#i'm tired of these incompetent writers

[emynarnen]

"MY QUEEN."

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON S1 Finale // S2 Finale

[fleshwerks]

Ugh, there's no end to it. Sorry, followers. ADHD hyperfixation says, and it won't stop until it's late at night and I'm crawling into bed, brain-tired, asking myself 'what the hell was the point of all that, Mari?' This time, we set our iron sights on Rook.

Relying on my reblogged post about pope Leliana, here's another problem. I think they kind of wanted another Hawke, but also wanted a blank slate. The Inquisitor received shrapnel for being 'bland', but you could still pretty effectively roleplay personality onto them with with the admittedly meagre dialogue options. The problem with Rook is that thy're ne ryba ne myaso. They're not a stand-alone character with existing personality + a lot of intense player-induced flavour. But they're not a complete blank slate with some vague history that leaves a lot up to the headcanon, either. Rook's just three flavours of friendly: nice-polite, nice-jokey, nice-stern. Rook is just... nice. Not burdened heavily by past connections of family and personal experiences, but not a complete blank slate like the Inquisitor, either. You can't really project onto Rook because there's just enough there for them to be a character separate from what you've largely personally created, but they're not interesting enough as a separate person for you to mould them to your vision. Some argue that the 'asshole option' and wanting it to be there just means that you, the player are an asshole and you want to be an asshole, and that means you're a bad person. But how about when you want your Rook to be nice, but have a breaking point? Where Rook's patience runs out and they just fucking snap? , but not too stern. It'd be nice to have an option to do that. And from what I gather from what I saw, the option simply isn't there for the most part.

Rook is built to be accommodating. Sacrificing existing personality and player-made personality for the sake of catering to solving the problems your companions.

It's a roleplaying game in name only. And you can do that thing well. Pathologic 2 does it well, it has a lot of flavour, though it doesn't affect the outcome. But the flavour matters. You can have a very distinct personality without it causing problems for the writers who have a certain story and outcome in mind. It starts to come across like Bioware's writers were either hamstrung by an inexperienced lead and/or financiers, or it's a crew comprised entirely of inexperienced people who don't know how to do good game writing, or the problem is someone who is experienced, but has a strong but incompetent vision, and is simply not willing to compromise. Still, one has to wonder what the brief by the investors was. Because right now it sounds like the brief was: "Offend no one. We need to cast a wide net and make some fucking moneeeey."

Looks like the fans are once more saddled with having to make their headcanon entirely from scratch, but this time with no support whatsoever from the in-game dialogue wheel. Which... honestly? It's my jam, when I'm not playing. But when I'm playing, I want to either play someone with established personality, or a total blank slate with plenty of room to build character in-game and support my headcanon that way. Not someone who's completely shackled somewhere in the middle, too afraid of saying anything wrong and thus reducing themselves to a single trait: "nice."

Where's Vivienne rearranging your castle furniture just to provoke you because she thinks you're a troglodyte who doesn't know their arsehole from their mouth based on your increasingly hostile interactions (if you go down that path. Her positive path is very rewarding).

Disclaimer: I could get the game and sit with Rook for several playthroughs, but I said it before and I say it again: a good game gives you most everything on the first playthrough. A poor game relies on subsequent playthroughs and a shitton of legwork by the player's own imagination to wring meaning out of this cold piece of smooth and featureless rock.

[brucewaynehater101]

love when writers show the bat kids trying to show affection to Tim but since they are all so different in how they show it, Tim doesn’t think it’s love or care.

like Dick did all his case work for him while Tim was on a trip, Dick must think Tim’s incompetent!! (In reality he just saw how tired Tim is all the time and wanted to help)

Lack of communication is the Bats' specialty. Seeing this in a more positive light, such as them not effectively communicating affection/care, is a bit more refreshing than their usual secret-keeping lack of communication.

You are correct that they would try to say "Hey I'm worried/care about you" and fail at getting that message across.

Some ways the Bats show concern/love that get misinterpreted:

Damian likes to be physically present around someone he loves. He doesn't state this as the reason, though, and may get accused of plotting something or psychological warfare.

Cass will use body language to fully demonstrate how much she loves someone. If they aren't picking up on those cues, she'll try to speak it as well. It just feels less genuine with words

Dick, like you mentioned, will help someone with their work. He'll also try to take them to do a fun activity to take their mind off things.

Tim will monitor someone (stalk them) to make sure they're alright and don't need anything. He'll arrange solutions for them (such as notifying friends or other Bats to help them).

Steph will try to make someone laugh if they seem to be feeling down. She'll rope them into venting or pranking depending on the need.

Jason will give gruff physical affection (shoulder bumps, ruffled hair, back pats, etc).

Duke tries to ask someone what's wrong and why they are feeling so down.

Alfred will fret.

Barbara will give them extra information for whatever they are working on (Bat related or not).

[randomthefox]

First of all: Lanolin says "I understand if you don't want to work me after this". peak writing

Second, I'm so sick and tired of non-apologies like that. "I made mistakes, I have a lot to answer for". What mistakes, Lanolin? Care to elaborate? Do you just feel stupid for believing Duo? Or are you regretting beating up Whisper, too? Or terrorizing Tangle into submission? Or being so ass mad at Sonic going behind your back that you decided that arresting him was of higher priority than rescuing people?

"Mistakes were made" is not an apology. "I will learn" is not a promise I can believe, when she said the exact same thing in #58 and she got worse - on her own admission, which feels like Stanley hanging a lampshade on how horrible Lanolin has become. I'm sick of Whisper apologizing for the crime of having PTSD to the people who hurt her.

IDW is usually just irritating and boring, but sometimes it makes me actively angry.

lol I didn't even notice that. "I'll if understand if you don't want to be lesbians with me after this =c "

And yeah this is literally the exact same thing she already said in issue #58

It's crazy how through SHEER INCOMPETENCE these writers have accidentally coded this character as an abuser. This is like word for word the kind of shit abusive people say. "I can change! I'll learn to be better! Just be patient with me!"

And yeah, gotta love Whisper apologizing.

NO YOU DIDN'T THOUGH?

YOU WERE 100% RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING AND DID NOTHING WRONG AT ANY POINT???

This is LEGITIMATELY starting to make me UNCOMFORTABLE. Why are Ian Flynn and Evan Stanley both having Whisper apologize to people who TRIGGERED and PHYSICALLY BEAT AND GASLIGHTED HER? What is she even apologizing for???

This comic is SO BADLY WRITTEN that it wraps around fully into being straight up problematic.

[celaenaeiln]

The bimbofication of Dick Grayson is sad but I also feel like a lot of it has to do with his place in the batfamily and fitting a certain role which is different from his role as part of the Titans fam. Like there is a reason he gets killed off in a lot of Batfam stories and or he takes up the role as Batman despite wanting to make a name for himself as Nightwing. I’m not a huge Dick Grayson fan but that’s because my introduction to him was through the Batfamily and he was always portrayed rather silly or kind of the butt of the joke to Barbara Gordon’s know-it-all-ness (I love her but that’s how it feels) , but then I would read his interactions with the Titans and I actually became more invested in his character even if the writing is a bit outdated.

This goes for his relationships too, he used to be portrayed as a one woman man but then Dixon got a hold of him and suddenly the tiring trope of guy is a bit of a playboy except for that one girl who is the love of his life took hold and it hasn’t left since. I miss the Dick who meet this out of this world (literally) woman and who grew to love each other and watching him grow into a man who learned to love in a passionate way and who learned that people were different from him.

