#idk. it's just weird having grown up around the fan culture for this show for the past decade or so and then finally watching it

[taffywabbit]

I finally watched breaking bad (all within the past week or so while I worked, finished it and watched el camino last night) and I'm confident this isn't a new thought I'm expressing or anything but genuinely how DID an entire generation of dudes convince themselves Walter White was cool and admirable and intended to be sympathetic. I know ppl just lack media literacy sometimes but I'm still so confused

I don't think I've EVER watched a piece of media that so blatantly depicts a guy making the worst possible decisions at every turn and having his life ruined for it and not being redeemed or made sympathetic in any significant or lasting way. the kinds of justifications villains USUALLY give that make people consider them "morally grey" or "tragic" or whatever (everything I did was for my loved ones, I did what I had to to survive, once I was in this I couldn't get out, I just needed you to trust me so I could keep you safe, etc etc) is ALWAYS framed as complete self-serving bullshit when Walt says it, and one of the only shreds of personal growth he ever exhibits in the whole series is when he finally fucking admits that. every time he does something even remotely cool or drops a quotable one-liner, something terrible immediately happens that makes everything worse and makes him look like an unreasonable idiot asshole again. by the end of the series the ONLY characters they can still contrast as being morally "worse" than him are literally a bunch of bloodthirsty neonazis who kept a guy in a cage for several months. this show is practically SCREAMING at you the entire time not to admire Walt. why did every dude I knew in highschool have his face on tshirts and Facebook pfps.

I just don't get it. at least with The Dark Knight's Joker it was like, a feature-length movie and that's it. you spend a lot less time with the Joker and it has a lot less time to delve into his motivations, so there's way more room for flanderization and misinterpretation as people extrapolate the few cool/interesting/sad things they saw into a whole nuanced misunderstood guy in their heads and online. Walter White has 5 seasons' worth of 45min episodes to convince you beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is a miserable fucking loser who ruins everything he touches because of greed and selfishness. if you weren't watching it for that, what WERE you getting out of this. what DID you think this show was about. am I just missing some key piece of context from 2012 or whatever that would help me understand this

[cookie-waffle]

I’m currently attempting to watch every animated Disney movie, as well as some of the classic live-action ones, in order (skipping Song of the South and the WW2 propaganda stuff ofc)

Some quick thoughts on the movies I’ve rewatched so far:

Sleeping Beauty- A classic that was a huge influence on the world of animation. We wouldn’t have a lot of the pop culture we have today if it weren’t for this movie. Not much else to say about it. I do wish that Snow White was not 14, because it makes the Dwarves creepy with that context. But, luckily, it never states that she’s 14 so you can just tell any kid you show the movie to that she’s a grown up.

- Pinocchio- Still very fun. Pinocchio himself is very cute and likable. My only real issue is Stromboli. I THINK he’s supposed to be Romani, and if he is then his portrayal is pretty racist. But I think it will fly over most kids heads. I know it did for me when I was a kid.

- Fantasia: Absolutely fantastic. The quality is so high that I actually didn’t know it was from the 40s till I re-watched it. I will say though, that the parts with the human composers on screen may bore some kids. Of course, the biggest issue is a pretty racist caricature of a black person in the centaur short, but that scene has actually been cut out for years. I’m not a super huge fan of animation studios censoring their racist histories, but the upside is that you can probably show this to your kids without much worry.

-Dumbo- “Baby mine” makes me cry harder as an adult than I did as a kid. It’s a very cute and simple movie, but of course it’s biggest downfall is the racist “black” crows. But at the very least, the stereotypes shown in the crows are so old that modern day kids wouldn’t be able to associate them with black people, so it’s probably still okay to show them the movie.

- Bambi: Still as good as I remember. Watching the little animal kids play around is genuinely adorable. Bambi’s mother dying is still sad. Idk what else I can say tbh. And there’s no racism or weird underage stuff, so it’s perfectly fine to show kids.

- Saludos Amigos- Although there were some outdated depictions of south American people that may be considered offensive, I was expecting much worse. It was still enjoyable and I’d say it’s still probably okay to show to kids. It also debuted José the parrot, who I’ve grown to like a lot.

- The three Caballeros: It was fun. Idk what else to say about it other than I’m glad José got a lot of screen time. And Donald Duck is always funny, so I did laugh. Ngl I kinda ship the caballeros as a polycule now lmao.

- Fun and Fancy free: Aside from The Three Caballeros, this is the only classic Disney movie I did not see as a child. It’s cute. I enjoyed it and liked how Jimmy Cricket was the host. The Bongo short was adorable and I really wish I saw it as a kid (I THINK I saw the Jack and the Beanstalk short as a kid, but maybe I’m just misremembering scenes from House of Mouse.) I found it really interesting to see something that was such a clear product of WW2z Walt Disney was not a perfect man by any means, but this movie shows that he truly wanted to make people happy during a dark time in history. It’s no Lion King, but it’s still an enjoyable movie. I just don’t recommend it if you have a phobia of puppets/marionettes because the second short shows them a lot.

- The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad: I absolutely loved this. I remembered some of the Ichabod story from childhood, but completely forgot the Mr. Toad part of the movie, so a lot of it was like watching a new movie. Ichabod was still as good as I remembered, but Mr. Toad was WAY funnier than I remembered. The man is a menace to society and I love him.

-Cinderella: I am shocked at how much I loved this as an adult. It’s probably the most well-aged of all the classic Disney Princess movies. It’s about an abuse survivor finally getting what she wants, and honestly? That simple concept is enough for me to love it. I also greatly appreciate how there’s no old racist stereotypes and that Cinderella herself is an actual adult and not 14-16.

- Alice in Wonderland: Absolutely nothing wrong with this one. It’s Alice in Wonderland, idk what else to say about it. The Mad Hatter is still my favorite character just like he was during my childhood. Only new thing I could say is that, as an adult, I finally realized just how fucked up the oyster story was lol. Overall, I think this is a harmless movie to show kids. It’s also fun to watch while high lol.

- Robin Hood: Ah yes, the movie that planted the furry seed in my head as a child. I think I actually enjoyed this more as an adult. King John is very entertaining. This is honestly one of those underrated Disney Gems. Only real criticism I have is the part when Robin and Little John disguise as stereotypical romani women, but I highly doubt most kids will actually understand what they’re referencing.

- Peter Pan: I’ll admit, I have a soft spot for Peter Pan. And watching the movie as an adult, Captain Hook made me laugh a lot at all his slapstick. I think he’s one of my favorite Disney Villains after rewatching it. But, I do have to address the pink elephant in the room: the racist portrayal of native Americans. Tiger Lilly is the only native character who isn’t designed with super racist overtones. As someone who has a lot of native blood, I have mixed feelings in this movie. I think it would still be okay to show kids this movie to kids if you explained to them that that part of the movie was inaccurate, or just fast forwarded through the racist scenes. It’s certainly NOT the most racist thing that Disney has ever animated, but I can understand why you wouldn’t wan’t to show this to your kids. Other than that, everything else is fantastic and really captures that “Disney magic”

- Lady and the Tramp: This movie is adorable and it WOULD be perfectly fine if it weren’t for the racist siamese cats. However, it’s a similar situation to Dumbo in that the stereotypes are so old that the vast majority of kids will not associate them with the race they’re making fun of (I know I didn’t as a kid)

-Sleeping Beauty: This film’s visuals are absolutely amazing. The animation is fantastic and the design of Maleficent is peak. And I like how Prince Phillip actually has some personality. However, the one GLARING issue with this movie is Araura’s age. Unlike in Sleeping Beauty, they verbally confirm several times that Aurora is 15-16 years old. Personally, I would not want my kids to think that it’s okay to get married at that age. However, when I was a kid, I did not pick up on her age at all. I had always assumed that Aurora was in her early to mid-20s because that’s how old she looks. So, I can’t really say if this is appropriate to show to kids or not. It’s really up to you.

