#i have many thoughts on elitism in media lol

[paganpr1nce]

Honestly this triggers a specific thought in me and I'm not gonna put this articulately because it's 4am and I am a gremlin.

I joke a lot that I have 'bad taste' in media because I genuinely enjoy pretty much any kind of media. But for me it's that I love art, and part of that love comes through deep analysis of all sorts of media. But I can find it very difficult to interact with other people around media because everyone feels so serious about things sometimes. And it can feel like there's all these 'correct' opinions that you're supposed to have and if you don't have them, you are wrong or dumb. Like, it just brings me back to my uni lecturer that told me I just 'didn't get' this old story because I openly said I hated it and it felt like a waste of time. Like, that was how I felt and I had legitimate analysis to back that up but it was still 'wrong' so was discarded.

Like, I could spend probably far too much time picking apart the themes in so much classic literature and theology, but if I'm asked what my favourite movie is I'm gonna always hit people with She's the Man (and could also probably do a deep media analysis of that).

I think like idk it's kinda pretentious to think that media has to fit certain requirements to mean that it's like 'worthy' of attention / analysis. It limits things to a very slim range of media and it's a stance that quickly becomes elitist and shoves out a lot of really passionate creators.

Like, I have a character who is a soft and delicate ballet-dancing werewolf and he was created in some contrast to the general werewolf tropes of them being scruffy and overly violent, but also as a deliberate criticism of the gender binary that exists within ballet as an art by making him a male dancer who primarily plays the 'female' roles.

He's also in love with a vampire who skateboards, they are basically the Sk8r Boi song. Cause idk it's fuckn fun? It can be both. I can have a character who makes a point about something important while also just being a silly little dude.

There are people that could probably put this into much more eloquent terms than me but basically my point is that She's the Man is a great movie and I would like to talk about it every hour of every day

Mr Jonny Sims sir, who is Rosie named after? Because I try to google her last name and all it shows up is house of leaves

Look, man, cards on the table, I don't remember what surname I gave Rosie. The wiki says Zampano, so I guess, yeah, I gave her the name of the fictional writer in House of Leaves.

[cy-cyborg]

So, there's a lot I want to say about the paralypics, but every time I try I just... can't articulate what I want to say without it turning into a monster of a post that puts my writing advice posts to shame lol. This includes in response to the anonymous asks I got on the topic btw. So I'm going to try and summarise my thoughts here.

As someone who was working towards the Rio paralympics - who was basically one of the people they were actively training to be the next paralympians and who got to go if their choice first athletes had to drop out, the Olympics and paralympics are a... touchy subject for me. I loved playing. I loved my sport. I loved the people I played with. I loved the people I played against. But the way the public and people in power treats disabled athletes sucks. It Really really sucks. and it hurts to talk about.

The vast, vast majority of us aren't paid. We are expected to train at the same intensity as the Olympians with none of the breaks and none of the support to do so, resulting in injuries that are disabling in and of themselves, while juggling normal jobs. many of the paralympians are also in school or at university as well. both schools and jobs see these elite athletes as dedicated hobbiests at best.

I had a friend who were fired from their job because they were denied time off to compete at the paralypics and well, if i had to choose between the paralympics or stay at a shit job paying minimum wage, I know which one I'd pick, and so she didnt have a job when she came back. I have friends who are still in the closet because their sponsors would drop them if they came out as gay, who ended years-long relationships to keep the funding that allowed them and their teams to compete - funding that just covered the costs of travel by the way. They never saw a cent of it themselves, but it was the difference between us having to pay $50 each for our plane tickets and accommodation and having to pay $2,000Aud + for every away game. I have friends who were supposed to go to Tokeyo but were kicked off the teams weeks before the games because of a rule change that decided they weren't disabled enough anymore, wasting years of work with absolutely no warning. They weren't even given the decency of an appology from the people who made the call. Several went through terrifying mental health spirals over it. It was their life's work, gone. I saw so many friends just give up because their disabilities were "too hard to classify" into the International Paralympic Commity's boxes and who were made to feel they weren't welcome by the system spouting off about its diversity and inclusion and empowerment of disabled people.

And then with all that, the best we can hope for is for the social media teams to turn us into a joke for ableds to laugh at or into inspiration porn to make them feel good about themselves - because at least theyre not us. Because obviously, there are no other options in how to show us/sarcasm.

My phone doesn't even have "paralympics" as a recognised word. I have a Samsung. The company that is currently at the paralympics using them as a marketing opertunity. We aren't even recognised as a word in the phones made by the company that is currently using the paralympics as a marketing opportunity. The phones they're giving the athletes won't even recognise the name of the event that they got it at. If I've spelt it wrong, it's because it autocorrects it every time I try to spell it right, and im dyslexic and can't see the difference until I stare at it for a minute or so.

I just... this isn't even scratching the surface of my thoughts. But I wanted to say at least some of it. It will be the last I'm going to talk about it, at least until the event is over.

[raziiyah]

Since you made that post about the Monster World and their Beauty standards

How attractive do you think Randall is by the monster world standards?

Obviously in Monster's University he's MEANT to be seen as this wimpy, scrawny geek and a loser 🤓

But what about during the Monster's Inc era?

Out of the 3 Main Monsters (Mike, Sulley, and Randall) we see that Mike is the only one who isn't "Bitchless" or "Maidenless" (as the Twitter crowd would say 🙄)

Which I find hilariously ironic considering Mike is the only of those 3 who wasn't a scarer nor does he really fit into any of the Beauty standards 🤔

(Now from a real life perspective I can understand why Randall and Sulley are single due to Randall's status as the villain and giving Sulley a love interest would've distracted too much attention away from his relationship with Boo)

But it is kinda funny from an In-Universe perspective because you'd think Randall and ESPECIALLY Sulley would both have an army of Women (and Men 🌈) trying to vouch for their attention due to their status as the 2 biggest Top Scarers

Tho with Randall I suppose you could argue that his personality was probably a turn off for anyone who actually might've tried to date him or get to know him (I love the dude but honestly he seems like he'd be kinda difficult to deal with in a relationship).

