#movie tropes I dislike

[animationismycomfort]

always hated the trope of main male character is the butt of the joke and gets constantly put down/humiliated every second he gets

and then is seen as in the wrong or unreasonable when he gets upset for being treated like trash(I know it’s a popular trope but I’m getting sick of it it wasn’t funny the first time and it still wasn’t funny the other 9000 times)

[countlessofvoids]

Hiccup was a runt, the most awkward, frailest guy around. He was created with the intent of being someone who's different from everyone else; both in his design and story. Someone who's weak around people who value strenght, someone who befriends dragons while others want to kill them. Hiccup makes up for his physical weakness with compassion and trying to bring peace to both sides.

Which is why in his every iteration after the first movie (+ ROB); Hiccup is a 6'1, modern beauty standart who can easily beat everyone in combat no matter how more build or/and experienced they are, unless the writers decide they need to higher the stakes, or they have other characters fight the enemy for him.

[bambinification]

Unpopular opinion but I actually like Bambi II better I think? Idk.

The original is beautiful to look at and really relaxing and comforting, but it's a little bit nothingy and watered down from the original novel in a way that completely changes the story. In the book, the way Bambi left Falene because he was totally enamoured by the Old Stag really spoke to me (ace, lesbian, seeking out elders and mentor figures for a lot of my life). And though the sequel is a bit too kid-ified for an adult without nostalgia to sit through, the sequel DOES recreate this dynamic in a way!!

Plus I like Patrick Stewart as the Great Prince, I like how much winter we get, I like how the meadow scene is actually really unsettling (it haunted me forever as a kid and it still gives me the creeps), I think it's visually pleasing. Also I like how the movie was obviously influenced by the second generation Winnie the Pooh movies (which I like and watch a lot) with random sort-of contemporary songs by a female singer sprinkled throughout. The style of the movie holds it up; it's very watchable as a Disney sequel.

[cultivating-wildflowers]

I need to talk about the skill it takes for a writer to do that thing where they're describing something unfamiliar to the POV character while we the readers get to sit there in slowly dawning horror as we realize we 1) know what that thing is and 2) know how bad it is. it's not something you get in visual media but, if done well, it can be just as horrifying as realizing "the call is coming from inside the house".

[imminent-danger-came]

Nimoma has good emotional payoff and animation but nothing else to really write home about TBH

It's very SPOP in that way, where the arcs and scenes are solid when viewed outside of the media in gifset or clip form but don't work as well when actually watching what they're from

For sure! I think that's a problem she-ra and toh both share with Nimona—they struggle with setup but then go ham on the payoff, which leaves everything feeling somewhat unearned.

The end of the movie bugged me in particular—Ballister's 180 with calling Nimona a monster (something he KNOWS pushes her to the brink) after one conversation with his ex-boyfriend was...I think out of place?

Normally if you have a character make a wrong choice like that you, as the audience, would be questioning the whole movie if they had ever REALLY changed. Was Ballister's loyalty truly to Nimona or to the Institute/Goldenloin? But, by that point in the movie they had really sold me on Ballister's complete acceptance of Nimona and disregard of the institute, so....why would he turn on Nimona then? I'm surprised they didn't do this plot the other way, which would instead have only made it seem like Ballister betrayed Nimona, you know? Like they did in Tangled. That way you don't undo Ballister's movie long arc with one scene, but you can still have Nimona go berserk and make her way into the heart of the city.

There were also a couple of other things that felt kinda dropped by the end. Ballister being the first commoner to become a knight? The Queen's important role in this society? This kingdom's prejudice going SO deep that not even a child would give Nimona a chance after saving their life, yet blowing up the wall changed everyone's minds in the end?

There were a lot of good pieces, but they weren't quite put together in the right ways.

[arttheclown]

i feel like i need to watch m3gan again sometime to really process what i think of gemma tbh and that in of itself is pretty interesting. i like media that gives us flawed protagonists who aren’t always the easiest to like.

[dandelionjack]

half-human on his schroedinger's cat side

[lexyscross]

I don't believe horror movie filmmakers have ever been to a hospital in their lives.

[alister312]

wah

[sethdomain]

I STll UCJUING HATE TROLLHUNTER ENDING

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Hi, I like your blogs but I want to ask how to write a flawed mentor? And how about writing reluctant mentor

Writing Notes: Mentors

You can use related tropes as a guide. Here are some examples I found for you:

FLAWED MENTOR

The "Anti-Mentor"

Think they are great at what they do and decide to train others in their ways. However, they are more often than not the worst at the very things they teach, and thus training with them could be considered anti-training.

In some cases, their student will be well aware of how bad they are and simply attend their lessons out of pity. Others will be honest and tell them how bad they are. There are those students who will think they are being great teachers by showing them what not to do.

Alternatively, the teacher may actually be good at what they do but terrible at teaching it. In these cases, they just don't know how to get their lessons across.

It's not so hard for the student to surpass the teacher here, because the teacher had so little to surpass.

