#i know we all make mistakes BUT THIS ONE'S PRETTY EGREGIOUS

[ieidolon]

My favorite wild Dracula take comes from an article that confidently asserted normative masculinity was restored by the end of the novel because the two male characters who had been personally victimized by Dracula, by which the author explicitly stated they meant Jonathan and Quincey Morris, kill him

I don't know what alternate universe this article came from but I want to read their version of Dracula so bad

[twinsarekeepers]

I’m curious as to your honest thoughts on the show? Like I love pjo and all but the show was a bit of a let down writing wise. There’s always the point of “it’s an adaptation, not a carbon copy” like yes but this new writing isn’t exemplary better than the book just because it’s rewritten by the author himself

I think the show is well-written not because Rick is attached to it, but because I actually like the way the writers are approaching adapting the source material. I have a lot of issues with the original books in terms of writing quality because frankly speaking, I don’t think Rick is a very good writer. He has a lot of interesting things in those books that he never explores or drops within the first two and this fandom gives him and the books too much credit imo.

This is why I’m not very moved when people try to ascribe meaning to a certain scene or choice he made in the books to get mad at the show for changing. As an example, one of the main things people were upset about was the kids “knowing everything” in the show when they were getting tricked left and right in the book. Many posts were dedicated to how the book version is superior because it illustrates how they’re just twelve years old kids so of course they’ll make mistakes and get tricked by monsters.

That’s a perfectly fine interpretation but I was twelve years old when I first read tlt and I was able to anticipate almost every single trap, despite being pretty gullible and naive at that age. My knowledge of Greek mythology consisted of Disney’s Hercules, maybe two Google searches, and my second grade teacher’s reading of the kid friendly version of the Odyssey. No where near the level of Percy who’d been learning for a whole year in an established class on the topic with Chiron or Grover who was literally a satry born into the world or Annabeth, who spent the majority of her life dedicated to studying specifically quests and Greek mythology and was also on the run fighting monsters for a good portion of her childhood. Like twelve year olds can be dumb but those three stumbling into every trap was asking me to suspend my disbelief too far. I remember being upset that they weren’t able to figure it out because it was obvious that Rick wasn’t making that choice to show any personality flaws or character dynamics (because he would’ve had them learn and grow but they never did they just kept being not smart), he just wasn’t able to figure out a way for them to fall into those traps organically so he had to dumb them down.

I think the show was able to get across the characters’ childishness without compromising their established backstories. Yes, Annabeth knew it was Medusa right away because that makes sense for a kid who has experience with running into monsters. But, she still acted very much like a child in her interactions with her (and throughout the episode and season). She lashed out and called her a liar and wouldn’t listen to her side of the story because it painted her mother in a bad light. That’s peak twelve year old behavior.

Yes, Percy figured out Kronos was behind everything, but it makes sense because Percy knows Greek mythology and where Kronos resides. He still very much acts like a child when he asks Hades to give him back his mom in exchange for nothing because it’s the right thing to do.

There are dozens of examples like this for a lot of complaints of the show. And this is not me saying that the show is perfect: every single show has flaws. For me, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the dialogue or the exposition dumping. It didn’t hinder my enjoyment though because I don’t think it was egregious (and wrt the exposition dumping, I expected it because the book did it and there’s really no way to “show not tell” Greek myths). I also didn’t like that we didn’t get to really see the huge clashes between Zeus and Poseidon in the weather (we got references to it through news reports but I would’ve liked something more). I was able to look past it because I really liked the storytelling and the themes the show was pulling out of the original source material.

I loved Medusa-Sally parallels and Medusa-Annabeth parallels. I loved the juxtaposition of Pan’s quest to manifest density. I loved Percy and Annabeth’s opposite trajectory in respect to their relationships with their godly parents. I loved exploring Sally’s choice to send Percy to school instead of camp. I loved explicitly coding Annabeth as autistic. I loved Luke’s backstory being brought earlier into the story. I loved the deadline passing and Poseidon surrendering to save Percy. I loved Persues-Andromeda and percabeth parallels. I loved fleshing Grover out. I loved glory vs home seeking being the central theme of the show.

And lastly, I was able to understand that with a limited number of episodes and run time (due to the nature of child labor laws!), they did the best they could and I feel like they did a pretty good job for a first season.

These are not ALL of my thoughts on the show because that would be a very long post. I gave one detailed example of why I think the show succeeded in something the fandom tries to ascribe the books and it was like three paragraphs lol. Anyway this is not the post to try and convince me that the show is bad for whatever reason you have cooked up. I’m not going to change my mind and I doubt I’ll change yours. Here’s to a season 2 that builds on a solid season 1!

[princeescaluswords]

Dude, you're reaching lmao. It's not because Scott is a POC, it's because he's a dumdum. Everything else in the show focuses on the Hales, almost as if it should have been their show. Instead we got a show about the side character, who happened to be Scott. Ultimately, it comes down Tyler Posey's acting at the end of the day. His performance simply isn't riveting in a word, compared to *pretty* much everyone else on the show. Sure, I can admit racism exists in Teen Wolf, like it does in any other piece of media created in Hollywood, but this theory is just... come on dude. The mental gymnastics you had to pull for this one lmao. If you don't like Sterek that's fine, but I promise you this one isn't about race. It's about two hot dudes who look good together, end of.

To be quite honest, I wouldn't be at all surprised if someone accuses me of writing this anonymous message to myself, because I couldn't ask for a clearer and more egregious example of fandom racism. But let me assure you, I did not write this. This was an unsolicited spasm from a Sterek shipper. I'd like to say it was an outlier, but everyone reading me knows it isn't. This author assures you and me that "this one isn't about race" immediately after being as racist as humanly possible for an entire paragraph.

First they lead off with 'Scott is a dumdum," as if the 'lazy and uneducated Mexican' stereotype doesn't actually exist in United States culture. To which characters are they comparing Scott to make that claim?

It wasn't Stiles who figured out how to convince Derek in Season 1 that Peter was playing him. It wasn't Derek who figured out that Gerard was dying of cancer and executed a plan to prevent him from using Derek to cure himself. It wasn't Isaac who took the information he learned from Gerard in order to use Deucalion's weakness against him, and it wasn't Peter who manipulated Jennifer into confronting them at the distillery. It wasn't the Sheriff who figured out that Derek was kidnapped and who had kidnapped him. It wasn't Liam who guessed that the Benefactor was a banshee. Was Scott always right? No. But interesting characters actually are wrong sometimes.

What they mean by 'dumdum' is that Scott didn't automatically believe he was bitten by a werewolf because Stiles, a white male character, told him so, even after Stiles had joked about it earlier that same day. What they mean is that he didn't stop playing lacrosse because Derek, a white male character and complete stranger, ordered him not to do so or he would kill someone. (Scott didn't.) What they mean is that Scott didn't automatically treat Allison as the enemy when Derek, a white male character, tried to bully him into doing just that. (And all Scott did by refusing to treat Allison as an enemy was save Derek's, Isaac's, and Jackson's lives.) What they mean is that Scott didn't execute his enemies the way Peter Hale, a white male serial killer, insisted was the only correct way to be a werewolf (though for some reason that wasn't supposed to include Peter himself). What they mean by 'dumdum' is that Scott didn't submit to a white male character, as they see is only right and proper.

