#i wish the the sympathizer tv show made more sense in terms of how it was told cause why did they film that movie again?

[tinylittlecubby]

The results just confirm my 'fascism for who' theory.

People keep saying that the USA is becoming more and more fascist and is getting worse when this is the same country that:

-exported fascism to Germany during world War 2 in the first place via Jim Crow Laws

-bombed itself in order to kill black activists

-only country to use atomic bombs on another

-some of the white citizens of the country hated a black made music genre so much that they literally rioted about it and 'ended the genre' (talking about disco)

-manipulated the housing market and literally changed the architectural landscape in order to oppress black people

-has embedded dangling the carrot of true independence from women into their culture in various ways

-invaded multiple countries to 'install democracy' but has failed at that mission every time (because that was their PR spin. They were taking down communism)

The USA is becoming more fascist not because there was a time it was never fascist or even minimally fascist. Its becoming worse because it is coming for people who used to benefit from it because fascism is inherently a flood ideology. These people just were not on the bottom floor before and might have even been laughing along and are now all pickachu faced that the water has now reached their floor.

Also, as a non US resident, everyone outside of the USA has recognized that it is fascist. Personally there is not a narrative that the US is becoming worse. Cause worse from what? When were the glory days of the US that people are desiring to return to? I literally have a professor right now that left the country in the 80's because of the political landscape at the time.

The 70's were not better when women could just open a bank account (1974,so this is progress but holy hell is it late and we are STILL having the cultural argument on whether women should be STAHM or work or do both or be a girl boss -which unsurprisingly is the most villanized option out of the bunch- ) the Vietnam War is just starting to wrap after over 9 years (meaning we will just start to see how little the US thinks of veterans again. Also when you get a minute, take a moment to check if any of the major serial killers have had any experience in the military. The people that appear on those lists are some big names) and red lining is very much in place.

The 60's? The civil rights movement was not some peaceful please listen to me mr. pwesident ass movement. It was horribly violent, many activists died senselessly and very publicly and there a multitude of atrocities that took place at the time that have been lost to history cause they can't be spun into a profitable story today.

Ah the 50's, the time people seem to bitch and moan about the most. The time when house wives were drugged up on barbituates, your fathers raging alcoholism was justified because he is the bread winner and little timmy fears telling his parents about the neighbor boy because he knows he will be kicked out the house or worse."But that stuff still happens today?!" And thats exactly my point. Just because our tools have advanced dramatically does not mean we as a group of people have advanced dramatically. If you say 'politically correct' or 'woke' I know what the hell you are getting at. Despite being terms for specific times in history usually, they serve the same function socially.

"But people could get jobs and houses so much easier then!" The same jobs that had absolutely no regard for you if you became disabled because of a work related injury (and still dont) The same jobs that somehow still had people being very poor (homelessness is not a new phenomenon) The same jobs that had a "no women, blacks or jews above the 6th floor" policy (extra fuck you if you are all 3 but then again people forget you can be all 3" The same houses that were riddled with asbestos (dont touch the popcorn ceilings in your house if you still got them fyi) the very houses that had lead pipes that has harmed people so much! The same houses in neighborhoods that have people living in them that if they see a black teen they feel comfortable killing them (this has happened time and time again so I can't even name a specific decade) And the same houses your black ass ain't getting because the mortgage man said your skin is the wrong hexadecimal code. And about that community we are supposedly lacking because of social media? It's not social media, they were systematically dismantled in order to undermine the civil rights movement. The 'social media is inherently evil' argument is just a profitable narrative for social media companies at the end of the day because an antagonist is integral to any story, america loves a villain and especially one that is teeing up for a redemption arc (check on how differently Mark Zuckerberg is dressing these days and how much of a 'wive guy' he is positioning himself to be)

It has never made sense to me that people are accepting of the fact that the USA is the most powerful nation on the planet because of its violent tendencies, the violence it has maintained throughout its entire history,but then will either act scared in a surprised manner when it continues to act as such. This is not a decline, this not a shift to the right. This is simply a continuation. No matter which candidate won, no matter for which election cycle, this will always be the case.

The flooding has been occuring for centuries. It begun as soon as Christopher Columbuses stank ass arrives.

Unfortunately I am not optimistic and if my hereditary hoodoo shit acts up now ill be so fucking pissed off

[tvobsessed96]

Top 10 TV Episodes of 2019

10. Marvel’s Runaways- Season 3, Episode 10- “Cheat the Gallows”

I’ll be the first to admit that Runaways is not a perfect show. I didn’t like season 1 all that much, mostly because Pride’s motivations and ultimate goals were too poorly defined for my tastes. I’m not expecting a big expositional villain monologue, but I at least need to understand what the villains are trying to accomplish and why. Otherwise, it’s hard to get emotionally invested. Having said that, season 2 was a marked improvement, and I wound up falling in love with this scrappy bunch of kids anyway. Which makes it all the more disappointing that the season that proved Runaways could be something great if it tried ended up being its last. I enjoyed season 3 a lot. The writing was better, the performances stepped up to match, and as annoyed as I am that the evil alien family trying to kill everyone plot was dropped unceremoniously without a satisfying explanation partway through the season, the battle with Morgan le Fey was filled with enough danger and tension to make up for it. But rather than choose that climactic battle as my entry for this list, I went with the messy, emotionally fraught aftermath. “Cheat the Gallows” could have been a simple, somewhat patriarchal story about a man going back in time to rescue the woman he loves, but it ended up being about a family clawing its way back together after wrestling with a shared trauma. Which, come to think of it, is pretty much exactly how the show started! Talk about coming full circle. The episode also ended up being a bit of a meditation on time itself, as the older versions of the Runaways contemplate the fact that Gert’s death led them down the paths that made them who they are. Once that’s erased, so are they. This realization gives the Runaways, mostly Nico, a chance to think about what they would have done differently, leading to a powerful scene in which Nico talks with her past self and pleads with her not to make the same mistakes she did. I bet we’ve all wished we could do that at one point or another. I also like that the episode ends with the sense that, with Gert saved, the Runaways might just be okay. Even if the note left for Alex by his murderous older self adds an ominous note to the whole thing.

9. So You Think You Can Dance- Season 16, Epsiode 15- “Live Finale Winner Announced”

So You Think You Can Dance continues to be the best reality competition show no one’s really talking about. Cat Deely has been robbed of her Emmy for best host too many times, but I digress. This show is always the highlight of my summer, and season 16 was no exception. Another season of amazing choreography, amazing performances, and a truly deserving winner that I can’t really be mad about, even if I was rooting for other dancers just as much. It was another really fun season, and I can’t wait for season 17! There’s a reason Fox keeps renewing this show despite the ratings, is all I’m saying.

8. Emergence- Season 1, Episode 9- “Where You Belong”

It’s true that the first half of Emergence’s freshman season was a bit uneven. The writing isn’t quite as compelling as it could be, and it does rely on some sci-fi cliches. But I’m a sucker for a good found family story, so I stuck it out. And I’m certainly glad I did, because the mid-season finale was pretty great! An excellent sense of stakes, and enough tension to keep you on the edge of your seat without skimping on the sweeter moments. It culminates in one of the most brilliant twists I’ve seen on TV since The Good Place! I’m curious to see what the rest of the season will bring.

7. Veronica Mars- Season 4, Episode 3- “Keep Calm and Party On”

I’m willing to bet that this will be the most controversial pick on the list, for several reasons. No, season 4 of Veronica Mars was not as good as its first, and I have problems with the way Rob Thomas and Kristen Bell handled the fan response to the ending. And that’s before we get to the episode itself. Many long-time fans of the series took serious issue with the extended party scene in this episode, given that Veronica was drugged and raped at a party in high school. There’s also her mother’s own history of alcoholism to consider. But while I absolutely sympathize with those concerns, Veronica’s decision to let loose and party still feels understandable to me. Given everything that’s been going on with the bombing case, she's searching for some kind of release. And if there was a year where the desire to just forget about the world for a while, past traumas be damned, felt all too real, it was 2019. And that’s why “Keep Calm and Party On” makes the list.

6. Single Parents- Season 1, Episode 23- “Ketchup”

Will and Angie are clearly the Jess and Nick of Single Parents, which is fine. But part of me is sort of hoping they don’t get together, because their friendship is pretty great. In this episode, Will takes Angie to a terrible fast food restaurant to confront Graham’s dad about abandoning her while she was pregnant. Will ends up using a bunch of food metaphors to explain to Derek what an amazing mother and person Angie is, and it’s fantastic! Add that to Douglas and Poppy realizing their feelings for each other, and you’ve got an episode that’s as completely hilarious as it is completely sweet. If you haven’t watched this show, check it out! It’s pretty delightful. 

5. Stumptown- Season 1, Episode 3- “Rip City Dicks”

Stumptown was the best new show this fall, hands down. The first half of its first season didn’t end quite as strongly as it started, but it gave us some fantastic episodes along the way. “Rip City Dicks” is one of them. Dex is hoping to apprentice under veteran PI Artie Banks in order to earn her license, but gets a cold, hard dose of reality when he sells out their client and her child to make a quick buck. Dex does learn a valuable lesson from it, though. Exactly what kind of private investigator she doesn’t want to be. The episode ends with an amazing, very feminist monologue from Dex promising Candace that she’ll get her kid back. It’s a fantastic performance from Cobie Smulders, and I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season! If you’re not watching Stumptown, you’re missing out.

4. This Is Us- Season 4, Episode 7- “The Dinner and the Date”

America’s favorite cry-worthy family drama gave us plenty of great episodes this year, including a much-anticipated origin story for Beth Pearson. Out of all the possible options, I ended up choosing “The Dinner and the Date” as my entry for this list. On one hand, you’ve got a sweet story of young love set against the backdrop of Philadelphia. On the other hand, you’ve got a young Black kid trying to form his own identity in a way his white adoptive parents just can’t understand, no matter how hard they may try. It’s a beautiful episode, and I look forward to seeing what 2020 brings for the Pearson family.

3. Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger- Season 2, Episode 10- “Level Up”

Honestly, I could have chosen any episode form Cloak & Dagger’s stellar second season for this list. There’s the near-perfect three episode run of “B-Sides,” “Vikingtown Sound,” and “Two Player.” There’s also the dark, thought-provoking Emma Lahana showcase that is “Shadow Selves.” But I ended up choosing the finale, because it felt like such a perfect culmination of everything the show had been doing up to that point. Tandy and Ty take on every obstacle Andre throws at them with an abundance of grace and an unshakable faith in each other. The choice to have them literally fight each other’s demons was inspired! But the most powerful moment comes when Tandy gets the chance to confront her late father after everything she’s learned about him since his death. She tells him in no uncertain terms that she, and only she, gets to decide how big a part of her he is. She says that the only thing she can do in the face of adversity is level up. If there’s a lesson to take into 2020, it’s this. If you think you aren’t strong enough to face what the world sends your way, level up. Turn your dagger of light into a sword of light. Stare oppression in the face and say, with your whole being, “Not today.” Disney and Marvel made a big mistake in cancelling Cloak & Dagger. Huge.