Even a lot of his newer relationships have a lot of depth (like with Bea Bennet or Shawn) but then they get axed. Taylor isn’t really writing anything that hasn’t been written before, like Rebirth Dick wasn’t that great and Rebirth DickBabs was childish and Dixon had some takes on Dick but Taylor has really has highlighted a lot of that bad writing and It’s crazy that it’s becoming the most popular iteration of Dick Grayson and even Barbara Gordon.

og post in reference

Absolutely!

There was the comic thing DC released during an event with all the heroes talking to the reader like they were in the Office, and Dick's was, "I'm the nice, funny one."

Now that's funny because Roy literally refers to him as uptight. The statement is true but it's a lie by omission. It doesn't take into account his craziness, his leadership, his dedication, his intelligence, his prowess, his good-standing - nothing! "Nice, funny one." I think Ra's would've run a sword through the writer's heart at that, given that he was easily defeated by the "nice, funny one."

Aside from that I can't really speak to the dumbification of Dick in Batfamily comics because I think most of them have done a good job but I used to see it a lot in fandom. It's much less now but five years ago, there was so much fandom content about incompetent himbo Grayson and some writers genuinely meant it too. Which I don't understand because nowhere in the Nightwing comics is Dick ever written as being dumb. The Batman comics (1940) and (2016) also do a fantastic job of writing him. His fighting ability, his emotional intelligence, his IQ, all of it is there and off the charts!

I guess the main thing with Dick's role in the batfamily is he's seen as an authority figure. He's Batman's second in command and seen that way by both Bruce and the rest of the family. So if some major disaster were to occur, he would need to be killed off because he's both of exceedingly high emotional value to Bruce or because he's going to be the next person in charge and god forbid that happens because the apocalypse would end then.

I mean, the villains made the mistake of leaving him alive in Convergence and he literally reset the universe back to how it's supposed to be.

So there's no way they can leave him alive because of that. Also his death fuels Batman to end whatever crisis the world is facing so that's an important plot event.

But the Barbara Gordon arm candy.

I am certain. That the idea of Dick being stupid comes from him being with Barbara Gordon. No where in the Nightwing comics, Batman comics (both!), Red Robin comics, Robin comics, Titans comics, Justice League comics, and other DC comics is Dick ever written to be stupid EXCEPT when he's written with Barbara.

Take this nightwing panel for instance

Nightwing (2011) Issue #27

or this

Nightwing (1996) Issue #42

and then take this

Convergence: Nightwing/Oracle Issue #1

AKA: I'm smart. You're dumb. Now shut up and leave because you're too stupid to understand.

The arrogance. This is the same shit Bruce would pull except when Dick asks, Bruce actually tells him.

Justice Leagues: Justice League of Atlantis

Barbara in the Nightwing comics isn't the best but at least it tracks with her own personality in her own comics and the Batman and Bird of Prey ones. The best Barbara Gordon depictions I've seen are through Cass and Stephanie's Batgirl comics funnily, but the Barbara Gordon Batgirl comics have the worst treatment I've seen of Dick in all of DC.

This is where I think the idea Dick is dumb orginates because it's definitely not coming from Tim or the Titans or Batman. It also makes sense if that's the case since Dickbabs is such a huge thing in this fandom.

I miss when Dick would just be with Kori through everything. They were so in love! I genuinely believe they could have worked out their problems or at least gotten back together but DC will never let that happen for logical reasons. If Dick marries Kori, he's going to end up spending all his time with the Titans which would be bad for the rest of the family because they need him when they have problems or just to hang out. It's a lot more convenient for them to have Tim hang out with Dick and Barbara if they were dating than him hanging out with Dick and Kori. Which is the biggest reason why Batfamily writers want to keep the romance within the family.

I will never accept the cheating thing because it was so out of character but I've kinda gotten used to him finding new relationships because I grown to fall in love with those characters. As long as he has meaningful relationships like with Bea and Shawn where it develops and grows, I end up loving it. My only requirements for his relationship is letting Dick be himself and letting him be happy. I was furious that whoever writer ended Bea's relationship and for what? "I'm sorry, I can't love you anymore, I got memories back." What kinda a reason is that?! It's not even remotely believable! I have so much to say but it's going to turn into a rant about how dumb the reasoning is.

Tom Taylor took all of Dick's fake worst traits and amplified them by a billion. Actually you know what? I get what's he's trying to do. He picked one trait of Dick's - caring - and trashed his entire life story at the expense of his intelligence, athleticism, humor (c'mon Dick was genuinely funny before this run, his humor did not suck), and wit to support this one little thing.

He wouldn't understand subtlety if it hit him in the face.

[lanezza]

I haven't seen season 3 of Earthspark yet, but from the comments and spoilers I've seen, I get the feeling that the characterization is still a mess (especially Optimus).

I have mixed feelings about Prowl, I'm happy that we can finally see him in a series after so much time having some relevance as a character. That his personality is a mix between G1 and IDW is a very good concept and I hope that in the future they continue to explore it and find a balance in his characterization (because there are things that still feel very out of character like having so much physical affection and suddenly hugging -you know who-), but at the same time I'm discouraged, apart from having some influence on the plot, it seems that they brought the character to the series as a kind of "comedy", I don't know, it feels strange and inconsistent.

It's like the typical character from an animated series that is supposed to have authority but nobody respects him (especially children) and then they show him incompetent at his job to justify the scenes ridiculing the character and the cringe scenes and the... ughhh.

They want to sell me the idea that a soldier (who was probably high ranking) who survived the war doesn't know how to fight well and can be defeated by anyone even a child? I understand that the writers are trying to be funny but it generates the opposite effect on me, a discomfort that begins to border the cringe line. This may be an unpopular opinion because I've seen that many people liked that part, it's just personal tastes.

On the other hand, that they show their detective side and the concept of their Cybertronian alt mode (hopefully they don't change it, I know it's a lot to ask, you know, they have to sell toys, haha): 10/10.

Remember that I'm saying all this without having seen the episodes, I'm basing myself on the spoilers I've seen, so I could be wrong at some point.

I think I'm starting to have doubts about whether I'll watch them or not because I don't want to be left with the feeling that they wasted the character of Prowl (like many other things in the past that had potential in the show), especially because I don't know if I'll be able to finish watching the series, I'm just finishing the first season and I'm starting to get tired of the theme of children who get special powers because they are the chosen ones and save the world fighting like warriors or soldiers but at the same time they solve the problems with the power of friendship and blah blah blah... and then the inconsistencies in the development or omissions of both the plot and the characters where they underestimate the intelligence of the child audience (also known as the power of the script).

Sorry for so much text, if you read up to here take a cookie

[zahri-melitor]

I don't know if it's just me but it feels like alot of the points people use to criticise Tim are things that can actually be seen with early Damian writing. The too smart, dangerous, over-competent and slightly murderous character doesn't really fit Tim as a character even though he's ascribed to that and criticised for it but it can easily be seen with Damian.

I don't hate Damian as a character, but I get what you mean about it being tiring that DC keeps pushing him to the top of the totem pole especially since the way the do that is by making other characters seem incompetent and by ignoring other characters. Also correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Cass, Barbara or Tim have been on the Justice League but Damian as a teen younger than them technically is/was?

Oh boy. Late response on this, but I've been playing with it for a while.

Starting with the last point first: Tim’s actually the only one of those three who hasn’t been on a main universe Justice League at any point.