All the characters made mistakes, including Scott, but only Scott gets labeled an idiot because of them. Why isn't Stiles a dumdum for taunting a captured alpha werewolf in Night School? Why isn't Derek a dumdum for biting three teenagers with no idea how to manage them on a full moon (especially after saying to Scott that he might have no idea how to train bitten wolves)? And so on. I think it does indeed have something to do with Scott being a character of color, and the evidence is on my side.

Then, because this has nothing to do with Scott being a character of color they decide to discuss how the show 'focuses on the Hales.' Usually, adventure shows do focus on the antagonists and the villains because they want to underline who the heroic protagonist has to defeat. Which Scott did. Repeatedly. It is fandom racism that some people can't tell who the villains are because the suspects are too white and good looking.

And then the anon goes after Posey's acting, because fandom has never ever tried to explain away their racism by saying that an actor of color is inadequate for the role. /sarcasm Weirdly though, that it turns out his acting was 'riveting' enough to carry a show through 100 episodes and an effing reunion movie!

But, as they say it's the "end of [discussion]" that Sterek is only about two hot dudes who look good together. I suppose that could be right, but it doesn't explain why a huge part of Sterek shipping is absolutely and precisely about proving a character of color, whom both said hot dudes' characters canonically loved, is a 'dumdum.' Why would the Sterek fandom have to constantly rewrite the show to focus on the Hales (and their Self-Insert with the Stiles Name Tag) if the show was already focused on the Hales. This frenetic need to piss on the lead protagonist of color is found throughout the Sterek fandom, with the goal of expressing their displeasure that the 'two hot dudes who look good together and happen to be white' are not the lead protagonists.

BUT IT'S NOT RACISM. End of!

[batsplat]

something something the way valentino wanted to destroy gibernau that bad. like for a while there sete did live rent free in his mind I guess. I do realize that vale was using the whole situation to like you said motivate himself but still!

jerez last lap when valentino makes that mistake and runs wide and lets sete through... is it possible to more visibly panic when riding a motorcycle. like valentino just freaks at the idea that he might be letting sete win, immediately gets super shaky as he hops on sete's rear tyre. his own front tyre off the ground right before he sends it on sete's inside in a move that - let's be honest - just wasn't gonna do it. once sete re-overtakes, valentino really only has a few seconds to make his choice, and in the end he decides he'd rather take them both out than let sete beat them. like?? I think when people discuss parallels between vale and a certain other rider, it's always important to remember that valentino isn't really that aggressive on a normal day... he's also really not particularly reckless, like that's why he has a reputation for being an aggressive rider but still in his prime/late prime (basically pre-2011) he also had a super low crash rate. what valentino is all about his calculated aggression, he's very deliberate with what he thinks he can get away with - and when he noticeably escalates the aggression in a way that is also pretty risky for him, it usually tells you something special is going on. the other obvious example is laguna '08, but that was the epitome of calculated aggression: he knew exactly what he was going to do because he decided he had to send casey a message

this last corner move isn't a message. this isn't calculated. it had been job done, lead taken three laps before the end, very cool and calm and clever, but then valentino slips up. and he cannot let sete win. he can't! what does he do if he can't find the inside line, just barrel into sete? like, it's not that the move is even that egregious (I mean it kinda is but also we're all a bit desensitised these days, 2013 was obviously even sillier) and, yes, sete was just plain unlucky to get injured from that contact. but the thing is, if that move ends up being even riskier, if valentino is in an even worse position, valentino fully sends it anyway. like he was always going to send it in that corner. of course he was

it's kinda... it's so revealing, what you get when you really get his back against the wall. what he did in 2004 when he was truly under pressure in the championship picture basically for the first time, how he still went for sete's throat last lap of phillip island... genuinely that's a situation where basically every other rider settles for second because you have a championship to wrap up, except maybe marc and honestly in that specific situation even he might have left it to just the one last lap mov- actually you know what never mind, okay maybe two riders who would've gone for it in that situation. and in basically every other situation against any other rival, valentino doesn't go for it either. phillip island 2009 isn't a matchpoint race and valentino probably didn't have anything for casey that day anyway, but he could've pushed it a bit harder and maybe at least tried to show a front wheel here or there. and that's arguably a less precarious championship situation than phillip island was. but he wouldn't get that kind of head loss over casey! he wouldn't get that kind of head loss over jorge either! but however much he enjoys winning, however much he enjoys, uh, not crashing, all of that can actually go out of the window when he faces someone who he NEEDS to beat

I really stand by this tbh:

like ffs, it's such massive head loss to go on national television and promise your rival who was nominally still your friend 24 hours ago is never going to win another race in his life. we kinda roll with it now because he managed to pull it off but he shouldn't have. this should have been CRAZY hubris from this mfer but now it's like 'wow he really did break that guy'. I know this may be controversial, but I still reckon it is the biggest case of genuine head loss in his entire career - mainly because it's such a spontaneous reaction and had this heat-of-the-moment insanity. makes me furious that this worked. sete got five pole positions in 2005!! FIVE! it's not like he suddenly got slow overnight! he didn't win ANY of them!! sick sick stuff

yeah, valentino motivated himself through sete... but it is kinda crazy, to what extent that motivational process outlived sete being a competitive threat. what's really fun to me about this rivalry is that... you know, nowadays that kind of friendship would be way harder to just erase. we'd have all this footage to go back to, so many more little hints and bits of interviews to work with, probably some instagram posts from ibiza, to have as a record of what that relationship once was. but with them? they were title rivals and they were friends - and they weren't talking about their friendship in interviews before it all fell apart. so now it's just sort of... gone. they went on holidays together, even when they were title rivals - and the best evidence we have for that are the commentators talking about it at brno 2003. we have no clue why they got on in the first place, we don't know how they managed that friendship as title rivals before the disaster. it's still one of the most striking things about the whole thing to me... because it's just a bit further back in the past, valentino really could make the friendship vanish at the time of his choosing. the way you can really tell that sete got to him is how there's basically no sign left of their friendship. valentino erased sete from his autobiography and he's erased him from the story of his whole career more often than not. and that's how you know sete really got into valentino's head... through the weight of valentino's cold indifference

[twig-tea]

Final Thoughts on To Be Continued

Ok, I know I was loudly still mad at this show last week in @respectthepetty's notes, who was very kind (and even encouraging) about it. @happypotato48 talked me down a bit by suggesting there was more in the novel that might still come, and he was right! This week we got an explanation that helped me find the through-thread that was missing between the flashbacks and the start of the show, so I can let that go. I was pretty satisfied with that part of this week's finale overall, and was really glad that they added that connecting piece for me.

Short non-spoilery version of where I landed: I was skeptical it was going to land the core storyline, but for me it did. I liked it in the end, but there are a number of hurdles to enjoying this show so I wouldn't recommend this without caveats (mostly related to pacing).

With all of that being said, it's one of the better pulps this year so far, and worth a watch if you love mutual pining, don't mind slow episodes, and enjoy when a show lets its characters make mistakes. I'm glad I watched it.

For anyone curious about this show, here's where this show worked for me, and where it didn't. Spoilers under the cut!

What I Liked

I really enjoyed Ji getting to be petty to Achi at the beginning of the series, and the way the show made clear that Ji knew exactly how conflicted he was about Achi showing up in his life again.

I love yearning, and the yearning in this series was top-notch. The way Ji could not help himself when it came to accepting Achi's overtures, and the way Achi used his overtures to say over and over again "I know you; I know us; I am willing to put in effort to prove I mean it" was delicious.