2. Good Trouble- Season 1, Episode 8- “Byte Club”

I hope anyone who thought Good Trouble wouldn’t be as powerful as The Fosters is really embarrassed after these first 20 episodes, and I mean that in the best possible way. Good Trouble is everything a great spin-off should be. It keeps the spirit, heart, and progressive mission of the original show, while also feeling like its own distinct entity. It introduces an amazing cast of new characters to love, without forgetting to check in on the old ones every once in a while. “Byte Club” has to be the best offering the show’s given us so far. Facing rampant gender and race discrimination at work, Mariana rallies the women of Speckulate to come up with a set of tips to help them assert themselves in the workplace. The advice they come up with is solid, and actually really useful in real life. But it’s made even more powerful when Mariana points out that women in professional spaces shouldn’t have to jump through all these ridiculous hoops just to get recognized for having an idea! And that’s not the only powerful feminist moment of the episode. Callie discovers that the reason Rebecca ended up as a clerk for Judge Wilson is because her previous judge sexually harassed her, and her powerful family refused to do anything about it other than get her out of there. I’ll admit that Callie had no right to insert herself into that situation and guilt Rebecca into coming forward in the following episode, but it’s still an amazing scene featuring excellent performances from Maia Mitchell and Molly McCook. I’m so excited for more Good Trouble in the new year!

1. The Good Place- Season 3, Episode 13- “Pandemonium”

The final season of The Good Place has been fantastic so far, and several of the most recent episodes almost made this list. But at the end of the day, “Pandemonium” is the kind of episode that makes me want to make television. To make something that will touch other people the way this episode touched me. I could go on and on about the beautiful love story between Eleanor and Chidi. But instead, I want to focus on the final scene, in which a distraught Eleanor calls Janet into her office and demands the answer to, well, everything. What does it all mean? Because if there’s no greater meaning, then the universe is just made of pain, and Eleanor can’t accept that. Janet’s response is what really makes the scene sing, so I’ll quote it here. “If there were an answer I could give you to how the universe works, it wouldn’t be special. It would just be machinery fulfilling its cosmic design. It would just be a big, dumb food processor. But since nothing seems to make sense, when you find something or someone that does, it’s euphoria.” To which Eleanor replies that all she can do is “embrace the pandemonium” and “find happiness in the unique insanity of being here, now.” And then she steels herself, opens the door, and welcomes her soulmate who has no idea who she is into the afterlife. This is the same philosophical bent that made me adore Angel so much, and it works just as well here. This episode aired all the way back in January, and these sentiments got me through awful headline after awful headline in 2019. Catch up on The Good Place if you haven’t already. It will be going off the air soon, and our lives will be all the worse for it.

[thatyanderecritic]

Stolen: A letter to my Captor

Title: Stolen: A letter to my Captor

Media: Novel, Written by Lucy Christopher

Yandere(s): Tyler “Ty” MacFarlane

Yandere Scale: 5/5

Criticism written by: Kai

Editor: Julie

The Review:

When Julie and I first got this story recommendation, we were admittedly terrified in what we would uncover. We were still recovering from the horrors that was Deathless...So, we were skeptical about any book recommendations we would get. But to our surprise, Stolen contained one of the best yanderes we have seen to date. We were both fascinated by Ty and fell in love with him. Truth be told, Ty now has the “#1 Yandere” trophy from ThatYandereCritic. It’s official y’all. Let’s review, Stolen: A letter to my Captor

Now then, if anyone wants to read the sparknotes for this story, you can find it here. I should warn you all that the creator of this sparknotes is a highly opinionated normie. So just read it for the straight up facts and ignore the snarky comments the writer likes to make in the summary. And for those who don’t want to read the sparknotes, here’s the TL;DR of the story. On a trip with her family to Vietnam, Gemma was drugged and kidnapped by Ty. He takes her all the way to a home he built in the Australian outback; miles away from the nearest city. Of course, Gemma goes ballistic and tries multiple escape attempts. But of course, she fails each time due to her stupidity or lack of ability to escape. And with each escape attempt, Ty is there to rescue her. Eventually, Stockholm Syndrome kicks in and Gemma falls in love with Ty. But ever suffering from Stupid Protagonist Syndrome, Gemma gets bitten by a venomous snake because she’s running around barefoot like a goddamn animal. Knowing that Gemma needs a doctor, Ty drives Gemma all the way back to civilization. Being a true MVP that he was, Ty even went with Gemma on the plane so that she isn’t lonely; taking the risk of getting arrested. Ty is convicted and sent to jail while Gemma is trying to get over her Stockholm Syndrome by writing Ty letters. Still mind boggling that an educated 16 year old doesn’t know what Stockholm Syndrome is till a psychiatrist told her. Weird flex but okay.

Stolen reminds me very much of the TV show You (that we reviewed awhile back). Both stories have fantastic yanderes but have the worst female protagonist. While Gemma wasn’t as bad as Beck, Gemma reminded me of a more tamed version of Beck. As Julie said, “The yanderes always fall for the stupid ones.” Seriously, Gemma doesn’t bring anything new to the table for “female protagonist in yandere stories”. The only thing unique was that she had Stockholm Syndrome but unfortunately that didn’t last long. Sigh… the normies strike again (I’m joking. Put down your pitchforks). From a normal person’s perspective, they probably view Gemma as a sympathetic character. Honestly, not really hard to imagine the message this book is trying to send. Lucy wasn’t exactly subtle with her message of “the blurring of lines and how an author can romanticize horrifying events.”  But here at ThatYandereCritic, we’re looking at this with the lenses of “yandere fans”. So let’s chuck that “rational” view right out the window! Let me take a moment to talk about Gemma. While Gemma might not be the worst female protagonist out there (Beck from You takes that cake), she is quite up there on the list. She’s a bit irrational at times, doesn’t act like an educated human being, and a bit overly emotional. Like, come on. Who walks around barefoot in a hot desert like a goddamn cretin? And it’s not like she has the excuse that she’s used to the area. She had a pampered life back in London for crying out loud! As a person who actually grew up in the desert, everything Gemma does isn’t logical for a matter of survival. And this isn’t information reserved for people living in the desert. Let me tell you, I can count the number of times I ran around barefoot outside in the desert. It isn’t fun and you’re quick to learn to wear shoes. You want to know what happens when you’re walking around barefoot in 100 degree weather? The skin at your feet start peeling a shit ton and you have actual burns on the base of your feet. It’s not impossible to walk but it’s like you have millions of needles under your feet and that you need to remove your skin to have some relief. Need I say more? So an elegant miss like Gemma would be freaking the fuck out running barefoot all the time. And she absolutely does not get a “dumb pass” because she’s still young. She’s 16. Not fucking 12. She should at least have a sense of self preservation and learn from her mistakes. Unless… education back in the UK is that bad? Hey UK fans out there! Is the schooling system that bad? I thought the US education is shit but this book is making me have some questions. Mind you, this was published in 2009. So the time period would be somewhere in the 2000’s. So this isn’t a scenario where you could say “It was a different time back then. Education was different.” But enough about Gemma, let’s finally move to the main dish: Ty. Ho ho boy was he a treat. He was an absolute sweetheart ever since the beginning of the book. First, it’s very clear that he’s lovesick. Ty stalked Gemma for six years, plotted her kidnapping for two years, saved her from almost getting raped, and more. When researching this novel, I saw several reviews state that Ty has “mood swings” but to be honest, Ty’s emotional responses were pretty rational. Gemma acted like a moronic animal and then Ty got angry at her actions. Seems pretty normal to me. But more than anything, what was telling about Ty is how he handled it. The way these other reviewers described his “mood swings”, I thought he would lash out at Gemma like a sadistic yandere. But nope! Ty handled his anger like a champ and put it into something productive. For example: Gemma was terrified shitless when she entered a dark room with Ty. Ty tells her not to panic and not to move till he turns on the light. You know what she does? She freaks the fuck out and makes a mess. Turning on the light, it’s revealed that he was painting in the room and Gemma ruined the painting Ty been working on for days. It was cleared that Ty was angry, but he never lashed out at her. Instead, he started crying and looked at the bright side of things by saying, “Well, I guess you made the painting even better since I love you.”

Seriously, I know many artists who would fucking murder you if you pulled some shit like that. Ty was nothing but a sweetheart to Gemma and was trying to look out for her the best way he could. Ty is a prime example on how a character can be a yandere without necessarily being violent. Hell, Ty doesn’t even have a “Yandere Snap” moment but was still a fantastic yandere.  He was never violent with Gemma (besides carrying her around).  He was even willing to take her back to the city in four months if Gemma really hated the outback. I will admit he was a bit odd mentally… making me think he’s an Australian version of Tarzan. But it wasn’t bad. He wasn’t so far off that you couldn’t understand him. In fact, you’re able to sympathize with him, which was great. Ty isn’t exactly a Redeemed Yandere, but he is a Good Yandere. He was a yandere that doesn’t really change, but he has Gemma interest at heart. He was even willing to go with her even though he knows that he’ll get arrested. What a good yandere *cries*. I guess the only bad thing about Ty is the fact that he’s sort of a… pedophile? He’s 26 and Gemma is 16. He started stalking her when she was 6. Personally, I wished that he took her when she was 18 to make this less weird. But I guess you can’t win everything when it comes to yandere stories, huh? There always got to be something. But after Happy Sugar Life, I’m not even surprised anymore. Sigh...

To finish this review, I do want to say that it was neat that Gemma got Stockholm Syndrome. It’s rare to see that with yandere stories for us. But unfortunately, Ty never got his happy ending and Gemma didn’t lie at court. Drat *snaps finger*. But anyways, there’s the tea Stolen. Can’t say the story itself was good. While the second person point of view was a neat gimmick, Gemma’s monkey brain narration was unbearable. You can’t exactly enjoy Ty as a yandere with Gemma being so hostile tbh. I guess she becomes bearable once she gets stockholm syndrome but ain’t nobody got time for that. Reading the sparknotes was much more interesting since we got straight into the action and minus the bullshit. Bonus is that there’s a lot less snark compared to the actual book! Nice!

(Post edit: Julie here, I just want to say that Ty was a man that was after my own heart. As for Gemma...We could do better in terms of a female protagonist)

Overall Score: 8/10

[altraes]

Tagged by @avenger-hawk @renamon15 and @koukenkage . Thank you :)

Rules: Answer the 11 questions you were asked, write 11 questions and tag 11 people.

(this is going to be long, sorry)

Questions by avenger-hawk:

1. What’s your favourite book? The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Siddartha by Hermann Hesse. Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Russian Roulette by Anthony Horowitz. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. A Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

2. What’s your dream job? Becoming a sustainable and/or preservation architect. Want to be able to make artworks and write preferably fiction (and fanfiction XD) on the side.

3. Favourite and least favourite food? Favorite: Apples. least favorite: bitter pickles

4. What’s the thing you like the most about yourself? These days, nothing really.

5. And what’s the thing you hate the most about yourself? Ah, many things. I’m under-confident and indecisive. I mostly make decisions based on my feelings rather than logic and practicality, which is not smart at all but I can’t help it. I’m reluctant and wary of change. I am slow and absent-minded. Etc etc

6. If you could go back in time what era or moment in time (both general and in your life) would you choose? @renamon15 same. I’d like to go back to my childhood and live life with the mindset I’ve gained till now.

7. If you had the chance to get to know one thing that has been hidden so far, what would that be? (like are aliens real? or conspiracies or gods or whatever lol) All the mysteries that comprise the deep sea. Not helpful for me in any way but I’ve always been intrigued by it and find it surprising how little we know.

8. How many languages do you speak? Is there a language you’d like to know? Four (not completely fluent in speaking two of these). I’d love to learn French, Japanese and Russian.

9. What’s your favourite music genre/artist/artists? These days I only listen to indie music, soft rock, jazzhop, asian-traditional fused with modern. I listen to the occasional song too. And I don’t have particular favorite artists or bands etc, it really depends on the songs/music and my mood.