- 101 Dalmations: Simple, but very cute, especially if you’re a dog person. Cruella Devils is a super entertaining villain, and it’s honestly a refreshing change that she isn’t an evil queen or witch, she’s just a massive bitch. I love that. Perfectly fine to show to kids.

[flywithmelp]

Since CNCO hasn’t really posted anything good in a while, it’s made me bored and i started to think about their problematic behaviors. So, this is a post about some of them because I have nothing better to do and I need to entertain myself like it’s a reality TV show. Just a few things I want to discuss. So, Let’s analyze them, ladies

Let’s talk about first the lack of content the whole last year. CNCO the first couple years of their career were worked like crazy under Ricky Martin’s management. Constantly touring, making albums, interviews, and not getting a lot of time with family as most bands are overworked. Once they got under Walter’s label, their work schedule wasn’t as bad but they also lost a lot of fans from it. As we all know their team sucks right now and although they were traveling, performing, doing their thing like they were suppose to, their team wasn’t promoting them/handling them like they should. Their team just doesn’t seem smart, and it seemed like they were doing all this hard work for almost nothing. I think once quarantine hit, they were just burned out. They had hit that point were they found an escape to hang out with their family and resume back to their normal lives and they took it. Joel went to California while the others were in Miami which made all content kinda weird for a lil while. Then the Black Lives Matter movement happened and all content stopped for a while which is understandable but they also should’ve taken that moment to educate themselves and find their voices. After that, it took a while for them to get back on track and them on MTV was cool but also random because their team did it so poorly. They released Beso but then all of a sudden announced a cover album, which at the time I hated but I understand now. But, anyways, It was all so confusing and messy and nothing is ever done right so we’re left with crumbs. I think once they start traveling again they’ll get back into the groove of things but right now they’re way too comfortable.

I wanna talk about Richard next. Richard unfortunately comes from his family who has a very traditional way of thinking that can be very damaging towards woman. I hear him make a few comments here and there but he doesn’t seem as bad as the rest of his family. Like, some of the comments Yashua has made are just gross. Also, he’s probably the one you’ll hear the most making comments that sound a bit like toxic masculinity/homophobia, which again is unfortunately how it is in a lot of Latino households. Another thing, is that he says the words ‘Chris Brown’ way too much. I do see growth in him though. I think one of the reasons he’s not as traditional as his family is because of his daughter, he loves that girl very much and learns from her everyday. He’s also the only one who had a voice during BLM, and actually used it with passion. I loved seeing him so passionate about that. He had to be corrected a few times during time but he took the corrections and learned from it and that it what I like to see, we’re making progress with this one.

Now, Joel, its no secret that i’m not the biggest fan of him. One of his biggest problems is that he CAN’T take correction and anytime anyone tries to call him out, he gets super defensive. Like with BLM, he had no reason to get all defensive and block fans that were trying to educate him. I really think he sees a lot of his fans as annoying little girls, and that’s why he gets all petty on twitter anytime anything happens. I assume it’s some kind of insecurity he has that makes him like that and i can’t imagine how annoying it is to have the fans constantly in his business but cmon there’s ways to be mature about it but he has never gone that route even though he’s super grown now. His friends are truly, problematic clout chasers & i don’t know how he doesn’t see that. And i’m so certain that those friends constantly talk shit to him about the other CNCO members which is what creates a barrier between him and the rest of the guys. But, as long as I’ve been a fan of them I’ve never liked Joel’s attitude, he kinda walks around with a holier than thou attitude and it’s not cute in the slightest. Not to mention the fact that he’s with Sam S right now. I reallllllyyy liked single Joel, he was laughing, playing around, hoeing around with the other boys and it was so amazing to see. I want THAT joel back pls can someone get him away from that girl.

Ok, Zabdiel. With him it’s just him being dumb, dumb. I don’t know how he was raised but I still feel like he needs to make smarter decisions. The main things he’s done is when he said the n word and also the durag, which are both damaging to black culture. I’m 100% sure he was not aware of the significance of the word when he said it seeing as though he didn’t even speak english, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be called out for it. I wanna hope that he’s learned since then. The durag was another one that was just like bro, what are you doing? It’s not fashion, friends. Again, I think he’s learned as after people started letting him know, he stopped wearing it. He seems to be good at learning his lesson, although, I wish he would actually apologize for some of these things.

Erick, this poor boy was thrown into this group at 14 years old, he was literally a child. He’s not super problematic but in that video of Zabdiel saying the n word, you can hear him say it as well. Probably not knowing what it meant either but still needs to apologize. Also, going to Mexico during a pandemic like damn, i know they get tested all the time but they literally went to a club full of people not wearing masks cmon now. He’s also admitted to being a cheater which is pretty shitty of him. Idk he just turned 20 so maybe he’ll start growing up soon.

Christopher, an unproblematic king. No actually he really just minds his own business and lives his damn life without bothering other people. But, he did do the whole go to a party full of people barely wearing a mask. That’s Florida for you. I wish he was a bit more vocal politically but none of them are anyways I just want them to be. Also, he’s just a big hoe which could be a problem but i feel like he’s always upfront about his intentions.

Fin. End of rant. Let’s discuss.

[onf-headcanons]

ONF MEMBERS AS YOUR SIBLING (MK & U version)

n 

OMG I AM VERY VERY LOOKING FORWARD TO WRITE THIS PART!!!!!

Either you are related from Yuto or Minkyun side and either one of them later joined the family. Confusing? OK example you are Yuto’s sibling by blood and then later Minkyun joined. Or in reversed, Yuto joined later.

1. You are the youngest sibling (could be in terms age when the family comes together or you being born later OR stand in of Yuto’s youngest sister)

2. You are the middle sibling, being either Yuto’s elder blood sibling or Minkyun’s younger sibling but is older than Yuto.

3. Or you are the eldest (Good luck if you do lol there will be a lot of face palming), and alot of  “Yuto, I thought you are on my side????”

Any scenario that is suitable to your own imagination. Also there will be some repeated ideas from first universe because i would like to keep characterization consistency.

Btw this pair of sibling would be one of the noisiest.

My recommendation, you are the middle sibling. But you can totally imagine that your are younger ones. I will try to elaborate both, I hope i won’t confuse you guys🙈

Also age recommendations, Minkyun born in 1995 while Yuto is 1999, so if you are the middle sibling, your birth year is at between.  I would prefer as 1997 or 1998. Preferable that 1997 born if you are Yuto’s sibling, while 1998 born if you are Minkyun’s. 

 If you are the youngest, either you are same age as Yuto but later birthdate or the 3rd child that born after your parents marriage, in this case, 2 years younger than Yuto and 6 years younger than Minkyun.

Heads up I mentioned in the Hyojin & E-tion household, 3 households in this universe are very close to each other.So, apologies in advance and by all means there is not explicit favoritism (I did wrote about household interacting for previous universes). It just convenient and i felt we can use it this way.  Also, Minseok is Yuto’s classmate.

General headcanons

Yuto family moved to Korea when he is still a toddler. So he speaks Korean outside and Japanese back home. Because his family speaks in Kansai dialect, Yuto picks up that dialect automatically

Of course it could be Yuto’s family moved to Korea when he is at middle school age as well, it can be flexible.

Minkyun struggling to learn Japanese but then give up. But it never stops him to randomly drops in weird Japanese when he is hyper, and then leaving Yuto （and you）facepalming because Minkyun used it wrongly

Actually even though mature but super sensitive brothers. Well in very different ways. But should you live with them long enough, you pick up that intuitively 

I dont think this family will have alot of fight because both are sensitive in nature and deeply scare to hurt each other. So this family is all about giving out mental security to family members as well.