Not sure what the excuse for Sulley is tho lol

hi i will gladly talk about randall’s hotness 😋

okay for real though i think randall would actually be considered handsome (i swear im not biased) randall definitely possesses scary traits, from sharp teeth, big independently moving eyes, multiple limbs, etc., and has a general scary appearance, so i think it’s fair to say he’s considered quite attractive. also the fact he was in ror; the top frat in MU, presumably the most elite university in monstropolis, and is a scarer, the best career you could ever have (and with him and sulley being the two candidates to get the all time scare record, one of the best in the whole monster world??) probably helps too

another thing i want to mention that i’ve thought about is there are many round cyclops monsters like mike and big horned furry monsters like sulley, but there isn’t really any monster in the monster world (or in other media) that quite looks like randall.

joy has reptilian features but she looks very different from randall (though i’d like to point out that she was the number 1 scarer at fear co., which could be more evidence that randall is very scary and therefore more attractive) mr. crummyham bears some resemblance to randall, but he has smoother skin, a skinnier body, and a very different face

other than the fact that the vas in mi bear resemblance to their characters to me, randall has such a fine distinct design, so something i thought about is randall’s attractiveness could be compared to his va steve buscemi in our world. there are many people who consider buscemi as handsome, and i've also seen some people describe his look to be “unique”. with randall having a design so distinct from the other monsters and possessing scary/attractive traits, i feel like randall’s attractiveness in the monster world could also be described the same way

i definitely agree with the idea that they didn’t include any romantic stuff for sulley and randall because it would be unnecessary and distracting, but that aside,,

i’m sure there are many monsters who were attracted to sulley. sulley's been the number 1 scarer at monsters inc for a very long time, is the son of a famous scarer, and is shown to be very popular both in and at work. for one, these two in mu seemed attracted to him

in mi, on his way to work, basically everyone knows him and greets him, both on the street and at work. so in that way, there are actually a lot of monsters that vie for sulley's attention (including the fcking CDA 😭)

maybe some monsters are nervous around sulley and think he's out of their league. even though he is friendly, he does have a very high status so he may be intimidating to talk to; like look at how nervous needleman is here when talking to him hehe

on randall’s end, though he’s probably not nearly as social, he probably gets a fair share of recognition (though is probably very overshadowed by sulley) but there are likely some monsters that don’t like his personality and because of that aren't interested, or are scared/intimidated to actually talk to him. but they can admire him from an appearance and achievement perspective, though perhaps from a distance

but as you said, i definitely think that personality plays a big role into which monsters are considered attractive

first, mike is full of personality, being charming, funny and witty. he's shown to be a smooth talker, whether flirting with celia or distracting waternoose and randall with convincing lies. mike may not fit into the "scary" beauty standard, but i think some monsters don't really care. and i know that celia genuinely thinks mike is handsome :] mike was also very likely the smartest scaring student on mu’s campus. but judging by mike's locker in the credits for mu, celia may have started crushing on mike around the time when he was just a cafeteria worker and i like to think she fell for mike early on for both his looks and personality 🩷

sulley on the other hand is shown to be a bit clumsy and not as smooth with his words, so he probably has no rizz 😔✊️/jk (it's v cute though)

randall's personality is pretty self explanatory LOL, though interestingly, even though randall is a prick, his coworkers were genuinely happy for him when he became the scare leader and when they thought he broke the scare record. so i feel like he’s only directly mean to sulley, mike and fungus, while he just tolerates everyone else (unless they cross his path) like his coworkers are probably aware of his bitter attitude but may undermine it since he's not directly mean to them and randall probably has respect for being #2 in the whole comany, because i don't think all those monsters would be happy for him if he treated all of them how he treats the three i mentioned. and i mean he showed a liking towards johnny so we know he's capable of not feeling utter hate for everyone. though he may not always be directly mean to his other coworkers, i’m sure his attitude is still noticed and deemed undesirable for lots of monsters. i feel like randall would be viewed as skilled and attractive but a dick lol

but in the end i think a big reason why i think sulley and randall aren't in a relationship is because they’re so career focused.

sulley probably wasn't interested or focused on getting into a relationship since he was focused on his career and reaching the scare record. before he met boo, he didn't have much else going on for him outside of scaring. he does work out as a hobby but even that was scaring related; mike even calls him out for this

it was likely the same with randall, and between the scare record and the scream extractor, he probably has no time or desire to get into a relationship. and his commitment to his job and one-upping sulley could impair his attention in a relationship (you better believe this is something i incorporated into lia and randall's relationship but lets not get into that right now haha ☉‿☉) there may have been monsters who were brave enough to confess to him but he's likely rejected him because his priority is the grind 😤💯💰

in maw sulley may have lost some of his reputation by bringing laugh energy to mi, plus jill broadcasting to all of monstropolis that sulley cheated in the scare games, got expelled, and was associated with the convicted criminal who is waternoose, probably didn't help his popularity. though after the end of maw season 2 i know more monsters will warm up to him, not to mention there are probably many who admire him already

(where did they get this image 😭)

if anyone johnny is probably the pinnicle of monster attractiveness, from appearance, skills, demenour and status. i was cracking up over how much game this man had, like everyone wanted him 😭 he got with claire, then it was shown that jill, tylor's mom, and his grandma were shown to be down bad for him (not the generational thirsting) not to mention chet and randall wanting to get his attention, like fck this mf has game, he was probably on a magazine with "sexiest monster alive" on the cover LMAO

he was whole package, well until, you know

[lets-try-some-writing]

You asked for responses to your TFOne review so here it is. I’m autistic so forgive if things come off rude, I’m doing my best. Anywho.

Your bias shows incredibly clearly. To the point things you hate I love and it just makes it clear to me they’re down sides in your review simply because of your own opinions. It’s especially notable to me because while you sympathized and enjoyed D-16 and felt Orion was passive, I felt the opposite. I found myself having the least empathy for Megatron I’ve ever felt and feeling a new understanding for Optimus I didn’t have before. So aside from your takes on those two, I do agree with a lot of your points. The side characters aka B and Elita don’t make sense or need to be there like they were. The pacing was off and the story made a lot of concessions simply so things would go the way they wanted. They brute forced plot points into happening that don’t make sense. But in a vacuum I think it all works well. They draw on a lot of different influences and working together with those it’s their end goal becomes incredibly clear. Which for me works a lot! I enjoyed the film having such an obvious vision. There are many things I didn’t like about the film and even left the theater the first time unsatisfied with it. But after having seen it 4 times now, I’ve grown a lot happier with it. I think it’s something that needs getting used to. Which of course having to see a film several times to really “get it” is not great but well I like it now so my bad. I agree the elite guards existence is a bit dumb and contrived but I think I get their reason for being a bit more. In the end I’m not sure why I’m saying all this but to point out that your own personal bias has greatly affected what is otherwise a wonderfully put together review. Now you said as much so normally I wouldn’t point that out but I actually study film and journalism while trying to professionally review movies. I do that and while I’m not sure that’s what you were going for you certainly achieved it. Aside from the minor grievances I mentioned. So just if you were, I’d keep that in mind for the future. I hope you don’t come out of this ask thinking I disliked your review at all, really it’s stellar work and I respect it a lot. But it seems we really disagree on this film huh? Tis the beauty of art I guess. If you actually read this all, thanks!

I appreciate how honest you are with your assessment of my work! Thank you for giving your thoughts!

Personally, I wasn't aiming to write a bias free review because A) that sounds boring as crap. And B) I feel like half the fun of reading or watching a review is getting to see a bit of soul to the commentator. I take a lot of Inspiration from Schaffrillas Productions, The Critical Drinker, Cinemasins, Nerdrotic, and Pastra. And this is largely because I like having actual analysis mixed in with some personality when it comes to a film, especially fictional media. There is an arguable truth when it comes to historical media and film, but fictional stuff is designed to have opinions and differing views that vary from fan to fan. Hence, my review being chalk full of my personal takes.

