses a little too much on them. 

- I wish the show developed Wendy and Pacifica more. While I do respect Alex for wanting to tell the story he wanted and ending the show on a high note, I wish he was able to expand on their characters a bit. Wendy is a great character in her own right (loves hanging out with the Pines, is a slacker, will kick ass when she needs to), I wish the show explored more of her flaws (using her chill persona as a front to hide her stress and anxiety, how her mom not being around anymore affected her). And while I love seeing Pacifica becoming more humble, it would have been cool to see her hang out with Dipper and Mabel more. Maybe the Graphic Novel will develop Wendy and Pacifica, but who knows.

- I do love how the show handles romance with none of the main characters getting together with anyone (with the exception of Soos). I like how Dipper and Mabel grow and learn from their failed romantic endeavors, with Dipper and Wendy being friends, Dipper learning that you shouldn’t force someone to love you and that you should strive to be someone worthy of loving, Mabel learning that not having a boyfriend isn’t the end of the world and learning to love yourself is more important. Even Stan of all people learns how pick-up artistry doesn’t work. I believe that these are all important lessons that viewers, especially kids, should take away from the show. 

- Bill is a great villain, but he is also a shitty demon. The dude tries to manipulate Ford through his charisma alone, he’s super cocky and confident that his plans will work and when they don’t he’s prone to procrastination, and he’s super impulsive whenever he tries to obtain something he wants to the point where he ignores everything else. Sure Bill can be scary and threatening, but he also has some weaknesses. It baffles me how some people place him on this pedestal of ‘oh, he sees everything’ ‘Bill is super smart and powerful’, when in reality he’s been duped by humans not once, but three times! Namely, two twelve-year-olds and a pair of old men! There’s no way Bill’s pride recover from something this embarrassing! Overall, Bill Cipher the perfect mixture of a petulant toddler, a used car salesman, and a college frat-boy who only wants to party and ignores his homework until the last minute. 

-Gideon was a fun villain in season one. While Bill overshadowed him in the evil department, people tend to forget how intimidating and creepy he was (not only his obsession with Mabel, but he was abusive to his own parents) all while being a funny parody of televangelist preachers and child stars. He was a great foil for the Pines family (Dipper and Mabel could have ended up like Gideon, but the twins had their compassion for family and their moral compasses in the right place). Plus he was an amusing business rival for Stan. 

- Roadside Attraction was not a bad episode. While it does have some issues with how the plot the presented, there was enough good stuff in it that I really liked. I loved seeing Dipper and Stan bond (the ‘we’re both failures’ scene is one of my favorite moments), after episodes of Stan being woobified in ATOTS and Stanchurian Candidate it is nice to see him acting like a wacky criminal again, Darlene was a cool villain, and I liked the whole road trip aspect to it (another perfect example of childhood nostalgia that the show perfectly emulates).

- Boss Mabel and The Stanchurian Candidate were my least favorite in my opinion. While there was plenty of humor in both episodes, I personally did not like the ‘moral’ presented in Boss Mabel (in order to run a successful business, you have to treat your workers like dirt). And while I understand the main conflict in Stanchurian Candidate (Stan feeling overshadowed by Ford and jealous of his twin, Stan wanting to prove his worth to his family), I feel like the plot of the episode could have been executed better. 

- I am not a big fan of trans!dipper headcanon for a few reasons: Mabel’s incessant teasing of Dipper’s masculinity (I know it’s just her being innocently insensitive, but that would be harmful behavior if her brother was transitioning), Dipper’s real name is Mason, and Dipper was seen without his shirt a few times in the show and he has the physique of a typical preteen male. Even though this is my opinion, I will not dismiss other people for headcanoning Dipper as a trans boy. 

- I do support the idea of Grenda being a trans girl. While the show does have a few issues of trying to present her without being a walking punchline, there are some admirable qualities to her character. She’s confident, fun-loving, and cares about her friends. There is never a moment in the show where Grenda is mistaken for a boy. And I appreciate that she does end up surprising Mabel and Candy, who were initially dismissive of Grenda’s flirting, by winning over Marius with her bold attitude and becoming his girlfriend. It may not be a perfect representation, but I understand the intent of the writers wanting to positively portray a trans character and Grenda is a step in the right direction.  

- While the parallels between Dipper and Ford / Mabel and Stan are quite obvious, I find the parallels between Dipper and Stan / Mabel and Ford to be more fascinating. Dipper and Stan not only share similar flaws (insecurities over themselves and feeling like the lesser twin, both lie to protect their family (the portal/the rift), both willing to get their hands dirty to achieve a goal) they both share their best traits (putting all of their effort in protecting their family, sarcastic sense of humor). The same goes with Mabel and Ford with their flaws (more self-absorbed, innocently insensitive at times, believe their ideas are the right ideas) and their strengths (confident in themselves, very creative). 