Barbara was a member of the JLA after the Morrison reboot for quite a while between 1998-2000. She’s also got the tendency to pop up in JL stories and events as one of the computer folk helping maintain their systems. She’s certainly more focused on her OWN team and I don’t think she’s ever been a member as Batgirl, but as Oracle? As Lian Harper says in Titans #1 (1999), she’s secretly running the League.

Cass was a member of Justice League Elite, a morally ambiguous Justice League spinoff coming out of one of the more confusing JLA arcs. She was placed on the team undercover as ‘Kasumi’ by Bruce essentially as a spy. In tone it feels like DC trying their hand at a The Authority ripoff before they gobbled Wildstorm up. Is it a good series? No, but it does mean Cass has been on a Justice League team with Wally, Ollie, and a bunch of Z-listers you’ve never heard of. (Someone is now going to defend oh Manitou Dawn to me and while I DO like her, she's a Z-lister, sorry)

Digression aside!

I think a lot of the time when people are arguing against a character, they are frequently complaining about the flanderised, fanonised version of that character that they trip over in fic all the time more than the character on page in comics. Not always! But those do tend to irritate people more.

In terms of "what people want to argue fanon Tim to be, Damian already is" sort of? I mean there are multiple fanon versions of Tim, but yes, "too smart, dangerous, over-competent and slightly murderous" is a common one among people who want to really insist Tim killed lots and lots and lots of people in Red Robin #8 (a reading I do not subscribe to). It is equally an okay but not great description of Damian, in that I would mostly place even early Damian as 'dangerously violent' not 'murderous' by BFTC.

I don't think it's great in terms of complete accuracy for either of them, but yeah, if you boil things down, it's closer to Damian's actual character than Tim's.

In terms of DC pushing them: yeah, Damian by being THE Robin between 2009 and 2019 or so got a solid editorial pitch as a central character, because 'Robin' as a title has that extra cachet outside of intense comics nerd circles. There were events and storylines that centred his position as The Robin, but equally it comes out in basic things like...which characters are prioritised to appear in anthologies! If we are writing a Batman Christmas story, let's have it feature Bruce and Damian, or Bruce, Dick, Damian and Barbara. And so on.

Now whether Damian's getting prioritised over every other 'kid' of the family is a murky discussion - there's a place for the conversation that certain writers in particular had a tendency to focus on Damian being Bruce's biological kid, over and above the adopted children - but generally it comes and goes in waves and with what stories are pitched. It's very clear when you read comics that some writers just like using particular characters more than others. There's often stories written where to make the story work, someone has to be left holding the idiot ball or being needlessly aggressive, to provide conflict, and writers who do this obviously have to choose someone to do it for them. If a story is centring Damian, generally he isn't going to be the one who finds out he's wrong after providing the conflict. If it's centring say Tim, then Damian might be used to push the narrative forward. And when a writer does like one character more than another, they might choose the one they don't intend to write often as the one who gets stuck being idiot ball.

TL;DR: on some occasions Damian might be being prioritised. On others he isn't. He got a lot of spotlight to himself during the 2010s; that's been more balanced since then (honestly Dick has been the one hogging spotlight for the last few years, if anyone).

[koreandragon]

I finished the Judge from Hell and I have no idea what kdrama to start next 😭 I've been endlessly scrolling and I just don't know what to pick - do you have any favourite kdramas you'd recommend, or any you've watched recently that you recommend? I'll take any and all suggestions, if possible!

hi there! i totally know what you're going through, i'm just also getting back into kdramas after the kdrama slump i had for like over a year (according to mdl i watched 3 dramas last year when i used to watch like 40) so i actually have some recommendations. sorry if there are some you've already seen

if we're talking about slumps, i recommend to check out doctor slump! came out this year, it's a cute romance and deals a lot with slumps and mental health and also has park shin hye in it if you want to watch more of her after the judge from hell

i also recently binged this: daily dose of sunshine. it's not a light watch at all, very focused on mental illnesses as the main character is a nurse at a psych clinic. but i really enjoyed the characters and the representation of mental illnesses and the relationships that formed.

happiness. if you're into zombies, this is a MUST watch. also it's probably one of the best dramas ever made, no big deal. their version of zombiefication is very interesting and it focuses more on the people and how they act in certain situations. also park hyungsik post military. whew...

the fiery priest! season 2 is currently airing, idk if you've seen the first season but i definitely recommend to check it out! it's from one of my favorite writers and the cast is amazing and so funny.

big mouth. lee jongsuk's comeback drama after his military discharge and boy oh boy did he come back with a bang. blew my socks off honestly, his rise from an incompetent lawyer to the leader of an entire prison was beautiful to watch.

sh**ting stars. celebrity x non-celebrity romance. he's a famous actor and she's been friends with him since college and also she works as the PR manager at his talent company. tooth rotting stuff and made me fall in love with kim young dae

a business proposal. now this drama doesn't fuck around. it is what it is. a cheesy, straight up romance with no hogwash, no serial killer plots, no terminal illness, no power struggles, just raw, unadulterated romance. the chemistry is chemistrying in both the first and second lead couples. all romances should take notes tbh

gaus electronics. probably the funniest kdrama i've ever seen. idk who this writer is but they got my exact type of humor. and the cast is absolutely fantastic, kwak dong yeon is killing it.

and finally to nobody's suprise: vincenzo [booo tomatoes, booo we're tired of you pine] best kdrama ever made blah blah changed my life blah blah everyone knows how i feel about this show. but i had to add it.

these are just some recent ones that popped into my head, i hope you can find some that you like

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

OC questionnaire

Thanks to @elsie-writes here, here, and here, @illarian-rambling here and here, @willtheweaver here, @ceph-the-ghost-writer here, and @mysticstarlightduck here!

I've somehow been tagged more than this somehow, but this post is so long I've decided to cut it off here.

Rules: answer the questions as an OC, then leave three new questions for the people you tag!

Past questionnaires: masterpost for round one

Tagging @mk-writes-stuff @elsie-writes @katwritesshit @rickie-the-storyteller @cherrybombfangirlwrites

+ ANYONE ELSE

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites

@nebula--nix @literarynecromancy @honeybewrites

I have done all TSP characters I can answer for. Everyone else is not important enough for me to leave a response. SOTL doesn't have enough yet.

Under the cut: Tyler, Gwen, Liam, Noelle, Akash, Robbie, Sam, Ewan

#1- Tyler

Who is the most memorable person you've ever seen? Why are they so memorable?

“One guy I met a few years ago, Anathi. He was interesting. A little, uh, repressed due to having never really interacted with anyone for three years. Um. He was an ultimate, but like way taller than average, so also physically memorable. Haven't seen him in years though. So, anyway, did you know the human mind can never forget a face? And it also can't make up one, either. So, if you see someone you don't know in your dream, you have to have seen them on the street at some point!”

What stresses you out most?

“Stupid and lazy and incompetent people in charge. Like, who gave that idiot so much power? A bigger idiot??? So an even bigger idiot has even more power. Awesome. Fantastic. It sucks.”

What is your favorite holiday?

“Halloween. It is fun to dress up as whatever I want. And plan a decent costume with makeup. It also pisses off Medina. And Dr. Asghar. Those are always fun.”

Other Tyler: questionnaire one, two truths and a lie

#2- Gwen

What is the most important thing someone can receive?

“Love, friendship, support, compassion.... I think I will go with support. Support in all areas of your life I find important.”

What was your favorite age of your life?