I have my opinions and I am not shy about them lol. I prefer D-16, you prefer Orion Pax. Some people will die on the hill of Elita superiority, meanwhile I would prefer to throw her off the nearest cliff. Some folks think Sentinel is mid, and I think he's stunning. It's all cool. Honestly, I think one of the good things about TF One is that it gives enough leeway when it comes to our main duo for fans to love one or both of them. There's room to think and develop an opinion. It's so much fun seeing others and their ideas, even if I don't agree.

Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts! It was fascinating to read your opinion on my opinions. I adore this kind of discourse. Good luck with journalism! I know I personally lost my marbles trying to learn to do it in a professional manner.

[shannonsketches]

Hello friends, today I would like to hold myself accountable and address the other side of my PSA, which is to say that I complain about things All The Time, and call myself a hater of many things.

I don’t legitimately Hate the things I complain about. I work in entertainment, and I know that it all has value, and it all has cool things to love. More importantly, I know everything has an intended audience, and sometimes I scream when that audience is not me. Which is selfish. And fun. And good! Because it challenges me to write my thoughts and come up with the story I would rather have, which I then get to come and share here!

I got into this fandom when I was a kid, and I maintain that kids in fandom (especially fandom for kids media) should be allowed to play and enjoy and explore their own stories without feeling guilty for having an interest, and I don’t ever want a kid -- or anyone! -- to come here and feel like a stranger being mad about their interest on the internet means they’re a bad person. They're not! You're not! It's okay to have different ideas!

And because I talk an awful lot of shit about games, I'm gonna repost an older thing I had on another blog, because I stand by it:

My grumpy gamer takes should always be taken with a grain of salt asjkld  I’m a whole adult who has (for the most part, still making an active effort) grown out of  the ways of fandom elitism, and while my opinions might be screaming at the top of my lungs, I promise it’s just me letting myself be a kid and get mad about fiction for the catharsis of it.  Your gaming preferences and favored blorbos are never going to be used as a value judgement here. If I’m being a butt as a fan, as a person I definitely understand there’s a reason we love the things that we do, and I love that art can do that for us! Most likely if you see me yelling about something fictional, I am just having fun yelling, and you’re allowed, if not encouraged, to ignore me lol

#even stuff I don't like is an opportunity to ask myself what I would've done differently like. #it's all beneficial out here. #SS is not for me but it might be your favorite game in the whole world and that's totally fine! !#You're right! I'm right! Because art is subjective and that's the point. #anyway I just klasjd. #please know I'm just being a butt and it's not serious in any way

Anyway I am kissing you all on the forehead and reminding you to please not take fandom too seriously. Even if our little castles look different, we're all playing in the same sand ykwim? Be excellent to each other, and ignore or blacklist the stuff you don't vibe with, including my stuff! It's fandom! You're allowed to curate your experience, and you're allowed to be happy on purpose. Thanks for reading!

[cellsshapedlikestars]

What fandoms/pairings did you get into before Jonsa? Or the first work/story that made you discover fanfic?

Just randomly sharing, broke my phone other day and looking for my downloaded fanfics made me look even further back.

😭 Final Fantasy VIII rpg game was 25 years ago and beloved fanfics of it published 20 years ago (still there in internet).

Also realized my love for broody, sulky male protagonists with angry chip in their shoulders and female characters that receive hate just bc they’re “princess”-y, “damsel-in-distress” not-the-strongest type was there too. (Prob started it.)

(we def share a ship preference for broody/princess lol)

It's been so long, I can't remember how I found fanfic. Probably in my Sailor Moon phase (elementary school-ish) because I absolutely wrote Sailor Moon fanfic. (I never posted it online or showed anyone, though. I can distinctly remember writing a Sailor Pluto fic where she's still alive after all the other sailors are killed, and she just stands there as the keeper of time waiting sad and alone for millennia for them to be reincarnated. Really fun and chill story, 12 year old me!) I can't remember any fics specifically that I read, though there was this website that used to MST3K "bad" Sailor Moon fanfics, and I remember reading a lot of those. I didn't ship anyone in Sailor Moon.

If you want to know about any prior ships/fics I wrote, below the cut!

Considering how much media I have consumed over the years, I don't tend to ship very hard. I tend to go with what the piece of media tells me the ships are tbh. Jonsa is the first that wasn't canon.

InuYasha

The first fandom I had a ship for, and the first fandom I actively remember reading fic for. I was big into Miroku/Sango. Never wrote anything for that, though.

Harry Potter

I did vaguely ship Harry/Ginny while the books were coming out, and even wrote a few chapters of an alternate book 2. That was on ff.net and is probably purged at this point. I could not tell you what my username or the fic title were lol.

Later, I dipped my toe into the Marauders/Jily fandom, but never went all out, because by that time, I'd become disillusioned with Harry Potter. Every once in a while, I'll go read a Jily fic.

Buffy

While this is my favorite show, I didn't ship too much. I kinda shipped Buffy/Spike (have thoughts on it now) and also Angel/Cordelia. I never read nor wrote fic for either of these pairings.

Veronica Mars

Veronica/Logan. Read some fic, never wrote anything.

Skins

I wrote a one shot for Sid/Cassie. Posted on my old livejournal and now re-posted to an alternate ao3 account. I don't hate it. I'd probably change some things if I were writing it now, but I think it's pretty solid.

(No, I just re-read it and it's very solid. Kinda proud of this one)

Glee

I am SO embarrassed to say this, but I wrote a Rachel/Puck one-shot after the episode where they decide to date because they're both hot and Jewish. It wasn't a super shippy fic and mostly centered around him telling Rachel Quinn's baby was his. I stopped watching Glee after the first season lol and did not repost that fic from my livejournal to ao3. It can die on livejournal.

Elite

Carla/Samuel!! LOVE me some poor boy/rich girl dynamics. I got really into them and even read some fic, though there wasn't much out there. Never wrote anything. Have debated writing a Jonsa Elite AU

The Other Fandom

Now. I have hinted in the past that I used to be in another fandom that I wrote fic for.

Oh, the OC. You held my heart for so many years (well. 2 years). I wrote so much fic for you (mostly in the first year, kinda fell off and did more experimental stuff in the second).

That fandom was the O.C.

I'm kind of afraid to say the pairing, because there's only 1215 OC fics total on ao3, and for my pairing is not one of the popular ones, and I wrote about a quarter of those, so I feel like you could find my alt account pretty easily...

I dunno. I'm a little embarrassed about some of the fic I wrote back then. Some of it is SO unnecessarily dramatic (AND IN FIRST PERSON. I HATE FIRST PERSON POV!!). I also wrote a wild amount of smut for someone who didn't really know what the fuck she was talking about lmaooo. I've spoken a lot about how skittish I am about writing smut now, but as a teenager I was cranking that shit out. (ok I actually just looked and it's only 5 explicit fics, but still. That's about 1/5 of the fics I wrote)

I'm probably making too much out of it, because there are some fics I'm proud of, but enough that I'm embarrassed by that I have yet to be able to publicly say what my apt account is

[magical-glimpse]

Hello Miaro, how are you? Why do some people feel some type of connection with celebrities? (No blaming i’m just curious). Be it spiritual or not.

And what if it was true? How should they differentiate their fantaisies from reality?

Hi ! Im pretty greah ! On holidays at the moment.

