#i'm really sorry for being bitter

[coffee-with-mint-syrup]

Look, I didn't want to be "that" person

who criticizes something just because "it was different in the books".

But I love PJO just way too much to not feel frustrated at the tendencies of modern adaptations that I think new series is suffering from. And I feel much more frustrated because in others aspects the new show is great.

First of all, what's with this downplayed brutality of PJO world? The moment Sally started her speech about Perseus I smelled trouble. In her story, in her reasoning she named him after Perseus because of this beautiful story where happy ending is just something that happens. While in the books thats a huge deal that Percy is named after THE ONLY HALF-BLOOD HERO that had that happy ending. That fact is supposed to highlight the mortality rates and that for most of these demigods happy ending is pretty much NOT IN PROSPECT. Like, despite that rambling post I'm usually fine with some differences that are made in adaptations, most of them I usually can understand. But why do you need change the message of "I named you that way because I hope you will live happily ever after despite being in constant danger" to "I named you that way because it's a beautiful story about a mother and a son"? Especially when they absolutely could do both?

Secondly, the Gabe issue. You see, Percy Jackson books were great because they were able to discuss with children some pretty heavy themes without downplaying them - like domestic abuse. And that scene with poker players and Gabe getting from Percy money was brilliant because it showed that Gabe was so awful that he took everything he could even from a 12 y.o. There were also heavy implications that he beat Percy. But now Gabe is just your usual jerk who is lazy and doesn't have a good relationship with his stepson and argues with his wife all the time. Look, I know, that is awful too, I know that. But the point of Gabe that he was absolutely the worst. That he's the worst of the worst that's why he smells on this metaphysical level and is able to hide Percy. That he kinda deserved what happened to him in the end. And now I sure that we won't get that end because apparently that stuff is too brutal for kids. If they're afraid that much younger audience would get shocked by it they could at least do that in hints, you know. Old shows were great with things that you didn't understand as a child and then later while rewatching them you finally could get the message.

And what's with this Grover thing? Okay, I understand they probably didn't have the time for establishing why Percy would feel betrayed by his teacher but wanted to save this "low point" for Percy's character. But why? Why? How Percy as a character and we as viewers are supposed to feel that amazing friendship if it started for us with betrayal? That just sucked.

Also, personal flaw - they really could insert "This is a pen" line when Brunner gave Percy the pen. They really could and that would be so awesome. But they didn't.

And the sad part is that now I understand that there was no way they could include this important stuff in the series. Because Disney is too afraid to show domestic abuse. They afraid to show Sally Jackson that put up with heavy abuse just to keep her son safe. They afraid to show that literal children die in PJO world. That that half-blood stuff is no game - as Percy said in the very first minute of the series. For fuck's sake they didn't even mention him having ADHD! They implied that by saying that he was being weird! That was so so so so important that those things that kids with ADHD are struggling make them so special and strong in their own way. And now that message is gone too.

And all of that is because Disney doesn't have any balls left. It's like they sanitize everything they make into that 0+ versions of stories while sometimes the point of the story is in discussing something from a real, sad and unsanitized world.

The stuff I listed is just from the first episode and I don't know if the show will go that way, if this tendency of sanitizing the story will continue or not. I'm just really afraid that all of that means that they decided to leave out all the brutality that made Percy Jackson so iconic. It is like watching this new version of Harry Potter where he doesn't live under the stairs - that maybe doesn't change much story-wise but it's just not the same Harry Potter that way.

I want to like the show, I really do. Walker is so amazing is this role. Other actors are really great. I see the effort, I see how people tried to make this adaptation as close to books as they could. The show looks truly amazing. The fight with minotaur was absolutely stunning. Ending sequence is a masterpiece. I have so many good things I can say about it. But those little things they changed - they weren't little at all. A huge chunk of what made those books so special at least for me is gone (especially in comparison with Harry Potter books). And I can't help feeling sad.