I did like the flashbacks and how they were doled out through the series to add context and explain what was happening. The timing of the flashbacks in the story was well done and gave us the info we needed when we needed it.

I liked how clear consent was in this show, and how consent alone did not result in a perfect scenario, especially as kids. I did appreciate how the main conflict from the past was essentially teenage boys did not know how to communicate and blew everything out of proportion/did not understand how to think about things from the others' perspective.

And from this last episode, I liked how the show let us see that years of reflection helped Achi realize what things must have felt like from Ji's perspective, and once he had confirmation that Ji was devastated when he left, it makes sense that he would be able to meet up with Ji again with both confidence and contrition in order to get the reconciliation he wants. I also really liked the contrast in the sex scenes between their first time when they didn't kiss for most of the scene and their first time as boyfriends where they can't seem to stop kissing.

Finally, I love competence, and I really enjoyed getting to see Ji be a competent surgeon and Achi be good at his job managing fan expectations of his personal life. Achi handled the relationship reveal with confidence knowing he'd be able to manage the fallout, and his manager was supportive once he was sure Achi actually had a plan.

What I Didn't Like

I seriously considered dropping this show after episode 4 because for the first little while, every other episode really dragged. It wasn't the order in which the story was doled out that was the issue, but there was so much unnecessary footage and scenes lingered too long within each episode. In short, there were moments when this show draaaaaaagged. So in terms of who it works/doesn't work for, having patience for really slow pacing within an episode is critical. It does pick up a bit after ep4, but never fully gets over this problem.

Egregiously in a show where some episodes felt too long, the show also didn't use the time it had to fully close off all the threads it started and some of the plots felt rushed. There was a redemption arc for Ji's father that felt incomplete/sudden to me (not to say people can't snap out of a 10-year depression but I wasn't really given any chance to feel much about this because we didn't really sit with him or his kids after it happened); the side characters' romance felt like it barely got off the ground (they honestly had the time, they just didn't use it), and Poppy's romance and career trajectory also barely got any time (this one is more forgivable as a third and het couple).

Beyond the multiple pacing issues, the acting was also shaky, and while the sex scenes are well staged and cut to hide this, they were a little awkward together during some of the moments of physical intimacy.

For my taste, I would have wanted to see more of the characters working on things and changing their behaviour; a lot of the push-pull in the middle of the series felt circular rather than progressive. Some of it was necessary: Achi did demonstrate he will stick around no matter how hard Ji makes it this time, and Ji did show that he can open up and be vulnerable with Achi eventually, and trust him when there are external threats. But I would have liked to have seen more of the parts that led to the change in them happen. They also spend a lot of time falling into old habits when they started hanging out together again, which was charming and realistic, but I would have loved to see more incorporation of their new lives. Achi basically takes a break from stardom to woo Ji, so we don't get a real sense of what their relationship will be like except in the finale which is quite brief.

I already gave my high-level summary above the fold: TL; DR I'm glad I watched but not everyone will enjoy this one.

[cloud-somersault]

I've been following this fic since the start, and reading each chapter. We are so incredibly lucky to be enjoying this series at all, let alone for free. I appreciate all the work you’ve put in a lot of effort to create something that brought so much joy to so many people. Thank you so much for writing and remember you don’t owe us anything because you are incredibly talented and impeccable, and this story has me in a chokehold like no other and I would be more than happy to read more about what you have planned for this series.

It's great that your fics inspire such strong emotions in people because these characters are very nuanced and have a lot of depth and reasoning behind their actions, but sometimes it seems really hard for readers to remember, before writing any critique, that we have a lot more information than the characters in the story. We can see the same event from the perspective of different characters and even hear their internal monologues. But characters are limited to what they themselves can figure out, so of course they will make mistakes and do things that don't make sense at first glance. Sorry to hear you’re dealing with some drama in the comments. Hope you’re taking care of yourself! I know that must be pretty stressful, so maybe stepping away from a series for a while and then coming back later is a good choice. Your stories are completely worth the wait. Have a nice day or night! ❤

Thank you for sticking with this fic and this AU from the start! It's almost been 2 years. Thank you for reading and enjoying. I really appreciate that!!

That's very true. We, as the readers, have SO MUCH INFORMATION compared to the characters themselves. The only person who knows more is me, the author. And, something else I think is forgotten so much in this fandom in general is that Wukong and Macaque are immortal beings. The things that hurt us physically? Do not hurt them. The things that we think are egregious and out of this world? Are not to them. They have fought monsters and all that; they don't care about a quick squabble. They also know magic. We have to put all of that into context because, yes, in the real world, their fights and everything would be seen as wrong and dangerous. To them, though? Who have seen and been through so much? They don't have that same threshold that we do. I incorporate that into my writing.

And yes, the characters will do things that don't make sense! They will do things that will make you go "Aw, hell. This is gonna blow up in his face later." That's the entire point of fiction. Is seeing these characters grow and change or even fail to grow and change in some aspects.

That's also something we need to keep in mind. These are immortal beings. It takes them more time to understand something or learn a lesson or unlearn a toxic behavior compared to mortals who only live for so long. Wukong is nearly 4,000 years old; it's gonna take some time for some lessons to stick.

But thank you very much for sharing your opinion and kindness. I am defineitely going to take a step back once the epilogue is finished. I was going to stop here, at chapter 12, but I don't want to do that for my own personal reasons. I want it to be finished and in one place so that I can read it without opening a 300 page google doc and crashing my phone. It's mostly for ease of access right now.

But thank you!! Thanks for sticking with me. If you've been here since the start, wowie, you've seen it all. Thanks for seeing it through to the end with me. 💖

[theladyofshalott1989]

Which character should I choose to ask you about for the character game?.. Hmm, I don’t even know… Let me think… SEBASTIAN please! :D

DIANA!!! MY GLORIOUS MOOT (may I call you Diana???), THANK YOU. AHHHHHHHHHHH. (...I'm just a little bit excited. Can you tell? XD)

1. How I feel about this character

Hmmm, well... so, it's complicated. I obviously adore Sebastian, that's a given, but I will say that it took me a while to get past his attitude during my first playthrough because I felt like I was watching teenage me self-combust. In retrospect, that's probably why I wrote my series (and from his POV) because the ending of his storyline felt like a punch to the gut, and I needed to freaking FIX IT.

Besides that whole can of worms, when I can separate the character from teenage me, I think he's the most fleshed out character in the game. He's so well-written and his backstory is so tragic. And the SNARK (especially with Ominis)! I just go absolutely feral over it.

2. All the people I ship romantically with this character

Besides shipping him with my OC, Damien, I ship him with @heyitszev's Charlie (from his series To be Loved is to be Changed). <- READ IT FOLKS. GOOD SOUP!!! I actually ship him with most M!MCs to be honest with you. LMAO. But I do have a hard time reading really dark Sebastian. I like him with a bit of spice, so to speak (not too hot, not too cold vibes), I suppose.

3. My non-romantic OTP for this character

Ominis. I don't know why, but I can't get into Sebinis. I WANT TO LIKE IT SO BAD. (I actually see the dynamic between my husband and me as Ominis/Sebastian, so you'd think I'd like it, but alas.) They are just best buds in my brain. Their personalities are very different, but sometimes that just works, you know? They complement each other in a platonic way. Most importantly, Ominis gets exasperated with Sebastian's antics a lot, but he will always forgive him in due time.