“I like being twelve. But I miss being six. When my grandfather would read to me.”

How do you like your coffee (or tea)?

“Preferably, not at the same time! Haha. ... Did I tell you about that? Yeah, I accidentally made my coffee with a tea bag. It...was surprising, for sure. Awful, but I couldn't stop drinking it. May make it intentionally again. I usually just take my coffee with sweet cream.”

Other Gwen: OC in three, OC in fifteen, picrew, kiss, two truths and a lie, questionnaire one, OC interview

#3- Liam

What's your go-to beverage?

“Water. And I'm not saying that to be boring. It's just objectively the best beverage. It keeps you healthy, hydrated. Why waste money on carbonated garbage? Everyone should be drinking water. It does nothing but help you. Except people who are allergic to water, but that is an incredibly rare condition.”

What's the stupidest argument you've ever gotten into?

“There is literally no such thing as a stupid argument. However, I did get punched in the face when I lectured this one kid about how landings didn't count as steps. Of course, they do, but I thought it would be funny if I tried to convince him they did not. Apparently I pissed him off.”

How do you act when you're over-tired?

“I become more easy to distract. Overwhelmed, maybe anxiety. More reserved. I also start noticing my mistakes more. I also keep thinking I'm sick. That's much better than some. Think about it: I could be yelling and screaming at everyone. I could become an evil dictator. But I don't. I just affect me, and in the end, that's much better.”

Other Liam: questionnaire one, interview

What would you do if you found someone's wallet and ID on the floor with no one in sight?

#4- Noelle

“I would look at the ID and figure out a way to give it back to the person who lost it. Depending on where I am, I'd give it to proper authorities. At school, the front office. Police if I'm out. If all else fails, I suppose I could ask Lexi to teleport me to them.”

Can you swim?

“Of course I can. It doesn't make sense not to learn. My mom taught me when I was really young.”

If you were an animal, what would you be?

“What a stupid hypothetical question. I'm not a shapeshifter. *Sigh* Okay, fine, I'll try. Um... Owls represent intelligence so maybe that? I think I'm smart. Wolves are loyal to their family. I'd call myself that.”

Other Noelle: OC in three, OC in fifteen, Picrew, Bingo, questionnaire one

#5- Akash

What is your idea of a romantic date?

“Oh, man. Everything! Dinner and a movie. Holding hands as we walk through an art exhibit. Strolling or hiking through nature. The classic stuff! That reminds me... I need to plan something for Gwen... A bit nervous to ask her out, to be honest, but Robbie says she won't mind what we do as long as we're together. I dunno, man, first dates seem so crucial to get right.”

Can you be trusted to keep a secret?

“Yes. [Pause] I mean, I've kept my own, so I'd completely understand, and would respect your wishes. But just so you know, I hate lying. Despite doing it. But I fixed it! So yes, I can, but I'll hate every second of it. Although it will not make me feel guilty like it was when it was mine! But uh... Don't ask me to keep it from Robbie... Y'know what? Don't tell me. Sorry.”

What is one thing that makes your blood boil?

“Well, uh... I hate not getting respect. It's not like I think I'm entitled to it, but... I do still want it. People with no compassion for each other, it... It pisses me off a little. I hate seeing it.”

Other Akash: OC in three, OC in fifteen, Picrew, kiss, questionnaire one, two truths and a lie

#6- Robbie

Which weirdly specific superpower would you prefer: ability to cook eggs in any manner and have them turn out perfectly, or ability to always recommend a piece of media someone else will enjoy?

“Eggs. Gonna be honest, I almost want the second one, but I can already do that! I have excellent tastes. Although maybe that is, like, a superpower or something and it would go away when I get the eggs power. Hm. Eggs because I genuinely also want to help my mom out in the kitchen. I mean, I can already make eggs, but I get overwhelmed most of the time, so I stick to scrambled just so I know I'm doing it right. So yeah, eggs. If my media powers go away, I don't care, because I'll still love my stupid cartoons.”

Most awkward conversation you've ever had?

“Oh, God. Why. Why must you make me remember this?? Sooo I had this playhouse I went to as a kid. One of my friends there was this girl Ava. We went to that playhouse for years! And one day, she came to my seventh grade play on The Secret Garden. I was hanging with Akash and another kid in the play, Bryan. Ava comes up to us after the play to congratulate me and say hi. And then I said, 'Bryan, let me introduce you to my old friend...' and then I blanked for a solid 17 seconds on her name. It was awful. I said, 'Ava' at the same time Akash did to cover for me. It was... So bad. I tried to pass it off as me being overly dramatic with a pause and that I wanted Akash to say her name at the same time. But. I think she knew.”

How accurate do you think your zodiac sign is?

“Apparently, I'm a Taurus. And according to Google... This is literally not me at all. Like, it says I'm super sensual and grounded. [Pause] Me. Sensual and grounded! What even?!”

Other Robbie: OC in fifteen, OC in three, Picrew, two truths and a lie, questionnaire one

#7- Sam

What is your favorite drink?

“Ooh, lemonade! I love lemonade!! I always wanted to have a lemonade stand actually. I like all kinds of lemonade. Canned or homemade or whatever!! I usually have a can after dance class.”

Do you know how to dance?

“I do! I'm in a class that I go to weekly! We do ballet and tap dancing. It's so fun! I could dance all day long!”

What would make you never forgive someone?

“I'm not sure. I like moving on and pretending the bad stuff didn't happen. But I guess... If a friend did something awful to another.”

Other Sam: questionnaire one

#8- Ewan

What is your favorite small nature item? Pinecones, rocks, leaves, seashells?

“I like rocks. I have a rock collection. I think it's pretty cool.”

Do you have a go-to or favorite idiom?

“Huh. I've literally never thought of this before. I guess I like 'cross the bridge when we get there.' It's kind of a mantra for me. Worrying about the future, y'know? I don't like waiting until we get there to cross the bridge. I want to be prepared to cross the bridge. At the same time... I'm bad at preparing cause I'm not proactive. So I use the idiom to get out of the stuff I don't want to do now. I have a complicated relationship with this idiom....”

What is your favorite fruit?

“No, don't make me choose!! I guess... Cantaloupe. You probably weren't expecting that.”

Other Ewan: questionnaire one, kiss

Your questions:

What's the last thing you replaced, and why did you have to replace it?

Where's a place you've been that you felt out of place?

Do you trust your instincts?

[nanakibh]

We gotta do everything ourselves...

Earthspark S3 Spoilers Below

Man, idk what other people are feeling, but I'm just going to pretend that there's only one season of Earthspark from now on. I foolishly thought that things could improve after S2. It really feels like the people who are working on ES now have no interest in anything that ES actually was. Maybe it's also corporate meddling. Whatever it is, I hate it.

I guess I'm glad they brought back the Chaos Terrans because it was pretty messed up for them to kill them off. But I don't think they were ever good characters and I would not have missed them.

The Fairmaestro sucks. He just sucks, dude. I can give his first episode a pass because it introduced Isabel and Cosmos, but this second episode was pure filler. Had nothing to do with the overarching plot. They only had seven episodes for S3 and they chose to completely squander some of them. Infuriating.

Speaking of Cosmos, he was just kind of there. I fail to see why they introduced him and then brought him back if they weren't really going to do anything interesting with him.