(its very different from MInseok Yuto household, because them 2 are in same age, so there is less factor to consider, while Yuto would have to put in Minkyun being a hyung when he started to get used to Minkyun’s existence. And Minkyun will sometimes, not in a bad way, being to passionately and freeminded hoping the younger one to open up more)

I mean, Yuto is defo the tsundere one while Minkyun radiates big puppy energy for this pair chemistry.

Loud

Bonus, Yuto never knew Minkyun can be that clingy lol XD

Minkyun never knew Yuto can be such a fan towards his weird antics XD He thought Yuto wont get his joke due to cultural differences, but turns out Yuto loves it (well cause mostly is body gag/ mom gaegu, like you see what Minkyun did during his birthday’s mini game heaven in 2020, that suddenly motor engine starting? Ya that is total epic lol )

Its super harmonious? like this family combi does not shy away on expressing hey i need help and family members super volunteer to help out if needed. (not that i mean other family does not help out each other, but this one is particularly doing it with super high tendency)

Due to Japanese background, Yuto might try to settle things on his own, but Minkyun will break that mindset stereotype and helps him out (like why you think it is a hassle for me? Ask for help if needed that is what family is here for.)

Minkyun playing guitar while singing and that is how your family know if he is at home or not.

Yeap in this universe Minkyun is a songwriter while Yuto is a dance coach and dancer (later when they all grow up, BTW i am thinking that Yuto and Minseok runs a dance academy later on.)

Minkyun is also part time sponsor/volunteer at pet shelter. In the end you and Yuto also are familiar faces at the spot. 

Also, hanging out being little part timers at Baskin Robbins lol

OH IF WANNA TRULY LINK EVERYTHING FOR UNIVERSE 3, BASKIN ROBBINS being the main meetup/setup point.  Jaeyoung is Minkyun’s friend so he would always drop by to have ice cream. While Changyoon could be doing a part time job there before and while occasionally drop by when he is nearby. 

welp they all live in the neighbourhood/same city in this universe so they all coincidentally bump at each other very often.

Either Yuto joining a school dance club or a dance academy  so there is where he met Minseok. (Who is a really curious kid who also look up to Yuto and Yuto also look up to him, cos dance talents)

(for this part I wont be talking about how Minkyun snuggling cat snacks cos its repeating what I wrote.)

 Scenario 1

If you are related with Yuto and Minkyun is the new join

Could you be are extroverted and you kind off help Yuto to get close to Minkyun

You and Yuto would find this new brother fascinating. He looks quiet at the beginning but later he will prove you both wrong

But when Minkyun is his serious mode, you will feel strange towards that too, because how can he has such large gap

i thinking its super cute and funny that if you and Yuto both gets intimidated at Minkyun’s height lol

It will be fun if Yuto has a denial stage aka hard time opening up to accept it because he is cautious, but you just bluntly accept it and joins Minkyun. It shows difference between personality of related blood siblings lol

IF actually you and your blood brother are introvertedly fun, Minkyun’s existence will be the key to spark both of your dork traits. It is a assuring factor for your parents that you 3 hang out very well.

its not like your family never heard Yuto laughed, but ever since Yuto and Minkyun opened up and gets close, Yuto is laughing alot.

you and Yuto both asking MInkyun for help when you two could understand some Koreans. But since Minkyun fools around 50:50, you two ends up googling or just straight up asking your friends

But if it is homework/grammar wise, Minkyun will really really explain it to you.

Minkyun also get close towards Yuto’s classmate, Minseok. I think a few times, you did not join, but the boys went out to roam the streets to feed stray cats/animals.

Bonus if in this hc, and you are younger than Yuto, and you have a crush on Minseok. Minkyun picks it up and would wanna help out but you told him to keep still XD

you three gonna be game buddies for sure lol

Scenario 2

If you are related with Minkyun and Yuto is the new joined / OR my preference, Yuto being the home stay student, and your family ends up unofficially adopts a Japanese sibling since Yuto continues his homestay contract with your family.

You and Minkyun thought Yuto is a bit distant in the beginning, and you three overwork your brains on trying too hard not to do something impolite towards each other culture.

But you and Minkyun would be surprise at how Yuto is so adapted to Korean culture later on.

Could be you are similarly shy like Yuto and need time to open up. This time Minkyun will be the one to open up first and slowly helps you.

Minkyun would suggest 3 of you to hang out at pet shelter. It does help.s

hould it is the homestay hc, I do see your family and Yuto’s family going along very well. Occasionally showing up to greet Yuto’s family during Skype session.

As Minkyun is the one who gave up, you are the one who would pick Japanese up later on. It gave Minkyun a shock when you and Yuto casually switching Japanese and Korean (with you amateur Japanese, but its already enough to give Minkyun a fright)

He might pout a bit, thinking/semi blaming himself a bit for not putting more effort to try to manifest the tool get close with Yuto. But then will throw the worry aside because its not really that important. Because he understands that its not like he and Yuto could not communicate anyways.

if it is the student hc, This could be when you and Minkyun are still high shcool-ers/ middle school-ers. And your school opens for foreigns students.

Minkyun being a bit worried because of he is 95er and Yuto a 99er. But when one day he sees Minseok come to visit, he goes: “ OMG thank goodness, I was so worried that he could not get along with classmate.”

Yuto just sidelining his hyung lol like chill dude, I interacts just fine ok. Don’t worry. 

(maybe Minseok comes to pass homework for Yuto because Yuto was sick and Minseok know the address.)

Similar to above, should you are Minkyun’s younger sibling, he can picks up that you have a crush on Minseok too.

Scenario 3

If you are the child that born later from your parents marriage

Them both flustered when they first meet the baby you.

Idk why for this hcs, I felt that age gap will be wider, as Yuto and Minkyun’s parents come together when them both are more older than other hcs. My age range idea is Yuto is about 10 or 13 while Minkyun is 14 or 17.

So, also I do think them both had a fight with parents, especially the mom because of her decision to get pregnant at older age. But quickly reconciled, they are just worried, no bad intentions. 

Because they are more grown compared to other hcs for this scenario, they help out on babysitting even more and even practical.

Minkyun basically is just like a young flustered dad while Yuto is the calmer one. But sometimes when the baby you throws a tantrum because you specifically wanted mommy, cues in both  Minkyun and Yuto flustered.

Also, Minkyun being funny but you are unbothered, 3 seconds later, it was Yuto who could not hold in and burst out laughter. 

You might be the one who pick up the language. And because you master both language, maybe later on your career pick would be interpreter

Rather than Yuto gets confused with language, you are the one who gets confused with language  in the beginning lol

It only got better when Yuto decided that you should speak Japanese with him and Korean with Minkyun in the household.

Minkyun is gonna let his baby young sibling ride him, and he will do his iconic either elephant or horse voice imitations.

(super funny bonus, if you are scared of that when you are a baby, but it got better later on.)

A/N I will stop here because I dont wanna write repetitive stuffs

[heyyouknowbts]

Shipping BTS members is cultural misunderstanding & projection

Long post, text post, the kind of post I don’t normally post post.

Just some thoughts I needed to get out. I don’t consider fanfics with ships as being relevant to this, because there is that inherent assumption on account of the word fiction, lol. And in before I use ships as part of my BTS as Florida man series; they’re never meant to be taken seriously. A lot of times I changed the gender from a headline or made it gender neutral for the memes.

I am really amazed in general about the stories people make up about BTS members and the narratives that get pushed in the fandom that have 0 basis in truth but someone took 2 crumbs from a grainy photo or some fake captions and tweeted it out and here we are.

The way BTS members have grown over the years to freely express physical affection for one another has been repeatedly misinterpreted by some fans as them being gay lovers, and it’s to the point where many elevate them as “gay icons”. That is problematic for lots of reasons, mainly that none of them are openly gay, the members themselves have expressed they do not appreciate being shipped, and it requires speculation on the sexuality/relationship status of public figures we don’t know at all.