I think it depends on whom we are talking about.

In some cases, celebrities have the purposes of uplifting the collective. That is the case for BTS, but i dont think they are the only one, i jsut cant think of other examples rn lol.

In that case, they have a role to encourage healing and growth, which can make people attached to them. Fandoms and artists can also belong in the same soul family, and have the purposd of helpnig each other in thier ventures.

In many other cases, people think romantic feelings or intense attraction is the sign of a connection. It can be the product of youth and inexperience, or something more vicious like being the victim of a spiritual predator who will encourage you to think that way so you pay them, ot buy their products, classes etc. Some cults can even build around a "mentor" claiming to teach you how to manifest celebrities or your ex back if pnly you join their super elite community and pay 999,99$ a month and dont listen to anyone else bc only them know. Some people start off being made curious to the idea but then thier ego wil hold onto it so much for survival they dont know how to exist anymore outside of their identity as someone else's soulmate/tf/fs etc. They become vicious and lash out at anything which contradicts it.

The status of celebrities have also changed over the growth of social media. They used to be unreachable beings, they are now relatable, and much closer to the "common folk"than they used to. Thats even the case with kpop idols, 2nd generation were unreachable god like beings, whereas 3rd used social media to reach fans, and 4th now has a lot of them having their own accounts outside of their groups.

The only way to surely tell is to do honest research. To look into all types of soul connections, all the experiences they are linked to and honestly compare to your own. Chances are, whatever you lived is tiny compared to what you originally thought it was. Many people come up to me and bring up signs which are so easily explained or common, and they are still certain that this is supposed to br an obvious sign of something significant. Seek knowledge, experience and unbiased advice.

[shawnjacksonsbs]

I'm going to start by saying I'm still going to post my entry and the video as I had planned to, but . . .

I have to add, that this evening I got a call that one of my older boys was in a terrible car wreck and that he was in the hospital.

Of course we headed out.

The whole way my head was reelin'. Is it just human nature to assume the worst in situations like this? Several actual worse case scenarios played out in my mind.

I still feel like I could throw up my heart at any second.

What if, what if, what if, what if.

. . .

What now?

He's ok.

He's probably not going to feel ok physically, mentally, or emotionally for a while, but he is.

If you're my people, and you know if you are, I just need you to be ok. Make good choices and be ok. Ok???

If you're not my people, well, I want the same for you guys, but it's just on a different level. Lol no lol

Everything below this is the entry I had written and planned out. I just had to get that out my head.

He's ok.

I'm still sick about it.

If you pray, please pray. Otherwise please keep him in your heart and in your positive thoughts.

~

Yeah.

Let's call this one

the REINS of TERROR,

because the ones holding them probably aren't who you think they are anyway. 11-4-23

""" Hawkeye : War isn't Hell. War is war, and Hell is Hell. And of the two, war is a lot worse.

Father Mulcahy : How do you figure, Hawkeye?

Hawkeye : Easy, Father. Tell me, who goes to Hell?

Father Mulcahy : Sinners, I believe.

Hawkeye : Exactly. There are no innocent bystanders in Hell. War is chock full of them - little kids, cripples, old ladies. In fact, except for some of the brass, almost everybody involved is an innocent bystander. """

I don't normally attach my entries to videos. I've attached to a few pics or memes over the years, but this one . . .moved me, enough.

Now remember kids,

in real life,

"outta sight, outta mind" makes it too easy and way too comfortable to choose a side in a conflict you probably don't truly know much about.

Aside from what the media feeds ya, and then depending on your left or right wing news sources that lean their program in "your direction.". . .what???

It's this kinda shit that makes it hard for me to respect your politics and religion. I struggle with the little beauty I do find in it.

I just wanna scream fuck your religion and god damn your politics. If this is what comes from your side, try again.

You best be the gold standard for your cause, because this isn't ok.

AT ALL!

What about his fucking side??

I'd fight a side I agree with to protect the innocent.

I'd probably fight you to keep this boy out of harms way.

We are always involved in different conflicts, as a country, that we shouldn't be in, or choosing a side instead of forcing an end.

Is it a for profit war (?) hmm,

or are we scared to shut it all down because it's all sacred ground or whatever the fuck?

Repeatedly throughout my life, we rarely handle conflicts abroad in ways that make sense for anyone besides a few politicians, a few military leaders, and, I'd imagine, several of the rich and elite.

People aren't pawns on a chess board.

I'll never get over how innocent civilian casualties are statistically calculated, and they put a % on how many are acceptable losses. That's not just our country either, that's everywhere.

As our politicians in the House approve over 14 BILLION in military aid.

Aren't we still the world's #1 super power? Why aren't we . . .just stopping it.

Now, go ahead and bring your little bit of noise.

#damntheman at home or abroad

#killin'inthenameof

#fuckyourside, weak ass side anyways

Loving and caring will always be harder and the true path for the hero(s).

When I say share your LOVE and laughter with the WORLD, who the fuck is it, exactly, that you think I'm talking about?

Until next week, and just so there's no confusion;

"Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you."

(Others means: anyone not you, anyone not like you, everyone else)""

Perspective growth is knowing that my son laying up in the hospital and this little boy in the video have each enhanced my emotional range for the other.

Quite a bit, if I'm being honest. This happens to me more frequently these days than it ever used to. Js

[miloucomehome]

VIVANT cast doing final promotions for the final episode

For anyone who loves Abe Hiroshi and Sakai Masato, there are so many moments. (so many) But yeah, the main cast is on a 電波ジャック/media blitz all week long. it's crazy how many programs they're on live or recorded. o_o)

Sidenote: (But I'm confused about one series of screenshots/clips. They're discussing Kaoru's character and Sakai comments on her being a younger sister whom Nogi has been separated from for a long time. I'm missing so much context o_o))

I was confused about a clip with Abe and Sakai but it's really that there was discussion online about Kaoru potentially being Nogi's younger sister that he was separated from or something. Sakai goes "But I[Nogi] kissed her [Kaoru]. Well, even if she were to be his sister he would... NOT kiss her!". XD (Clip here)

I've seen clips that fans have been suspicious of the cast's answers to things and at this point, I'm just joining in because it's fun to speculate. Also, lots have fallen into NozaNogi pit it's adorable. I'm too far gone and I'm having fun because there's scenes that really look to be read that way :'D

Also found some articles on the TB/S official site that are really nice. Including one with the director who makes a good case for excusing Shinjo's tailing abilities (The header is basically "Don't blame Shinjo!". Reasoning? He was tailing two equally elite agents (Yamamoto and Nogi) with one of them being "helped" by another elite agent (Kurosu)). Ok, I can forgive Shinjo -- the fact I did or that many others see him as a ponkotsu since returning to Japan when he was a badass in Balka means that we fell for Nogi and Yamamoto's civilian covers. XD

There's even one interview with Sakai where he says he'd loved to play Nogi again someday (or a character like him) and at first I was like "aww" and then thought "wait, so a bubbly/cute exterior masking a highly-trained spy? the two-characters-in-one-role??" later lol

Also, Balsa (Chinggis' actor) doing the Shimaenaga Morning Dance with Sakai, Fumi, Ota's actress is the cutest thing ever (Here's the clip). I'm so glad he's been included in the promotions. And did I mention he's part of the latest wave of VIVANT merch in the official TBS store?