10. What’s your favourite word? I don’t know ^^’ I don’t really think about this, mostly because it changes with my mood too.

11. What’s your favourite quote? “When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change” by Aang in The Legend of Korra. (there are many others but that’s the first one that came to mind.)

 Questions by renamon15:

1. Is there a song that describes you, or song you can relate to? Stay in the Dark by Lambert. I’m not sure if it describes me or it’s something that I relate to, but I find it soothing.

2. Your first pet? (If you didn’t have a pet, did you wish to have one?) It was a goldfish named Poly, lol. I want to have a sassy/curious cat and a chill af dog.

4. Is there something you liked in the past, but you regret it now? I used to read more in the past, nowadays I don’t read as much, which I regret.

5. Is there something bad/embarrassing that happened to you, but you laugh about it today? Uh, I forgot to lock the door when I was showering and my mom walked in on me ^///^’. THANKFULLY IT WASN’T MY DAD OR ANYONE ELSE. It still makes me cringe to this day. I’m often absent-minded so ^^’

6. One guilty pleasure? I like to stay up very late. I really try not to, but it’s when I’m most productive in terms of writing and drawing.

7.How do you reward yourself after accomplishing something big/important? Any among these things: have ice-cream, watch a movie or anime/TV show, take a walk if it’s a nice day. Start a book (if I have the time).

9. One dream you can’t forget (like one that was really scary or pleasant, or one that for some other reason stayed engraved in your head)? It’s disturbing that I sometimes see nightmares as if I’m watching horror movies. I see people I’ve never seen/met before and places I’ve never been to. I see creatures and events that flit by one scene after the other in quick succession. They’re terrifying and very vivid. I usually wake up screaming and with sleep paralysis. Till now I’ve seen three of such distinctly horrific dreams and have even written them down, but I don’t think I will post them anywhere. (I think I watch too much horror movies lol.)

10. Favorite game from your childhood? Hide and seek :)

11. If you could be possessed by someone, dead or alive, or even fictional, who would you like to be possessed by? No one? I find the idea of possession kind of weird. Also, idk why anyone would want to possess me lol.

 Questions by koukenkage:

1. What did you want to become as a grown up when you were a child? A vet. That changed when I learnt I would have to see sick animals all the time and I realised I wouldn’t be able to handle it ^^’

2. Is there a big dream that you had to give up to achieve your goals? Do you regret it? I don’t think I’ve given up any big dream. Right now I’m doing what I enjoy so I’m satisfied.

3. Is there a book/a movie that you’ve loved but couldn’t read or watch again? Citizen: an American Lyric by Claudia Rankine. I had a love-hate relationship with this book. It’s about racism faced by African Americans in America, and of course, I sympathize. However, the book is too serious and intense - it’s stressful. Of course, I suppose it’s supposed to impart such feelings, but still. The best thing about it, however, is her writing style: it’s one of the most unique I’ve come across - a blend of imagery, script and poetry along with dialogues between various photographs and artworks. It’s really an inspiration. But yes, would never read again, sorz Claudia.

4. If you could be someone else for 24 hours, who would that be? Can I be a happy eight-year-old kid thank you.

5. You can get your dream job in exchange for ten years of your life, do you accept? Nope. Time and youth is precious, I’d rather work and study the ten years to get my dream job. In the ten years lost, I feel like I’d miss out on a lot of things.

6. A meteorite is to destroy the earth in 24h, what do you do for dinner tonight? Be home with my family but they’re across the globe so this question stresses me D:

7. You can revive one human being, no matter how long ago they died, who do you choose? Someone of your family? Siddhārtha Gautama? Homer? Shakespeare? Jesus christ? Be wild (or not). Van Gogh. So that he’d get to see how much his art inspires people now. Poor guy was depressed most of his life and his art career was unsuccessful. I’m sure there are lots of artists/writers/activists etc whose works and deeds became appreciated only posthumously. Let them see that they touched people’s lives.

8. You can make one thing disappear from existence, what do you choose? (It has to be something concrete, not a concept, like the flue is okay, but not the concept of disease.) Mosquitoes lol

9. You wake up in the body of Quasimodo, what is your first thought? If we’re really talking about first thoughts then: I AM IN PARIS FFFF I WANT TO TOUR EVERYWHERE.

10. You are going on an adventure of unknown nature, but you are allowed to choose a fictional character to accompany you, who are you going to choose and why? Shisui. Because he’s intelligent and strong so my potato brain and unathletic body can rely on him ^^’. He’s also wonderfully optimistic and has a good sense of humor so he’d make the journey fun too.

11. You fall deeply in love with someone, then realize that this person has done something horrible that goes against all your principles, and you know that you’ll think of it every time you see them. What do you do? I wouldn’t be able to look at them the same way, but I’d be willing to give them a second chance for redemption (everyone deserves this I think). If even that doesn’t work out, sorry. It would have to end. This is all in theory, of course.

My questions:

1. When you’re most depressed, what do you do/think about to cheer yourself up?

2. What are some things you’ve touched that grant you immediate comfort/happiness? (i know, it’s a weird qt, lel)

3. What is one quality in someone that you’ve found really admirable and why?

4. What is one profession you’d like to practice instead of the one you’re working towards/working in?

5. One wondrous/disturbing/interesting memory or imagery from your childhood that you remember vividly.

6. Early bird or night owl?

7. If you could teleport, where would you choose to go first?

8. One good gesture you did today?

9. One thing you’ve regretted doing in the past and can’t get over it even now?

10. One superpower you’d like to have and why?

11. What’s the last book/movie/show/play etc you indulged in that strongly affected you (as in emotionally or made you reflective)?

Tagging: @avenger-hawk @renamon15 @koukenkage (please, only if you want to ofc) @tsukiko-hibiki @littleunknowncrow @konohagakureship (also if you want to)

and anyone else who’d want to do this :)

[prairiechzhead]

Poldark S3 Was A Huge Disappointment For Me and It All Boils Down To One Root Cause.

I had originally begun a draft of this post that devolved into everything that I cannot stand about how the show chose to move the character of Demelza into a different direction. That part of the post got really, really, really, really long.

Instead of sharing that really, really, really, really long post, I decided to write a new one. It’s also Sunday and the final episode of season 3 hasn’t aired yet as I begin this, but I need to write because for the past 10 weeks, I’ve been doing homework on Sunday mornings. I have no homework to type up because the summer term is finished. I find myself at a loss, so I began this post.

But I digress. You’ll find that I’m really good at that.

This is a really, really, really, really long post about the one reason why Season 3 was a disappointment to me. I’ve been able to distill my disappointment down to one root cause.

If you listen to the @poldarkpodcast​, you know that I regularly submit my opinions on the episodes that just aired. You probably also know that I’m not fond of the direction in which they took Demelza this season.

Actually “not fond” is putting it mildly.

I HATE what they did to her character. I hate, hate, hate it! The Powers That Be decided that Demelza wasn’t “strong” enough or “feisty” enough in the novels, so they had to make her more modern to appeal to modern audiences.

However, in doing so, they basically took a shit all over Winston Graham’s work and a character that was based on his own wife. They’ve taken the product of someone who is a very gifted storyteller and dumbed it down so much, I start to feel stabby.  

I’m glad he’s not alive to see this.

Feisty Demelza does not work in the Hugh/Demelza storyline. She doesn’t fit. She doesn’t belong there because Demelza’s inner conflict can’t exist with Show!Demelza as she has been written. An integral part of this story, Hugh Armitage’s basically taking advantage of Demelza’s kindness and turning it around on her through subtle manipulation, is missing. It cannot exist with Modern, Feisty Show!Demelza because of the trope that Modern, Feisty women can’t be manipulated. Internal conflicts only make one indecisive, and Modern, Feisty women, such as Show!Demelza can’t be indecisive.

As @mmmuses​ pointed out in an episode of the Poldark Podcast, when TPTB changed up Demelza, they neglected to change the other characters, too, particularly Ross. The two characters are foils for each other. In changing her, but not having him change in line with her change, the equilibrium is gone. 

Show!Ross is pretty much the same as in the novels, with a few exceptions. In Black Moon and Four Swans, Book!Ross has matured and grown from the events in the previous novel. In the show, Show!Ross has grown and learned from what happened in season 2. However, when, in E1, he doesn’t want to talk about Elizabeth, even though Demelza is poking at him to do so, I don’t see this as him pretending that a problem doesn’t exist. I see it as him avoiding creating more problems because Demelza will inevitably take whatever he says the wrong way and not give him a chance to explain what he means. Demelza on the show has a very bad habit of doing this. In this episode, I see his reluctance to talk as Ross trying to avoid an argument. Granted, he doesn’t handle this in the best way because he’s not a good communicator. 

Unlike her book counterpart, Show!Demelza seems to have regressed into a bratty teenager. Book!Ross describes Book!Demelza as “his conscience.”

Then there are all the inconsistencies in how her character is portrayed. The biggest and most egregious example of this for me (and this should not come as a surprise to you) is when, in Episode 7, she goes after Ross, who has just learned that his aunt Agatha died, is walking on the beach, trying to sort through his emotions, and then begins to tear him a new one about his decision to decline the offer of running for MP, because he “didn’t ask for her opinion”.

This scene STILL sticks in my craw because it is so out of character for Demelza to do this. Demelza is a kind and selfless person. She puts others before herself. Book!Demelza, when struggling with her attraction to Hugh, even puts the struggle into terms of her not wanting to see someone else suffer (this would be her tendency towards kindness) with her deep love for Ross and honoring her marriage vows. Book!Demelza and Show!Demelza from S1 and 2 would not do go to Ross and start screaming at him. Her first reaction would be to go to him and console him.  Her opinion on this MP issue can wait because her husband needs her more.

If this out-of-character behavior wasn’t bad enough, there is a sub-section of the fandom who defend her behavior in that scene.

First of all, you don’t rip into someone who just learned that one of their few remaining relatives has died. You don’t do that. Period.

Second, why does Ross need her opinion on not running for MP? Now if he decided to run for MP without consulting her opinion, she has a case, because that would involve upheaval in their lives that would affect her, their children, the mine, and all the other day-to-day things that happen at Nampara.  But for someone who has been very vocal in the past about her wish for Ross to be at home more, it makes zero sense for her to be upset with him for turning down something that would require him to be away from home for months at a time.

The writers also have Show!Demelza gift her brothers the use of a storage barn on Nampara land to use as a Methodist meeting house. (In the books, it was Ross who gifted them a building of some sort. Which one specifically escapes me at the moment.) But the thing is, Show!Demelza did this out of spite and behind his back because she was pissed off at Ross for being in France longer than he said he would be. He had good reason to: he was waiting for his contact to give him a list of the prisoners at Quimper and then he would know where Dwight Enys, a friend of the family, was.

It’s not like he decided to stay in Roscoff because he wanted to go out and party or anything like that. Her reaction was out of proportion to the event that supposedly triggered it. That is not the sign of an emotionally mature and strong person.

Strong people don’t do things out of spite. Weak people act out of spite. Immature people act out of spite. Perhaps if Show!Demelza had done this without being motivated to do so by her anger at Ross, it would come across more as an act performed by a strong person because a decision had to be made and there was no one around to make it except her. The writers want us to believe this, but I’m not buying it. Her anger and spite is clear when she makes the decision to gift the building to her brothers. 

Because of the inconsistency in her characterization, the struggle that Book!Demelza went through in Four Swans over her attraction to Hugh Armitage is not there. I don’t sympathize with Show!Demelza. I’m not even sure if she is struggling emotionally, because given her past, inconsistent behavior on the show and how TPTB decided to not have Ross and Demelza fully reconcile, they have set up the climax of this storyline and Demelza’s motivation as to get revenge or to do it out of spite.