4. My unpopular opinion about this character

I'm actually not sure if this is unpopular, per se, but I'm not into Dark Sebastian, unless he's in "protecc"-mode. It seems unrealistic to me. If MC doesn't send him to Azkaban and MC, Ominis, and Anne are there for him and eventually forgive him (which is what happens in my head canon), I don't think he's physically capable of becoming a Dark Wizard. The events of Hogwarts: Legacy happen when he is 15/16, after all. He is still so young. Teenagers make mistakes. (AND YES, I do realize he made a more egregious mistake than most teenagers... but the point still stands, at least IMO.)

5. One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Two things. I wish we could have given Sebastian some semblance of happiness at the end of the game. A hug would have been a good start. LMAO. But SECONDLY! I wish he didn't freaking ignore us after everything! I'M SO BITTER ABOUT THIS. Avalanche, please change this in the summer update. Pretty please????

[serendertothesquad]

Seren's Studies: Odd Squad UK -- "Odd Jubilee" Episode Followup, Part 2

And on to Part 2 we march! Will Precinct 97531 get their party? Let's find out below the break!

I honestly can't decide if this guy's part of Animal Control or if he's a trash collector.

Given the context, I'll assume the latter...but when I saw the grabbers my mind went to ACO.

LMAO EVEN T H E Y HATE ERRANDS JUST AS MUCH AS I DO. Bless them. This is the right reaction.

Clearly Alexander Shaw's talent doesn't lie so much in singing as Asha Soetan's talent lies in dancing.

That being said, it's not the most egregious use of AutoTune this franchise has had. The end of "Double O Trouble" takes the rotten cake on that.

(Post-edit note: "The Sandwich Project". Not "Double O Trouble". I was mistaken.)

"This would sound so much better as a Vocaloid song."

-- These two, probably

THE CHEF IS A HAIRSTYLIST?!?!?!

THIS MAN?!?!?!?

T H I S M A N ?!?!?!!?!?!?

I'm not even fucking mad, I'm downright amazed. Where was this non-crippling-overspecialization for Oksana and Olly, hehh???

"Noooo, nooooo. We were, uh...talking about...bathroom stalls. They're not up to ground-reaching code. We have to fix them."

Awwww fuaaaaaaaack, they Miku'd and Kaito'd the damn big shoes!!!

First time hearing the catchphrase and it's a mere "Iiiiit's Orli."

Which, if I think about it like she's watched The Shining a lot, makes it acceptable.

he always spills it down himself

he hasn't been seen with any smoothie stains the entire episode

I get continuity is hardly a thing with this franchise, but can we get a little scene-by-scene consistency? Is that so hard to do or are they stu-

...Well fuck. Clever Chekhov's Gun. I didn't even notice that, and that's saying something!

Did...did he go to sleep with his suit and the key on? Does the De-Saturday-inator change clothes in addition to ridding the victim of the Saturdays? Does it also give them important things like accessories and keys?

I just...I need to know the rules. I'm not cheating. I just wanna know.

Yeah, y'know, I read "Party Agents arrive with a party box" and didn't expect anything less than "party stuff shoots out of a box".

"I guess I knew my partner better than I realized."

This would have been a pretty nice lesson for "O is for Opposite", if Olympia, Otis, and Oona wanted to get to know Oprah better. Problem is, that episode is smack in the middle of the season and that episode isn't about getting to know Oprah better so much as it's about rectifying her mistake.

Ah well, another one for the rewrite pile.

Everything...oh God...everything was going so well until this guy went from smooth dancing to janky shit.

I'm crying, dear God. It's such a beautiful mess.

Putting aside that we have a very awkward cutoff ending in line with what this franchise tends to have...and it's definitely one of the more awkward cutoffs...your credits for this episode. The garbageman/ACO/whatever guy is named Louis, I suppose. Good to know.

---------------------------

Overall, this was an okay episode. I enjoyed it a lot better than "A Dish Served Odd" before it, even if the song was a little...nyehhhh. Wasn't what I expected, but it was decent enough. I'd say "too much AutoTune" but that might be more of a Shaw problem than an editor problem.

Maybe I missed it somewhere in the episode, but I hear Orli's been working at the UK precinct for three months by this point, which is incredibly unrealistic for a 12-episode season. Anime doesn't even have that big of a time gap, not until the end of the show. On top of that, if Orli doesn't know all these things about Ozzie three months in, that's...not a sign of good chemistry between them! At the very least, Olympia had a good idea of what Otis liked a little ways into Season 2, even though there was no definitive timeframe in between, say, "First Day" and "Happy Halfiversary". My guess is that I can chalk it up to Paul also needing to find his footing with this series, though his writing was pretty solid for this episode.

But anyway. With that aside, next followup will be for "The New Ozzie", which also faces a similar problem with the whole "three months" thing. Make it make sense, please, while I at least try to not have a stick up the butt for it.

Seren out!

[lesboylycan]

npd + avpd culture is daydreaming about being made moderator on a server for a game you know pretty much everything about because (A) it would mean one more person to deal with things so the singular dev can focus on the game instead of people borderline harassing him (constantly @-ing him for trivial shit that any semi-experienced player could answer, demanding that he accept friend requests so they can DM him, etc), and (B) it would basically cure your fear of being seen as annoying (all of the mods are handpicked by the developer so if he thinks we're good then we must be right?? and also we already got complimented by another server moderator who was like "wow you know a lot lol" because the two of us had to essentially tag-team answering questions because this is a server full of 13 - 15 year olds with no sense for exploring the game itself to answer their questions or, god forbid, searching keywords on the server in case their question was already answered) and give you credibility as an authority which means your judgment will be trusted (as it deserves to be. as you're so scared of it not being)

(the only reason we're so confident answering questions already is (A) we basically no everything as said above, but also (B) these are a bunch of kids--some of whom might not even be 13 yet--who know basically nothing and ask the simplest questions that you can literally find just by looking up the wiki and also will be so confidently wrong that it hurts, which just means that if we get something wrong we can just say "whoops, sorry! lol" and literally nobody will bat an eye because we don't let ourselves make too egregious of mistakes and always try to give ourselves wiggle room ("i think it costs around [this much], give or take" "i'm pretty sure it's [this]"))

[brittanagirlcrush]

Corrected Ask (Probably an Unpopular Opinion)

So. On my computer - for some unknown reason - a red heart showed as black and the orange showed as red. I answered the orange - thinking it was red. On my phone, I discovered the mistake.

So ... without further ado ... the answer to the ask that was actually asked:

❤: Which character do you think is the most egregiously mischaracterized by the fandom?

Brittany. Hands down. They either make her this paragon of perfection who can do EVERYTHING and ANYTHING (fix a car? sure. Write out a complex math equation? Of course. Play every instrument known to man? Yup. Run a restaurant? Play soccer? Play football? Yup. Yep. Yes.), stupid, or simply there to support Santana. Which is actually an insult to Santana as well.