- I am not a big fan of the majority of AUs. Monster Falls doesn’t really appeal to me, the whole Stan is actually Bill theory irritates me. I especially don’t like Relativity Falls because of how it slaps Dipper and Mabel’s sibling relationship onto Stan and Ford’s when in actuality Dipper and Mabel have a much healthier sibling relationship and it would be out of character for them to act otherwise. But there are some AUs that I like (Mystery Trio AU, Big Dipper AU in which Dipper an older brother to Mabel, any positive GF/Rick and Morty crossovers).  

- All ships involving Bill are disgusting and you can’t tell me otherwise. 

[hiddlesgirl]

SH 208: Love Is A Devil

I really enjoyed this episode; we get some great character interaction, emotional scene and a glimpse of badass Magnus! Simon finally admits his feelings to Clary, Iris has a new boss, Magnus meets Max and we see Jace smile. I did notice an editing mistake which I’ll mention, but it’s easily forgotten because the scene is awesome. The acting is superb as always, we are seriously blessed with this cast.

*UPDATED*

We begin with Izzy being cornered by the vamps she found, too weak to defend herself Raphael unexpectedly comes to her aid. Firstly, I just want to applaud Emeraude for her portrayal this season; she is amazing. I really like that we are seeing a softer side to Raphael; he knows that she is in pain because of the withdrawal and wants to help her. I don’t agree with his decision to bite her, but you can understand his actions because of Izzy’s condition; but this is most likely going to lead down a very bad path.

Clary and Jace tell Luke about the swords second purpose and the vision Ithuriel gave them. Luke is understandably angry, Clary has known since coming back from the Iron Sisters that Valentine now has a weapon that could wipe out Downworlders; he is scared for his pack and his friends, they have the right to know if they are in danger. He is also angry that Clary kept something so important from him. Plus, Valentine has taken Cleophas; Luke doesn’t know what he is doing to his sister or how to get her back; his frustration and anger are piling up and the only outlet he has right now is to try to find the demon that can destroy the Soul Sword.

Alec asks Magnus to throw a party for Max in celebration for his Rune Ceremony; Magnus is dubious because Maryse would attend and she very vocally doesn’t like him or their relationship. I really love that Alec wants to include Magnus in this tradition, to show his mom that their relationship isn’t going away; he wants to prove to both of them that he is serious about this relationship and that he regards it as long term. I love that after hearing Alec’s statement Magnus agrees, he wants to show he is willing to make the effort with Maryse and Max because he cares about Alec and their relationship; he wants to try to make things civil between himself and Maryse for Alec’s sake. Also the smile on Magnus’ face as he leaves is beautiful; and Alec’s smile after Magnus leaves is so adorable.

I think that the Climon scene was very cute and the chemistry was good; I am so happy for Simon that he has taken the courage to admit his feelings. I am not quite sure how to feel about them as a couple yet because I love them so much as friends; I’m just going to wait and see how their relationship plays out. However, I am very worried for their (kinda inevitable) eventual break up. I had an experience where a friend admitted their feelings for me which I didn’t reciprocate and it irreparably damaged our friendship; it was a long time before they could even talk to me again, never mind hang out in person. Unfortunately our friendship was never the same after that, we never got our closeness back; and I am very scared for a similar outcome for Simon and Clary. I am willing to watch their relationship grow but I am worried for the break up because I know it is going to be extremely emotional.

I really love how Alec defends Magnus when Maryse questions that party being held at his apartment; I really like his line ‘Tradition’s change, especially those based on ignorance’. I really like how the younger characters are all moving towards being more accepting of Downworlders and that it is going to change the institute because they are the future leaders; they will be able to positively change the outlook on Downworlders in the Shadowhunter community. I really loved that Alec made it clear to Maryse that his relationship with Magnus isn’t going away and that she needs to accept that; and that he made it clear to her that it was Magnus who was planning the party, and he was the one she should be thanking. I still don’t like Maryse’s behaviour and attitude towards Magnus, but it takes a long time to unlearn prejudice; I hope that she can become more accepting for the sake of her children.