RELUCTANT MENTOR

The "Apathetic Teacher"

Jaded, misanthropic, and very likely a Deadpan Snarker, this is the teacher who's been in the job too long. Dislikes students in general — been there long enough to know they're thick and (usually) irritating.

Hates the school, hates the job, really hates the management — but because s/he's known virtually nothing else, s/he still sticks at it, putting her/himself through it year after year.

Sometimes, this person started out as a young, Enthusiastic Newbie Teacher, who got beaten down by rowdy kids and an uncaring system, turning the teacher jaded over time. There's usually one person who will find that their no-longer-gives-a-shit attitude makes them a Cool Teacher anyway, or at the very least an occasional confidant.

They're likely to seek solace in the bottom of a bottle.

It's often implied, if not outright stated, that even their home life doesn't offer them much respite, either.

In pretty much all Save Our Students movies, one of these (if not an entire school of them) will serve as a foil to the idealistic teacher.

If the school is an inner-city one, expect this teacher to be the one to make some remark about how they can't really expect anything from kids with this "background".

Occasionally, an apathetic teacher will be won over by the enthusiasm of an idealistic teacher and will start caring about the students too.

In psychology, these people are called "burnouts."

This kind of teacher is likely to hand out an Extremely Easy Exam.

Apathetic Teacher vs. Sadist Teacher

The key difference between Apathetic Teachers and Sadist Teachers is the former hate their jobs while the latter hate their students.

Sadist Teachers often seem to take a sick glee in torturing their students; the teachers this trope describes don't seem to take much joy in anything, least of all their work.

This is quite similar to the "read a lot" advice we constantly hear. So, you can also go through your favourite stories (literature, films etc.) and learn from how your favourite authors write the character you are aiming to create in your stories. If I wasn't able to include here the exact one you need, you can look through the sources below. Hope this helps & thanks so much for your kind words :)

Sources: 1 2 3 ⚜ More: Writing Notes & References

[ennn]

Hold the fuck up, this isn’t a real trial.

In retrospect a number of things about the episode, especially the coven's characterisation felt off... and now on rewatch I'm pretty certain this isn't a trial of the Road at all – it's the Salem Seven punishing Agatha.

Clues under the cut with some spoilers from future scenes in trailers / promo clips.

Clue #1 – No screen aspect ratio change

As @wolfcracker points out, for the two previous trials the screen ratio changed once they entered the place (going full screen). We didn't get that for this cabin.

Clue #2 – No phase of the moon decoration at the entrance

We've had these obviously built into the previous trial entrances but there's no sign of one for this cabin.

The coven's so panicked getting chased by the locusts they don't notice it running in. The door is made of wooden planks with tiny gaps in between and you don't see a sign of any moon on the other side either.

Notably, in a trailer and promo shot, you see the moon featured prominently again for an upcoming trial, when Agatha and Billy cross a stone bridge structure and approach an entrance (presumably of the tower).

Clue #3 – Each trial has an element, this cabin doesn't

This was something that seemed odd even before this episode, we saw five weird horror movie-trope settings – assumed to be trials – in posters and promotional materials but there are only four identified elements for the Road.

Sure you could have more moon phases (like we do irl) but the Ballad that is central the show only mentions four elements: fire, water, earth, and air.

Our first two trials had strong ties with an element: if you failed you'd be killed by that element or something associated with it i.e. drowning or burning.

Now from the promos, an upcoming trial with the anti-gravity effect going on in a tower fits well with the air element. And the threat of death here is associated with going into the air (spikes in the ceiling).

Notice from the flying forms that this trial does go full-frame like the first two we certainly had (clue #1).

Another upcoming trial we know of (that looks like a morgue or asylum-like place) can be linked with the earth given that we see rocks and earth falling in a shot. Death by crushing earth.

This cabin had no element associated with it at all. The threat of death was by... Agatha siphoning your magic? Or in the case of Agatha, to be tortured forever by her mom?

Clue #4 – The trial area doesn't necessarily keep out the Salem Seven

From the promo shots of presumably the air trial (see above), we clearly see the Salem Seven in the tower attacking them. Why then did Locust and the rest of the Seven leave them alone in the cabin when they were right behind them?

Other sus elements

OK, these are more ambiguous and could be the result of bad writing but here's the other stuff in this "trial" that just seems off

The coven turns really really quickly on Agatha and viciously. And they literally just rode broomsticks where it's mentioned it's "about selflessness" and "we fly together or not at all". I mean yeah the people might lie but they were enough of a team that the magic for the broomsticks worked.

The trial's instruction was to just "punish Agatha"? That's oddly specific and pointed. Previous trials had the entire coven in danger (e.g. everyone had to drink the poison). Between this and the above point it feels like someone is mad at Agatha for killing lots of witches over the years. Some people like the Salem Seven.

The trials so far have tested the witch's ability in the craft (potion-making, protection) and how they work together. How does punishing or sacrificing Agatha align with the Road's test of "Burn and brew with coven true / And glory shall be thine" -- which we were just reminded of last week.

Jen calling and dismissing Billy as a familiar is... more mean-ness that I'd expect. You could make a case for her disliking Agatha, but the amount of venom in this moment towards the boy for trying is surprising considering she was trying to watch out for him not too long ago. Of course, it could be her frustration and fear in that moment boiling over.