Again, emotionally mature, strong people DO NOT do things out of spite or to get even.

The characterization on the show then becomes problematic in scenes that are played out as they are in the novels. The best example is in episode 8 when Demelza makes the “I wish I could be two people” speech. In the novels, it comes off as her being honest and conflicted and it is set up to be confessional. On TV, it just comes off as her informing Ross that she’s probably going to make the Beast with Two Backs with Armitage and that if he doesn’t like it, too bad. In the same scene, she also tells Ross that he’s the one she belongs with. The scene is also blocked in a way where the two of them are sitting across from each other, which gives it a confrontational feel. It also makes Ross’s honesty about beginning to doubt his wife’s feelings for him even more painful to watch. Modern, Feisty Show!Demelza tells him to “be patient. As I was patient with you.” She’s referring to the aftermath of Ross’s Very Bad Thing with Elizabeth in season 2.

Which brings me to another point about Show!Demelza’s characterization in S3. TPTB have basically ignored what Show!Demelza did and said in S2. She wasn’t patient with Ross. She was angry, and rightfully so. She was ready to leave him because he couldn’t seem to make up his mind on who he really wanted. She was fed up waiting for him to get his head out of his ass. Ross can be thick sometimes, particularly when it comes to emotions. Ross is an emotionally stunted man who has difficulty expressing his emotions, AND expressing them in a way where he is not putting his foot in his mouth and making things worse. He certainly did plenty of that in S2 after his transgression.

But the main difference between him asking her to be patient and her asking him to be patient is that when Ross asked this of Demelza, the deed had already been done. When Demelza asks this of Ross, the deed has yet to come.

But now, when the shoe is on the other foot, she expects Ross to sit back and wait for her to get her head out of her ass and figure things out. Except this doesn’t work because Demelza is better at expressing her feelings than Ross is, MOST of the time. When she does not, she goes full passive-aggressive, which just makes things worse. Then there are times when she loses her temper and reacts to things that Ross says or does and she doesn’t give him a chance to explain further or clear up any confusion. This seems to happen when he says something in the most asinine and garbled way possible. As a result, Ross becomes reluctant to share things with her because he doesn’t want to anger her or hurt her.

Which brings me back to Episode 1 and the appearance that he’s pretending there is no problem in regards to Elizabeth.

This couple has very atrocious communication skills. The future therapist in me wants to sit both down and work with them on this.

So between what S2Show!Demelza did and the platitudes she threw in Ross’s face after Ross’s indiscretion now contradicts what S3Show!Demelza is about to do with Lord Byron aka Hugh Armitage. In this regard, Show!Demelza comes off as a hypocrite and Show!Ross now has some moral high ground. Making pronouncements works better if you make them after you did something wrong because you can always frame them as you messed up, but you learned from your mistakes. He messed up and he knows that what he did was wrong. He knows that he inflicted pain on her in the worst way possible. He regretted what he did almost immediately. She was hurt by what he did to her, but here she is, about to inflict the same pain on him. This is what gives Ross that bit of moral high ground. He learned. She has not.

One of the arguments that defenders of this Hugh/Demelza storyline in the show fall back on is this notion that Show!Demelza is being neglected by her husband. This is a line that’s been put forth by TPTB in the press. Having watched this show, I’m still waiting to see evidence of such neglect.

Ross was neglectful of her in S2. When it was pointed out to him that he had no clue that everything Demelza was doing to make sure there was food while they were going through a period of impoverishment, he tried to make up for it and as a result, we got that Stocking Scene. He also learned that she was starting to doubt his feelings for her, too. He showed her that he still loved her by the events in the stocking scene.

The one thing he doesn’t do in that moment and in that scene is brush off her concerns. In S3, when Demelza asks him to be patient after he confesses he’s begun to doubt her feelings for him, it comes across as if she’s brushing him off.

However, in S3, the couple are seen regularly sitting together and talking. Or they’re taking walks, hand in hand, I should add. Sometimes, the walks are just the two of them. Other times, their children are along. They work together in the garden. They are intimate.

So I am a tad confused as to where this argument that Show!Demelza is being neglected comes from.

TPTB have set up this tryst with Hugh Armitage based on non-existent evidence that her husband is not paying attention to her. Riiiiight.

I’m from the old school in that if you’re going to make a claim, it is your responsibility to back up that claim with evidence. Maybe the people in the back don’t require supporting evidence of this so-called neglect, but the people in the front do and I’m one of those people sitting up front. 

Spousal neglect is one of the reasons why my first marriage fell apart. This neglect had ZERO to do with—

Again how exactly is Demelza being neglected? Dammit, I can’t even finish that sentence now.

The kind of emotional neglect that can destroy a marriage includes not standing by and supporting a spouse when that spouse is going through something very difficult. In my case, I had just been formally diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder that I’d been living with undiagnosed for half my life (I was 29 when I received my diagnosis) and my ex refused to support me because I’d decided to start taking anti-depressants and he “didn’t believe in taking pills for such a thing”.

THAT is neglect. His refusal to stick by me was one of the reasons that man is now my ex-husband. The man I am married to now (I refuse to call him my current husband because that suggests that there might be a future husband, which there will never be) has taken the time to learn about my depression and my anxiety. He goes with me to therapist appointments when I ask him to go. When I had a nervous breakdown four years ago and was contemplating suicide, I voluntarily checked myself into a psychiatric hospital. That man was there during visiting hours every single day. When I am going through an episode of depression or anxiety, he is the one who urges me to get up and do something. Anything. He may not always do the right thing, but that’s not the point. He is standing beside me and he is there when I need him. And that is why we’ve been together for almost 18 years and married for 15.

And after writing all of that, I’m still having trouble finding exactly in what way Ross is neglecting her during S3. Saying stupid things or insensitive things in the heat of the moment is not neglect. That’s just being a horse’s ass. At least he’s talking to you, Demelza. 

The book version of Demelza, the one that TPTB decided wasn’t strong enough is actually a stronger person that the so-called Modern, Feisty Demelza. We, as a culture, have a serious problem with how we define strength and weakness in a person, particularly when it comes to emotions. Strong people, emotionally mature people are usually the quiet ones who take time to contemplate. Emotionally immature and weak people are the ones who throw tantrums and act out of spite. However, because we are conditioned to believe that strength is demonstrated by action, we view the person who has the outbursts and reacts based on their emotions as the strong ones. The person who takes the time to contemplate what they are doing is the weaker person, according to society.

It’s actually the other way around. It takes a tremendous amount of strength to make yourself take that step backwards, take those deep breaths, and not react viscerally.

TPTB have it backwards. Book!Demelza is the strong one. Season3Show!Demelza is the weaker character.

I’m sorry that the people in the back can’t wrap their heads around this, but that’s not my problem and those of us in the front should not be made to suffer for other people’s ignorance.

And this is why S3 is such a disappointment to me. 

As it is about 2 hours and 45 minutes until the show airs, I’m posting this anyway, because unfortunately, I doubt that there is enough that will happen in one last episode to redeem this season for me. 

[pathfindersemail]

I've been stalking your writing advice because I'm always seeking to better my writing. I hope it's okay to ask for some tips for first person point of view because that's what I mainly write in and enjoy the most. Fictional (right now fanfiction) of course. And sorry to bother you .-.

Oh you’re never bothering! Tbh I’m super flattered and honored someone takes those posts seriously T.T Thank you for reading and hearing me out!

Anyway, imo you chose a hard one. I don’t touch first person with a 10-foot pole not because it sucks or anything. It’s just like… super difficult to pull off. When I read successful fiction, I look for certain things in the writing. If the author does them well, I consider it a well done masterpiece. If not, I move on. Let me name this one (out of others) thing I look for in good writing.

A degree of separation

I think the best kind of character development is one that is able to challenge or put pressure on the protagonist’s world view. The trick is to be able to do it in a way that makes that character even more relatable to the reader.

Take for example this opening line to one of the first few chapters of The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas by Machado de Assis:

As far as I know, no one has ever spoken about his own delirium. I’m doing just that and science will thank me for it. If the reader isn’t given to the contemplation of these mental phenomena, he may skip this chapter and go straight to the narrative. But if he has the slightest bit of curiosity, I can tell him now that it’s interesting to know what went on in my head for some twenty or thirty minutes.

To provide some context, the protagonist of the novel (and the narrator, as this is written in first person) decided to depict his death at the very beginning of the novel, and here he is relaying the delirium he experienced at death’s door.

I chose this example, because the passage does a lot of work helping you understand how egomaniacal and (to use a colloquialism) absolutely extra this Bras Cubas is. “As far as I know, no one has ever spoken about his own delirium. I’m doing just that and science will thank me for it.” In the first sentence, he condescendingly explains to the reader that he is about to accomplish the impossible task of articulating a moment of impaired consciousness, and not only that but science should (implied in “will”) thank him for it. And yet as soon as he brags about his ability to do what is considered impossible and hitherto unknown, Bras Cubas then nonchalantly tells the reader they can skip this chapter if they’ve never experienced delirium.

How important is his contribution? How reliable is this narrator?

The whole point of those first three sentences is to tell the reader that Bras Cubas is delusional, self-aggrandizing, and yet painfully self-aware that his readers can be callously indifferent to his contributions. It makes you sympathize with his ability to make fun of himself all the while still clinging to grandiose claims.

Afterwards, he takes the tone to a more sardonic level (”if he has the slightest bit of curiosity”… meaning why the fuck aren’t you curious, dear reader) and claims that their completely subjective and mental experiences are “interesting.” The understatement feels like a punch in the gut given the rather disproportionate amount of histrionics he started with.

The passage brims with his contradictory, flawed, and nonetheless narcissistic (as we are?) personality. This character feels vividly human despite being a “dead narrator.”

Here there is a degree of separation between the character and the reader despite the personal pronoun “I” dictating the voice of the piece. The reader knows they are not the “I” who claims to be able to describe their delirium, and yet they sympathize with the very same maniac (the “I” of the piece) who knows no one cares about his hooplah and bullshit.

I think when you’re writing a piece of fiction that it’s important for the reader to come to terms with someone they disagree with (or perhaps don’t like) and still be able to sympathize with them. I think not a lot of people in fandom are willing to give their OCs this kind of vanity or flaw despite its potential to give characters room for growth. This task is difficult to accomplish with first person, because it’s difficult to seamlessly string together his contradictions the way Machado de Assis has done (and you won’t really notice it unless you give it a 2nd or 3rd read).

What you don’t want is a character who blatantly contradicts themselves because the writer didn’t take into account inconsistencies within the narrative. This is where you get the “OOC” or out-of-character mistake.

Because I was too lazy to look through my books for examples of bad writing, I made one up for demonstration. I hope you don’t mind!

I slammed the dishes into the sink. What did I care? The water was running, but even that couldn’t outdo the loud blaring of a sportscaster and the throngs of crowds roaring from that dreadful box. He stayed glued, and I stayed washing. Washing, drying, and cleaning. It was my work, after all.

And so I came up to him screaming, “DAMMIT SCOTT! WHY CAN’T WE BE TOGETHER?!” I didn’t care anymore that I was angry. I didn’t mind doing the dishes for the rest of my life, so long as he stayed watching that dreadful box.

Okay I exaggerated a bit, but notice the complete 180 in voice and tone between paragraphs. I wrote the first one as the introspection of a dissatisfied individual who was resentful of doing chores while their partner very loudly ignores them by watching a sports game on the TV. Then, the next paragraph devolves into this melodrama about how the character loses all sense of introspection and awareness of the injustice done to them, just so they can “[do] dishes for the rest of [their] life.” It seems like I’m reading two totally different characters, right? 