Brittany is AWESOME. But she was far from perfect (and I also think HeMo was almost criminally underrated). She was a bit of a mean girl (not as bad as Santana or Quinn); she insulted people, made fun of people. She didn't slushie or get violent but she didn't exactly play nice. She flat out told Rachel "I hate you" in ... S2, I think. (Maybe S1). She made fun of Marley's mom in S4 (so I heard, I have not watched much of S4.) She made fun of Quinn in S1 (probably buying bigger pants). Even in S6 in "Homecoming" Rachel says something about "they would never make fun of me" and Brittany comments "Not to her face" and in "Jagged Little Tapestry" she goes off on Tina (and she finds Santana's insults toward Rachel hilarious in 100, New Directions, and Jagged Little Tapestry).

Brittany is just as complex as any other character (maybe even more so than Rachel who is pretty much one dimensional - the whole run of the show, she doesn't grow as a person. She's going to be a star no matter who she hurts in the process - Rachel won't fail, the Glee gods forbade it).

Brittany isn't stupid. Unconventionally intelligent would be my thought. Math Genius. Emotional Genius - she reads people better than anyone else on the show (especially Santana) ... in S1 she's portrayed as the vapid, sexually fluid, sidekick. In S2 - she starts out being vapid and accepting of Santana's behavior but evolves starting with "Duets" ... she stops accepting the crumbs Santana offers, she wants more and sets out to get what she wants. She hurts Artie, which actually bothers her so she sets out to make it right. (We don't get to see that - we see Artie break it off with her then we see them together in "Furt" with no explanation how they got there).

She displays her intelligence the only way she knows how; roundabout, metaphorically. She wants to know what Santana feels. She recognizes Santana isn't ready to be out and be the person Brittany knows she can be and doesn't want to hurt Artie (again) just because Santana said "I love you" but hasn't grown enough to not want it to be "real".

S3 - her speech about "tornados" when running for class president - wasn't about tornados. It was about bullying/homophobia. Brittany doesn't think the way others do. Kurt is a "unicorn" ... nobody actually believe Brittany thinks Kurt is a unicorn disguised as a human.

She knows Rory is playing her - and she uses it.

Brittany is a MASTER level troll. All of Comeback is one big Brittany trolling Rachel episode. She trolls Rory. There are sign all throughout Glee of Brittany just ... making fun of people in such a way they think she's stupid. There's a look she gives Rachel in Comeback; Rachel is walking away from Brittany (who is wearing leg warmers on her arms and one of her fuzzy hats) and the look on Brittany's face says it all. It's sly as a fox. She knows what Rachel wants and is deliberately doing something different.

Her "Lord Tubbington" stories are her way of working through things she can't put voice to (usually her difficulties with Santana).

One would assume, since she rides Motocross, she at least knows how to maintain/fix her bike. She's not the strongest singer (although she greatly improved throughout the series). As far as we know, she doesn't play any instruments. She's a phenomenal dancer.

She is non-confrontational.

When the pregnancy scare happens - I have no doubt she made up the "stork" thing on the fly because she didn't want to talk to Artie about it until she was sure (and certainly not in front of a room full of people). There is no doubt in my mind that Brittany knows where babies come from (her line in S1 about Quinn buying bigger pants would suggest she does know that much). There is no way that Santana didn't make sure that Brittany knew about safe sex/birth control. The look Santana gives her (when Brittany says the stork is building its nest) is one of disbelief; she knows Brittany's trolling/making stuff up. I have no doubt that, after that scene/at the end of the day, Santana took Brittany to the pharmacy and bought half a dozen pregnancy tests so they could make sure.

She is terrible at school. This does not make her stupid. She doesn't do stupid things. I want to say it's Sue who points out the Special Ed in McKinley is a joke; which means there's absolutely NO ONE who would be able to help Brittany. I find myself annoyed at her parents for not knowing she needed help. I find myself wondering why Emma Pillsbury wasn't all over the fact that Brittany was failing EVERY SINGLE CLASS ALL YEAR LONG. I don't know about you but in my high school there were plenty of warnings from teachers/guidance counselors when you were in danger of failing. How does she get from September to June without ANYONE mentioning that "if you don't bring your grades up you won't be graduating".

I mean, I get that Santana had other things on her mind but ... in order to get a 0.0 GPA, Brittany would have had to fail EVERY test and not turn in ANY homework. Does anyone really believe Santana and Brittany didn't do homework together?

Of course, Glee messed us up anyway because there is no way Brittany gets to her senior year with a 0.0 GPA. She has, evidently, never failed a grade in twelve years of schooling (her first senior year she's either 17 or 18, the normal age for a senior in the US). Um ... how is it possible that Brittany never failed a grade but completely bombs senior year? Brittany wouldn't be allowed to be a Cheerio with that kind of GPA - let's not forget that Mr. Schue failed all the Cheerios who were actually failing Spanish so they couldn't be on the squad. Yet, Brittany was on that field right along with Quinn and Santana. I suppose the argument could be made that Schue just didn't fail "his" kids. But ... if Schue failing all those Cheerios got them bumped from the Squad, surely Brittany failing EVERYTHING would have precluded her from being a Cheerio. I don't think she'd be allowed to participate in Motocross or Glee, either.

Brittany is bi-lingual. Yes, it was a kind of throwaway joke in S3 ... but it came back around in S6, didn't it?

I know the whole "math genius" thing was so HeMo could leave the show ... but (see above) there are other ways that show she's not stupid.

The whole thing about the egg being a "chicken's house" and how do we know there's not a chicken in there - isn't stupidity - it's a lack of knowledge. I actually had to look it up. I was unaware of the way eggs get fertilized. I'm OLD. I am a college graduate and have a rather high IQ. I was right there with Brittany wondering how the hell did we know if there was a chicken in that egg. Lack of knowledge doesn't equal stupid.

Add to that the fact that Santana loves her and understands her. Santana doesn't strike me as someone who would be able to be in a relationship with someone who was truly stupid.

She wasn't perfect. She wasn't stupid. She is seriously underrated and underappreciated.

Wow. That really got away from me.

[lupinnsa]

why choose to be mean?

i’ve had a few bad experiences and discoveries over the past year, and one of those revelations included a weird, uncomfortable observation: that while I strive for kindness in casual conversation, often times the people in the world around me… do not.

i’m not talking about silly, comedy-tuned mockery of friends or anything either. i’m referring to, at least, semi-serious discussion about anything you could have opinions about, from other people, to current events, to trending products.

no matter how positive or negative my opinions are, i strive to voice them with as much respect as possible to those involved with the subject. i might overemphasize my positive opinions and refrain from spending too long on my negative ones, for example. More importantly, I try not to belittle other people casually just because they “aren’t in the room”. When they are, I try to be direct and honest without exaggerating my point. Negative opinions and disagreements are already difficult enough, and there’s no need to salt the wound; I try to remain kind even when discussing events or persons that actively harmed me. Even when I’m pretty sure no one else will see.

If I realize my opinions are flawed based on incorrect or outdated information, I always try to own up to those sorts of errors, and change my opinions accordingly. I try to leave room for personal growth or change to make a difference. I try to keep my expectations from coloring my attitude.

Recent events have made it very clear that others are not so interested in that same effort. I suppose it is easier to be unkind if the expectation is that the subject will “never know.” Or perhaps there isn’t enough consequence for “being mean” to choose words with care. Or perhaps this aggressive behavior comes from the increasingly antagonistic perspective of those beyond one’s personal boundaries. Or perhaps it simply costs more energy to keep your filters on.

I’m not free of this sort of sin myself. I’ve said unkind things before, especially when I was younger, especially when I was less informed, less sympathetic. Even recently, I’ve said unkind things to my own close friends simply because I was in emotional turmoil, because I was desperately craving the minimum closure I could ask, for one of the most egregious accusations I’ve ever been the target of on a larger scale. A simple, genuine, apology.