Aaaah I don't want VIVANT to end :')

FOund a clip of Drum and Balsa (as Chinggis) doing the Shimaenaga Dance! Here

[all-the-heart-you-cannot-see]

REBELDE S2 WAS A HOT MESS (major spoilers ahead)

Plot

I think conceptually speaking having Gus as a villain this season was a good idea. Who can be a bigger enemy to music than s producer only interested in money who exploits his artists? I hated that he died in the end. Biggest wtf of the season, now he exits the next season completely and our mains are left to deal with the fallout in what most likely will be an attempt to copy Elite. Rebelde is about the music and the highschool drama not an student accidentally killing one of the most important producers in the country, what?????

Characters

Esteban was interesting this season, i like that tried to kind of make him the villain. Him getting sucked into Gus bullshit and doing whatever it took to be the best was a nice change from him being really plain last season. I hated him 80% of this seasons runtime but at least this was intentional on the writer's part. I'm so not looking forward to the murder plot with him next season.

Jana works better when she is alone than with Esteban, they make each other lamer, I thought her arc about not having to always please everybody was cool, and i don't think her conflict at the beginning of the season with MJ was nonsensical at all. She's 16, of course she's jealous of someone who could steal her spotlight, not to mention MJ was her friend and left her and the band to go with Jana's shitty ex lol. I like that the girls ended up together at the end and it didn't feel like something forced to me, so many things had happened to them by that point that the reason they were fighting in the first place probably felt stupid anyways.

Dixon is one my favorites lol, this guy is ride or die with everybody. He was willing to keep going with the band, to forgive MJ, he was even trying to help Esteban before he turned into an asshole, i think he's actually the most mature one of the bunch. Whether he was the best in the class depends on personal taste but I think it was well done in the sense that he was the only one to stand up to Gus and remain true to himself as an artist. I like his friendship with Jana cause we almost never get platonic relationship in teen media between girls and boys without feelings being involved, i screamed when they kissed but I hope they keep it as a "we were just too drunk" thing. I liked him with MJ at first, now I think he deserves better.

MJ didn't really have an arc this season, she was just doing her own thing, the actress is a really talented singer so I wish she was more present in the race for Gus's contract. I think she and Sebastian were pretty cute together but I could see their breakup coming from a mile away (more on this in his section). I didn't mind her bit with the pregnancy scare (sin gorrito no hay fiesta, guys) and i just want her to have more to do next season.

Fucking Sebastian. I like to believe that if he knew Gus was such a monumental asshole he wouldn't have done what he did at the end. I thought his arc about being a better person because of MJ was cute however what was wrong from the start is he was changing because of her so I knew the moment she was gone, he was going to go back. My guy just needs therapy and i would have more sympathy for him if his entire villain arc in s1 wasn't based around him being classist lol. (Also I can't believe we were doing the i can fix him in the year of our lord 2022).

I hate what they did to Andi and Emelia. I didn't mind Andi's addiction arc per se because it's pretty common in the music industry, I hate that it made her absent for a pretty good chunk of the major drama this season and that they broke her up with Emelia that way. The thing is, i don't think before the song thing they were actually "bad for each other" their relationship didn't have any major problems before so breaking them up was the most homophobic act of 2022.

Luka is above good and evil in the show, he's kind of an ass but he has been like that since day one and everybody has learned to tolerate him so really, he's just fun. I hope they would've spent more time with him an Okane being actually together but they are only a thing in the last 3 episodes and Luka is literally unconscious in the last one so we were given cruuuuuuumbs. I thought the scarf thing was really cute, I love them, please don't take them away.

I didn't expect much from Okane but he was a pleasant surprise. It's a shame they ruined his storyline with Jana by adding the sex tape thing because he gave her actual good advice (apart from the drugs) and i think they could have s great friendship dynamic, he could certainly make her more interesting. Idk where he went at the end, i just want him to be left alone in this entire bullshit plotline and be happy and home with Luka.

[hpowellsmith]

Hello! I was on youtube the other day and I was listening to these booktubers dissing a dark academia book (it was really not good, based on what they read and what they explained). Anyways, both mentioned that something important in dark academia is that you have to criticize the elitism and reality of what been in this type of setting would be like/is, not to just go with the aesthetic.

Naturally as a fan, I thought about CdlC and Royal Affairs, and I would like to know your opinion about it? Because I think CdlC is a very slice of life game, but it does what these youtubers said DA should be truly about, we see how MC struggles with the parent's reputation, and how much importance the students and teachers give to status.

Oh no, this is getting long.

My point is, I feel like it could have been so easy to romanticize this lifestyle, so what was your process that made you want to address some of the, I guess you could say, "dark side" of dark academia?😅 Did it come naturally to you or was it an active choice? And, do you think it should be almost like a moral obligation on the part of the authors, that when making books/games about related subjects, to address these issues?

Sorry about the amount of questions, I feel like I'm interviewing you (I'm kinda am, I guess :s, but I hope I'm not being too intense lol...).

Ooh, this is so interesting, thank you for the ask!

So first things first - I am very wary of suggesting that authors have moral obligations to address issues in their work as it's such a complicated thing.

That said I do find it more interesting when media engages with seedy elements of glamorous settings because otherwise you get... I don't know, a replicated Malory Towers series. Which isn't of interest to me. But I wouldn't want to make a statement about that as a moral imperative.

I did a blog post about where I started and where I ended up with the writing process which may be of interest! The aim was definitely to show that the Crème de la Crème setting is quite sinister from the beginning and to build on that over the course of the game. For instance, I designed the stats to reflect the social values of Gallatin, pushing players/MCs to care about the things that the college does. I put the MC in a difficult position from the start so that they would be climbing uphill to succeed in a very strange, restrictive environment.

When I was making Crème de la Crème, and when I'm thinking about other games in the same setting featuring the upper classes, I am always thinking about how constrained and bizarre that sort of environment is. It is so pretty and glamorous and I love writing about the lavish parties and beautiful gardens... but at the same time the pressures the MC and characters face are intertwined with everything. Many of the characters deal with the intense pressure of the school, and being pushed towards engaging with the world in a very narrow way, using a variety of less-than-healthy coping strategies. I'm very aware that upper classes + intense academic situations = a rarefied environment that can lead to at best weird and at worst dark places.

Really… the short answer is that I don't think I could have done it any other way!

[marigoldwitch]

Let’s Talk About Elitism in the Witchcraft Community

It always seems to come back to this but I want to talk about witches in the community who give confusing, and often times misguided, advice to new comers in an attempt to separate themselves from the “soft” or “baby” practitioners.

I’m on witchtok (a community on an app called TikTok, in case you were unaware of what I’m talking about) alot and there’s something I noticed about the witches there; something I’m sure alot of you have noticed too. There’s 2 major groups of witches on the app. The ones who post “easy” and “simple” spells and information, and the ones who post up reactionary spells and information.