I think their treatment of Schloder is extremely fucked up. In S2, they brought him back just to use him for a laugh in the shitty Fairmaestro episode, and now they only brought him back for a couple silly scenes again. I'm going to turn into the Joker. He was one of the best human characters on the show. Genuinely one of my favorite characters overall. The way they've ignored him and turned him into a joke AFTER HE WATCHED HIS SISTER DIE is just disrespectful. It's bad writing.

The whole plot with Isabel was.......... It was something. The way she totally evaporated as a character after the reveal sure sucks. I expected there to be some hint that she really did like Robby even if she was just pretending to be human, but nah. Nah, forget about it.

There were a lot of little moments like that where I thought they were going somewhere interesting with something, but then it went nowhere. For instance, I thought that the Terrans might have been messing up the drive-in theater experience for Robby and Isabel on purpose because they were secretly jealous of Robby spending time with someone other than family. But nope! They're all just THAT incompetent now!

Dude, I'm so tired of them making Jawbreaker look like an out-and-out idiot. I'm so tired of them making the others be mean to him for no reason. It feels like the writers actually just... don't like him? Or at least they don't understand him.

My biggest problem is with the treatment of the Decepticons. They literally just... shipped them off to space? Are they just gone now? I honestly want this show to get cancelled at this point, but I'll also be mad if the show officially ends with the Decepticons just leaving.

Remember in S1 when Dot said that there are no bad Decepticons? Remember that great episode with Tarantulas? Remember Hashtag's heartfelt moments with Starscream? ...And now she's literally stabbing him in the back?? I refuse to believe that she would do that. I think there is a very valuable lesson to be made about how maybe it's not worth giving a person another chance after they've betrayed your trust multiple times, but I don't think that's something the writers were thinking about here. It feels like S1 wanted to redeem Starscream. S2/3 does not. The S1 writers wouldn't have given up on him the way the S2 writers have.

It feels like they were totally stumped about what to do with Starscream in this season, so they kept him locked inside the Titan. That's crazy. lmao I wrote a fic where Soundwave suggests that they should look for Skyfire, someone who actually stands a chance of redeeming him. It was just a small part of a much larger megasound fic, but if I can come up with something like that off the top of my head, I don't know why these writers struggled so much. I'm sure that Starscream fans out there have come up with much better plots for him in the ES universe. (I'm going to assume that they were told that they had to keep the Decepticons as villains. Which you can do! While still making them sympathetic like they were in S1! You can do that!)

This is the part of this rant where I feel the need to say that if you liked S1 of ES, you should write whatever kinds of fics you want and ignore S2/3 at your leisure. If you think something sucks, you don't have to acknowledge it. We can fix it ourselves. I truly believe that popular fanon can overwhelm this shitshow. If enough people say "Actually, Starscream WAS redeemed", that can be our reality.

Soundwave is barely a character at this point, which sucks because he's my favorite character. It seems pretty obvious to me that his feelings of betrayal in S1 came from the fact that he was always so loyal to Megatron. The S2/3 writers seem totally uninterested in examining that at all. We got no meaningful interactions between them. Nothing.

S1 Breakdown and S3 Breakdown are different characters. They actually had the audacity to walk back his S1 character development. And for what? He could have joined the Autobots in this season, but nah.

We simply did not need the Quintessons, but if they had to be there, the Decepticons should have been helping the Autobots fight them. Like, I'm pretty sure a natural trajectory from S1 would have included the Autobots rehabilitating the Decepticons and then fighting a common enemy together to further build trust. That feels like the spirit of S1 to me.

I feel like the status of Cybertron's condition is something that should have been completely left a mystery. If they had to reveal anything about it, they should have saved it until the very end where everyone (including the now-reformed Decepticons!) decide that they're going to stay on Earth even if returning to Cybertron is possible.

Idk how to end this. I'm sure that I'll just keep thinking of more things that bothered me.

Edit: Already thought of more. Jesus Christ... I like Prowl. I don't think this was a terrible rendition of him. But I don't think he added anything meaningful to the show. Again, I'm going to assume that they were told that they had to add a new Autobot for the sake of making toys or something. But why are you going to add a character if they don't add anything to the overarching plot? He literally existed just to give us a ship that would be used to get rid of the Decepticons so the writers wouldn't have to worry about what they would do with them during the Quintesson battle. Especially infuriating when you consider what I said about how they should've been helping the Autobots fight them. Like, we saw this in S1... We know that the Decepticons WOULD help in a fight... That wouldn't be out of character for them... God, this shit is so ass.

[sabrondabrainrot]

I forget I can just ramble and rant my thoughts!

I try to focus on sharing just my art but I also do writing and try to have a bit of a critical mind when it comes to media I consume.

Now that it has been a few months since I watched all of TMNT 12 I do have some thoughts and opinions and kind of want to just ramble about it before I forget, in an informal manner.

I at first really liked it, it was the second TMNT show I watched after Rise, now that I've been watching the 87 and 03 shows my opinions on 12 did change just a bit but I still do like it!

Literally all the turtles are my son's now. Especially Leonardo (he's blue coded so-). I just think they're so cute and neat!!!

I'm going to put thoughts to spoiler stuff of 12 so if you plan to watch the show then don't click beyond this point!

🐢💙🐢♥️🐢🧡🐢💜

So in the last season of TMNT 12 it kind of feels like all the scrapped ideas or random plots that couldn't be fit into the prior seasons were put in this one? I really like the new op it gives of Cowboy Bebop vibes. The op song change is really nice to because I never really looked the tmnt 12 op song before.

However, the plots feel all over the place? There's a mini ark where they're jumping through time meeting Halloween monsters and then another ark where Mikey defeats Satan? Then we get another really tiring ark that's this implied alternate madmax fury road parody that is honestly so depressing? Donnie is just dead.

Which btw, the show likes killing ppl off for dramatic effect. They killed Master Splinter three times and had Mikey and Donnie get scattered to atoms on two separate occasions. I should also mention Leo was in a coma for 3 months with no IV or anything and he woke up relatively fine.

Anyways, going into the last season and stuff leading up to it... They kind of ended with the 87 turtles and the 12 boys finding new passion and inspiration from teaching the 87 boys. I didn't really vibe with it because it just made the 87s the butt of the joke and made them out to be incompetent silly little guys.

They ARE silly little guys but the thing is they're not incompetent. The 87 boys have done some insanely incredible things even when unarmed. Especially when unarmed. I actually think the angle of finding a new way to help people as a means to end the series on an inspired note is fine, the 87 boys even carried on the will and told Bebop and Rocksteady they can be more than Shredder's mutant henchmen. It is very cute and wholesome. I just think they could have maybe done it differently?

Why not set up for them to teach Chi arts? The turtles of 87 don't have any mystical abilities and it would have been interesting to do a set up like that? There are ways to write the finale without just dumping on the original source.

Focusing back on the ending of 12, we also leave on a seriously alarming note. It's just a big mixed bag. After Master Splinter went to run on the hamster wheel in the sky, Leonardo was handed the reigns of the family. He was told "You're the teacher now Leonardo. You're the father. Look after your brothers" and Splinter then willingly walked into his own death. I think the writers maybe thought this was amazing and inspirational or something but I found it incredibly messed up? We start tmnt 12 on all 4 boys birthday. Meaning Splinter himself considers them all to be the same age. And since the series was running they haven't on screen celebrated a birthday and from the implied weather changes most of the seasons 1-4 seem to take place over just a year??? We don't get a definitive timeline (or I'm a bad audience and didn't notice).

So one can only assume Master Splinter was telling his...15 year old son to be the father to his other 15 year old children.