Korean culture is extremely conservative, and while BTS members have been shown to be progressive in their perspectives on lgbt+ rights and issues by comparison, that is not the same as actually coming out as gay, nor should it be interpreted as a subtle nod/wink to hint at their sexuality. There is also a lot of, “Well, [Member] had this one gender-ambiguous comment about relationships so they MUST be gay or bisexual,” or, “[Member] wearing a rainbow omgggggg.” It’s pure projection/speculation that is being pushed and packaged into a narrative, and some fans are accepting that as truth.

This falls into that broader category of magical thinking that is incredibly common due to our inability to psychologically cope with the rapid developments in technology that have changed every aspect of our lives. We have easy access to so much information, more than we ever have in human history, and despite that people are constantly seeking out delusions, lies, and conspiracies. Those delusions and conspiracies are pushed out as truth, and people deeply internalize these beliefs and reject anything that contradicts them. There is a suspension of disbelief involved when people read and see things online that I won’t go into detail about because I don’t want to write all day, but it’s key for understanding why people can latch on and believe this stuff to be true. Ever wonder why suddenly there are so many people who believe the Earth is flat? Or why Trump was able to do what he did, despite most people hating him and him being completely incompetent and narcissistic? Anti-vaxxers? Covid deniers? Welcome to the age of magical thinking, we live in it. (Creepy side note, the Unabomber predicted people would start behaving this way and wrote about it in his 1995 manifesto.)

Anyway, back to the shipping and cultural misunderstandings. I feel it needs to be said that I am not Korean, and my experiences with Korean culture consist of several friendships from childhood through high school where I spent time in the homes of my Korean friends, several visits to Korea while my parents lived there (plus their experiences living there as told to me), and then of course my experiences with Korean popular culture (mainly dramas and K-pop). My perspective is still very much that of a western outsider, but as an outsider I think I see where the misunderstanding is for a lot of people.

Koreans (generally) are more affectionate in same-sex friendships. It is socially acceptable to touch your friends, to show physical affection towards your friends in public, and even to be naked around your friends (see public bath culture in Korea). Verbal expressions of affection between male friends, saying things like, “I love you,” and “I miss you” to a friend is not only socially acceptable, but common.

This is a stark contrast to western culture, where men physically touching other men in any way that isn’t assault/aggression is treated as a threat to masculinity and/or an assumption of homosexuality. Most men feel they cannot express affection towards their male friends, as they have been socially conditioned into believing it will emasculate them in some way. This is changing and many men are rejecting that social norm, but it’s glacial change. When people view BTS members’ affections for one another through the western, homophobic lens, it can be easy to misinterpret that these men are lovers, forbidden, hidden, or not. And whether any of them actually are or not is irrelevant. We don’t know, and we can’t know, and anything beyond that is projection.

There is also idol culture at play, where there is a false sense of intimacy created between fans & the artist. We feel like we know them better than we do; that’s purely by design. I appreciate the affection BTS members have for us as fans and what they are willing to share about themselves with us, but I don’t treat that as if I actually know them. However, that line can get really blurry, really fast for fans.

Idk I just get creeped out by some of the shipping content I see. I’m thinking of the really weird photoshopping that people do to pictures of the members, zooming in on “details” of them touching each other in photos and videos and building these creepy narratives around them, that kind of stuff bugs me.

All of this was inspired by this Reddit post about Taekook shipping conspiracies, and how there is this pocket of shippers who actively hate Jimin and try to push this weird, false narrative of him antagonizing and interfering in their relationship. I’ve seen stuff about Jimin getting unnecessary hate before, but this just really irritates me. If you made it this far into my babbling, thank you friend :]

[bre-meister]

So, I just watched the first 3 episodes of Fate: The Winx Saga and I know I don’t usually talk about Winx on this blog but... girl gotta put her thoughts somewhere. This show was my childhood and Netflix really said “Fuck it”.

 I’ll leave it under the cut so if you wanna stay for this rant, feel free

 I went into this knowing I would hate it and, honestly, I do and I don’t

 I think it is an absolute shit dumpster fire of an adaptation that someone poured gasoline on and then tried to lite on fire with Bloom’s inconsistent control issues and shit just got even worse 

But, this could have been a fairly decent show If it was a stand alone- It had no need to be attached to the Winx name because it really is not Winx

There are some problems I had with it that everyone had before the show even dropped - The whitewashing and lack of diversity, the atrocious outfits, the lack of wings (“We evolved” that’s fucking bullshit y’all know good and well that part of the fun of the OG show was the new transformations and the outfits and we can’t even have that)

Also there is def technology here so why the FUCK do we not have Tecna? She’s the straight laced girl of the group but at the same time I feel like she could have added some much needed levity 

And my girl would have told it like it is. Sometimes these people (not the Winx because they are NOT the Winx) do dumb shit for the sake of doing dumb shit and Tecna would never have allowed this!

Combining the Trix into one person is still iffy for me, like I get why they did it but I just don’t think it has the same effect as having the three of them

Sometimes she gives me Icy vibes and most of the time she gives me Darcy vibes and almost never she gives me Stormy vibes (even though her powers are most like Stormy) and that shit just gives me whiplash

 I also think that having the witches at cloud tower provided the original show with this great idea of “even though we use dark magic and are considered witches we still make the choice ourselves as to whether or not we use that magic for good or for evil” but then again I might be reading into it too much who knows 

It’s bad enough they had to go and make Aisha the token black character but then they also make her this mean, black woman caricature (and I know it stems from her frustration that she can’t do this one thing perfect but still, as a black young woman who has seen black women portrayed like this constantly it is damaging as hell)

On that note - why did they have to make the one black and overall minority girl the control freak? Idk it just doesn’t really sit right with me

Speaking of jealousy...we gotta talk about Stella

 I know this is supposed to be more realistic and grown up and ya, I get it, girls can be catty but dude, Stella WOULD NEVER

THIS Stella endangered Bloom on PURPOSE because she was Jealous and then she really wanted to dipp on her in the woods after Bloom was trying to help her get back HER ring she shouldn’t have given her in the first place all cause she was a bit scared? Even scared Stella in the original show wouldn’t have done that! Would she have complained? YES! But she wouldn’t be so quick to give up

Need I remind everyone that she almost drained herself completely trying to protect her friends in the Omega Dimension from the Ice Snakes and only stopped because Musa was like “Stella, your hurting yourself. Take a break everyone will be ok”

And this shit show wants me to believe that these are the saem people? I think not!

 So I’m only on episode 3 but I can already tell that whatever they’re trying to say happened with Rickie is not what actually happened and that whole storyline is just super annoying like bro, there better be a good ass reason why she is pretending to be such a terrible person and I just don’t trust this show to be that creative 

This thing between her and sky is so confusing and makes like, no sense

Moving on...

I love Sam, he is so sweet and cute and amazing 

 His introduction “uh...I’m Sam...what’s up” made me laugh my ass off and I can’t even tell you why

Truly I love him but at the same time...he’s kinda getting in between Musa and Riven

 Like I get that their relationship was not the best at all (and this Riven has even more problems which was kinda unnecessary cause he already had SO MANY!) but at the same time when we’ve only got the opportunity to have 2 of the original couples like... I’m gonna need this show to give me something 

Riven - I loved him in the original show because he always had so many issues but then season 4 rolled around and he was genuinely trying to become a better person. And to have the guts to realize later that he was not ok and that he had to leave to figure that out? Respectable. I recognize that this dude had issues (and that Musa deserved better) but I respected him by the end of his journey

THIS Riven? He can eat shit. I know this is kinda supposed to be the whole Darcy arc he had in the first season or whatever but at least then he was being mind controlled to a certain extent which explained a lot of why he was doing what he was. But this dude is just an overall douche. 