When I realize that something I did or said was hurtful beyond necessity, whether it was from the heat of the moment or a moment of carelessness, I try to genuinely apologize for it. But I’ve seen that others are all too willing to double down on their aggression instead, punching deeper without indication of a second thought. Without restraint.

Someone once said that people don’t like to own up to their mistakes because saying stuff like, “I was wrong,” is an admission of guilt. That no one wants to be guilty of being a jerk, because then they would be a jerk. And I think overall, that observation seems pretty spot on, if deeply disappointing.

I obviously want people to be more kind, passively, to other people in general. But I especially want the mindset of admitting you were wrong to change: not, “I was wrong and I am a jerk,” but, “I was wrong, I was a jerk, but I want to do better.”

Obviously there’s a lot of nuance to be had here. Like, what about the consequences of actions? Why not fight back if something isn’t interested in giving you a chance to defend yourself? How do we learn to be kind and sympathetic in a world that is, for some reason, becoming increasingly intolerant?

I wish I had the answers to all of that, but I don’t.

I just want people to choose to be kind.

[peribirb]

the whole crab day thing was kinda cringe to begin with but tumblr advertising and selling shirts about it is, kinda weird ngl. like i get it, tumblr desperately needs money to stick around, and people want it to stick around. i do too! but i'm gonna need a bit more proof of good faith from automatic.

proof that they still care about this being a blogging platform rather than just trying to make all the same mistakes twitter did. having a unique website isn't bad! like obviously things need to change over time and god knows this site has always needed work, i've been here a decade i know how bad it can be. but the changes i'm seeing feel less about keeping what makes tumblr interesting and more in the direction of what makes facebook and twitter miserable to use.

proof that they care about trans people and aren't throwing community labels at us constantly on purpose, and even if it's not on purpose that's a pretty egregious accident. like, i'm a trans girl with selfies somewhere on this blog (selfies from a long time ago but still), am i gonna get sniped for daring to exist as a trans person too?

like, i get that we love this place, i've met so many people here who changed my life forever. but you can't let that get in the way of common sense yknow. i know there's at least one staff member who follows me (hi!) and i know plenty of staff care about this place too and want the best for tumblr.

but, i dunno, trying to christen a holiday where we all Give A Corporation Three Dollars Because We Love Them is just a really fucking weird thing to do in general, and especially with everything else going on. no corporation should get your money out of love, they need to earn it.

[cornytheclown]

I know we shit on the Michael Bible cover of Santa Baby all the time (rightfully so, Buddy is not getting into the spirit of the holiday by being so No Homo about it.)

But can we talk about Taylor Swift’s atrocious cover of Santa Baby? I know saying that alone might get me shot in public but hear me out here. First of all, she’s not the only one making this mistake when covering the song, but I can’t help but find her as a more egregious example of this.

See, Santa Baby is a cheeky song about a sugar baby asking her daddy to buy her all these things, and it’s made with Christmas as the metaphor here. Her sugar daddy is Santa Claus, he’s gonna come down her chimney and give her all the toys she wants because she’s been a Good Girl for him.

What Taylor (and so many) make the mistake of is covering the song like any old poppy Christmas song. And you can’t just do that with Santa Baby! You NEED the seduction in there, you NEED the tongue in cheek attitude when singing it. It’s not just a Christmas song about Santa - you’re singing about your sugar daddy spoiling you silly!

Eartha Kit hit it right on the head with the original Santa Baby. She was flirty, she was playful with it! She knew exactly what the songs about, and I feel like the true meaning of Santa Baby has been lost on so many cover artists in mainstream music - Ms Swift included sadly.

A lot of online cover artists seem to pick up on the song’s meaning; there’s a lot of Great Santa Baby covers online. But what’s up with mainstream music these days on the radio? How come they can’t follow suit? Do they just not know or do they just not care? Most likely the latter - Christmas covers are an easy cash grab for singers.

Once again, capitalism tramples over art like the rampant wildebeest that it is. And that’s why every damn year, I gotta suffer through Taylor Swifts god awful, candy coated ass cover of Santa Baby. Makes me sick every time I hear how saccharine she is about it. Draining the sexy right out of it, draining the fun right out of it.

God bless Eartha Kit, check out her cover if you want the real Santa Baby experience. Madonna’s covers also pretty good, she does kind of a Betty Boop baby doll rendition with it, but it still captures the same spirit of the song. And of course, support your online cover artists. A lot of them do great work.

[ninjagirlstar5]

In concept i do think Yamato is kinda of a funny character, he's this extravagant inventor dude and all that but when we see him for such little time and the game insists on telling me how awesome and cool he was and how everyone liked him it started getting on my nerves, you know? + I do agree that if we were shown more flaws of his character he would feel less bland than what we actually god, that one scene where he and Mikako argue because he doesn't wanna tell her that he knows the world is going to shit and so pushes her away to try protecting her which just leads to Mikako and him having a pretty bad argument honestly did wonders for the little character he has and if we had more time to see him being some guy instead of a cookie cutter hero type i think i wouldn't have this many gripes agaisnt him

FOR REAL, like...if you give a character flaws, it doesn't make them a bad character. It just makes them a lot more rounded and less egregious when they choose to do heroic deeds, despite their flaws and problems. It makes them a character that can make mistakes due to their flaws but still try to do the right thing. It makes them human in a way that we can understand and even respect when they try their best. I like Yamato as a concept but in practice, he kinda just...exists. Which is a shame because I can see the potential in his character and then it drives me nuts when I don't see him be written in a way that's satisfying. To me, at least. It doesn't help that the writing kinda builds him up when he's just the "hero" character that has no visible flaws unless you really try to dig between the lines and even then, you kinda have to do the writing yourself without propping him up like, "He's the Chosen One(TM), you HAVE to like him" kind of nonsense. And my God, if I have to do it myself, I will.

I've only been here for, like, a year and a half? In this fandom. But when people talk about him being the GOAT, I just go, "I mean, I guess he's pretty heroic. But that's about it." I do like what we got of him, and I appreciate that he's there...but also he's just there. You know? I need a little more substance if I'm gonna put him any higher on a tierlist beyond just the "fanon is better" tier.