I adore the scene between Jace and Magnus; Jace is worried about Alec getting hurt if Magnus loses interest in him. I totally understand Jace’s concern; Alec is his parabatai and he wants to protect him, people are always protective over their family and friends when a partner comes onto the scene. I absolutely love the moment that Jace says ‘we’re parabatai’ and Magnus has a mini freak out; their expressions always make me laugh. I also love that when Jace says that he can sense Alec is happier Magnus has this small smile on his face; it makes him happy to know that he is making Alec happy, that Alec is happier because of him and their relationship. Jace is making it clear that he isn’t going to let Magnus hurt Alec; but Magnus reassures him that hurting Alec is the last thing he wants. I love Magnus’ line ‘You think I would invite Maryse Lightwood to my home for just anyone?’ and the smiles they share; it is so cute and heart warming; they both care about Alec so much; I think it is one of the few genuine smiles from Jace that we have seen. It’s the beginning of Jace trusting Magnus with Alec’s feelings and the strengthening of their friendship too; it is one of my favourite scenes of the episode and I cannot wait for more scenes between the two of them in the future.

The sex thing, I am still unsure as to whether they actually went all the way. When asked by Izzy, Alec said there was nothing to talk about and it was never clearly stated in Magnus and Jace’s conversation either; although many are taking their conversation as confirmation. I’m still holding out on judgement of that until we, hopefully, get a conversation about that situation between Alec and Magnus. I am thinking that they participated in something sexual, but probably not penetrative sex; I think that Magnus would encourage Alec to start small and work up to penetrative sex; but that’s just my opinion.

I know that some people have been discussing that Climon are already touching each other more in public (like holding hands etc) than Malec; and I understand that people are a bit upset and want to see more intimate Malec (I would love that too). However, Simon and Clary have been friends for years they are already very comfortable being tactile with each other, so it is very natural for them; but it’s different with Malec. Alec is still getting used to being in a relationship, coming on in leaps and bounds in confidence, but he still may not be comfortable showing affection in public; it is a gradual process as he becomes more comfortable with himself and Magnus. Also with how Maryse feels about Magnus I don’t think Alec wants to cause any arguments by being tactile with Magnus in front of her or Max, not just yet anyway. But that’s just my opinion.

I think that it is so adorable that Magnus is worrying about the state of the food; he wants the party to be a success, he wants to make a good impression on Maryse and Max. I love Alec when he reassures Magnus that it is all perfect, he really appreciates the trouble Magnus has gone to, to make the party special. Maryse’s line ‘I heard you like to drink’ always makes me laugh, and Alec’s expression is priceless; but I do like that she is trying to make an effort with Magnus, as awkward and stunted as it may be.

Izzy gets Raphael to meet her before she goes to Max’s party; we learn that vampire venom directly given is more potent and wears off quicker than Yin Fen. Raphael tries to convince Izzy to sweat out the drug before she gets even more addicted; I admire his persistence in trying to make her see that she can conquer the addiction before it takes too much of a hold on her. I was extremely shocked and disappointed that Izzy cut herself and forcibly fed a drop of her blood to Raphael so that he would bite her. She has used his impulses against him, manipulated him to get what she wanted; I think that this moment will cause guilt when she does eventually kick the addiction and rightly so, she coerced Raphael into biting her with the allure of her blood which he just told her was more potent than human blood. As he feeds you can see the struggle on his face and while it hurts you it also makes you worry about what is going to Raphael now that he has got a taste for Shadowhunter blood.

Magnus is clearly making an effort with Max, hoping that Max will like him; he knows that Max is important to Alec so he wants to make a good impression on him. I have mixed feelings about Max, I like him but I wasn’t keen on his attitude towards Magnus, he was very rude. He had to be prompted by Alec to thank Magnus for his gift, and he wasn’t very enthusiastic; then he came straight out asking Magnus about his Warlock Mark and asking Magnus how much of him is a demon. I understand that Max has been influenced by Maryse and I hope his attitude changes in the future because Magnus wants Max to trust him which is why he showed him his eyes.

When Magnus showed Max his eyes his jaw clenched and his smile dropped a little; it made me think that he was preparing himself for a negative reaction which breaks my heart. He is so used to people rejecting him that he prepares himself for it; I just want to hug him. I love that Jace softly defends Magnus by telling Max to apologise for being so rude; Magnus has done so much for them, he makes Alec happy and he is letting Jace stay with him; I think that Jace truly sees Magnus as a friend now. Also, with how Valentine treated him because of his demon blood I think that he doesn’t like to see Max talk to someone that way; to make Magnus feel like less because of his demon blood.

It’s not just his attitude to Magnus that has clearly been influenced by Maryse; he is rude to Jace and says that he isn’t his brother. I really feel for Jace, after everything he has been through and now the only family he has even known is turning their back on him.