Isn’t he supposed to be Bi? Internalized homophobia is amazing guys we definitely want more of that - -  (just to be clear that was sarcasm)

And I know this contradicts my wanting him and Musa to be together but I think that these two things go hand in hand

I hate that they upped his issues by 100000x because I legit want them to be together and have a genuinely good, functional relationship

But Sam is precious and should be protected

So now Terra

Honestly I think making her say “I have a cousin named Flora” only made the whitewashing more obvious and worse. If they seriously wanted to go this route they should have just committed and not brought Flora’s name into this at all. We the fans are not idiots Netflix! We know what you did!!

This might just be a more personal thing but I kinda feel like they made her entire personality (at least this far) only about her being plus size 

And this was FAR more prevalent in the few chapters from the book I could stomach to read

And wasn’t that their defense for whitewashing? That they wanted to have more inclusion in body types?

You can have a plus size character and not make almost 90% of their screen time about them being self conscious about their body- Like this legit seems to be almost 99% of the reason she’s socially awkward

Again, if you’re going to commit, COMMIT! Show her being ok in her own body and her own skin. Let’s fight against the same culture that makes this character feel self conscious

As far as Musa goes... still don’t really like that they changed her powers 

I guess they thought her new ones would be more useful in a more “practical” setting but um... they haven’t been? Not really?

I know she said she’s not a human lie detector but... they show keeps making her one whenever it’s convenient 

I guess they thought her new ones would be more useful in a more “practical” setting but um... they haven’t been? Not really?

 I still don’t understand why they have to sneak around but, idk maybe they’ll explain it later ( like I get that Sam is Terra’s bro but Musa and Terra don’t even know eachother like that for this drama to be such a big deal)

Bloom is alright

That’s all I have to say about her

Her mom though?

Idk why she was acting the way she was, Just why?

Not her making fun of Bloom going to antique shops when Vanessa owns a literal FLOWER SHOP in the original show!

I will say though, “This basic bitch will pull out her PhD and take you to school. Every comeback is another week without your door. Hit me.” with that confidence? BEST LINE IN THE SHOW!

She had my support for like .5 sec there

“Slam the door, loose the door” she was on some Black mother shit right there - the amount of time my mom has threatened me with this? 

It wasn’t even a threat it was a promise

Sky seems to be the most in character but then again the bar isn’t set too high

Why are the teachers so fucking shady? And are there only 3 professors in this giant ass school?? (I say that knowing there were only, like 4 in the original - 5 if we count Daphnee)

It also took me a min to realize that they kinda combined Feragonda and Griselda into one person. I don’t really like it that much

 I still don’t understand why they had to strip Aisha and Sky of their titles. I felt like that added so much to their characters - Aisha felt the need to be so perfect because she was a princess and Sky had all these increasing obligation through the show that would create conflict (sometimes it was stupid but still)

Also for a show about they Winx they sure as hell don’t spend that much time together 

They got their name in the FIRST EPISODE of the original show. It’s been 3 and the only mention of “Winx” was a quick pan of the door label for their suite. Blink and you missed it

And they seem to keep flip flopping between being best friends to being indifferent to each other, to “I don’t really know you” to sometimes hating each other (the emotion flop is mainly Stella but the others seem to have some weird ranges as well)

From a technical standpoint this show has some weird choices

 Sometimes cuts will just ...happen? Especially during actions scenes sometimes it’s hard to make sense of what’s happening 

And all the fight scenes - especially the training scenes - just seem so rehearsed it hard to watch

and why does Riven keep flip flopping between the worst specialist and a great one?

The utter lack of creativity in terms of the technology and weapons and even just the representation of the magic in this show is sad

The Original was so magical and colorful It was always obvious that this was a different dimension

I feel like I could legit go to Switzerland and find a place just like this and it wouldn’t be anything super different or weird

I also still don’t get why earth can’t know? Are we just gonna pretend that the Earth fairies and Believix and the Wizards of the Black Circle just... didn’t happen?

If this person that Beatrix is working for isn’t Lord Darkar or Valtor like...idk what to do

Again I would just like to stress that this show did not need to be an adaptation

 In fact it really isn’t I don’t know what they hell they are adapting cause this is NOT Winx and I cannot stress enough just how utterly wrong this felt while watching it

 All most of the characters have the same names but they are not the same people at all - no where close

Also can I just say, Sky’s hair seemed so different (length, part, style) almost every other scene sometimes I would legit have to sit back and be like “this is the same actor right?”

 Speaking of I’d like to finish this off by saying: absolutely no hate to the actors and actresses - I can see they are doing their best with what they have been given and most of the more controversial decisions were not made by them 

I will say I did think that linking Fairy magic to emotion was a good touch - idk if they did this in the Original show or not. I can’t remember 

So far this show...

As and adaptation:

words cannot describe how bad it is

As a stand alone property:

 I mean, it’s noting amazing or truly different but I’ve definitely seen worse 

I’ll probably make another one of these for the last 3 episodes. I could literally get 0 notes on this and still do it anyway. Sometimes you really just gotta rant

[vivalamusicaltheater]

Ok so now that I’ve thought a while about svtfoe finale I have some opinions

Things I liked:

Marco taking the wand from moon and Marco and Star walking through the portal hand in hand

The firstborn STILL tried to warn & help Star, even after she DIED. What a good unicorn daughter

Marco trying to use Star’s spells and then just creating some spells on the fly figuring it’d work better

Marco was willing to get STABBED to help Tom

We finally got to see Eclipsa’s butterfly form (and baby Meteora got a butterfly form)!

Baby Meteora learning how to dip down being plot relevant

Moon & Comet moment. Even tho Moon’s character isn’t great rn, I’m glad she got a moment with her mom

That Tomco moment (“ok can we recognize that Marco JUST FLIPPED A HORSE!” “I FLIPPED A HORSE!”). They are such good friends (and would’ve been such a cute ship), I love them. It’s really a shame this show didn’t do the tomstarco route (preferably in my opinion with Star and Tom both dating Marco but not each other, I’m not a huge fan of Tomstar and Star hasn’t proven to be a particularly good girlfriend to Tom, but it could be good either way).

Seeing the past queens again I love their designs (I want to know what Celena’s secrets are...)

Globgor, Eclipsa, and Meteora get to stay a happy family

Actually, surprisingly, I kinda liked Ponyhead in this episode? (A little bit). I liked how she tried to cheer Star up and then went “oh not again” when she thought Star was gonna get back together with Tom which I appreciated bc they’d already been together twice before and it hadn’t worked, and I liked that Ponyhead was aware enough to realize that probably wasn’t a good idea for them to try again

Janna! Her bonding moment with Marco where she actually said they were friends was so cute! And sbsjsvsjshs she dropped her heart rate to 0 for Marco what a legend. Janna Ordania, true ride or die.

More Jackie and her gf Chloe screen time (even if it was a few seconds. It was nice to see anyways)

Meteora and Mariposa get to grow up together after all

Star and Marco get a happy ending (and the show didn’t end with them kissing which was nice)

Oh does deleting the magic mean deleting the neverzone meaning Marco’s not 30 anymore?? I really really hope so that’d make any Marco ship so much less creepy. I’m accepting that as my canon thank you very much

Things I’m not sure how I feel about:

Hekapoo’s...complete neutrality towards her upcoming death? Ig it’s good that she evidently realized she’d done some bad stuff but uh...???

The pudding being able to keep your mind sharp in the magic dimension. On the one hand, I liked that there’s a REASON Glossaryck likes pudding so much and that we finally got an explanation for it, on the other hand I sorta wish that they’d figured that out BEFORE now. Now it kinda seems like the writers just needed something to explain how the Butterflies could stay focused in the magic dimension (but again, if they needed a plot device I’m glad it’s the pudding so...idk)

Ok what was the purpose of Tom riding the evil unicorn. I don’t get it. Don’t hate it or love it, am just confused.