Well, that’s an example of a narrative contradiction where the character isn’t showing any sense of awareness or depth. The degree of separation is too large, and the reader finds it difficult to connect the various “I’s” in the piece. The first person is collapsing under several different voices, and there isn’t connective tissue between them.

They’re just showing the writer’s clumsiness. On the other hand, the contradictions in de Assis’s prose work to balance Bras Cubas’s vainglorious ambitions and his awareness of its futility.

To be completely honest, I often catch two-dimensional characterization in fanfic in the sense that their characters very rarely express doubt (unless in its relation with their romanced LI). Annoyingly enough, most self-doubt and insecurities their characters express are rooted exclusively to the LI, which I find highly problematic. As opposed to, say, the LI bringing out (by way of the need to change their relationship because the protag is not helping their relationship or if that LI is a dick) these pre-existing doubts and insecurities (which IMO is much more interesting).

In the end, it’s up to you to decide what you look for in a piece of fiction. First person is very tough, but I can see the draw to it (mainly because personal voice is so much more contoured in it). I wish you best of luck, and feel free to always ask me anything wrt your work or writing in general!

[impandagrl]

Supernatural Survey

1. What season did you start watching Supernatural?  I started watching July 3rd, 2016. I started watching from the pilot and finished the finale of s10 on August 19th (11 wasn’t available to view yet). I only know the dates because I made a Facebook post the day I started (I think it said “Amanda is watching supernatural season 1 - I think I may have made a terrible mistake …”) and one of my first Tumblr posts marking the day I finished. 12 was the first season I watched live.

2. Who was the first character you fell in love with?  I think it was Dean by about ten minutes or something. I’m pretty sure Dean’s cocky “Easy Tiger,” made me say “Oh, no,” shortly before whatever Sam said or did that made me say, “Yeeeah, I’m in trouble.”

3. Who was a character that you hated at first but grew to love?  Um, don’t hate me. Kevin? My first watch-through I found him incredibly whiny and ungrateful for a while. Then he started growing on me and I would call him ‘Kevin’ when he was annoying me and ‘Tran’ when I was proud of him. The second time around, I was able to be much more sympathetic.

4. Which character would you most want to be in a long-term relationship with?  This is hard. My answer surprised me because it might (gun to my head) be Sam. I always thought I found Dean *slightly* more attractive (again, gun to my head). And character-wise I love them equally. I guess I just think Sam and I would work better together in a long-term relationship.

5. If you could go on just one date with one character, which one would you choose?  Since I picked Sam for the other, can I say Dean?

6. What would you do on the date? Lol idk, see an old movie at a drive-in theatre? Something tells me Dean would enjoy the classic combination. I’d love whatever. I’d want him to be able to relax and be himself - see that ‘little kid’ side we get a glimpse of every so often. Maybe I could find some way to let him know he’s so much more than just his good looks?

7. Which character would you most want to be like?  Donna? I love her so much. I guess I see myself in her, but she’s *more so* idk. Her sweetness. Her bubbly personality. She’s not afraid to get personal. She’s been hurt, but she doesn’t let it make her hide who she is. She’s got a strength that usually takes people by surprise because she’s so nice, they think she must be soft. She likes doughnuts … She told Dean freaking Winchester to stuff it.

8. Which character would you most like to see brought back from the dead? If you’d have asked me this before the finale I’d have said Gabe. I don’t think bringing him back would cheapen his death (or continue to cheapen deaths on the show in general) because we were never sure whether to believe if he’d really died anyway. After the tangled mess of the finale (I’m including Eileen in this) I’m really not sure how to answer.

9. Which character would you most like to punch?  If by punch you mean repeatedly before handing her over to Sam to finish off and Sam is under some spell that allows him to give her the kind of death she deserves but he doesn’t have to feel too bad about it afterwards (idk a justice spell? That could be a real thing)- Toni freaking Bevel. That woman is a psychotic monster. I loathe her. Story time, 12x1 was the first episode I watched live. So I had to make myself be super quiet because I couldn’t rewind or rely on subtitles like I had been doing when the show would make me yell at the tv. The first commercial break I apparently yelled, “FREAKING BITCH!” so loud my mom heard me from upstairs. She thought it was hilarious. This was before the mind rape even happened.

10. Who is your absolute favorite character? Nope

11. Which “Big Bad” do you think was the worst? There are the villains I love, the villains I love to hate, and the villains I loathe. Spn has some of all three. Crowley is the scariest, I think, because he’s the most intelligent and devious and they keep forgetting he’s a bad guy, but I love him. Lucifer is probably the most evil, and most powerful, but I like him as a villain. Metatron was probably the one I hated the most (Toni couldn’t be called a big bad, I suppose, even though I hated her the most of all).

12. Which character are you most like?  It’s funny how many similarities I see in both Sam and Dean, but I think it’s prolly Donna. She’s more badass than I am, though :)

13. What death hit you the hardest?  The first time Sam died was hard because Jensen is too good at his job. When Dean died with the MOC Jared’s reaction gutted me. I knew they were coming back in those instances and what made it hard was witnessing the pain of the other. Bobby was the same in that I was sad to see him go, but they did him justice, I thought, and the hard part was seeing Sam and Dean go through that. Charlie’s was brutal. Charlie was probably the first time I’ve ever cried because someone died more than because the people left behind were sad. Not that the guys falling back and acting like they couldn’t bear to go in that room didn’t help sell it.

14. What season finale hit you the hardest?  Season 3, maybe? I don’t like hellhounds. I should; I typically love everything dog related, but hellhounds freak me out because of how much I don’t like to watch that scene. Then, Five was beautiful and so sad. I already mentioned about the season 2 and 9 finales.

15. What are your ten all-time favorite episodes?  Oh shoot! Um … Baby Regarding Dean Point of No Return It’s a Terrible Life Swan Song Two Minutes to Midnight In My Time of Dying Tall Tales Plush Jus in Bello These are just the first ten I thought of. I’m not sure if they’re my actual ten favorite, but they’ll do.

16. What’s been your favorite season? Oh, I don’t know. Um, maybe five? 

17. Who is your favorite angel? Besides Cas, I really liked Gabe, then Samandriel and Balthazar.

18. Who’s your favorite demon?   Ooh. Um Crowley obvi. I really loved Ruby as a character. I know there’s the pesky betrayal thing, but her banter with Dean is beautiful, she did keep Sam alive when Dean was gone, and I think in her twisted demon way, she really cared about him. Even if you believe everything before was an act (I could debate a couple points) the things she said after Lucifer’s cage was unlocked sounded like she really believed she, Sam, and Dean were going to be reconciled somehow and live happily ever after. I also liked Meg as a villain and reluctant ally.

19. Who’s your favorite evil character?  Besides the ones I’ve already mentioned above, I love Rowena (as far as villains I love) and Abaddon (as far as villains I love to hate). I also loved Dick because without him we wouldn’t have had all the amazing dick jokes (I have a very simple sense of humor, I won’t apologize)

20. So you have any supernatural ships? SamxSarah, SamxEileen. I always thought Dean and Bela would end up getting together, although it would have been mostly physical and wouldn’t have lasted long. I always wished Dean and Lisa could have made it work. I know, I know.

21. Who’s your favorite supporting actor?  The heck am I supposed to answer this?

22. What’s your favorite quote from the show?  Again, say what? I’ll give you a few. “Are you under the impression that family is supposed to make you feel good … They’re supposed to make you miserable! That’s why they’re family!” “Do I look like a ditchable prom date to you? … Family don’t end with blood boy.” “I am your flesh-and-blood brother … Believe in that … You gotta make it stone number one and build on it.”

23. If you could cast one famous actor in an episode of SPN, who would you chose?  lol Tom Hiddleston! Why not? Angel, demon, hunter, he could fill any of the above and nail it.

24. If you could write your own episode, what kind of creature would you like to see included?   I’d like to see a black dog or kelpie. That would be awesome.

25. Who’s your favorite girl that Dean’s hooked up with?  Lisa

26. Who’s your favorite girl that Sam’s hooked up with?  Jessica

27. What are some of your favorite convention moments?  When j2 played with the delay in the screen behind them to make it look like there were an infinite number of j2’s turning around. That’s funny and adorable. Um, when Sheppard got asked by the little girl about Crowley’s demon deal. When the crowd did the thing with the candles for Jared. When Jared or Jensen pretend they agreed to pay the person who asked the question.

28. If you were going to guest star (or be a recurring guest star) on SPN, how would you want your character described?  I basically wrote myself into an episode in devils’ trap. I mean I’m definitely cooler in the story than in rl, but my favorite is the respect and esteem Sam and Dean show when regular people (civilians) rise to the occasion when confronted with the supernatural. That’s the kind of character I’d like to play.

29. What do you hope to see in the next season?  Better writing. Continued character development. Monster of the week episodes.

30.-40. If you had to choose…

Bobby or John? (is this a real question?) Bobby

Bela or Ruby? Bela

Jess or Madison? Jess?

Jo or Lisa? I don’t like this question. I can’t decide. I’ve literally changed my mind 15 times and explaining my inner dialogue would take way too long.

Charlie or Kevin? Charlie

Balthazar or Ash? Ash

Cas or Crowley? Argh, I can’t choose.

Ben or Claire? Ben. Although I was disappointed with him in later episodes, he was so cool and non-whiny the first time we met him, and I do like and sympathize with Claire.

Jody or Donna? Both please :)

Sam or Dean? Nope. Can’t.

[burlybard]

The Living and the Dead and Undertale

I wrote this in October 2015. Four months later, my grandmother died. Six months later, my mom died. Grappling with so much tragedy has absolutely altered how I look at pop culture now, especially our culture’s relationship with death and mourning. But looking back at this piece, I don’t think I’d change a word. Only one thing has really changed: I believe, more than ever, that Undertale is perhaps the wisest and most emotionally honest game ever made about the subject of death, which is something most games are inundated with but never have the courage to address. It’s about sadness, mourning, remembrance, and love. It’s about the things we are so often afraid to confront when we experience tragedy. It is almost certainly my favorite game ever made.

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

As a child, I didn’t comprehend death until a whole bunch of it hit my family all at once. When I was five years old, over a six month span aunt died at 23 of bone cancer, my grandfather died at 62 of pancreatic cancer, and my uncle died at 30 after he was struck in his car by a drunk driver. I learned then, before I knew much else about anything, that death was permanent, that death disabled entire families (some temporarily, some permanently), that death presented a wall of grief that simply has to be endured until every individual affected has the strength to move on, on their own terms.

As I grew older, the stories I consumed pretty much ignored all that.

In stories, death is typically a device. It is an obstacle for a hero to avoid. It is a convenient way of setting stakes. It is a means of taking large numbers of enemies out of the equation and assuring that they will not bother you again. It is a way of showing how much a character has changed, for the good (in how and why they face death) or for the bad (usually in inflicting it). This is not inherently a bad thing. Storytelling relies on tension. To create tension, characters need to have something to worry about. Death is hard to beat in that regard. Of the greatest TV dramas of all-time, how many didn’t rely on the possibility of death to provide impetus for the plot? Breaking Bad, The Wire, The Sopranos, Deadwood- all had death and killing around every corner. The same for Lost, The-X-Files, 24, and Game of Thrones.