Also, the Warlock Mark reveal scene, I did like it. However, I was really looking forward to Magnus and Alec having an intimate moment in which Magnus reveals his cat eyes; especially after what Magnus told Clary and Simon about his mother. I was looking forward to a heartfelt scene, which I thought we were going to get last week because of the promo photos, but that’s a different issue. Anyway, yes I liked the scene but I kinda wanted something more for Magnus revealing them to Alec for the first time.

Raphael walks Izzy to Magnus’; he tells her that after Maryse leaves she needs to sequester herself away and get the venom out of her system. She is clearly on a high from the bite and tries to get Raphael to reveal in it too. Raphael reveals that when he was first turned he drank human blood and he couldn’t control himself; he has experienced addiction before and he hated the lack of control it gave him, I am now very worried because before it was just human blood but now it’s Shadowhunter blood which is more potent. I am very worried that they are going towards an addiction dependant relationship. I love that we learn more about Raphael and Magnus’ relationship; Magnus was the person who helped Raphael when no one else would, he helped Raphael find his religion again and made him see that just because he was a vampire didn’t mean that everything you were before just disappears. I think that it is a very sweet scene and I enjoy their scenes together, I just worry about where their interactions are leading.

Okay, onto the spell and what it does to Clary, Jace and Alec.

Clary sees her insecurities about her new relationship with Simon, which is very understandable. She knows that there is a connection between Simon and Maia because they had similar experiences and Maia can understand parts of Simon’s life that she can’t. I really liked this because it is very relatable; we all worry about losing a friend or partner to someone who could understand them better. Also, Simon has been a constant in her life for years and she is scared of losing him, of losing that security; she may also be scared that this budding romance will get ripped away from her like it was with Jace, although for different reasons.

Jace is afraid that people, especially his family, will reject him because he has demon blood. To most Shadowhunters demon blooded creatures are seen as untrustworthy, lesser than them and treated as such; he is scared of that reaction and rejection, especially from the ones he loves most. After Max’s comment on the balcony (I nearly cried, I just wanted to hug him) he knows that Maryse and Robert have been talking about him behind his back and feels like his every fear is being confirmed.

Alec, oh god he is breaking my heart, is so full of guilt. He blames himself for killing Jocelyn, he feels like he should have been able to resist the demon and prevented what happened. He is the protector, the leader, the older brother; he is used to being in control and when that happened he wasn’t in control of the situation and someone died; not just anyone, his friend’s mother, his Parabatia’s mother. He hasn’t given himself enough time to properly process what happened and the resulting guilt. He feels like Clary blames him because he blames himself, he feels so consumed by guilt he was prepared to kill himself.

I know that this is a really sensitive subject; I went through those sorts of thoughts several years ago so I get it. Yes, it was a bit out of character for Alec to go to that extreme but under the influence of the spell all he could feel was the guilt and he felt like he was drowning in it, so I understand that leap to suicide attempt; when all you can feel is negative you want a way out. So I understand why this may have upset a lot of people, and it was slightly out of character but I understand the situation that lead up to it. I really hope that it gets some sort of follow up because although he would not normal attempt something so extreme he needs to talk to someone about his lingering feelings of guilt.

I love that when Magnus saves Alec his magic is so gentle; also that he sedated Alec because he didn’t want Alec to be awake while he was still in such a negative mindset. Magnus knows what it feels like to be in that state of mind and doesn’t want Alec to have to endure that any longer then he has to.

I love Magnus being a badass. I love that we got to see him fight, he is always so caring and considerate it was great to see the protective, passionate, angry side of him; he will fight for what is his and to protect his friends and his people. I just love Magnus okay. I also like the changes in the colour of his magic; that when he is calm or using his magic for something good it’s blue, but when he is angry or frustrated it turns red. It reflects the two sides of him, the human side of him and his more demonic side. I really hope that we get to see more Magnus fight scenes in the future.

However, during the fight scene I did notice an editing mistake. When Magnus first sends a blast at Iris she flies through the door and into a bookcase opposite the door, destroying it and landing on the ground; Magnus strides out of his bedroom to follow. Then in the next shot Iris is getting up from the floor and debris of the bookcase which is now to the right of the door not opposite it, and Magnus is just coming through the threshold of his bedroom door, again. I only noticed after several times watching the scene because I was so caught up in the action; it is something you can brush aside and enjoy the scene. But once you notice it you can’t help but notice it every time you watch the scene from then on (so I apologise for that). Hopefully the editing team will be more vigilant and careful about how they put together different shots and takes to make up a scene in future.