Why do I bring this up at all? After Leonardo takes over the family and he KILLS shredder they go into this rushed cult demon resurrection arc that culminates in the classic dead walk the earth and Mikey defeats Satan. In this arc we meet a ghost splinter who does not even go to see his kids, he just helps Casey and April. But throughout and the lead up to this we have moments of Leo having conversations with what we can perceive as Sensei's ghost in the dojo.

But the climax of the arc cements splinters ghost has not once visited his son's.

So Leonardo is quite literally having full on conversations, in the dojo for his brothers to hear, with a hallucination of his dead dad. He's coping this way. His family does nothing about this.

Tmnt 2012 has the worst Splinter. He ignored his son's and chose favorites. He told Leonardo to die (season 1 finale). He calls Mikey dumb and insights the others to do it too. He told Raph his anger makes him exactly like Shredder and never elaborates or teaches him how to better work through his issues. And he straight up calls Donnie useless.

None of that is even an exaggeration. Adding context just makes it worse.

Here's a list:

Do you know the turtles are the equivalent of helicopter raised homeschool boys? They've never stepped foot outside of the lair except at the start of ep 1.

They learn ALL of their lessons from old shows and cartoons. The show writers even sometimes use the cartoons to set up the theme of the episodes!

When Leonardo rescues Mikey he pats him on the head to comfort him.

Literally almost all of their ninja weapons have hidden weapons. I love it I wish I saw more of them using them.

Michelangelo is the family chef because somehow none of the rest have any life skills. Not even Splinter (explains so much).

They all have such cute shape language. I love bean pole Donnie, blocky buff Raph, perfect pear Leo, and round freckled Mikey.

They also now have unique eye colors. I love their eyes. Donnie with his big beautiful brown eyes (sometimes they look red). Raph with his acid green stare into your soul eyes, they look like they would glow like mako eyes in ff7. Mikey with bright blue eyes all big and round. And then Leo with the cunning dark blue eyes!

I just want to pinch their cheeks and kiss their foreheads and give them hugs.

Also, Leo is so affectionate to kids and his brothers??? My heart??? Couldn't take it??? He just randomly hugs them?? He had a tea party??? He wore a pink feather boa? The way he just immediately held baby Miwa??? Too good. Too good. He's such a good big bro.

Raph is also such a soft guy. Like yes he's a Butthead that beats up his brothers and takes every single violent urge out on Leo when he's even minorly inconvenienced but he does learn to do better. He helps Leo a lot and he even is there for the others a lot too.

Raphael also does art and seems to like fine arts.

Raph, like Leo, is a resident baby man. He loved tiny helpless creatures. He had a pet turtle he loved with his entire being and then later on adopted a space alien baby turtle that he also loved with his entire being.

I love Donnie in this, his cute little tooth gap, his gentle demeanor, the fact he'd rather be in the lab than training. I feel bad for him tho cause he clearly wants Splinter and Leo's approval with his inventions and efforts but very rarely gets it (Leo is the only one to really praise him and get what he does). He's also a good team player but he has so much stress and no confidence.

Donnie needs a big ol hug.

Mikey is so cute. But he is so weird. Why did they write girly pop collecting underwear. Why did they have him cannibalize a mutant pizza man? They do the most random things with Mikey. I like that he avidly tries cheering ppl up. He tries so hard for his bros. He's just a sweet little guy. I wish they did more with the baby bro.

Mikey should have kept his lightning powers.

They fight a lot but all the brothers love each other. I think they're just stressed and cooped up too much.

I like drama tho it's juicy when they argue.

I read on the wiki that Donnie is supposed to be canon OCD and Mikey canon ADHD and it makes so much sense in the show.

I really like all their voices. I miss Leo's first voice he was so dorky and sweet. The new voice is all sad and serious. Raph sounds perfect. I like Donnie's voice but instead of him always yelling why not have him do the low angry science rant because that's a good time. I like Mikey's voice he sounds like a high pitched beast boy.

But despite the occasionally baffling writing choices of the show I still like it. It's entertaining in the same way as a telenovela or kdrama. They literally have a plot where one of the turtles falls in love with his secret half sister. Something I've seen in telenovelas and kdramas.

2012 tmnt makes a great dogblooded drama.

I think the CGI art can get pretty bad at times but other times it looks great. The music is pretty good and I really like the voice cast. I actually totally see why so many people like this show but I definitely don't think it's the best one. From what I've seen thus far, I think the 2003 TMNT show might actually be a masterpiece. Better than Avatar the Last Airbender levels of masterpiece (not a competition just giving an example of another show I find monumental).

That's it, that's the rant, thanks for reading!

Btw if any one has any good 12 fic recs pls hand them over. I need 12 hurt comfort, or fem Leo, or transfem Leo, or anything introspective, or just anything with a fun plot. Pls I'm dying here send fics.

Thank you :)

[applejacks1552]

A brief rant on Rogue and Gambit volume 2, now that we are past issue 2.

Exactly WHO is this book for?

I honestly don't know.

I don't get the angle this book is taking and why anyone would think THIS is what fans of Rogue, Gambit or both characters would want.

They are both coming off as complete and utter assholes.

Rogue is a cold, mean, emotionally abusive bossy workaholic with no empathy or sense of fun.

Gambit is a hapless, charmless incompetent drunk with apparently no regard for the safety of innocent lives now ... so that's new I guess along with being a drunk.

This writer gives us almost nothing playful or cute between them, only biting words and very few of them at that. No thought bubbles either. So very little actual story.

Where is any of the banter or flirting or charm that has characterized them for nearly 30 years? Where is any sense of fun or emotional depth?

Then suddenly they go from being completely cold to each other to completely hot ... and we basically totally skip the hot part? WHY?!? On what planet is THAT the part you smash cut out?! So yes, sex in the desert and then right back to arguing. That's how that works ... said no one who has ever had sex. (And for those whining, desert sex would be better than freezing cold cave sex actually. )

Otherwise there is one more tiny awkward moment of connection when they dance, only to interrupt it for the stupid hero misunderstanding fight with BP that frankly we are all VERY sick of. It's a tired trope. Please stop it. It's illogical. It's dumb. No.

Honestly I could not care less about this plot with the kidnapped mutants. Really kind of a copy off the volume 1 plot tbh, but far less interesting.

Then the worst crime ... having Gambit put an innocent woman in harms way for a diversion. Something he has never done before nor that I can buy. It was so badly out of character that it's just plain character assasination at this point. Just what his character needed, more abuse by another writer. And honestly, Rogue goes along with it despite complaining so she's truly being an asshole too. She's not off the hook.

This is a relationship story that needed a chisel to smooth over the Excalibur/KoX damage and instead they came at it with an pickaxe. There is no nuance. No subtlety.

I really don't get when writers take the "let's make everyone terrible" angle for a story as if that's what would bring any fan of any character that they love enjoyment or lure in new fans. Yes ... it's just SO great to pay nearly $5 just to experience your favorite characters being truly their worst selves? Thanks, I guess? But I surely could have found a hate-fic for free, you know. It burns all the more after sitting through several years of similarly unenjoyable writing just prior to this. The Krakoan era has sucked big time for Romy fans.

Even if you compare this mini to the short piece from X-Men that Duggan wrote that supposedly inspired this series, that Rogue and Gambit were in synch and charming and fun together. Cracking jokes. Rogue in sunglasses and bringing cake. Fighting side-by-side. Not making snide comments at each other.