Or what about films? Of the AFI’s top 50 films, by my count 35 feature death as a major plot point. Citizen Kane opens with the protagonist’s final breath. The Godfather is about a man’s descent into cold-blooded killing. Shane is about a man’s inability to escape a life of killing. Some Like it Hot is about two men who witness a murder and go on the run. Death moves stories forward. It’s natural to use to it to that effect. But sometimes, I wish more stories reflected on the aftermath. Sometimes, I wish more stories were about what happens when it feels like everything is crashing down at once, because someone you know and love has died. The way death affects the living is different for everyone. Stories are rarely about this.

That video games feature killing and death goes without saying. Ludonarrative dissonance permanently entered the gaming thinkpiece lexicon a few years ago as it became harder and harder to sympathize with a protagonist who commits mass slaughter simply to move the plot forward. I remember checking the stats while playing Uncharted 2 and seeing that I had amassed more than 900 kills and wasn’t close to finishing the game. The sheer absurdity of the number made it impossible not to imagine Nathan Drake- the game’s jovial and good-hearted protagonist- as a harbinger of death, wiping out entire bloodlines. It’s easier to make no attempt to reconcile the dissonance. It’s easier to accept it and get back to having fun.

My favorite work of literature about death is James Joyce’s short story The Dead. It’s title is up front about its theme, no? And yet the story itself meanders through a day in a man’s life, not broaching its titular subject until the very end. You’ve probably read it. If you haven’t, please do so now. It won’t take that long. The plot isn’t really about death. It’s about a man named Gabriel who builds his ego up a bit too much over a speech at a Christmas party. He hears someone singing “The Lass of Aughrim” in another room. He gives the speech. He is proud of himself. He is flushed with affection for his wife, Gretta. On the way to their hotel for the night, he asks her how she feels. Gretta reflects sadly on a boy she’d loved when she was young. He sang “The Lass of Aughrim” to her. Got caught in the rain. Died. Snow falls. Gabriel reflects on how this young man whose life was so short, who accomplished so little during it, could still so deeply affect his wife. They are all still bound together. The dead never really abandon the living. Humanity is in a perpetual state of overlap, those who knew the dead keep living, passing on their memories to others who never knew them. Joyce writes: His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead.

We never leave Gabriel’s point of view. Somehow, by the story’s end, we know Michael Furey. Time stopped for Gretta when he died. Sometimes, it still does.

Undertale. What does that title evoke? Graves, perhaps. A vague sense of the unknown. It takes place in a world of monsters. You are thrown into this world with no preparation. Early on, one monster asks you very kindly, to please have mercy when you get into a fight. This is easier said than done. You play the game as you are accustomed to doing with these games. Fight monsters, defeat them, level up. Progress through the story. But this game gives you options. You don’t have to fight. And if you do, you don’t have to fight to the death. Granted, it can be hard. But you don’t have to. You are reminded of this regularly. A character you kill might be referenced by someone else later on in the game. Characters you speak to might mention a frightening entity who has come down from above, killing innocents. But this isn’t new. You move on. You reach the end, beat the game. There’s much, much more to it than that, but I’m trying leave this experience as fresh as possible. The first playthrough of Undertale took me about six hours, and I enjoyed every minute.

After winning, the game does something that was surprising when it happened and, in hindsight, is sort of remarkable.

It asks you to play again. With absolutely no killing.

Is this a gimmick? It might look to be. It’s not. It’s where Undertale becomes something truly remarkable.

One of my favorite films about death is The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. Have you seen it? There’s a good chance you haven’t. It was directed by and stars Tommy Lee Jones, and written by Guillermo Arriaga. It generated some buzz at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival, where Jones won best actor and Arriaga won best screenplay. It came and went in February 2006, earned mostly strong reviews, grossed less than $10 million. I believe it’s one of the best films ever made about the living and the dead.

Melquiades Estrada (Julio Cellido) is a rancher in southern Texas. Pete Perkins (Jones) is his work partner and closest friend. Estrada (this isn’t a spoiler, look at the title) is killed senselessly by a border patrol agent (Barry Pepper) who, as men in positions of power and holding weapons that kill often do, fires without regard. The agent attempts to cover up the killing. Pete digs deep, finds out what happened, and exacts justice. A normal telling of this story would involve revenge. Eye for an eye. A killing for a killing. Death as a device. Jones and Arriaga have a better story to tell than that. Pete wants the agent to see what he has done. To honor the life he stole. Pete kidnaps the agent and takes him on a journey to Melquiades’s home town in Mexico. To say any more would be to spoil the quiet richness of this film. In refusing the easier path, it finds truth and beauty. Revenge makes for shallow stories. Pete’s method of justice accomplishes something deeper. He makes sure his friend is not forgotten. He ensures that Melquiades will survive for unforgiving march of time.

On my second playthrough of Undertale, I noticed a detail in one of the first locations. A diary. Its contents were amusing at first. Knowing their full context is impossible without beating the game once. Seeing it again, I felt my spirits lift with a sort of happy recognition, its meaning coming full circle., before falling back down with sadness, knowing its full context.

I found myself being more careful. Not just refusing to fight. Getting to know characters I hadn’t talked to before. Talking my way out of conflicts that I thought could only be resolved through violence. I found myself unlocking new relationships, new stories, and even new places in the game. I was more than happy with the novelty of this experience, of how different the game was with this approach. Then I neared the end.

A character who’d been my adversary in both playthroughs found themselves changed by my actions. They wanted to change. But time was running out for them. I hadn’t fought them. As in life, death comes to all, one way or another. I was given the chance to reach out to them, to forgive them for our differences. They reached out physically and embraced me. I don’t want to let go, they said.

They were the first character to die in this playthrough. I was moved to tears. Screw that. I was sobbing. Games are so often rife with death. Undertale, more than any I’ve ever played, is about the dead, as well as the living. It’s a game where the dead are meant to be remembered. And for the living in their wake, time stops.

[datingadviceonreddit]

Hi-ho friends. Story time? I think this runs the risk of being pretty lengthy so bare with me, I’m awake thinking about this and I think I need some perspective.So on Sunday night of last week, I stayed up all night DMing back and forth with a guy that I have been friends-ish with for a little over a year; I work at a bar/cafe that he frequents and we’ve been following each other on IG for a while now interacting every now and then. But over the last week or so before this, he had been liking my posts or sending me messages here and there and my interest was getting peaked. He and I obviously had a lot in common in terms of sense of humor, movies/TV, video games, lifestyle, etc. and that night we just started talking and didn’t stop for hours. He was saying things like “so do I have to beg you to hang out with me? Because I will” and just being super forward and flirty and I felt really comfortable. He’s also made friends with lots of people that I work with and I just had this inner sense of trust.Then the next day at work he showed up to say hi, not once but twice, and on the way out the second time he asked if I wanted to hang out when I got off. I agreed and he came back with a second motorcycle helmet for me and we took off to my place where I grabbed some overnight stuff (because I had a feeling I knew where things were going) and then we zipped over to his place. We turned on his smart TV and his Nintendo Switch, he bought a game I talked about wanting to play so we could play it on the spot, and then after a while he obviously wanted to cuddle and I was feeling it so we started..... aaaand. then the sex thing started coming up.For clarity’s sake, about me: I haven’t really dated for a while, my last relationship ended in Jan 2018 and we had lived together for three years. I broke up with him because he was throwing violent temper tantrums, there were a lot of codependency issues, manipulation, you get the gist. I saw a therapist all year in 2018 and this year have been feeling ready to make a friend again. I’d also been abstaining from sex for about eight months because I decided that I wanted to wait for someone who I could trust. So I told him this and expressed that because I had been abstaining for a while I was pretty nervous about doing things but I did like him and I was open to having sex.And this is the part where he told me that he is currently getting divorced after a three year long marriage; he told me that he’s not ready for another relationship and I asked him “what does ‘a relationship’ mean to you exactly?” He said he wasn’t entirely sure but that he knew he wasn’t ready for a commitment or to label anything, I told him that that’s fine and I don’t need a label to enjoy his company.We agreed that we really like each other, he told me things like “I’m not going to dessert you, I’m gonna be a great friend to you” and I felt cozy and sexy times incurred. hooray. He wanted me to stay with him and the next morning he took me to breakfast, then to work, where he proceeded to visit me again. The next day came and he was texting me at 10am ready to hang out; he came over almost immediately and we spent that entire day together until he had to leave. On that day he took me and my roommate to lunch and dropped almost a bill on us, then he took me around town and got me the exact Nintendo 64 game that I was talking about wanting (I know), he bought us tickets to the Pokemon movie for the next day (I know), and that day he started talking about wanting to take me to Disneyland / Universal with his air miles; he was very like “just tell me when you want to go, no rush to decide which month yet.” He left that night around 11 because he had friend obligations but he texted me around 2am asking if I was up. I told him we needed sleep, but the next day was the same story. 10am hang out all day, he spoiled me all day long, we had more good sex, he brought me by my job to say hi to my coworkers/our friends and grab a coffee. He bought tickets to a weekend music festival immediately when I talked about wanting to go. He paid for every meal and wouldn’t let me pay even when I tried.Honestly at this point I understood things were moving too fast but I had trouble stopping it or telling him no; he was just so intensely available and it felt good. He asked me to stay at his house that night and I did. Then the next day came and he asked to stay with me, I said that was fine.I was verbally (and physically/sexually lol) expressing a lot of gratitude to him for treating me so much and really just trying to give him fun/playful energy while also keeping my expectations at bay - and honestly him treating me like this was making it a little difficult but I felt like I had my head mostly on right. Then we’re in my bed and we’re tickle fighting and I’m having fun and I say “you have such a cute laugh.”And he says “I think you’re starting to like me too much.” I’m like “what do you even mean by that??” and he says “I think you might be wanting a boyfriend and I’m not going to be one.”I just start sinking and feeling turned off but it’s not that same sort of rejection I’ve felt before. I’m more like “why do you think I want a label from you so bad?” and he reiterates that I just seem to ~really like him and that he’s getting divorced, then he tells me “I don’t know how to make something special with someone right now.” It all just starts sinking in; the intense compliments and gushing over me, all of the money he had been spending, making future plans, and so on just start to feel really hollow. I said “If you don’t think you should be spending time with me why are you here right now?”He says “I don’t know, I just really like you. But I’m not ready to tell someone I love them.” and I was like “I’ve been seeing you for a week, why do you think I want or expect that right now? I said the same thing to you that you’ve been saying to me all week and now you’re gonna reject me?” He saw my point and acknowledged that that was true; then I told him “I’m afraid you’re using me as a distraction after the pain of your divorce.” He didn’t like that one and he told me that he’s not in any pain after his divorce. I was just like “well I’m sorry but that’s what I’m afraid of ?” I’m crying and I don’t even know why at this point and I’m like “you should probably go.” I gave him a smooch on the head and it wasn’t like I sent him off with anger or anything, I just felt this empty feeling revolving the situation.The next morning my roommate/best friend found me crying and was very like “fuck that guy” about it all; I had to work that day and all day everyone was asking me about me and him and I couldn’t pretend like things were going well. He had planned on taking me to a show that night and I texted him and said I wasn’t going with him that night and I hoped he understood.The next day he showed up at my bar while I was working to say hi and work there and every now and then try to make a convo happen. I really wasn’t feeling it anymore. I left without saying bye. Then the NEXT day he came in again, but he sat at a table and I avoided him by dodging out as he came in/before he left. I knew that he was going to notice me but I was at work and I really didn’t want to talk (and yes, I’ve been warned about the “don’t sleep with your customers” rule, still did it tho. 🤪)Right after he left he texted me a “I’m not avoiding you. 😊” I sat on if for about six hours, really thought about it, and then sent him back “it would be nice if you did for the time being.” He immediately sent back, “ok, I understand. :( I’ll leave you alone now. I’m so sorry.” When I got that back my heart sank even deeper, I really don’t want to make this person sad but I just can’t talk to him right now and I don’t want to “ghost” him.It’s been over a day now and I’m just sad and I don’t even really know what to make of all of this. I know a few things for certain: 1) we moved way too fast. I shouldn’t have let him see me every day for five days in a row even if he was the one asking for it to happen. 2) I don’t think I can go back to seeing him now because all of my friends are on team “fuck that guy” and it only took a week for things to implode, I also generally take mixed signals as a no. 3) that being said he obviously liked me a LOT or is at least took a lot of interest and wanted to reconnect after that bad night. I really feel that he was showing up at my job on Sunday trying to time it so that I would leave with him. Just based on his words alone it really seemed like he was interested in emotionally nurturing me to some extent; then I complimented him and that was too far for him.I really don’t know how to feel about him. Part of me thinks that he was being extremely reckless with my feelings and that he has no actual use for me. Part of me sympathizes with him being freshly divorced and then meeting me and really liking me and not knowing how to turn off the impulse to keep seeing me and fueling the fire. I think I enabled that impulse also. Part of me thinks I need to go ahead and block him and never worry about this again. The other part of me still wants to be his friend. In a lot of ways I don’t hold anything against him. I just feel sad and I really wish that he didn’t begin an emotionally/sexually intimate relationship with me if he felt like he wasn’t ready for it. RIPTL;DR: things got really intense, he accused me of being too attached, i went running for the hills and am still confused about what exactly happenedSo if you actually read all of that thank you (also I’m embarrassed at how much I typed about this) Does anyone have any input or advice or even a similliar story? Why is dating like this. thank u and goodnight. via /r/dating_advice