Marco getting stabbed and hiding it from Tom and Star was some Good Angst Sh*t. The fact that that had absolutely no purpose, however, was not. I wish either Marco didn’t get stabbed, or there was actually some consequence to Marco getting stabbed as it was kinda pointless otherwise

The fact that both Star and Marco were willing to leave their families and worlds for the chance to be together. Obviously they care about each other, but they’re willing to give up their lives and families at 15 to be together? :/ (side note those shots of Marco huddled against the magic dimension rock were really pretty)

The portal thing. It didn’t make sense

Mewni and Earth being cleaved together. I mean on the one hand that’s cool, on the other hand that seems like it’s gonna create so many problems & just leaves me with a lot of questions. For example won’t humans just oppress monsters like mewmans did? Can Tom get back to his family? Is the underworld part of the Mewni dimension or is it it’s own? Did all the dimensions get merged into Mewnearth or just Mewni and Earth? How will Earth culture and Mewni culture learn to coexist?

Moon redemption. It seemed too easy, she didn’t really have to work for it! I mean her character was growing on me pre-her-working-with-Mina, but then she was revealed to be working with Mina and she made SOLARIAN WARRIORS I mean come on! I kinda wanted her to be redeemed bc I was unsatisfied with the Mina twist, but the way they did it was kinda :/ I want Star to be able to have a good relationship with her mother, but since Moon Did That and didn’t really face any consequences besides her daughter being mad at her for an episode...

That Solaria & Eclipsa & Meteora moment. I mean it was cute Solaria accepted them but she literally created Solarian warriors and committed monster genocide soooo...that’s definitely not enough to redeem her and it’s not great that she’s portrayed sympathetically

Things I didn’t like:

That they actually went with the “erase all the magic” plot line. Svtfoe is about Star the rebel princess, frequent subverter of expectations, so it was weird to me that they actually destroyed the magic and there wasn’t some twist like the four butterfly queens work together and unlock some super butterfly form or join hands in a circle around the Solarian Warriors and say the Whispering Spell or something else to defeat Mina. I’m surprised Star seeing her supposedly finished tapestry didn’t motivate her to find a different way because she’s Star Butterfly, rebel princess who fights for what’s right and nobody can tell her what she has to do, she finds her own way.

Eddie and River bumbling and telling Mina about the magic sanctuary. I wish River had saved Globgor bc it would really show he can be competent and would also be cute bc dad solidarity

Mina, after being built up as the big bad, was defeated way too easily

Glossaryck, the MHC, (and presumably all of the queens’ spells INCLUDING THE LASER PUPPIES) just. Died. I mean the MHC sucked so oh well about them and glossaryck was kinda the reason this all happened (which btw is very confusing. Why did he give the first queen the wand if he knew all this crap was gonna happen anyways?) so I’m not super sad about him but Star’s spells didn’t deserve that, nor did the other queens’, or the laser puppies!!

The fact that Moon and Star grabbed tha alligators by the eyeballs. I know that this is such a small thing but in the series finale for the main character to still be doing stuff that hurts other characters like that and for it to be treated as a joke...it just sits bad with me. They’ve tried to develop Star, and been mostly successful, but for her to still be doing stuff like this and being a bad girlfriend to Tom and spontaneously deciding that she hates magic and needs to get rid of it no matter what happens to magical creatures and such after she’s supposedly grown so much just seems counterintuitive and bad. Like I swear Star’s my favorite character (bet that’s a surprise with how much I’ve talked about Marco this post) but sometimes it’s so hard to like her it’s annoying

Mina lived. I mean what was the point of that? She’s not gonna learn to not be racist towards monsters and it looked like she got pretty killed by the unicorn in the magic dimension so like. What’s the point of her coming back

All the cruelty towards unicorns. I mean, the firstborn DIED. We saw her SKULL. What the F*CK that’s messed up! And the other unicorns died too, and the dark one also disappeared except for its skull. What was that about?! Were we supposed to just not care bc they’re made of magic? Bc if so that didn’t work

No but seriously it’s so messed up that Star’s unicorn daughter DIED and we saw her SKULL and it’s just treated as a joke what the hell that unnerved me sm

It was very anticlimactic how there weren’t any real challenges to the Butterflies destroying magic. Neither Mina nor the evil unicorn got anywhere close and for the series (not just season but SERIES) finale, you would think there’d be more of a final fight, and more tension/suspense so the final payoff seems more satisfying. Idk I just thought it went way too fast, especially for the actual end of the show. I thought the full time should be used for fighting Mina, not starco development (and I say this as a person who likes starco)

The cheek marks being gone. I know it makes sense with the plot of getting rid of the magic, and because mewmans were originally just humans, but since I didn’t like the magic-being-deleted plot line and because I have some sort of sentimental attachment to the cheek marks apparently, I don’t like that they’re gone

The uncertainty towards Tom/most characters from other dimensions’s fates. Again, I like starco, but even the most die-hard starco shippers probably think that the way characters who weren’t Star or Marco were just written off was unsatisfying, right? In particular, Tom deserves WAAAAAAAY better than he got. And Kelly, is her dimension merged with Mewnearth? Was the vision Ponyhead was describing actually what happened to her?

[blackgirlsuperherorants]

This may be a little stupid, idk. Personal thing.

But, I'm really starting to hate actors coming into superhero roles and saying they weren't familiar with the characters beforehand.

Like, okay, on the one hand, I get it. Not everyone read comics growing up, and some people are even from countries where DC and Marvel haven’t been very popular until recently with the influx of movies. Like, I know Sebastian Stan had no access to American comics in Romania, so of course he didn’t know who Bucky Barnes was. 

But on the other hand, sometimes it feels a little dismissive or disrespectful, or even out of touch. Like, I know I’m a superhero fan. I know I am probably more aware of obscure characters that the average person, even well versed in pop culture, may never have heard of. Like, I wouldn’t be surprised if an actor said they’d never heard of Adam Warlock.

But, then you have the Teen Titans. And, you know, they’re not the MOST ICONIC DC characters, but they’ve had a popular cartoon on for at least 15 years (first Teen Titans, and now Teen Titans Go). I feel like if you’re between the ages of like 8 and 30 and grew up in the United States, you should at least, in passing, know who the Teen Titans are. Like, I remember when the original cartoon was coming on, and I heard a lot about it even before I started watching it. It was popular enough that teens and kids and adults were watching it. It was popular enough that I BELIEVE that’s why Cyborg is in the Justice League movie (because who would’ve thought to include Cyborg in that film until he got so popular through Teen Titans? If that movie came out in 2005 or something, it probably just would’ve been Green Lantern or something. Or even Martian Manhunter.) I digress. Let’s get back on track.

When I hear actors say in interviews that “I wasn’t familiar with the character before I got the role”, sometimes I wonder why they even went for the role. And, I’m an actor, too, so in some ways, I get it. You just want work. You want roles that are dynamic, interesting, fun. You want to make money and support yourself. You want roles that look good on your resume and make you desirable to cast in other work in the future. And right now, superheroes are hot and are star-making roles. You go from being “that guy in that thing” to “OMG THERE HE IS!” I get it. But also, like... there are thousands of actors registered in the Screen Actors Guild. Out of all of those actors, there have to be some who have actually heard of these characters. Why do we ALWAYS end up with actors who have never fucking heard of... the goddamn Teen Titans?

Like, I understand some of the more obscure characters not being heard of. Like, maybe Danai Gurrira never heard of Okoye before her audition, but also Okoye is obscure as hell, before the film. Even people who knew who Black Panther was didn’t necessarily know who Okoye was. Most people who thought of Black Panther thought of Storm, maybe Shuri, and maybe like Monica Lynne. Ayo, Okoye, Nakia... all of them are more obscure secondary characters in the Black Panther universe. 