[bmpmp3]

i often, with very little seriousness, say that i prefer to read shoujo, josei, and the occasional seinen manga over anything from shounen magazines because even if they take a turn in quality, at least they will End within my lifetime HFKJSDHKDSHFD and this really is a joke: mostly as a way to combat the last 15 years of shounen elitists coming at me for liking things published in different magazines while also, in a slightly self deprecating way, pointing out how a lot of series in other magazine demographics usually either end at a natural stopping point or get canned unceremoniously with no conclusion (although shounen magazines are no stranger to the latter either LOL the nature of magazine publishing........) compared to just going on for hundreds of chapters after the quality took a nosedive

but make no mistake, despite how a lot (and i mean a LOT) of shoujosei is cancelled early before it can really start to get bad (or it gets trapped in an eternal hiatus because of magazine changes, or it just ends normally LOL), there are still plenty of series that went on way too long or struggled because of their length. some are worse than others: i remember Special A being solid but with a serious plateauing problem in like the latter half where it felt stagnant and boring (albeit not egregious or anger inducing or anything). but then theres other stuff like. hkjfdajhkgrlfjd. Peach Girl my beloved and beloathed <3 HHRJKFJRFEd and dont even talk to me about Vampire Knight or Black Bird. don't even say those words to me

and of course getting cancelled early can also give a series a great opportunity to fumble the bag horrendously in 3 chapters or less: one of my favourite shoujo manga of all time, Penguin Revolution, has an absolutely hilarious last chapter in that you can feel how much the author was like "SHIT FUCK I NEED TO WRAP THINGS UP RIGHT NOW" so hard that i cant even be mad about it LOL

and with that as a preamble: last night i finished reading A Devil and Her Love Song/Akuma to Love Song and well. um.,

quick TW: because of the topics that the manga touches on, I am going to talk a little bit about sexual assault, specifically sexual assault of a minor, and suicide. i will do it somewhat frankly because i want to take it seriously and not beat around the bush and i will do my best, but feel free to let me know if im off-base

SO the first half of the series is really solid, specifically with the characters. Maria in the beginning, especially with the bullying arc, was really engaging as someone so (intentionally or otherwise) neurodivergently coded. and The Boys: Shin and Yusuke were also really strong - moreso on Yusuke's end as like, a foil to Maria's complete inability to mask, Yusuke is like the king of masking. but even Shin, despite everything that comes later (and we'll get to that. by god we will get to that) was also interesting as like a foil in a different direction: a person resigned to his loneliness compared to Maria's drive to connect despite her struggles. And despite how sidelined the girls get, in theory I really loved Ayu and Tomoyo's connection to Maria and the whole squad as well (can't help but love a mean girl redeemed and a shy but secret goth kid respectively)

the series starts to take a turn for the worse after the new school bullying storyline and into the beginning of the Anna Situation. im gonna refer to this Anna, the friend of Maria's from her old catholic school who lost her voice as Anna (friend). it seems clunky but we'll come back to that LOL

i actually didn't hate the whole situation, i found Anna pretty compelling in her anger and resentment and even cruelty, and i was invested in seeing how her relationship with Maria would pan out. unfortunately she herself was basically forgotten about after she moves away to america and instead a lot of the situation was spent focusing on Shin's turmoil which was where his character started to. test me.

this is where Maria's backstory with her mother comes in: maria was born from the rape of her 14 year old mother, who then committed suicide with a preschooler Maria in her arms because of the turmoil and the way she and Maria were treated in the aftermath. this is. an absolutely unreal turn. really fucking dark and tough topic, but i had an inkling of hope! the series was handling its first like, 30 chapters with a surprising amount of care despite some clumsiness...

and the thing is i love a lot of stories that attempt to handle dark topics in loud, fumbling ways as long as theres a sense of compassion and honesty in it you know? and compassion and honest really is the thing, i actually prefer a messy but earnest story about dark and sad events compared to something that knows all the correct words to say while still dancing around serious topics (this is a problem i run into often in recent years. i think its a selfconciousness in storytelling that makes me feel like im being talked down to you know?)

but there is a difference between fumbling a bit an dropping the ball entirely. and MAN that ball was dropped HARD when you bring in the american soldier kidnapper and rapist of the main character's middleschool aged mother and try to turn him into some "redeemed" priest goofy crybaby dad character for the main character to forgive and reconnect with. but we'll get to that, i need to get back to shin

Shin learns from Anna (friend) about Maria's past and how Maria had forgotten it all because of the trauma, but may remember when she's held by others. not wanting to retraumatize her, and believing not remembering her past is what's best for her, he starts distancing himself from her. he also tells the other boys, the blonde bitches (Yusuke and Kurosu (we'll get to him later i prommy)) that have a crush on Maria as well about this, essentially deciding for Maria that she should never learn her past and attempting to control her relationships with other boys behind her back. THIS is intensely possessive and paternalistic WHICH in a vacuum COULD BE a really interesting, dark, but prescient and complex major character flaw to explore (especially in a story written for young women and girls like a manga serialized in Margaret would be). unfortunately the story never grapples with it, its framed like your classic possessive-but-like-in-a-sexy-fantasy-way despite being written in an incredibly embarassing and pathetic manner

like dear GOD i wanted nothing more than him to get some sense knocked into him by the blonde bitches. i LOVE a good character arc where a shojo manga love interest with possessive tendencies learns to respect his gf's autonomy its a classic!! especially with Maria's past, learning that helping someone with trauma means being there for her, not controlling her life behind her back! so much potential there

but alas. all we got was Shin hiding in the shadows from Maria for several volumes until, during an argument where Maria remembers her past and has a panic attack, he attempts to force himself on her and gets his hand hurt in the process. and. god. this is a shojo manga trope i Do Not Care For, honestly it is one of the few things that'll sour me complete on something:

the plotline where through a series of very bizarre circumstances the main love interest will sexually assault (or attempt to) the main character and then get really mopey about it (ouuhhhh im the baad guy how could i do thisssss i feel so sorrrrrrry for myself) and then the narrative will bend over backwards to say that UMMM ACTUALLY its okay the main character wasn't upset about that! it was something else! she didn't think it was rape!! she's cool with it!!! don't feel bad love interest guy!!! LITERALLY i hate it so much. the next several volumes spends so much time on Shin trying to make him feel better about his hand injury and how everything he did was okay because Maria loves him and it was PAINFUL so so frustrating

which brings me to the other guys, the blond bitches. Yusuke is mvp we know this, especially in the early volumes. but after he realized maria's in love with Shin no matter what and he has no chance, he also becomes frustrating because all his edges get sanded off, he's still a wonderful friend to Maria (although he unfortunately drinks Shin's koolaid and also hides her past from her) but he completely stops pushing Shin to be better which makes both characters worse. he was so interesting as the king of masking, such a relatable character type but MAN things went downhill

earlier in the series before Shin tries to push himself on Maria and I was still a bit sympathetic to him, i was thinking like damn. Maria should just get with Shin because she likes him but also setup a polycule where the two blonde bitches can orbit around and keep shin in check LOL

and kurosu. im going back to kurosu finally. a third anime boy has hit the love triangle. hes contentious for very valid reasons but the thing is. i kinda liked him? OKAY okay he has serious SERIOUS personal space issues which were played a little too much for laughs and we'll get to his relationship with Maria's father in a moment but i couldnt help but relate to a big dumb seemingly outgoing but still distant kid who talks too much about horny shit. Yusuke is just like me fr but. also. Kurosu is just like me (idiot highschooler edition) frrrrrrrrrrrrrr sorry i do see a bit of myself in him. hell i even see a bit of myself (dumb possessive middleschooler edition) in the earlier versions of Shin (before you know. he went off the rails), and i think thats whats so frustrating: these characters start with ideas that are ALMOST relatable and intriguing character flaws and then it just descends into madness

and back on kurosu's relationship with Maria's biological father, it is pretty fucked that he hides the fact that he knows Maria is the daughter of the child his adoptive father figure raped for so long, and its especially fucked he brought Maria to the church where maria's bio dad is now a priest taking care of orphans as like a way to "reunite" them and show that "he's changed" and such, but this is really a problem less with the characters and more with the way the story's themes are coalescing in general. The character of Kurosu himself was quite interesting as like a foil to the foils of maria and yusuke, simultaneously really good at masking while also not being good at ALL. and I loved that he got on Shin's case to stop being so possessive and weird about maria. And not to be all "he's literally neurodivergent and a minor" but i can't get all that mad at a 15 year old who (as revealed really quickly in a random chapter near the end) who had to leave his abusive father and scared abused mother under really traumatic circumstances and then suddenly was taken in by a seemingly kind priest trying so hard to defend said priest. i think theres something very compelling and emotionally resonant there: grappling with the the fact that someone you love, someone who treats you with such kindness, someone who you think saved you even, could have been so cruel to your other loved ones.