There seems to be this need for witches who feel better than or more educated (in their opinion) to posts videos in response to or in direct opposition of other witches. Usually these other witches are seen as newbies to the craft. And if they aren’t new (as in they’ve been practicing for a while) they’re considered uneducated or unwilling to learn.

The “why aren’t witches reading books anymore?” and “I think it’s them being more worried about aesthetics than actually learning.” comments are frustrating and reveals a huge disconnect and sense of privilege within our community. I’ve also seen comments / videos specifically criticizing the popularity of spell jars in recent years. The funniest thing though is that a lot of them are suggesting doing charm bags instead... as if that’s not just another form of a spell jar.. except it’s in a bag... not a jar :/ They want so badly to be “other” and “better” that they’re actually giving advice that’s basically saying “hey instead of using X container to hold your spell, have you tried using Y container instead?? If you read books and not just get your info from Tik Tok blah blah blah.” As if they’ve suggested something grand or much different than what someone is already doing.

Let’s Talk Privilege 

First lets be clear that privilege doesn’t mean you haven’t had “hard times” in your life. And being privileged in one way doesn’t make you privilege in every aspect. You can have class privilege while also experiencing hardship in relation to another aspect of your life. I am white, I have white privilege. I’m also a poor high school drop out. Which means I don’t have class privilege. It’s important that I make this clear because I know some people are gonna identify in someway with one or more of the under privileged groups that I’ll be talking about and that’s normal. That doesn’t mean that you can’t also identify in someway with one or more of the privileged groups that I’ll be talking about. 

Why don’t you just read more books? / Why don’t you just experiment with more tools, supplies and options like crystals, candles, herbs, tarot etc? / Why don’t you just invest in better tools and supplies? 

This falls under class privilege. Not everyone can afford to spend money on these things. “Well the library is free” not everyone can afford to spend time on these things. And I know, to someone who has the money and has the time, these sound like excuses to just not work “hard enough” (which we’ll get into why this statement is ablest in a minute) but it’s legit the reality for a lot of people. Let’s also remember that public libraries in underfunded poorer communities are.. well under funded and don’t offer the same selection that a well funded library would. Also the cost of going to and from that library (or a much better one with a better selection). Personally, I live in what is known as the bible belt and my local (underfunded) library has 5 books on witchcraft. 3 are reference books and can not actually be checked out. The other 2 require a 10 dollar deposit to check out. I kid you not. You have to pay to check out those books.

I saw a comment that said “crystal grids and crystal magic is very beginner friendly and easy, why don’t more witches do this?” And I want to shake them and scream “crystals cost money you doodoo head!!” LOL.

Supplies and tools are expensive. Yes, there’s plenty of information online about how to use what you have on hand... and those same witches sharing cheap and easy alternatives to supplies and tools are also sharing cheap and easy alternatives to spells and rituals. Hence how spell jars became so popular.

“They just don’t want to put in the effort” / “They aren’t working hard enough” / “They’re just in it for the aesthetics”

This falls under ableism. 1. Expecting other witches to match your energy and effort is hella ablest and you should stop. Not only is it unrealistic to assume we’re all on the same page, it’s unhealthy to project your own expectations on to {most likely} complete strangers just because you share one interest [witchcraft] with them. 2. Some people are visual practitioners (whether they’re ND or not) and so they need to and work better with seeing what they’re doing. It’s obvious that the type of witchcraft lots of ND people use is the type that is overly criticized in our community. (ND = Neurodivergent)

Physical disability is also something to keep in mind. Not everyone is physical able to do all the things you can do. Personally I experience hand tremors. Basically using an herb bundle to do a smoke cleansing is a huge ass mess for me and is more headache than it’s worth. So I opt out of smoking cleansing that way. It doesn’t mean that I’m not trying hard enough or that I’m not putting in the effort to make it work... it means I have a disability that makes it more difficult and I’ve found other ways to do these cleanses.

Also, witches are allowed to like pretty things. Like pretty things and valuing the beauty in your practice is all perfectly fine. There’s nothing wrong with wanting your space, yourself or your practice to look “pretty.” 

I Need To Mention Cultural Awareness

Another reason something might not make sense to you is because it isn’t for you, literally it has nothing to do with you or your practice and so you’ve chosen to put it down rather than mind your business. That’s really all I can say about this as I practice a fairly common form of folk magic and the practice, as well as the culture in which it’s derived from is open. So there’s nothing I do that’s really considered for specific cultures only. I’d rather someone else with more experience talk about this in more detail. 

Misguided Information and Superiority Complex 

When sharing information and experiences it’s probably better to do so without needing it to be in reaction to someone else’s information and experiences. I don’t think there is anything wrong with sharing other forms of magic or witchcraft. I think most of us want as much information to be as easily accessible for as many people as possible. The issue comes from only sharing this information and experience because you think the oppositions is/are wrong. Not because you want the help people learn. And actively putting down certain information because it was shared via social media, while also insisting that your information is the actual correct information.. while also sharing it on the same social media platform.

“Don’t believe everything you see on the internet.... except me. You can believe me.” Is what it feels like. And I think what gets to me the most is the amount of UPG that is sprinkled into a lot of the information that these “I know better” witches share. Thinking you know better or know more because you’ve been doing it longer or doing it different, doesn’t actually mean you do. 

I’ve said this before: No one is sharing their entire practice online

“Why are you only doing spell jars?” why do you assume that the only time they practice witchcraft is for a video / photo that they post online? 

Better yet, why are you demanding they share more than they’re comfortable with sharing? Why do you feel entitled to know everything about their practice? 

Just because a witch’s Tik Tok, Instagram, Tumblr etc is only filled with pretty spell jars and aesthetic photos of teas, doesn’t mean that’s their entire practice. That’s the part they’re willing to share with the world. And even if it was their entire practice, why do you care? Why is it your business? When did they ask you to tell them what you thought of their practice?

In conclusion

Before you make that post or make that video about how X witches aren’t doing Y thing right because I did it Z way, remember we’re all different. Times change. And something being popular doesn’t mean it’s not effective or useful. Something being mainstream doesn’t make it bad or stupid. And witchcraft becoming more and more modernized doesn’t mean it’s losing it’s roots or that the next generation of witches are gonna be “sissy babies with nothing but a bunch of pretty jars.” and even if they are, it’s non of your business.