[liriostigre]

‎ 💭 🛌🏻

[leliwardens]

an article that encompasses everything i genuinely despise in the vg fan sphere all rolled into one for my viewing displeasure

[biracy]

IIIIIIIIII thiiiiiiiiiiiiiink that "men are seen as the default" maybe does not mean what most ppl on here act like it means. Like I'm not even fundamentally opposed to the idea that "it's easier for trans men to 'pass' than trans women" (I think there are a lot of compounding factors there but I don't doubt that all things being equal it's typically true) but I do not think "well men are seen as the default, so" is really a way to . Like. half the people in the world are women. People do not actually go out every day and assume every person they see is a man. "Men are seen as the default" refers to, like... when the gender of a hypothetical person is unspecified, people assume they're a man. A "gender-neutral" name on a resume is assumed to be a man. Many people still use "he" as the generic pronoun (instead of "they"). Yes it even means "dude" and etc are treated as "gender neutral." It does not, however, mean that every person is assumed to be a man until proven otherwise in face-to-face conversation. There are MANY many many many many ways in which the ways men are treated as default interact with trans issues (i.e. how ftm top surgery is talked about as basically "neutralizing" while mtf top surgery is talked about as either an "addition" or as inherently "sexualizing") buttttttt I just don't think whether tboys get gendered or misgendered in day-to-day life is one of them, especially when we're in settings with an equal ratio of men to women or even a higher ratio of women (for example if you, like me, are still forced into "women's housing," "women's bathrooms," etc etc etc)

[twilight-good-yall-dumb]

the crazy thing about Liam is that I finally got to a point a few weeks ago where reminders of his death became a sort of sad exhale and a "shit. that really happened, huh?" But any time I allow myself to ruminate on it for more than a moment, his absence descends again upon me like a dark shroud. Because how can one of those boys be gone? Forever? How can this band that I've loved for so long be so permanently altered? It's so fucking wild and difficult for me to comprehend in that context. And in the context of age, the fact that I am still relatively young and have gone through the death of a childhood idol already? The fact that he was so young? It's just so immensely devastating in a way that feels so intangible because he is not and never has been a tangible part of my life. Parasocial grief is really something else, huh?

[roseofcards90]

God I am fucking sick of this

[cienie-isengardu]

I'm kinda weirded out that Bi-Han scars his brother and people act like him being a little mean to Tomas is his worst deed and he deserves to die for it or something. Bi-Han doesn't owe Tomas any love or respect. You don't have to like someone just because daddy said so.

I totally agree that hating Bi-Han for not liking or loving Tomas as a brother is pretty wild take on his character, because he did not ask for such a bond, the same as Tomas did not ask to be orphaned and adopted into Grandmaster’s family. Both were forced into a situation created by adults that apparently couldn’t act appropriately to the situation (e.g. killing Tomas’ mother and sister when the family accidentally trespassed on Lin Kuei territory and Grandmaster adopting Tomas out of shame / to save his honor rather than out of love/care for the boy). 

What is even weirder to me, Kitana and Mileena had in previous timeline(s) bitter relationship yet I don’t see fandom to hate original/alternative MK9!Kitana for rejecting Mileena ("You are not my family... you are a monstrosity!") and looking down on her because of Tarkatan blood (“[Shang Tsung] has created horrid replicas of me crossbred with Tarkatan blood!”). People apparently can acknowledge that Kitana was thrown into “sisterhood” she did not ask and the creation of “twin sister” happened out of her control and knowledge while also understanding it was no Mileena’s fault for acting and looking the way she was because it was how she was specifically created. If fandom can accept and support Kitana’s choice of rejecting “sister” on the spot without any empathy to look at the situation from her perspective AND AT THE SAME TIME can feel sorry for Mileena, then the similar treatment should be given to Bi-Han and Tomas, as they were presumably children who adapted to the unfamiliar situation in their own ways. However the main difference between those two scenarios is that Mileena is the “psycho” (so Kitana is excused for not wanting her as a sister) while MK1!Smoke is the personality-wise castrated version of MK9!Tomas who for whatever reason is now the fandom’s Cinnamon Roll that never did anything wrong and anyone who doesn’t melt at the sight of this cutie IS BIG MEANIE, boo!