i know i have a bajillion experiences like that (much smaller scale things like finding out a person who was nice to u is bullying others, or more serious things. im sure im not the only one who's got crazy shit happening with cousins and aunties and uncles and such). like it changes things: you can't just sit idle about it, but you also don't have the authority to confront anyone, you can't go back to the way things were before and there's an irreparable distance between you, but you don't know how to move forward other than letting that distance grow. I think theres something here!!! but unfortunately, the series as a whole was largely uninterested with anything other than turning the main character's mother's rapist into a doting father type character out of nowhere, treating the aforementioned rape as if it was just a little "mistake"

when i read or watch something and i have a very strong reaction to it, good or bad, i often like to look at reviews afterwards. a lot of people seem to think theres no reason to look at reviews if you already have your own opinion, but i personally find them really helpful to get new perspectives and sometimes find catharsis with others with similar perspectives to mind. and so i was looking at some fan reviews and this review's first line killed me

THEYRE NOT WRONG the full sentence is "This story really reminds me of Usagi Drop, just for the way that the ending butchers my enjoyment fo the entire series" which is VERY true, but also its very true more specifically n the sense of WHY on gods green earth is this series trying to frame the rape of a young teenager as a romantic thing (albeit in akuma to love song's case the circumstances are less grooming and more violence, which just makes it bizarre in a different way). but this person's review is great, it just puts the problems with the series in such a succinct way: it swiftly turns from a decent little drama about teenagers learning to grapple with communication into Rape Apologia: The Manga.

all in all i think the big problem with akuma to love song is how much the story is just uninterested in the topics it brings up. its not a matter of taking on tough subject matter and handling it in a slightly clumsy way, its a matter of taking on tough subject matter and then trying to tie it all up in a neat little black and white bow. the series best part of the series, which is kind of seen in the section where all the kids go to the beach together, is when the characters try to learn to communicate and be honest with eachother despite their difficulties. but that was forgotten and thrown away for some very bizarrely cruel melodrama, brushing aside one of the biggest victims: Anna (mother), the girl who was assaulted and the abandoned by all her loved ones in the process. a teenage girl alone with just a toddler. a character the series had no interest in, not her life or thoughts or agency. really depressing

also yeah maria's teenage mother has the same name (and looks???) as one of her former best friends. and you know. thats what got me kind of thinking. with how much Anna (friend) was like completely forgotten about. i honestly wonder how the writing for this series went. this is why ive been so frustrated after all, its highs are so good but its lows are so so SO disastrous. it appears to have been in a biweekly version of Margaret, im unsure if it was published in every issue though. if it was, maybe rushing to get out something every two weeks was in part to blame for how downhill the writing got? i dont think manga should be published more than once a month at most, i think its unethical working conditions for the sake of a worse product and its bad for everyone involved.

and i know its not really considered standard in art and media criticism to focus so much on the working conditions and mindset the author was in while creating. looking at art as itself divorced from its circumstances and death of the author (as in the actual essay meaning like the author is not god and the intended interpretation is no more or less important than the audiences) and so on and so forth. but i can't help it ive always been like this LOL if something bad i wonder how the creator felt creating it....

but anyway. now. one thing i will give the series: they did not randomly pair off the remaining ensemble cast at the end. one thing about shoujo manga, especially from the 2000s is that if there are an equal number of boys and girls, they will be unceremoniously split into couples by the end regardless of how compatible they are HJKDLDHFJKD i was so scared when i realized there were three boys and maria had two gal pals. i was so scared. but we were spared from that at least orz

i do want you to know something though. despite all my criticism, the thing about this all: i love garbage. i love trash. i will read like anything even if its bad as long as i think i can get SOMETHING out of it. even if that something is just "wow that was bad". do you remember the aforementioned Black Bird? what did i get out of that? i dunno, probably just something absolutely crazy to read in a public library as a 17 year old LOL. i love garbage melodramatic soap opera bullshit so much

but i think what frustrated me so much about akuma to love song, as mentioned before, is that it was like. genuinely really good! in some parts! its the potential that is killing me i think. its one thing to read some big dumb and questionable melodrama knowing what youre getting into in the first few chapters, and its another thing to start out written with such emotional intelligence only to take a complete and utter nosedive so dramatically

is this how shounen manga readers feel all the time. dear god.

but well. i guess i still got something out of 90 chapters of this. a really strong start. some good art. and a what-not-to-do manual for the latter half

[ai-or-not-ai]

Ok so I saw a different post of this person’s with a fairly similar style and it made me doubt if it was truly AI or not because I had kind of neglected to do my due diligence, looking into it myself. But a somewhat consistent style is pretty much all they have going for them in the ‘not fully ai’ category???

So what I found on their blog is that they do in fact use AI for rendering/background. But they claim everything before that is sketched themselves. Which I might believe because their faces are fairly similar and their anatomical mistakes are as well.

Also I do not believe you can decide whether or not you’ve ‘stolen’ someone’s art with AI generators unless you know for sure it is only using your own data or data of consenting artists (which we know midjourney is not)

However, they insist they have done step by steps in their instagram stories but when I (finally) found a link to their insta (which is mainly pics of their tesla??) any WIP they had saved in their highlights was a pretty much a fully rendered piece already. No sketches, no flats. Sometimes it’s a grayscale picture and then color. Which, sure, sometimes you do grayscale and then overlay color. But I have yet to see any significant progress in the structure of the drawing itself? Their art insta only has posts from 2023.

Also, as someone who is also ‘busy’ with a job, downloading and posting a procreate time lapse takes like two minutes max. 🤨 They’re already creating and uploading art to the internet why can they find time to draw like this but not upload a time lapse?

I am not sure if I believe that AI is only used for finishing and am suspicious that it is perhaps just generated and then edited. Of course, this is only speculation.

One of my biggest gripes is that they claim to be a professional artist but their professional website link is broken, and they have some egregious anatomical issues. Like if you are truly a professional I don’t feel bad in asking why the arms and hands are so poorly drawn? What the fuck is this hand doing ???? Where is the arm going???? Does rendering with ai make the hands look like shit?

Now, I do not want to make a definitive judgement call here. That’s up to you to do what you will with this information. Regardless, they do personally claim to render with AI and that might be enough for some to consider that unacceptable.

I can see a concept artist using shortcuts on their work. It has fast turnaround and it is only meant as an idea and not a finished piece. Rendering with AI might be fine in that context. Like they mentioned, adding photographs or 3D models into concept art to speed up the process is already common practice. I’m not sure I would care much in that context because it is a job. If you’re an illustrator, however, you are meant to be creating clear and usable art, so I don’t think ai rendering would be conducive to a genuinely good piece.

Maybe I am being overly critical and suspicious. They already fully own up to using AI somewhere in their process. But this feels so goddamn weird so I’m just sharing this with you all.

This person uses ai art and claims it as their own without openly disclosing the fact that it's ai, please be aware that the art is not theirs before reblogging their posts