Clary and Jace tell Magnus, Alec, Simon and Izzy about swords secondary purpose, her rune ability and the vision that Ithuriel showed them. I love that Clary insisted on telling them because ‘they are family’; the group has become so close and they have become a family. Magnus explains that Clary may have a blood connection to Ithuriel which is why she has her abilities and he could communicate with her. Also, if she does have pure angel blood she would be able to activate the Soul Sword; which also explains why Valentine is always so adamant that she not be harmed, he needs her.

I love that we finally got to see Clary explicitly say to Alec that she does not blame him for Jocelyn’s death. He needed to hear that from her, however it doesn’t solve his feelings; you can see his expression change after she turns away. Despite knowing she does not blame him, he still blames himself and I really want to see him work this out and overcome it.

I like that we got to see Maryse reassure Jace that she loves him; he really needed that affirmation that she hasn’t rejected him. She also says that Max was out of line because she was out of line; I am hoping she means this towards Magnus too and will try to be more accepting to Magnus, and encourage Max to do the same. I also like that we got to see her emotional and more vulnerable side and despite their differences Alec will always be there for her and vise versa.

I really like that we are getting to see another side to Maryse; she never aimed to be a villain, in her eyes she was following orders and doing her duty as Shadowhunter. That doesn’t excuse her attitude towards Magnus and his relationship with Alec but I am hoping that she will try to improve that now. Also, despite her cool attitude towards her children in season 1 it has become apparent that she cares and loves them so much she just isn’t good at showing it. She knows that Izzy idolises her family and want to protect her from what her father has done, because it would destroy Izzy’s image of him and probably their father-daughter relationship too.

Despite a couple issues, which I hope pan out in the next couple of episodes or 2b, I really enjoyed this episode. I love that Alec is growing more confident in his relationship and is willing to stand up to Maryse to defend it; and that Alec regards their relationship as long term. I loved the Magnus and Jace scene; I really hope we get to see their friendship more as the season continues. I love badass Magnus and hope we get some more fight scene which he is involved in. And I am glad we got to see a softer side to Maryse.

[masculinity-in-media-blog]

Character Sketches

Chiron “Little”

Chiron is a young, black, gay male growing up in poverty in Miami, Florida. In the beginning of the film Chiron is known as “Little,” because of his stature compared to his classmates. This results in the other boys bullying him because he is seen as weak. In the first third of the film Chiron is a little boy seeking affection and he gets that from Juan and Juan’s girlfriend, Teresa. Chiron’s mother is a drug addict and he does not have a father in the picture. Juan is also a drug dealer. Chiron’s identity as a gay, black male is important because it impacts all of his relationships in the film. As I was watching the film I remembered the chapter of the bell hooks’ chapter on parenting. One thing that stood out to me was hooks’ discussion of how black mothers act toward their boys, “In many black families maternal adoration of sons leads to inappropriate bonding, to overt and covert emotional abuse.” (117) This is important to note because there are multiple times in the movie where Paula (Chiron’s mother) attempts to stake her claim on Chiron as her son while being emotionally abusive. This version of Chiron is sensitive and seeking affection, which tends to be looked down upon when discussing masculinity. 

Chiron “Black”

In the final third of the film Chiron becomes, “Black,” which is a nickname that his childhood friend, Kevin, called him. Chiron becomes a drug dealer like Juan, who has passed away between the second third of the film, “Chiron,” and the final third. All of the concepts that affected Chiron in the beginning of the film still impact him in the final third. However, he covers his true self by a hard exterior and toxic masculinity. This toxic masculinity exhibits itself in toughness around other people. The audience never sees Chiron acting violently but this change is exhibited by his emotional distance from the people in his life. Chiron hides his sexual identity behind this toxic masculinity and does not allow himself to have personal, romantic relationships. However, at the end of the film he is reintroduced to his childhood friend, Kevin, and this makes him see how his life could be different. This reintroduction also gives Chiron the opportunity to truly express his feelings. The audience then sees vulnerability from a man who had not allowed himself to be vulnerable since his teenage years. 

Juan

Juan is another representation of masculinity. Juan finds Chiron running from a group of bullies, cannot get Chiron to talk, and takes Chiron to meet Teresa. His gender, race, class, and life experience all have an impact on his masculinity and his relationship with Chiron. Juan is black, straight man also living in Miami, Florida. One of the more iconic scenes of the movie is Juan teaching Chiron how to swim. This is an important scene because it gives Chiron a father figure that he has not had in his life. It also portrays sensitivity that is not usually portrayed by black men in media. Juan exhibits different kinds of masculinity with different people. We see him act tough around other drug dealers; however, he is exceptionally kind and patient with Chiron. This movie is interesting when discussing masculinity because it is so different from other portrayals in media. This film portrays both sides of a person rather than two-dimensional characters.