[benchgenderstudies]

A sexual predators best friend is the jewish princess that tells you to look away.

The Mayim Bialik crisis of being a actress in a feminist role for a NYT column.

By Michael Bench , MEP ,GCERT

The New York Times didn't see the conflict of letting an actress name the culture sphere of media entertainment Harvey Weinstein's world. It’s a sense of secrecy even the Weinstein company is moving away from. If not remorsefully, at least putting reputation distance between one brother and the other. The accusations of Harvey Weinstein raping, fondling and harassing women should get no less than direct attack. Secrecy is not a one person strategy.

No sooner do we have another jewish criminal in the likes of Bernie Madoff of Hollywood, there's an actress using her celebrity status to tell us all about 'being a Feminist". What is it with Jews? When they're on fire, they add more fuel. It's not enough to be American for them. They have to be in the center of the American pie and script their sons to hop on the kitchen counter to screw that pie. Congratulations to Harvey Weinstein. On the kitchen island, trying to screw baked goods; metaphorically.

This article is a response to Mayim Bialiks column named " Being a Feminist in Harvey Weinsteins World". She covers having body shame, being a puppet of her parents wishes of her femininity, of being a nontraditional female who altered her semitic honker and her chin. This is how she concludes her spew :" .. If , Like me, you aren't a perfect 10, know there are people out there who will find you stunning, irresistible and worth of attention , respect and love. The best part is you don't have to go to a hotel room or casting couch to find them."  It’s a high school president speech she never got to deliver. The whole column. Is it really about being a Feminist?

Is it "Mayim gets to play Feminist in want of a pivotal op ed role". The praxis and politics of being a Feminist are largely unlike who would want to become an actress in the first place.  I won't talk for anyone but me though. I welcome allied critics on my coattails.  Being a perfect 10 is an everyone thing. You can't be me Bialik, nor can anyone else be John Malkovich either. I'm perfect 10 me and that’s what a Feminist should be saying.

Its not enough to "just raise alarm on unacceptable behavior". The secrecy was real, Bialik!  The Manhattan Attorney General was taking payments from Weinstein! What part of the deliberate concealment of sexual harassment would you like to really cover? An outspoken Feminist directing heat toward City and State politicians? Do you have the preparatory materials ready for this column? No. No you don't Mayim. You're an actress using your celebrity to write whatever you damn well feel like about you. If the media isn't Jew owned, the ease by which this article made it to publish is certainly suspicious at least.

In the process you norm women to continue to be insecure about their bodies, that modern feminism is a fame of acting not being; and plenty of people have woken up to the misogyny and racism earlier than the casts of shows hiding in well paid characters.

Do you see primetime sitcoms taking the knee with NFL players? Hollywood and newyork's subordination of the human spirit make better villains than the screen; its not good.

If a headline is the most attention grabbing advertisement of the op-ed, surely Mayim has better taste in phrasing. Or have all her thoughts been written for her as well? Maybe this article is just Mayim Bialiks casting couch photographer delivering jew protecting self elation.  No, lets recap the article: When I was a young twelve year old actress I concerned myself about looks. I wondered if having Christina Applegates tits would make me more marketable? How relatable is body insecurity and the physical self objectification of a employee to be a tv superstar for the term Feminist? The newest member of the Big Bang theory is a short on delivering a mega opus here . In want of confronting Weinstein, she actually empowers his influence AFTER his fat lady should have sang.

Way to go, Bialik!  From blossom to crusty dry burdock. When I chose to respond it was about making sure she understood the title was very counterproductive to ever identifying

"feminist". I then read the article. It was all Mayim's experience as an actress. Where's the active Feminist part?  Are Jenji Kohan and Jill Soloway supposed to make females feel better about themselves?   Celebrity actors pick up many roles but whether they deliver is nearly insignificant to a block buster and the first full take on film. Meanwhile actresses that shut their face for fame are now coming forward twenty years later. Twenty years abetting. Should females take a lesson from actresses? No.

When A Hollywood Mogul calls himself 'powerful', he isn't. He might be wealthy and he might be well known. The term power is a threat. It’s the treat to leverage what you want with what he wants. The Term power means retaliation if you report what is wrong. How or why is not important. A mogul that uses the phrase " you have no idea how powerful I am" is not powerful for he needs female actresses to use, not love for the sense of his dominance. Married or not; well hung or not. It all comes down to mistaking sexual relevance for a management task.  If the moguls wife is part of a stale relationship, its up to him to divorce. Harassment and rape are certainly the main topic here. Is it the moguls inadequacy? Whats the motivation? I suspect the real problem is that he's always been the act. He started with getting the role of a lifetime , maybe writing the role of a lifetime and wandered over to nonsense of thinking the real world was just the furniture of his roles. His pet sound stage. Well, it isn't.

So where Bialik got hung up on talking about herself and her physical modifications I will briefly put some points on the board for Masculinity and equality Feminism.

Ladies. If you know the sexual harassment is happening .. don't stand their looking confused. Protect yourself. Its your job. Its your job to self and your self is not an act.  When Harvey Weinstein says " Don't Embarrass me" You yell " Mr Weinstein, Your two inch cock is not welcome near my body ! Put that away! This job meeting is over!!! If he takes out his dick, take a picture of it and send it to your NYPD. TEXT: I can identify weinstein because his poker stick is staring at me".  Text it to Governor Cuomo and the actors guild too, New York City is too much a cesspool to rely on local politics. If it comes to rape, well.. a broken glass will keep your assailant at the scene. bleeding out. Don't look stupid and dumbfounded here. He's trying to rape you, stab him per number of times necessary to stop it.  Rip out an eye , whatever.  Some of the weaktits reading the article will gloss by this. It really is that serious. VIOLENCE IS THE ANSWER TO BEING ATTACKED. Clearly all hiring must be done on paper and in groups of people capable to be witness.

The most damning thing about Bialik’s lousy address of Weinstein is she calls the public naïve . She labels our culture as that which excuses men for assaulting or abusing women. If there were a culture like that , I would not want to be part of it. Is it our culture or is it only conservatives and hollywood wahabism sects wanting to norm this affect?

I disagree Mayim Bialik; If actresses and noobie simps looking for their camera time are naïve , they are of an sexist media subculture. "You are part of that subculture, Mayim. If that’s a problem to you, be sure to address it but don't generalize or over normalize the lousy people in  your industry as a norm of working Americans."

Generalizing. Its what actors do to float a character they've been typecast for.  I don't appreciate a rapist and harasser being given ownership of the world in your title, Bialik. So if she happens to be jewish, mind that. It wasn't an elite move.  I don't especially like she would steal the stage for Feminism and then stumble backwards in skimpy heels of female sympathizing. Its about confronting the criminal, fool! Get on it.

Michael Bench is an Author and health activist addressing the necessity of OSHA and CDC to ban haute couture since 2007

[sssquiddles]

OC ASK MEME

This is really long so I’ll put the whole things (including the blank form) under the cut

1. What’s their full name? Why was that chosen? Does it mean anything?

Layla L'équilibre Dæmôn/Kjær. Based off old roleplay character’s name, Lexis Køhler which was a female version of Lukas Køhler, from Hetalia. Middle name means “the balance” which I assume (came up with it awhiiiiile ago) is based on the fact that in her story her two souls makes her the balance between good (her) and evil (her sister’s soul). Kinda stupid.

2. Do they have any titles? How did they get them?

Just Mage, as of most recent version of the story. Mage Layla.

3. Did they have a good childhood? What are fond memories they have of it? What’s a bad memory?

Yeah kind of. Grew up in a loving household with her twin sister, getting into lots of trouble etc etc. Don’t have many fond memories though bc she repressed them after her parents died. Bad memory would be when her mansion burned down and killed her parents.

4. What is their relationship with their parents? What’s a good and bad memory with them? Did they know both parents?

Uhhhhhhhh dead. Parents names were Luna and Leon.

5. Do they have any siblings? What’s their names? What is their relationship with them? Has their relationship changed since they were kids to adults?

Three siblings. Eldest is sister Lea, then Leo, and her and her twin sister Laura. Lea and Leo are both dead (lost at sea) and Laura is dead but her soul resides in Layla’s body so whenever Layla meditates she get’s to see her sister. They have a somewhat healthy relationship. Laura’s powers boost Layla’s.

6. What were they like at school? Did they enjoy it? Did they finish? What level of higher education did they reach? What subjects did they enjoy? Which did they hate?

Very proficient. And graduated early. She didn’t really enjoying much but she had a boyfriend (Emil) for a little while. Lots of drama, almost died killing the demon king or something. They don’t have colleges, so she got the highest education she can. Enjoyed alchemy, disliked magical theory.

7. Did they have lots of friends as a child? Did they keep any of their childhood friends into adulthood?

Nope. Only “friend” was her sister, really.

8. Did they have pets as a child? Do they have pets as an adult? Do they like animals?

Had a “pet” wolf that was her familiar, and kept up to adulthood. Adopted black cat later around age 19 after her pseudo brother died. She loves animals. Would have probably been a furry in the real world tbh.

9. Do animals like them? Do they get on well with animals?

Yeah definitely to both.

10. Do they like children? Do children like them? Do they have or want any children? What would they be like as a parent? Or as a godparent/babysitter/ect?

Not super fond of children, is kind of afraid of them dying in her care, so she’d probably never have children. Plus she’s somewhat of a nomad(?) bc she likes to travel a lot. Or used to.

11. Do they have any special diet requirements? Are they a vegetarian? Vegan? Have any allergies?

Nope, nope, nope, nope.

12. What is their favourite food?

Stew made with monster meat

13. What is their least favourite food?

Doesn’t really have one, but she isn’t a huge fan of vegetables.