I’ve been trying not to call out specific actors... but I’m going to say this, and let me tell you all and be clear, I still support her casting and am happy for her. But...

Starfire is too well known to have cast someone who didn’t already want to play her in the first place. Who didn’t already know the character, at least in passing. 

Sidenote, IDK where Miss Diop is from, so she might have grown up where they didn’t show the Teen Titans cartoon on TV. Which might be why she didn’t know who Starfire was. So, there’s that.

And, I know everyone can’t be Michael B. Jordan or Grant Gustin (superhero/comics fans long before they got their roles in their respective comicbook movies/shows.) 

But, it would be great if the studios and networks could start casting people who maybe had some idea who these characters were beforehand. Even if they aren’t fans. Like, even someone who is like “Yeah, I knew about this character and had seen them in cartoons/comics before I even read for the role.” It seems like the only time we get that is if it’s Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Batgirl/Batwoman, Catwoman... 

Y’all can’t find actors who have heard of Starfire? I’m an actor, and I’ve heard of Starfire. I’m an actor, and I’m black, and I’ve heard of Starfire. Like, I... don’t understand why so many actors, in my age range, have simply never heard of popular superhero characters unless they’re fucking Batman or Superman.

The hell y’all been? Even before I considered myself a true superhero/comics fan, when I was a child I watched superhero cartoons. Spider-Man and X-Men and Batman and Justice League and Avengers.... they came on regular TV, in blocks with other cartoons. Not even cable. Fox and WB(now CW). Even Teen Titans, it came on Cartoon Network, and was a popular series at the time (though I was already actively a self-professed superhero fan at that point.)

Like, would someone get cast as Sailor Moon and be like “I’d never heard of Sailor Moon before this audition”? I seriously doubt it.

And, I’m not saying the work suffers for it. Some of these actors do really good jobs and become iconic for their performance of the characters. Like, Sebastian Stan is probably the definitive Bucky Barnes and probably will remain that way.

And, again, I’m not talking about really obscure characters, like the Guardians of the Galaxy (and 90% of the characters from their movies: Ego, the Collector, Yondu, etc.). Most of the time, in those cases, their performances become so iconic they change the way the comics versions of their characters are portrayed. Like, Chloe Bennett with Quake. (Not saying all of those characters were the most obscure things ever. I think Collector, for instance, is pretty well known among Marvel readers. Just saying if you went to anyone on the street and said “Who is Iron Man” they’ll know what you’re talking about, but if you said “Who is Ego the Living Planet?” they might look at you crazy.)

Like, I don’t think it’s bad that someone playing Ego might have never heard of Ego.

Just, like... it get annoyed when someone is cast in some iconic thing, and we’re all excited about it, and then the interview with them is like “Lol, I never heard of this weird comics thing, but the fans are passionate, lol, don’t wanna piss them off! So, I read some comics!” Like... It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. 

I know I’ve talked like this about Elizabeth Olsen, but she actually became an expert in Wanda stories. (Her only problem, now, is acting like she’s above the whole thing in interviews.)

And I’m sure the actress that inspired this rant will do her best to make this character great, but honestly. I’m just really, really tired of hearing actors say they didn’t know anything about the thing before they were cast. 

There are a lot of us who are comics fans who knew about the thing since we were kids. It would be so easy to cast actors who at least have some context.  

I’m just saying, as long as we’re getting people playing characters that are well known and beloved, it would be great if they could have some prior knowledge. Even just a little. Like, I doubt Grant Gustin was a Flash superfan before he became Barry Allen. But I know he knew who the Flash fucking was. I know Chris Evans didn’t necessarily know everything about Captain America before he became Cap, but he knew who Cap fucking was. 

And, even if they didn’t and they had to be sent a stack of comics and read up to understand, I wish they would just... omit that part. Because saying it in interviews, to me, comes across as dismissive. Like, when actors in book movies say they didn’t read the book, I feel the same way. But it’s worse when it’s superheroes/comics, because it always comes across as looking down on the source material. Like “of course I wouldn’t know about this weird ass shit, but since it has weirdo fans who care too much...”

Like, their paychecks come from people who grew up with this stuff and love it. At least don’t treat us like freaks for caring about Starfire. Or any of our other characters.

Also, Teen Titans, specifically, seems to be really popular with people in my age range. Even people who I wouldn’t consider comicbook fans. My Facebook (which is full of people I went to high school and college with, not just superhero friends) is full of conversation about this Teen Titans series because so many of us grew up watching the original animated series. I have no curated my Facebook to be superhero rich or anything. In fact, I barely post there, because, like most people’s FB, it’s full of people I know/knew IRL and know/knew in different contexts. Actor friends. Mom’s friends from church. Family members. Classmates. People I barely know who just went to my High School. And still, I see people around my age talking about this series, because so many of us grew up with and love the Teen Titans. And so many of us have grievances with TTG. (I get why it’s the way it is, and I think it’s a perfectly funny cartoon, but I still have grievances with it.)

And, like, black folks I know have been defending Miss Diop from people who were just mad that she has brown skin. 

So, like... I just wish she wouldn’t be in interviews talking about how she knew nothing about the character. Just say you did a lot to prepare, and don’t make it weird. 

IDK. Again, it’s dumb, and it’s just me... I’m just really tired of hearing this from actors. I obviously watch a lot of superhero content, and I watch interviews with a lot of actors from this stuff, and a good percentage of them say they never heard of their character before they were cast, and a good chunk of that percentage of actors says it in a dismissive way as if the content is weird and they were ... “not a nerd” or are too high brow, an Actor! serious about their craft who would, of course, never have heard of Bizarro Superman, or whatever. (Like, I’m an actor, serious about my craft, with a degree in theatre, and studied the avant garde and have mostly only acted in avant garde pieces or serious dramatic plays, and you know what my cute ass does after curtain? I go to my cast dinner, then I go home and watch fucking Arrowverse shows or read Captain Marvel comics. None of those things are mutually exclusive, and it doesn’t make you a more serious actor to pretend liking comicbooks or superhero content is beneath you. Ask Michael B. Jordan and his many acclaimed performances.)

And, like, it’s such a privilege to even be an actor with the opportunity to be in a huge show or movie about DC or Marvel superheroes. Y’all don’t even understand. Acting is a HARD business, most of us will be lucky to even make a few hundred bucks a year acting, and have to supplement with other work. Getting steady work on a TV show is like winning the lottery. Getting steady work on a TV show that almost guarantees success, like a branded show about characters with a following already is like winning the Mega Millions lottery, and not just the couple hundred bucks scratch off. Marvel and DC are HEAVILY curated. They don’t just greenlight shows and movies. These concepts are worked on for years, from the idea, to the script, to the casting, to the filming... They don’t, for the most part, license out their characters to just anything. And, today, they pretty much have a hand on everything that is branded with their names. So, being an actor, seeing other actors get once in a lifetime opportunities to star in HEAVILY CURATED superhero content from the two biggest comics entities in the US, probably the world... and then treat it like it’s fucking stupid and beneath them? It really annoys me.

Like, trade with me, y’all. I’ll play Starfire, you come take my roles in my small, Important, Serious Theatre off off Broadway. Since you want to be an artiste, and superheroes are beneath you.

I guess that’s probably the main reason it annoys me, lol. These roles are a big deal. Nobody just randomly gets hired by DC. I can’t just waltz into an audition and suddenly I’m Nubia. They’re heavily curated projects. People sit down at tables and discuss which casting will work and why. These people won the fucking actor lottery, and they behave as if it’s nothing, and they’re better than it.

And, I respect them. Maybe they are better than it, in some ways. Maybe she dreams of holding that Oscar statuette, and this Starfire role is just to get her name more recognition. 

