#it’s been plaguing me for ages

[portraitofalonelydyke]

ok I’m not a meta writer or an easter egg hunter but I’ve been waiting for someone else to talk about this structure that the good omens title leads to because it’s driving me bananas

when it first pans up, it looks closed off like there’s walls around the pillars

but the next time we see it we can see the four pillars and a domed roof

and i know it’s not a perfect match to the shape of the structure, but it’s pretty darn close to the bookshop layout

and the domed roof that we don’t really get to see in the show is very clear in concept art

and uh what could the bright white light in the middle of the structure that the figures are walking towards be?

anyway all this to say this concept image makes me really nervous

[father-killjoy]

The kiddos <3

[angelsdean]

I need people to understand how S&P (standards and practices) works in television and how much influence they have over what gets to stay IN an episode of a show and how the big time network execs are the ones holding the purse strings and making final decisions on a show's content, not the writers / showrunners / creatives involved.

So many creators have shared S&P notes over the years of the wild and nonsensical things networks wanted them to omit / change / forbid. Most famously on tumblr, I've seen it so many times, is the notes from Gravity Falls. But here's a post compiling a bunch of particularly bad ones from various networks too. Do you see the things they're asking to be changed / cut ?

Now imagine, anything you want to get into your show and actually air has to get through S&P and the network execs. A lot of creators have had to resort to underhanded methods. A lot of creators have had to relegate things to subtext and innuendo and scenes that are "open to interpretation" instead of explicit in meaning. Things have had to be coded and symbolized. And they're relying on their audience to be good readers, good at media literacy, to notice and get it. This stuff isn't the ramblings of conspiracy theorists, it's the true practices creatives have had to use to be able to tell diverse stories for ages. The Hays Code is pretty well known, it exists because of censorship. It was a way to symbolize certain things and get past censors.

Queercoding, in particular, has been used for ages in both visual media and literature do signal to queer audiences that yes, this character is one of us, but no, we can't be explicit about it because TPTB won't allow it. It's a wink-wink, nudge-nudge to those in the know. It's the deliberate use of certain queer imagery / clothing / mannerisms / phrases / references to other queer media / subtle glances and lingering touches. Things that offer plausible deniability and can be explained away or go unnoticed by straight audiences to get past those network censors. But that queer viewers WILL (hopefully) pick up on.

Because, unfortunately, still to this day, a lot of antiquated network execs don't think queer narratives are profitable. They don't think they'll appeal to general audiences, because that's what matters, whatever appeals to most of the audience demographic so they can keep watching and keep making the network more money. The networks don't care about telling good stories! Most of them are old white cishet business men, not creatives. They don't care about character arcs and what will make fans happy. They don't care about storytelling. What they care about is profit and they're basing their ideas of what's profitable on what they believe is the predominate target demographic, usually white cis heterosexual audiences.

So, imagine a show that started airing in the early 2000s. Imagine a show where the two main characters are based on two characters from a famous Beat Generation novel, where one of the characters is queer! based on a real like bisexual man! The creator is aware of this, most definitely. And sure, it's 2005, there's no way they were thinking of making that explicit about Dean in the text because it just wouldn't fly back then to have a main character be queer. But! it's made subtext. And there are nods to that queerness placed in the text. Things that are open to interpretation. Things that are drenched in metaphor (looking at you 1x06 Skin "I know I'm a freak" "maybe this thing was born human but was different...hated. Until he learned to become someone else.") Things that are blink-and-you-miss-it and left to plausible deniability (things like seemingly spending an hour in the men's bathroom, or always reacting a little vulnerable and awkward when you're clocked instead of laughing it off and making a homophobic joke abt it)

And then, years later there's a ship! It's popular and at first the writers aren't really seriously thinking about it but they'll throw the fans a bone here and there. Then, some writers do get on the destiel train and start actively writing scenes for them that are suggestive. And only a fraction of what they write actually makes it into the text. So many lines left on the cutting room floor: i love past you. i forgive you i love you. i lost cas and it damn near broke me. spread cas's ashes alone. of course i wanted you to stay. if cas were here. -- etc. Everything cut was not cut by the writers! Why would a writer write something to then sabotage their own story and cut it? No, these are things that didn't make it past the network. Somewhere a note was made maybe "too gay" or "don't feed the shippers" or simply "no destiel."

So, "no destiel." That's pretty clearly the message we got from the CW for years. "No destiel. Destiel will alienate our general audience. Two of our main characters being queer? And in a relationship? No way." So what can the pro-destiel creatives involved do, if the network is saying no? What can the writers do if most of their explicit destiel (or queer dean) lines / moments are getting cut? Relegate things to subtext. Make jokes that straight people can wave off but queer people can read into. Make costuming and set design choices that the hardcore fans who are already looking will notice while the general audience and the out-of-touch network execs won't blink and eye at (I'm looking at you Jerry and your lamps and disappearing second nightstands and your gay flamingo bar!)

And then, when the audience asks, "is destiel real? is this proof of destiel?" what can the creatives do but deny? Yes, it hurts, to be told "No no I don't know what you're talking about. There's no destiel in supernatural" a la "there is no war in Ba Sing Se" but! if the network said "no destiel!" and you and your creative team have been working to keep putting destiel in the subtext of the narrative in a way that will get past censors, you can't just go "Yes, actually, all that subtext and symbolism you're picking up, yea it's because destiel is actually in the narrative."