[mikeshanlon]

i really enjoy the way young royals explores the theme of legacy and how detrimental it can be to have to live up to a legacy or be obsessed with reputation. (analysis and thoughts under the cut)

i think wilhelm resents the fact that he has to live up to the role of being in the royal family and yet is very afraid of ruining that legacy bc of all the pressure. before he was sent off to hillerska he went to a normal school and wanted normal people around him and was content with erik having to take on the responsibilities of crown prince. and when he does have to assume that role he says he can never be erik, that he’s always had to be compared to him and obviously doesn’t like that. but even before erik passed and he had to take on those duties he was afraid of fucking up the legacy of the crown, when he sees that sign in the hallway that says you are in charge of your own legacy after he holds hands with simon, his anxiety worsens. you can tell it’s been instilled in him for a long time that what is most important is the crown’s reputation rather than his own wants. in the scene where him and simon fight about alexander being caught, he obviously wants simon to stay, but he focuses on how him doing drugs will fuck up his family’s reputation if it gets leaked. as much as he cares for simon, his legacy and his duties are like this oppressive cloud hanging over him. 

i do think that wille cares for his family of course but to me it’s different that the sort of loyal unconditional care with simon and his sister/mom. erik and wille had unconditional love, erik understood how difficult being a prince in the public eye was, and wille obviously cared for him deeply and felt like he could to talk to him about issues. his relationship with the queen is much more strained, she wants a tailored, doctored representation of him in the media, he cannot be anxious and bite his nails, she makes all the decisions for him. family is important to wille partially because it has to be bc of how special his family is. he helps his family, he helps august pay his tuition, and then makes a point of disowning august after his betrayal as his new “brother”. but again, because of the royal status and expectations upon the family, that supersedes and colors all of their relationships with each other. it seems to be more a sense of “duty” than unconditional love. especially after erik’s death, wille always has to consider how the crown’s image will be impacted, even though he never wanted to have this responsibility, or even the responsibility of being the “regular” prince under erik. being a family unit that is under constant public scrutiny is going to strain relationships. the queen knows that the anxiety of fucking up his legacy will get to him, and she uses that to get wilhelm to back out of admitting it was him in the video and coming out. wilhelm has to choose between his own happiness and their reputation, is forced to think that denying it’s him in the video is the only way. he loves simon and wanted to live freely, but that pressure of legacy won out.

i don’t know if i think wille necessarily values the crown over his own personal happiness and relationships, like in the way maybe the queen does--i don’t think it comes from a place of “i’m lucky to be prince and owe my duty to the crown, so i do what i have to do to stay that way” (like how the queen said the crown is a privilege not a punishment), but from fear of destroying the legacy and his family. afterall, he still wanted to pursue a secret relationship with simon, i think if he fully valued the crown and uplifting legacy and fulfilling his duties he wouldn’t have tried that. he wouldn’t have made a point to tell simon he loves him. hopefully we get another season because i think with the iconic ending revolution rendition and him looking in the camera, which also parallels the shot of him being forced to apologize/go to hillerska, he is realizing that focusing on legacy is taking away what’s important to him, and he’s going to shake shit up.

august is definitely the most obsessed with legacy, wanting to carry on his father’s business, being persistent on befriending wilhelm and trying to social climb, wanting power and perfection with being prefect, rowing captain etcetera. he is so obsessed with perfection and reputation he gets addicted to drugs, he fucks with simon and makes him get stuff for parties he can’t afford because good parties will make him look better, he manipulates sara multiple times, he mostly wanted felice because of her nobility, he fucking films wilhelm and simon and OUTS him, his own cousin. he hates that wille has everything he wants but isn’t as interested in preserving and more importantly improving the legacy he’s inheriting. meanwhile august’s familial legacy is dwindling, and he holds on to the last bit of assets and names that he can.... v much sick and a weirdo that shows how harmful being obsessed with legacy is

the queen is of course v focused on legacy and it really breaks my heart and makes me angry that she doesn’t care about wilhelm’s happiness more than their reputation, and moreso doesn’t get august in trouble for literally leaking child p*rn of her kid for the sake of appearances?!?!?! like how is he even remotely trustworthy she is wrong for that! like i said earlier the obsession with legacy puts a strain on their mother/son relationship. she doesn’t even really say anything about wille’s sexuality or his relationship, and barely comforts him, mostly goes in with a plan she’s already concocted without him to fix everything. 

erik seemed to understand and accept his role as crown prince but obviously had issues with it as well, like when he makes the plan for him and wilhelm to run from the press, or when he tells wilhelm to enjoy himself while there aren’t so many eyes on him that care. erik shows someone who has more unconditional love and empathy but still has to focus on legacy and is much more inclined to continue his legacy, but we do see those glimpses over how even the most “ideal” attitude of preserving legacy causes issues.

felice is expected to live up to her mother’s legacy, of being an equestrian, of being the lucia, but she doesn’t want either of those things. her mother wants her to be thinner and straighten her hair, and find someone of nobility to be with. obviously she does find wilhelm attractive lol but i think the main reason she pursued him and definitely why she pursued august was because she was expected to social climb and have royal kids. felice feels the need to portray a false narrative of herself on social media to uphold a certain image of herself. it’s very fucked up that her mom wants those values instilled in her but i love that felice was putting up boundaries and pushing back against her mother and the narrative she’s supposed to live up to. her giving sara the role of lucia and focusing on supporting her friends more in the latter half of the season shows growth and i’m excited to see where her story goes. 

sara is interesting because she seems to want to reject the legacy of her family and being working class and to fit in with the elite of hillerska. sara hates micke, hates that simon contacted him because it’s bringing in this “shameful” and painful part of their past (which i mean is def fair). other than sara’s betrayal in 1.06, i think the scene where she tells her family that she wants to reside at hillerska really exemplifies where she’s at in her relation to legacy/class. after dining at hillerska and living amongst the elite she gets annoyed at eating around the TV, she blames her mother for not leaving micke sooner, she gets angry with simon for caring for her. she wants to lead her own life, be popular and wanted because people want her, not for pity (even though i think simon of course truly cares abt his sister she feels annoyed with his protection and care). felice says early on that she thinks sara doesn’t care what other’s think or having friends, and sara says she still wants friends though. i think sara’s biggest thing is she wants to belong, her and simon moved schools after she was bullied for being autistic so i think that definitely affected her even though she tries to act nonchalant about hillerska at first. we see sara’s longing to fit in in smaller ways at first, like her asking her mom for a better piece of her uniform because hers are “cheap” and already worn out. she gets annoyed at simon for chewing loudly, or her mother sitting casually at the table. as she gets closer to felice and madison and all the other students, the allure of the upper class and their lifestyle draws her in more. so much to the point where she gets very anxious and upset at the idea of her and simon leaving hillerska because he’s having his own crisis and doesn’t consider his pov. so much so that she effectively betrays simon and felice, the people she’s closest to, to make a deal (and make out lol) with august to room there and “be just like him”. personally i think sara’s attraction to august is mostly that allure of the elite and that he seemed to “desire” her when he kissed her because he was being a manipulative dickhead--again that want to fit in and be wanted. and  i think there is a really interesting angle of jealousy and competition in female friendships, even if it is really subtle or not intentionally insidious or anything, sara does slowly start to trying to assume all the roles/fashions/mannerisms of felice to live that life she wants. i do think felice and sara’s care for each other is genuine and one of my fave parts of the show, but i think a lot of people who experienced being a teen girl know how we are always pitted against each other even in our subconscious because of how society treats and values women.