A character not loving fans’ favorite does not commit a crime however fandom wants to present it as unquestionable proof of said character’s evilness. Fictional or real life, people are allowed to not like each other as the definition of family will vary from culture to culture, and from one person to another - it does not however allow anyone to abuse other people, but that should go without saying.

Bi-Han said mean things to Tomas, and Kuai Liang for that matter. He in general treated others in a similar, cold fashion. But objectively speaking he did much more questionable things over the course of the story, yet people are fixated on Smoke’s feelings alone - and to be honest, I'm not even surprised anymore by that.

But you know what frustrates me the most about fandom’s perception of Bi-Han and Tomas relationship? The amount of fanwork presenting Bi-Han as always mean, always abusive to the poor poor little Tomas which is not just the best proof the fandom is set to demonize kid Bi-Han for his adult self’s choices. It is the whole implication that Grandmaster and the Mother and like everyone involved in raising the brothers, all the masters and teachers did not act to prevent it from happening nor cared to correct Bi-Han’s action. And the most sick thing about that? Children imitate the behavior of adults. Do people really think that kid Bi-Han started saying "Lin Kuei blood only" bullshit out of his mind just to spit in the pitiful orphan's face? Like, really?

Stupid beliefs like that come from somewhere and children are taught by their parents and adult people around what “values” and traditions they should respect and follow. We literally know just three Lin Kuei characters and the fact that only Kuai Liang and Tomas rejected Sub-Zero’s leadership while the clan followed their Grandmaster implies Bi-Han’s beliefs are accepted and shared by the clan. So maybe instead of being so set on demonizing kid!Bi-Han - who so far was only said to be “always cold” to Tomas what is not equal to being abusive and cruel on purpose - maybe it is time for fandom to examine previous Grandmaster and the whole clan’s beliefs that A) were passed to Bi-Han to mold him into man he is today and B) apparently fucked up Tomas’ childhood so much.

[danykindaforgotaboutdre]

How I would approach Franchaela if I were in the writer's room

It's not going to be the same story as the books, none of the seasons have been, but I think it still has the potential to be great. Unlike others, I really loved s3 (aside from a couple of gripes) in fact, I think most offline people enjoyed it, so I'm not super worried about where the show is heading. It's never been prestige television, just a fun, frothy romance.

If I were to write Francesca's story I would do it this way.

Have Francesca and John settle into a happy and loving marriage that lasts the entirety of s4, alongside her friendship with Michaela. I don't want Francesca to entertain what her feelings might be outside of admiration and maybe a desire to be more like her. It doesn't have to ruin her story with John unless they want it to, and giving that much power to a minute or so of screentime feels like a mistake.

Francesca's season isn't happening until about 2030 so there is a lot of time to flesh out this storyline in a satisfying way if the show is lucky enough to last that long (and considering it will be one of the few certified hits left on Netflix once Stranger Things ends and the cast is more or less rotating, I can see it sustaining itself all 8 seasons unless something drastic happens). I think it shouldn't even enter her mind that she might be queer until after John is already gone. In this time period I think it's realistic that it just wouldn't dawn on her fully.

John dies at the end of s4 or the beginning of s5 (I think I'd prefer the latter), a heartbroken Francesca leans on Michaela for support, but Michaela starts to lose trust in herself so she leaves like in the books. I'm all for army nurse Michaela, bring on the badassery. She'll replace the hole in my heart that Claire Fraser left when Outlander got too cool with slavery for my liking. End tangent.

In s6, after a time jump, Francesca decides to remarry due to her desire for children, Michaela returns, perhaps for some unrelated reason, or perhaps because Francesca reaches out to her hoping to reconnect and garner support in her search for a husband. Francesca's feelings start to come to the surface but she denies them, setting her sights on a man instead, but she is unable to connect with him due to her feelings for Michaela, which she finally acts on mid s6. Considering Michaela can not give her a child I suspect they'd both feel a great deal of angst over this, but decide to commit to each other anyway.

The two women begin to bond with an orphan that they later take in, the kid can be present for the whole season or the latter half.