But, there's a BIG difference between actively putting queer themes and subtext into the narrative and then saying it's not there (but it is! and the audience sees it!) versus NOT putting any queer content into the text but SAYING it is there to entice queer fans to continue watching. The latter, is textbook queerbaiting. The former? Is not. The former is the tactics so many creatives have had to use for years, decades, centuries, to get past censorship and signal to those in the know that yea, characters like you are here, they exist in this story.

Were the spn writers perfect? No, absolutely not. And I don't think every instance of queer content was a secret signal. Some stuff, depending on the writer, might've been a period-typical gay joke. These writers are flawed. But it's no secret that there were pro-destiel writers in the writing room throughout the years, and that efforts were made to make it explicitly canon (the market research!)

So no, the writers weren't ever perfect or a homogeneous entity. But they definitely were fighting an uphill battle constantly for 15 yrs against S&P and network execs with antiquated ideas of what's profitable / appealing.

Spn even called out the networks before, on the show, using a silly example of complaints abt the lighting of the show and how dark the early seasons were. Brightening the later seasons wasn't a creative choice, but a network choice. And if the networks can complain abt and change something as trivial as the lighting of a show, they definitely are having a hand in influencing the content of the show, especially queer content.

Even in s15, (seasons fifteen!!!) Misha has said he worried Castiel's confession would not air. In 2020!!! And Jensen recorded that scene on his personal phone! Why? Sure, for the memories. But also, I do not doubt for a second that part of it was for insurance, should the scene mysteriously disappear completely. We've seen the finale script. We've seen the omitted omitted omitted scenes. We all saw how they hacked the confession scene to bits. The weird cuts and close-ups. That's not the writers doing. That's likely not even the editors (willingly). That's orders from on high. All of the fuckery we saw in s15 reeks of network interference. Writers are not trying to sabotage their own stories, believe me.

Anyways, TLDR: Networks have a lot more power than many think and they get final say in what makes it to air. And for years creative teams have had to find ways to get past network censorship if they want "banned" or "unapproved" "unprofitable" "unwanted" content to make it into the show. That means relying on techniques like symbolism, subtext, and queercoding, and then shutting up about it. Denying its there, saying it's all "open to interpretation" all while they continue to put that open to interpretation content into the show. And that's not queerbaiting, as frustrating as it might be for queer audiences to be told that what they're seeing isn't there, it's still not queerbaiting. Queerbaiting is a marketing technique to draw in queer fans by baiting them with the promise of queer content and then having no queer content in said media. But if you are picking up on queer themes / subtext / symbolism / coding that is in front of your face IN the text, that's not queerbaiting. It's there, covertly, for you, because someone higher up didn't want it to be there explicitly or at all.

[zealfruity]

The big question. The most important one I will ever ask. The future counts on it.

[rocksanddeadflowers]

firm believer that the mechs are associated with the dancing plague somehow. i'm pointing fingers and accusing. either they started it or they heard a vague story about it and went "yeah let's do that" and spread it to other planets and realities. or maybe both, like a time paradoxical thingy. probably both actually. they themselves danced until they died btw bc it's fun. also ashes probably started it and jonny definitely wrote a song about it.

[h0wi1e]

I wonder how Wallace felt when he woke up from the surgeries and saw his reflection for the first time.

I wonder how Howard felt, watching his victims die and wondering if he'll ever find the real Mr Tusk and when he can finally pass away.

I wonder how Ally felt, going to the zoo to visit her ex knowing one day she needed to move on.

I wonder how Teddy felt, knowing that they could've saved Wallace faster if he hadn't ignored his call in the first place.

I wonder how Guy felt, never knowing what drove the serial killer he searched so hard to bring down, with the only surviving victim unable to talk and practically feral.

I wonder how Wallace's family felt, if they were ever told what happened.

I wonder how Wallace felt, when he realised he had just been moved from one cage to another and that he might not ever get back to his old life.

[spiritsong]

okay so I actually have no idea what I'll be doing on here during the first initial days of veilguard's release, but if I DO end up posting (which I probably will) about my playthrough, the tag will be cleric plays da:tv. I think it's mostly going to be my one billion screenshots of rook and scenery and the companions and probably not plot stuff? but I can't guarantee that so proceed with caution!

speaking of which, I'm updating my spoiler tag, which will go from da4 spoilers to da:tv spoilers (and my game tag will go from da4 to da:tv). I'll use both spoiler tags for a little while just to be safe (though I figure most of you who care about spoilers already have all the iterations blocked anyway).

ANYWAY CAN YOU BELIEVE IT WE ARE ALMOST THERE

[atlas-dr0wned]

i actually feel like i’m going crazy with this hyperfixation on jeff goldblum, i haven’t had such a sudden and intense interest for so long and i feel genuinely distressed whenever i’m not listening to his music or watching his films. being autistic is such an experience because what is happening and. why

[4ce-of-2pades]

My headcanons:

[two-dolla-bills]

Odin Roams

[shoyostar]

thinking abt my ballet 5wirl au again

[dollsome-does-tumblr]

quick quesh how am i supposed to handle this exquisite marriage betwixt terrifyingly ambitious garbage people

how!

how!!!!!!!

[aromanticbastards]

i have removed all other status effect notifications and am now absolutely aware of my backpain. someone send help

[themorguepoet]

Veera Raja Veera sounds exactly like the vibe I imagine great hindu kings from the golden era of India to have embodied. It just sounds so perfect.

[monstermp3]

♡

[demoiselettes]

Contains manga spoilers!

This has been on my mind for a while.. aren’t the Kamaboko squad + Nezuko and Kanao sort of.. adults? Like by the end of the manga, even though we’re not shown it, they grow up and have families of their owns as shown by their descendants. That much’s canon so.. are they still children?

I know they die afterwards okay