And also, maybe she, in particular, feels soured on it because of the racist douchebros being asswipes about the orange alien she plays being played by a black actress. (DON’T GET ME STARTED ON THAT BULLSHIT).

But.... I’m still over hearing actors talk about how much they didn’t know a thing about their characters before being cast. I mean, goddamn... What am I supposed to think about this? 

Anyway, fuck me up, if you need to. I’m being nitpicky. And, like I said, I still am happy for her and support her casting. Black women gotta work, and nothing makes me happier than seeing racist fanboys shit their pants when the character they fapped to is played by a black woman. Dunno why they thought Starfire’s alien ass was white, anyway. Aliens aren’t white, kids.

Superman ain’t white, nor is Kara. None of these aliens are white. Better not hear anything about the race of the actors cast as them... But ESPECIALLY Starfire, who is fucking ORANGE. At least Superman has skin similar to European humans in the comics. Starfire has ORANGE SKIN. 

Anyway, done. Still salty, but done.

[softnorwegians]

Another bunch of asks that I didn’t want to leave unanswered! Note: tread lightly if you love the remakes or William or P Chris, opinions in asks not necessarily my own.

man, I can already see the fourth of july instead of may seventeenth plot...oh god! Skam Austin gets worse everytime I think about it too hard!

I think it’ll be prom or homecoming or something that’s a thing?

I had my problems with skamit but kept watching until ep 4. When italian vilde was going upstairs to hook up with you know who she actually stopped and asked italian chris if she was doing the right thing bc she was not sure and she was like wtf are you kidding me, just go with him. I just, idk, no best friend would tell you to follow some guy just like that. It might sounds stupid but that scene really made me feel so damn bad. I am afraid this remake might be a bit too much for me.

Mmm, yeah, I didn’t keep up with that one past the first ep so I don’t know. I’m glad the Italians seem to enjoy it but I could understand why they’re like “oh god, how to we explain this to non-Italians” at least once an episode. 

I think the positive thing about it being on Facebook watch is that it is the only free streaming platform it could have been on, meaning it has the potential to reach more people. I mean okay you need a fb account but that’s better than paying for Netflix or Hulu every month. Plus as of now it isn’t geoblocked. And Facebook owns Instagram so the social media can be filtered better than it would have on any other network. I just see how in terms of what US networks have to offer why FB was best

Yeah, I think it’s a fitting choice? I’m not sure how much being on a certain platform gives you a greater reach, I think some people were thinking more people might stumble onto it elsewhere.

I’m from jersey too! Man north and south jersey are like two different states. Imagine Skam Jersey City or something - never on time to anything because NJ transit sucks, the multiple malls within in a 20 minute radius is the hangout on weekdays and you go into the city or Hoboken on weekends for no reason with no money to spend. Your neighbors pretty much make your block more diverse than the UN. Real non chain pizza and Chinese take out are eaten religiously.

Jersey has a little bit of everything?? Because I was from a small-town, little suburb that was all tree-lined and beautiful. But that town was also surrounded by highways and stripmalls if you went ten-fifteen minutes in several directions?

i used to be meh about the remakes but the longer they go on the more i hate them. the european ones feel like a bunch of bad cosplayers decided to remake skam. I HATE THEM

I have this thing where it’s kind of fun to compare them at first but then the novelty wears off and I’m more “why... no...”. I generally hate remakes though so I’ve actually felt like I’ve grown as a person to be this accepting!

Lol Isak and Even were barely in s4 and when they were the storyline was either dropped halfway trough or Isak was used to further Sana's story, develop their best friends story they build in s3 or to use Isak as preacher to justify muddy waters. Just like Sana and Noora's ONLY SOLO scene did, to "call out Noora's hypocricity" but it was more to excuse and get a wise, popular character to make William look better (lol). Yet Vilde and Chris were close and had build up with Sana, not Noora...

My two least favorite scenes in Skam...

If the Uk is the biggest it's not what Scandinavia is getting. 90% is American based, it's always been like that and that's why we have so much American integrated in out cultures and also why we are also very good at English because while we study it early on we are constantly surrounded by English and American film and television.

Maybe part of that stat is the UK/USA co-productions? Like a British production company doing Skam Austin like this. 

US Willhelm looks like the most genetic white football player douschebag and he looks exactly like that scumbag from 13 reasons why. I wonder why the remakes never changes the ethnicity for Willhelm when he's supposed to be the dream goal?

Yeahhhhhhhh, it does say something that they’ve changed P Chris to a minority twice while the most popular guy is always remarkably the same.

I mean I get that Julie is doing skam Austin so it’s being critiqued more BUT there are so many other remakes going on to watch instead. So many countries have the opportunity to make skam and I’m sorry but so far they all either did an exact copy and/or are not keeping up with the point of daily updates in real time.People hate on Julie but the other creators so far have done little to adapt it correctly. Clearly from Skam Austin we see that the characters do not have to be exact copies 🤷🏻‍♀️

Well, I don’t think people were very accepting of the other remakes either? People have been pretty harsh on all of them. It’s just a different kind of harsh with Skam Austin because it’s tied up with people’s existing feelings about Julie Andem and s4 and the end of Skam and etc.

"The argument is racist" omg stop throwing that word around it actually has an important meaning and using it for something inappropriate is just defeating its purpose. Also idk if it's just because that anon is American, but not every argument needs to have an underlying note of racism in it and it's frustrating when people just use the "you're racist" card just to look better in a discussion, it just destroyes the job we put into fighting against racism when it actually matters.

Yeah, that happens a lot. There’s a thoughtful way to consider race in what we’re talking about but that’s not it.

I think skam austin is going to be another repeat of the same plot , like I think if they wanted to do something new, they would change the name at least but calling it skam austin immediately connects it to og skam and I think the other remakes have shown us just have different they can go with the plots...

I don’t know, I’ve really gone back-and-forth about how close it’s going to be? I think we have to wait and get some footage at least.

imagine how it was when she broke the news to the actors? the deal was done during s3, they must have at least thought of her going to the states, then finding out s4 is the last season.

I wonder if they did find out in stages or all at once. Was Skam ever possibly going to continue? Without Julie, maybe? I’d kind of assume she told them both at once.

I remember reading a while ago when a p Chris fan was going ***** over Jonas and that Eva didn't give Chris a chance because he's so much more than a fuckboy. They said they had seen vines of pchris and Eva and I though of course it would be vines rofl so imagine a bunch of people falling for this hot badboy over vines expecting this great badass character and then he's barely in the show? I think it's 90% Herman projection onto Chris and Eva. They love him because he's apparently hot.

Yeah, with P Chris I’m like “he’s barely there????”. At least William is a character!

it's weird that all the remakes chose to start in the middle of the school year. even weirder that skam france has chosen to put out 2 seasons in the space of about 4 months... I feel like they're doing that to dominate the skam remakes, you know to be the most predominant remake. Seems fishy to me. I don't trust them. Don't even get me started on these fake leaks of the episode for publicity!!!!! We're not falling for it! Who else could it be except THEIR OWN TEAM!!! yeesh lol sorry ANYWAY

Didn’t episodes leak twice or something? I don’t know, I’m not following it very closely. I did find the whole “just wait, things will change more after episode three!” thing annoying though.

"Is it true that skam Italian uses a white actress to play a muslim character? If so it is so wrong!!" Anon,let me just remind you that what is wrong about it is the fact that she's a non muslim girl but she wears a hijaab and plays a muslim (if we get s4..I can't imagine all the scenes with "Sana" praying, knowing she's not muslim). Please, remember that there are white muslim people and it'd be more okay for a white girl to play this character IF the actress was muslim herself I guess.

Yeah, I think you have to be careful not to conflate that, but also it is a shame that they’d change a POC character into a white character? Just because someone can be white and a Muslim doesn’t mean that’s actually a good representation of the Muslim minority there?