And this isn't even some slightly juvenile but charming trashy fun in the way that X-Terminators was or one of those classic loveable losers type stories, where sure ... the characters are all pretty flawed but they still have true heart.

This Rogue and Gambit don't have that heart.

At this point I'm past mad. I'm just disappointed. Especially after the abysmal last few years for them.

Put this characterization up against how they are being written in Captain Marvel or X-Treme X-Men right now and it's just night and day. Those writers treat them both with so much respect and show them respecting each other.

Can the editors and writer not tell the difference between normal marital strife and dangerously toxic, emotionally abusive behavior?

Where is the beautiful emotional intelligence of R&G volume 1 or MMX?

Also ... THREE "mon cheri" usages?! Just no. NO. Stop that. WHY?!?!

I have been reading these characters for decades and this was just ... 🤦‍♀️

It has to get better. It literally cannot get much worse.

[darklinaforever]

all these show stans or woke feminists saying Daemon is responsible for all evil. Like, dude literally wasn't in Westeros when 90% of shit went down. While in canon, he definitely had something serious and sexual with Rhaenyra, in show they had one day's encounter and he was banished the next, he was made decent enough that he couldn't ruin her and once he realized how taking Rhaenyra to Dragonstone would hurt her future, he left. He literally did nothing to her! He left and made his family in Pentos with Laena and his daughters. Never looked back. It was Rhaenyra who made the choice to take a lover, have kids who obviously looked nothing like her not once but three times, made all political blunders. It was Viserys who ignored the successions and Greens issues, it was Alicent who constantly abused, mocked and put Rhaenyra in danger. Daemon literally had nothing to do with it! He wasn't even there! He even came back and stayed because Viserys and Rhaenyra asked him to. Then he fought for and supported Rhaenyra however he knew best. Even then showrunners made her reluctant to go to war, removed scenes where Jace and Baela agree Greens can't be trusted, made him dumber all to make that stupid queerbait ship seem sad and tragic (it wasn't) and now boom! Daemon's the villain? Like wtf? He's literally trying to fight for Rhaenyra! He stayed because Rhaenyra asked him to! He's doing as she wants and he's still the misogynistic evil monster?! Why?!

Overall agree. Daemon never abused Rhaenyra. Book or series. Alicent is the abuser.

But in reality, there is no evidence that Daemon and Rhaenyra had anything sexual during the 6 months they spent together. In particular because the 2 sources to report this are mushrooms, which is clearly ruled out, then the other is Eustace, pro-Greens... So I believe there is no way that Daemyra had sex at that time. Falling in love, courting, etc, kisses ? Yes. Probably. The rest, I don't think.

As for political gaffes, others have explained it much better than me, but Rhaenyra was not awful or incompetent in terms of politics. And the fact of having children out of wedlock is certainly not a mistake in this category, and I'm tired of seeing that ! Laenor was fucking GAY ! In the series, we are told that he is downright probably sterile ! What should she have done ?! Have no children at all ? Of course, and like that the Greens could have released it super easily by pretending she was barren and failed in her duty to produce an heir ! What should she have done ? Take a lover who has Valyrian traits ? And how is she supposed to do that ?! Already she needed a trusted man for her to have children, which is not easy at all and already very risky for her own safety.

Then, for the thousandth time, the children of Rhaenyra may very easily have inherited the Baratheon genes... Their appearance is not admissible evidence to prove that they are not of Laenor to anyone. Book (where Laenor is white) or series for that matter. Children are not necessarily of color because one of their parents is a person of color. They can absolutely be white.

For the fact of Viserys ignoring the estate... Well technically the king's word is law, and Viserys is the king. His word is therefore literally the law. He only challenged a tradition, nothing more. But yes, he undeniably screwed up with the Greens.

But we agree that the writers are stupid in their treatment of Daemon.

[littlealeta]

This may not be a popular opinion on tumblr, but I'm really sick and tired of seeing people say they want John Lasseter back. Like yeah, maybe the films feel different now, but Lasseter is both a terrible worker and likely a terrible person. He's been accused of "sexual misconduct, he fired the original director of Brave and gave us the cliched mess we got in the final product, and his coworkers who worked with him on Luck also called him out for some incompetent work at Skydance like sleeping on the job and like with Brave, also changed what could've been a better story for Luck. Not to mention, he directed Cars 2? And was still in charge of Pixar when it was already getting backlash for most of its films of the 2010 era? Are you people seriously going to pretend like 2010s Pixar was perfect just because the Toy Story guy is gone? Y'all straight up bullshitting.

I see this same shit with Justin Roiland. Even though the domestic violence has been seemingly debunked, he still groomed minors and was toxic to work with. Yet people ignore all of that because he made their favorite cartoon. Yes, I may not have any hope for Rick and Morty at this point because the guy that made the first two seasons worth watching is no longer there and will stay away from the show for the foreseeable future, but saying you want the creator back after all the bullshit that has been pretty much proven with him is really gross and blatantly ignorant.

But back to Pixar, I do understand that Pixar does feel different with John Lasseter gone, both in good ways and bad ways. Good because they're making more original movies, but bad because I am not fond of the new skrunkly cartoony style they're using for films like Luca, Elio, and Turning Red. I know they're trying something new, but it looks like a mix of Sony and Aardman so it's not something groundbreaking like Spiderverse and Nimona. I wouldn't say that their stories are better than the 2010s era for the most part except for Soul, which was a good movie. I think what Pixar needs at this point is to distance themselves from Disney and maybe get some better people to helm the studio. I don't think Pete Doctor is really doing a great job right now and maybe he should get back to directing? Maybe being chief creative officer is too much for him. He also clapped back at the negative reviews for Lightyear and Elemental instead of understanding the viewpoints of the audience. I'm glad to see some new workers working at Pixar, but I do wish we got someone who can help the writers tell and structure stories better. I think a lot of that problem falls on Disney, though.

Just to say, I like the concepts of some of the new pixar films like Luca and Onward, but the execution turned out to be really bland.

[inspector-constable]

My thoughts on Barbenheimer, since these movies are now inextricably linked in my mind forever and I liked both of them more than I thought I would:

Barbie

I had a lot of thoughts on feminism, patriarchy, capitalism, and all that jazz after watching this one, but smarter people have already dissected that better than I could.

What I will say is I was hysterically laughing at almost every moment to the point where my face and abs hurt. Every time Will Farrell's gaggle of incompetent suited executive officers were on screen I just couldn't hold the giggles in. Helen Mirren's narration reminded me SO MUCH of God in Good Omens in a way that really got to me. There were parts where nobody else in the theater was laughing, but my partner and I were fighting to keep our guffaws down because the humor was just so, so on point for us. "SUBLIME."

My partner is a cis white male, and after reading the opinions of others of his kind, I am reminded once again how fucking lucky I am that he turned out to be a good one. He liked the movie even more than I did and it really resonated with him.

I wished the movie had delved a tiny bit more into how the patriarchy fucks men up too, and not just queer or neurodivergent or different men like Allan, ALL men are shoved into a box and punished for stepping out of line under the patriarchy. And I wish Allan had more screentime.

Generally I felt the movie was a bit heavy handed with its morals. Of course I completely agree with what it had to say and I don't mean to tone police. But because of my background and religious trauma I am just acutely and unfortunately aware of the kind of visceral reaction certain people will have to the way Barbie presents its themes. This was a movie that speaks to people who already agree with its central ideas. But if the writers/producers actually wanted to make anti-feminists think critically about their position, I think the message was a bit too hamfisted or condescending to accomplish that.