simon seems to be the character that is least interested in upholding legacy and tradition or giving a fuck what anyone thinks (as omar said here lmao) and that makes him a really interesting foil to wilhelm. there could be something said about micke fearing that simon is following in his footsteps, but to me that plot more so reveals how the upper class (august) continually exploit the working class for their benefit, and the trappings of generational oppression. the other thing that can be said is simon signing up for private tutoring and rowing, but again i think that serves to further show that he is forced to “play” by the game of the elites because the school/society is corrupt, and also, that simon has further ambitions outside of where he’s at. he wants to get good grades because he wants to explore new places and avenues. to me simon’s biggest motivations are his passions, the things and people he loves--music, his family, wilhelm. he isn’t loyal to others just because he’s expected to be, or uphold a certain image but because he really cares. he doesn’t watch out for sara because that’s his expected role as her brother to do so, but because he cares. he wasn’t interested in knowing wilhelm because he’s a prince like everyone else, he makes it clear he thinks the royal family are privileged and exploitative, but he is interested because he saw the real wilhelm. he’s out and proud even though his elite classmates are more conservative, he doesn’t care about voicing his unpopular opinions, he has no problem walking away from august’s dickhead behavior or calling him out on his shit. simon doesn’t care if people don’t think of him in the best light. (the only exceptions ig are the drugs conflict and the video, though literally anyone would have a problem with that because it’s much deeper that public opinion and has ramifications and is deeply traumatic--but just adding that before someone is like “well actually!”) i also think it’s interesting that most of the songs simon sings has themes of pushing back against the societal norms, and being remembered in history, plus of course the revolution song motif, and how much those songs affect wilhelm, he seems to connect deeply, like he wishes he could do those things but simon is the one who gets to sing them and actually live them.

[ofieugogyshz]

I should write a Pokemon battle sometime... well, one of me vs lance at some point prior the major depression lol.

i have a few of us battling *together*, but hmm... how many do i have of us as rivals/opponents.... that's right, none!

...maybe i should do one as a "thru the ages" sort of thing, going allllll the way back to when we were wee kids up thru teenager years and young adult life. then the withdrawing, esp from training. the lack of interest, until eventually it stops being a thing

and then circle back to a fight between us post Isle of Armor fic, an exhibition match more or less, especially as some media/league promotion way of welcoming back the champion. but also an example of what people could learn under Mustard's tutelage.

brooooooo i so wish i had the stamina to write that set of fights!!! a chapter for each one! snot-nosed brat taking on the elite four member! a just as snot-nosed young teen taking on the champion! a battle between a young couple post sinnoh! a practice match pre-unova/pwt? esp since i basically tossed/lost that one match in it in that one fic oops. training montage post kalos, where the depression is awful and everything is draining, slowly and slowly until i'm scared and get on antidepressants at the chapter's end. then! the big dramatic finish!!! my new mum and dad cheering in the bleachers since they "snuck" their way over anyways for the fight. a fire back in my eyes and the tryhardness of it all! who wins, idk!!! i have never thought that far off! i think maybe me. i should win. for funniness' sake.

it's all such a great set of stories, perfect for getting me back in the writing wheelhouse or whatever, brushing that rust off or however the metaphors go! it's late and i should be sleeping for work tomorrow!

[spongebob-connoisseur]

sorry if youve been asked, but whats your opinion on the spongebob musical

No I haven't been asked! I mean I did get asked about ranking the songs before which I haven't answered yet because its hard to decide. I'm still thinking about it xD ranking so many great songs takes some brain cells ya kno?

But about the musical itself, I absolutely adore it!! Gosh I remember when I first heard about the Chicago show. I was so jealous. I really wanted to see it. I didn't expect it get big enough to go on Broadway. I stuck to watching bootlegs and listening to the songs on youtube.

When it did go on Broadway, I avoided watching any bootlegs because I really wanted to see it when it came to a theatre near me. And it did and I MISSED IT because I was feeling sick nooOOOOOOOO

But luckily the dvd release release came out and it was amazing. Absolutely stunning. Everything you could have ever wanted and more. I'm still a little salty that I missed going to see it live. Gosh there was ads on the subway train to see the spongebob musical and I wanted so bad but decided to wait a week until I felt a little better. Poor decision lol

I'm getting off topic. The musical was STUNNING. I love the costume designs since the Chicago show costumes looked a little bulky on some characters. Gingerbob is for the elite.

Its so well put together. People really were worried about it. Musicals based off of children's media can fall flat. We already had a Spongebob musical. One from 2004-5ish called the sponge who could fly (based off of the episode) and that one failed. People were also pretty angry because they thought it was going against Hillenburg's wishes (people were complaining about that back then too lol)

Its ironic since Tom Kenny confirmed Hillenburg was very much involved with the musical. He talked about for years Nickelodeon wanted other versions of spongebob but none really stuck. The musical was the first thing Hillenburg felt really passionate about and was involved with the production. It was something he really thought lined up with his vision.

And you can feel that with the musical. The characters personalities really are like their cartoon counterpart. Their costumes perfectly translates to their original cartoon character designs without looking bulky and out of place. Everything looks really natural. The set was just glorious and they remembered every small detail about the characters and the whole lore of the bikini bottom. It felt like a spongebob episode but more than that too. The plot feels like it would fit a regular episode but its the extra things added in, the personal development of characters and major themes like the racism and xenophobia makes it feel much more.

You can tell there was a lot of love in this musical and I'm so happy to have gotten to see it via the dvd release since they don't often do that with musical.

Plus patchy the pirate 👀 he was remembered!! And for the dvd release was played by the real patchy!! Tom Kenny! I can tell he had a lot of fun with that :>

[cryptvokeeper]

I dunno not to make it like a Whole Thing but I am still thinking about the trash to art spectrum and like one of the other things that I hate abt it is that it almost excuses things that are considered too mainstream or too fandomy or too cringe, in a similar way that a piece of media being "just for kids" is used to excuse really awful kids shows or movies. Like just because something isnt being made to be discussed in a college classroom doesnt excuse it from having actual themes and ideas, and actually being good for its audience. It dismisses 'trash' as not being worth thinking about deeper or analyzing, because only 'real art' is worthy of that.

Like shit, you know whats a non-zero contributor to the fact that fandom spaces on here are widely non-critical content with no deeper thought that no one ever wants to acknowledge? The fact that when people used to write long genuine analysis of their blorbos or literary or film techniques used, they would get screenshotted and mocked by people outside the fandom as "lol look at this cringe person overanalyzing their dumb fandom shit. *insert memes abt its not that deep, the curtains are blue, etc.*"

the current situation we're in of fandom spaces lacking critical thinking is a direct result of the 2016-2019 pushback against the 2012-2015 culture of enthusiastically embracing fandom media as something with its own value, and a rejection of elitism that only certain pieces of media are good enough to dedicate analysis and criticism to, that eventually was labelled as cringe. It feels like people have forgotten that shit like saying "Dantes inferno is bible fan fiction" or "the odyssey is greek myth fanfiction" didnt come from some attempt to bring down classical literature or commodify it by using fandom terms. The message at the time was "your work has just as much inherent value (and by extension, inherent meaning) as these classical works, dont let other people tell you otherwise."

like dont get me wrong, a piece of media can genuinely be just good stupid fun with no deeper meaning to it, but I think even the most apolitical meaningless blank slate of a movie still says something, even in the negative space. and ive seen way too many shitty creators try to use the excuse of "its just a video game! Its just a movie! Its just a TV show! There's no need to think that hard about it!" to cover up their own failings as creators.