14. Do they have any specific memories of food/a restaurant/meal?

Nah

15. Are they good at cooking? Do they enjoy it? What do others think of their cooking?

Better at baking pastries than cooking meals. She loves baking for her pseudo sister, and her sister loves the sweets.

16. Do they collect anything? What do they do with it? Where do they keep it?

Collects books on the past and of magic spells. She keeps them both in her private library and in her room.

17. Do they like to take photos? What do they like to take photos of? Selfies? What do they do with their photos?

No cameras. She paints a lot though, and she hangs the good paintings up in the house and sells them too.

18. What’s their favourite genre of: books, music, tv shows, films, video games and anything else

Books: history. Music: classical. No tv, movies or video games.

19. What’s their least favourite genres?

Books: philosophy. Music: Anything else?

20. Do they like musicals? Music in general? What do they do when they’re favourite song comes?

Loves music and musicals. She usually hums along, taps her foot.

21. Do they have a temper? Are they patient? What are they like when they do lose their temper?

Not much of a temper and it kind of takes a lot to make her lose it. She’s very patient. She doesn’t get shouty-angry, but rather she’ll cry and make you feel bad. She’s a “nothing is ever my fault” kind of person, and her pseudo brother h a t e s it. Also her eyes turn red when she’s angry because it’s her sister (bad) taking over.

22. What are their favourite insults to use? What do they insult people for? Or do they prefer to bitch behind someone’s back?

She’d rather be sneaky about being mean to someone, like a prank that could never be traced back to her. She’s almost never mean to people’s faces, or really in general.

23. Do they have a good memory? Short term or long term? Are they good with names? Or faces?

Bad memory, long term. Better with faces than names.

24. What is their sleeping pattern like? Do they snore? What do they like to sleep on? A soft or hard mattress?

Falls asleep late, wakes up late. She usually sleeps on her back. Soft mattress with lots of blankets and pillows, with her cat on her chest.

25. What do they find funny? Do they have a good sense of humour? Are they funny themselves?

Situational humor. People tripping, or just being clumsy in general. She’s not funny.

26. How do they act when they’re happy? Do they sing? Dance? Hum? Or do they hide their emotions?

Smiles bright, hums, laughs a lot.

27. What makes them sad? Do they cry regularly? Do they cry openly or hide it? What are they like they are sad?

It definitely does not take much to make her cry. She cries at anything that could be even remotely considered sad. Her flowers accidentally got stepped on? Cries. She sees a dog tied up outside in the heat? Cries. Random broken window? You bet your ass she’s sobbing. Cries openly, people are used to it now.

28. What is their biggest fear? What in general scares them? How do they act when they’re scared?

Biggest fear is everyone around her dying, and herself dying. She’s startled easily. When she’s scared her eyes turn gold and she freezes.

29. What do they do when they find out someone else’s fear? Do they tease them? Or get very over protective?

Probably sympathizes since she’s probably also afraid of that thing.

30. Do they exercise? Regularly? Or only when forced? What do they act like pre-work out and post-work out?

Goes on a run every morning and other basic work out things. Pregames with protein and postgames with sweets.

31. Do they drink? What are they like drunk? What are they like hungover? How do they act when other people are drunk or hungover? Kind or teasing?

Nope. Probably either a sad drunk or a giggly drunk. Hungover involves crying, probably a little swearing. Kind, caring.

32. What do they dress like? What sorta shops do they buy clothes from? Do they wear the fashion that they like? What do they wear to sleep? Do they wear makeup? What’s their hair like?

Lots of light colors and dresses/skirts. She mostly makes her own clothes. Wears a short nightgown to sleep. No make-up. Neat waves and sideswept bangs.

33. What underwear do they wear? Boxers or briefs? Lacey? Comfy granny panties?

Comfortable, but not granny.

34. What is their body type? How tall are they? Do they like their body?

Lean, fit. 5’0”. Probably wishes to be a little bit taller, but knows her size and physique is ideal for her fighting style which involves a lot of quick movements.

35. What’s their guilty pleasure? What is their totally unguilty pleasure?

Guilty pleasure it sweets. She could probably eat everything in a bakery. Unguilty pleasure is reading. She’ll probably read an entire novel in one day. She probably once read three books in one day, pulling an allnighter so she could finish the trilogy.

36. What are they good at? What hobbies do they like? Can they sing?

She can play the violin really well, and the piano somewhat skillfully. This is due to her noble upbringing though. She enjoys the violin more than the piano. She loves playing with her animals (is that a hobby?) and painting, and reading. She has a voice that is somehow worse than a whale that’s dying while giving birth.

37. Do they like to read? Are they a fast or slow reader? Do they like poetry? Fictional or non fiction?

Love love loves reading. Very fast reader. Doesn’t like poetry, too much symbolism and over thinking things. Both.

38. What do they admire in others? What talents do they wish they had?

Courage, definitely. The ability to mask emotions. She wishes she could dance.

39. Do they like letters? Or prefer emails/messaging?

Letters only form of long distance communication.

40. Do they like energy drinks? Coffee? Sugary food? Or can they naturally stay awake and alert?

Energy drinks fuck her UP, so no. Her increased heart rate scares her. Loves sugary food though. Naturally stays awake for long periods of time, but not very alert while doing so.

41. What’s their sexuality? What do they find attractive? Physically and mentally? What do they like/need in a relationship?

Straight. She finds tall-ness and strength (P and M) attractive. And doing small sweet things like stealing a kiss between sentences, leaving cute little notes, etc. She needs someone who can handle and deal with her constantly changing emotions.

42. What are their goals? What would they sacrifice anything for? What is their secret ambition?

Her goal is probably to find some true happiness. She would sacrifice anything/everything for the safety and wellbeing of those around her. Her secret ambition is to completely master every spell known to man. Probably never going to happen though.

43. Are they religious? What do they think of religion? What do they think of religious people? What do they think of non religious people?

Somewhat. She doesn’t pray or anything, but she does believe in a higher power. She doesn’t really have an opinion on either.

44. What is their favourite season? Type of weather? Are they good in the cold or the heat? What weather do they complain in the most?

Favorite season is spring, for sure. She loves the rainy days and sunshine. She does better in cold, because she loves curling up by the roaring fire wrapped in fluffy blankets with tea and a good book.

45. How do other people see them? Is it similar to how they see themselves?

Other people see her as needy, probably. Overly emotional and annoying. She sees herself as kindhearted, and emotional.

46. Do they make a good first impression? Does their first impression reflect them accurately? How do they introduce themselves?

First impression is probably of bashfulness or kindness, so yes. She usually doesn’t introduce herself, but needs someone else to do it. Too shy.

47. How do they act in a formal occasion? What do they think of black tie wear? Do they enjoy fancy parties and love to chit chat or loathe the whole event?

Uncomfortable, stiff. Not a fan of black tie wear, probably. Loathes the whole event. Would rather be at home baking or playing with her familiar.

48. Do they enjoy any parties? If so what kind? Do they organise the party or just turn up? How do they act? What if they didn’t want to go but were dragged along by a friend?

Pajama parties, probably. Has never organized a party in her life, and never will.

49. What is their most valued object? Are they sentimental? Is there something they have to take everywhere with them?

Most valued object is the locket with a picture of herself and her sister when they were younger. She’s very sentimental, and carries a picture of her dead bro everywhere she goes.

50. If they could only take one bag of stuff somewhere with them: what would they pack? What do they consider their essentials?

Books, weapon, snacks.

BLANK:

1. What’s their full name? Why was that chosen? Does it mean anything?

2. Do they have any titles? How did they get them?

3. Did they have a good childhood? What are fond memories they have of it? What’s a bad memory?

4. What is their relationship with their parents? What’s a good and bad memory with them? Did they know both parents?

5. Do they have any siblings? What’s their names? What is their relationship with them? Has their relationship changed since they were kids to adults?

6. What were they like at school? Did they enjoy it? Did they finish? What level of higher education did they reach? What subjects did they enjoy? Which did they hate?

7. Did they have lots of friends as a child? Did they keep any of their childhood friends into adulthood?

8. Did they have pets as a child? Do they have pets as an adult? Do they like animals?

9. Do animals like them? Do they get on well with animals?

10. Do they like children? Do children like them? Do they have or want any children? What would they be like as a parent? Or as a godparent/babysitter/ect?

11. Do they have any special diet requirements? Are they a vegetarian? Vegan? Have any allergies?

12. What is their favourite food?

13. What is their least favourite food?

14. Do they have any specific memories of food/a restaurant/meal?

15. Are they good at cooking? Do they enjoy it? What do others think of their cooking?

16. Do they collect anything? What do they do with it? Where do they keep it?

17. Do they like to take photos? What do they like to take photos of? Selfies? What do they do with their photos?

18. What’s their favourite genre of: books, music, tv shows, films, video games and anything else

19. What’s their least favourite genres?

20. Do they like musicals? Music in general? What do they do when they’re favourite song comes?

21. Do they have a temper? Are they patient? What are they like when they do lose their temper?

22. What are their favourite insults to use? What do they insult people for? Or do they prefer to bitch behind someone’s back?

23. Do they have a good memory? Short term or long term? Are they good with names? Or faces?

24. What is their sleeping pattern like? Do they snore? What do they like to sleep on? A soft or hard mattress?

25. What do they find funny? Do they have a good sense of humour? Are they funny themselves?

26. How do they act when they’re happy? Do they sing? Dance? Hum? Or do they hide their emotions?

27. What makes them sad? Do they cry regularly? Do they cry openly or hide it? What are they like they are sad?

28. What is their biggest fear? What in general scares them? How do they act when they’re scared?

29. What do they do when they find out someone else’s fear? Do they tease them? Or get very over protective?

30. Do they exercise? Regularly? Or only when forced? What do they act like pre-work out and post-work out?

31. Do they drink? What are they like drunk? What are they like hungover? How do they act when other people are drunk or hungover? Kind or teasing?

32. What do they dress like? What sorta shops do they buy clothes from? Do they wear the fashion that they like? What do they wear to sleep? Do they wear makeup? What’s their hair like?

33. What underwear do they wear? Boxers or briefs? Lacey? Comfy granny panties?

34. What is their body type? How tall are they? Do they like their body?

35. What’s their guilty pleasure? What is their totally unguilty pleasure?

36. What are they good at? What hobbies do they like? Can they sing?

37. Do they like to read? Are they a fast or slow reader? Do they like poetry? Fictional or non fiction?

38. What do they admire in others? What talents do they wish they had?

39. Do they like letters? Or prefer emails/messaging?

40. Do they like energy drinks? Coffee? Sugary food? Or can they naturally stay awake and alert?

41. What’s their sexuality? What do they find attractive? Physically and mentally? What do they like/need in a relationship?

42. What are their goals? What would they sacrifice anything for? What is their secret ambition?

43. Are they religious? What do they think of religion? What do they think of religious people? What do they think of non religious people?

44. What is their favourite season? Type of weather? Are they good in the cold or the heat? What weather do they complain in the most?

45. How do other people see them? Is it similar to how they see themselves?

46. Do they make a good first impression? Does their first impression reflect them accurately? How do they introduce themselves?

47. How do they act in a formal occasion? What do they think of black tie wear? Do they enjoy fancy parties and love to chit chat or loathe the whole event?

48. Do they enjoy any parties? If so what kind? Do they organise the party or just turn up? How do they act? What if they didn’t want to go but were dragged along by a friend?

49. What is their most valued object? Are they sentimental? Is there something they have to take everywhere with them?

50. If they could only take one bag of stuff somewhere with them: what would they pack? What do they consider their essentials?