However I'm aware that even my thinking about this point is largely because of my anxiety and religious trauma and I am really tired of running films through a filter of "What would my dad say if he watched this movie?" I'll stop there before this becomes an entire therapy sesh

All that being said, I laughed, I cried, I spilled water on myself, I loved seeing all the pink clothes. Every actor was hysterical and beautiful. I love that movies can be bright and colorful and whimsical again. I gave the movie a 9/10.

Oppenheimer

What a shock to move on to this movie. To be honest, I am not a fan of war movies in general and I didn't know why people were so excited about this one. We probably wouldn't have gone if our friends didn't want to do the double feature.

At first, I was irritated. After coming from Barbie, having a movie totally populated by old cis white men felt annoying. There were almost no important female characters at the beginning. I noticed how Florence Pugh's character was basically just a sex object - yes she had interesting opinions, but it seemed like she was naked and riding a dick for half her scenes. Why was she naked but Cillian Murphy was fully clothed for their first sex scene? The whole movie seemed focused on a male gaze and a male perspective, par for the course for a war movie.

When Emily Blunt's character said "Can you explain quantum physics to me? It seems awfully complex." All I could think was "Can you play guitar at me?" Dead.

BUT.

As the movie went on I started to realize how well it fit with the themes Barbie focused on, but from another side. This movie is full of old cis white men, yes. They are the patriarchy, the literal men in power.

Oppenheimer actually did an incredible job examining exactly what I was left contemplating after I left Barbie - how the patriarchy destroys everyone, even the men who it benefits the most.

What a perfect example of how the competitive, egotistical, compassion-less, violent nature of toxic masculinity hurts everyone who participates in it while claiming innocent victims. The patriarchy built a weapon of mass destruction, refused to listen to calls for discretion, and murdered hundreds of thousands of civilians. And then the men, just like the Kens, began to feel their egos being threatened and they fought and backstabbed each other into obliteration.

So in the end it ended up being a marvelous commentary on similar social and political issues just like Barbie, while also being a strong anti-war movie (as Steven Spielberg would say every war movie is.) It was beautifully shot and the performances were incredible. The use of color and sound was perfect and the Trinity bomb scene (and the gym scene after) was one of the most impactful things I have ever seen. I felt like my brain was buzzing and my jaw was open for most of the movie.

However, I don't think Oppenheimer passed the Bechdel test and I was pretty bummed at the lack of female characters although Kitty's questioning scene was the most badass part of the whole movie. It was too long, too many names to remember, the timelines were confusing, and everything after the bomb test seemed to be boring political dialogue that I barely stayed awake for.

I gave it an 8/10.

[deathsbestgirl]

Saw your tags-- agree w/ your thoughts! :DDD

I put my fleshed out ideas... somewhere? in an additional post; but I meant (and didn't say very eloquently) was that Mulder's trauma is psychological while Scully's was physical. We see him on more mental collapses over the series than Scully, whereas her arc revolves around her bodily autonomy being violated. Both are tragic; but Scully was given something back for everything CC took away from her (abduction = coma to have a goodbye from her dead father/peace, Melissa died = led her to Emily to give Scully autonomy over her daughter's peace, infertility = IVF = failure = confronting her own scientific reluctance in Amor Fati arc = alien ship healing = journey's end in all things = miracle pregnancy, etc.) Whereas Mulder's tragedies has no good thing to come from them EXCEPT closure for Samantha (his mom's suicide will always weigh on him, and his dad's "hi son" in Anasazi was butchered by Mulder learning about his Nazi dealings in Paper Clip, etc.)

Scully is able to seek help, stability, and normality regardless of her sufferings (even going to therapy when her mental health in untenable); Mulder, however, collapses far too easily without his dilapidated quest (until The Unnatural-Closure.) His trauma is psychological: being too late or too frozen or too incompetent to help others (Max in Fallen Angel, Samantha pre-show, his parents' deaths, Scully's abduction, her cancer and chip control, missing his son's birth, etc.) And his torture in S8 was never addressed, he was competently replaced by Doggett (who had a great solve rate), Scully would have been a good parent without him, Skinner/TLG advocate for his replacement (silently), etc. He had to suffer another loss-- his job, his files, to get a modicum of peace... and even that was robbed by his fear of his child's paternity. And he missed his son's birth (while Scully suffered another physical trauma with Reyes, so both had an awful time of it.)

Their tragedies are incomparable; but Mulder isn't hit hardest by physical violence while Scully is, hence her abduction/infertility being a pillar of trauma for her. For Mulder, it's psychological failure that haunts him the most.

Went on a long-winded spiel there, but I tried to consolidate it all down! :DDDDDD

thank you for this message !! so i tried to start it last night, but honestly was too tired to continue trying lol my issue isn't that i disagree with you at all, but the whole discussion ended up bringing out my anger toward the show 🤣

so i'm finding it hard to talk about their characters in the context of the show when i'm mad about the writing choices.

because. in oubilette (i love this episode), they give a minor the space to have such intense emotions after she'd been kidnapped, raped & abused. and it's SO frustrating that they make scully just bury it. i guess we can assume that because we see her go to therapy, she may go more than we see. and i think you're right to credit her more stable family background for how she's able to heal. but i just don't think being abducted for three months & having no memory and later learning you were medically raped when she was terrified to do any kind of therapy that could help her remember.

so i just don't think she ever dealt with it well, she internalized and tried to bury it and just move forward. or rather, she dealt with it by working on the x files with mulder. cuz maybe she'd eventually get some answers when she was more ready. and she'd already dedicated herself to him.

which i think is another part of the "problem" for me. because they did this with scully, and the way the show is continually about mulder's trauma, i think it just pisses me off. and like. i just can't be sure these were decisions the writers made intentionally, to be part of her character (which when i rationalize it, scully doesn't want to be weak in front of mulder, become another reason for him to feel guilty, another reason for his quest. she's strong & rational and he needs her to be okay. she wants his trust & his pride, to feel worthy. not necessarily because of anything mulder says/does but because of her own psychology & issues...) or if they were lazy & GA worked with what she had as they focused her on mulder.

ANYWAY. all this to say both of their traumas are so so bad. his lead to so much pain, abuse, estrangement and his beautiful beautiful empathy. i think i just care more about scully's because we actually ~see much more of mulder's. half the cases are about his trauma. the whole show is about his trauma. and scully's, i have a harder time talking about because medical rape is too real & scary. losing children is heart wrenching & tragic. the assaults she suffered from obsessive, crazy men are a very present fear for women. we lose people to cancer all the time and it's worse than i could ever put into words (which that aspect of cancer is more about mulder) and i just don't think a lot of that can get better exactly? it's things that stay with you even if you had a loving, stable family, even if you've "worked through it" & "healed" & manage to move forward. there isn't really a choice when a child involved. and there isn't really a choice when you're the one left behind. (not good choices anyway)

(and gods it's so frustrating the way they suck at communicating directly. they really do know each other so well that they can understand so much with looks & touches because they've learned how the other's mind works, though, clearly only to a degree because neither of them can truly fathom how the other struggles when they're abducted & there's nothing they can do except waiting & looking & praying & just doing what they have to as life keeps going because that's how the world works. BUT COMMUNICATING MATTERS. they can't rely on the other just ~getting it, because clearly they can't always get it lol)

(and oh god there's something here about the way mulder is so self sacrificial that any bodily harm that comes to him doesn't matter. and there's also something about the loss of autonomy scully faces repeatedly...)