They can also kill John off at the end of s4 and have the time jump take place between s4 and s5 since they sort of play fast and loose with the timeline anyway and every season is separated by two years. That way Francesca's search for a husband and burgeoning feelings for Michaela can occur alongside Eloise's season, and s6 can be exclusively belong to Francesca, Michaela and their adoption of a child.

As much as I liked the book I think some very good drama can be mined from Francesca's queer awakening and am looking forward to what they do with it. Also, Violet's acceptance of quiet love very much could have been for herself as much as Francesca, seeing as she's pursuing a new romance that is simply nice and uncomplicated compared to what she had with Edmund. But again, time will tell. The story doesn’t have to play out exactly in this way for me to enjoy it, I’m excited to see what they cook up regardless.

[secondstar-acorn]

not to be angry on main but to the person who was very loudly complaining about "just for once" and started making fun of me for handing out bracelets in the queue for starkid. why the fuck were you there

[regenderate]

fully processing that they explicitly bisexualified the doctor... YIPPEE

[cementcornfield]

out of curiosity do you follow any hockey teams/players? hope you’ve been having a lovely day also <3

i'm gonna be honest, the only hockey player that exists to me is tyler seguin because of the Body Issue shoot, That Tweet, and he's very, very attractive.

but other than that, no, i'm not really into it!

[sodaspringz]

sometimes i really want to forget that dsmp existed

[numiolaes]

i wonder how many people would stop bitching about the writing for this show if they could've binged it all and had at least one scene per episode where someone stated everything explicitly like that one scene w/ satan in futurama

[tiger-moran]

You know it's extremely (further) alienating when you see stuff that says basically

nobody actually feels like they're trapped in the wrong body and that's just shit made up by the medical profession

and thousands and thousands of people are agreeing with that and saying yeah that's totally their experience of being trans

when I literally am trapped in the wrong body and I'm never going to be seen as the gender I actually am and I'm never going to be able to do things I could have done if I had been born with the right body and I'm never going to not hate this body or not see it as wrong, and this kills me

[saving-people-haunting-things]

hello! i saw your tags on /post/730907115184586753 and i would love if you could talk a bit about your thoughts on why the "applications for sainthood" line applies to dean because it's one of those few lines i've never really understood 🥲 very interested in what you think about it!

Omg my first ask! Hiiiiiii!

Okay so the line said by Leviathan!Dean is, "And he doesn't have relationships. No, he has applications for sainthood."

I feel like this describes Dean's self-sacrifice for the people he cares about. For example, he spent his childhood and early adulthood being John's main emotional support and taking care of him and Sam. He has wants and dreams but he basically gave them up for his family. Heck, he sold his soul for Sam!

I think there's also a factor that Dean tends to the one making the most effort in his relationships, and when others don't treat him right he still stays loyal and devoted. I'm not saying that Dean is so mistreated or that nobody loves him because that obviously isn't true, but I do think that he often ends up in the emotional crutch role in his relationships just because that's what he's used to because of John. John admits that Dean took care of him and comforted him, but he couldn't even pick up the phone when Dean was dying. And there's just kind of a trend where people expect care and loyalty and trust from him, but fail to return it (for instance Bobby's "boohoo princess" speech, all of Cas' late s6 behavior, Sam's s4 behavior, etc).

Basically, Dean often has push aside his own emotions and hurt to take care of those around him which is something that I'm sure a Leviathan would pick up on and mockingly refer to as "saintly."

Or you know, it's just a commentary on his relationship with Lisa and other women and I'm thinking about this wayyyyyy too much lol

[fandsart]

I once watched a video that was marketed as writing tips for beginners. I wasn't a beginner when I watched it, but yk, sometimes you'll find you have weird blind spots so I'll watch these sometimes

The woman in the video said that writers block doesn't exist because once you get into the habit of writing, you'll be pretty good at writing even when you don't feel motivated or whatever. And speaking from experience that's like, kind of true? But mostly isn't. You will be less prone to writer's block after you get in the habit, but you can still have moments where the words just won't come. Like... burnout type deal

BUT ALSO, that's like saying that burns don't exist because you can just develop calluses for those 🤨