Pretty much everything at the end after Billy snapping and going all dark and vengeful.

Ultimately we don't know what the Salem Seven can do. Sure they shriek like Nazgûl but turning into animals isn't the most threatening thing? So, bad writing and copium or is this show being truly tricksy and reality-bending?

[katxbuckyx]

It turned into something bigger. (Bucky Barnes x plus-size!reader)

Hello!

I'm coming with my first ever Bucky's fanfic published in English so please have mercy on me, English is not my first language! And I will proofread it later, I swear!

Disclaimer: It is tagged as a Plus-size!reader, but the description of body is really brief, so can be read as "a reader"! Everyone can read it, so enjoy!

Title: It turned into something bigger.

Word count: 2 660

Description: You overheard someone talking badly about Bucky, and you had to intervene. Enemies-to-lovers!trope.

Warnings: None, mentions of blood, a kiss at the end, nothing explicit, some swear words, but still, Minors don't interact!

Enjoy! (And gif's not mine!)

****

Bucky could be called many things. He was smug, sarcastic, sassy, grumpy, stubborn, a pain in the—, he was also loyal, sometimes kind, he believed in doing the right thing, but he definitely couldn’t be called your friend. No, definitely not. From the moment you met, you disliked each other. You couldn’t stand being around the other, it was a constant banter between you both. Every time you bumped into each other, it always ended up in a fight. That’s just how it was, and it didn’t seem to change.

It started with an exchange of snarky comments in the car Steve had rented back in Germany when you had to get to Siberia to stop Zemo. The argument was about a stupid seat in the backseat of that small car that barely fit you both. You were squashed like sardines. Your thighs were touching, arms nearly stuck to each other. You weren’t comfortable yourself. You’ve just met him, and he already seemed to not like you. He was giving you side eye all the time since he saw you for the first time. You didn’t know what his problem was. Maybe it was because you were so close to Steve, but you were his assistant and a close friend, so obviously, you will be close with him. Maybe he didn’t like the way you looked, it wouldn’t be the first time since somebody started to dislike you before they even got to know you. Just because you didn’t meet their beauty criteria. You were used to it, but it didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt you. So, sitting next to him while wondering what you could have done wrong, so soon, wasn’t pleasant at all.

And yet, he dared to boss you around. First, he nearly ordered Sam to move his seat up, and he refused. You exchanged looks with Wilson, he did it on purpose. You had to stop yourself from laughing at it. Then, Barnes started complaining that he didn’t have enough space. You wanted to kick him out of the car, but you couldn't. Steve would rather kick you out than his best friend. And you didn’t want to run after the car, so you kept silent.

After Germany, he started living in the compound. On the same floor that you lived on. It was a nightmare. You were seeing him all the time, in the morning, in the evening. In every damn room of this building. It was a constant war between you both. You were throwing comments at each other like your life depended on it. Nothing could go unnoticed. You had a stain on your shirt? Bucky was on your ass to mock you about it. You stumbled? He was the first to call you a clumsy kid. You made a mistake? He didn’t let you live without reminding you about it every day. But you didn't let him live in peace either. He fell during the training? You almost died laughing. Bucky had a cut from shaving? You mocked him about it. He burned the pan while making pancakes? You bought him a fire extinguisher as a ‘gift’. The team had enough of you both. Steve had almost retired after you started throwing things at each other, and Natasha had to drag you out of the room sometimes. When you were watching movies, you had to sit on opposite sides, or if there wasn’t enough room, someone had to sit in the middle.

However, there was one thing that you never joked about or made comments about. It was a barrier that couldn’t be overstepped. Your looks. He never commented about your appearance. It was always about your mistakes, failures, etc. Never about how you looked. You sometimes were self-conscious about your body, even though you appeared to be confident. You liked your body, at least you were learning how to do it, and it was going better. When you were feeling down about it, he never made fun of it. And you did the same thing. You never jabbed at his arm or anything. You’ve seen that it was bothering him, and you would never make fun of this. It would be too much. Even for you both. Appearance and other conditions were things that couldn’t be joked about.

So, when you heard some kid making fun of it. You saw red. You were walking down the corridor to the office area. You had to give reports to Steve. It was about the last mission, from which Barnes came back slightly injured. To your surprise, you were worried about it. When you saw him, lying on the medic bay’s bed, looking so weak, something had stirred in you. Your heart started to ache at the way his hair was splashed on the pillow, his face flushed from the fever he got. No one knew about it, but late at night, you came to him, and spent a few hours, watching over him. You were changing his compress every hour, to make sure the temperature would go lower. He was a super soldier, he would be fine in a day or two, but still, he didn’t look good, and you couldn’t stand looking at him in this state. Yet, you were gone in the early morning before the medics and nurses came to work. You didn’t want anyone to know you were there, you had to keep the façade that you couldn’t stand him, but you weren’t so sure anymore. You stopped arguing that much, it was some occasional banter. It took you only two years, but you could sit in one room and act civil. If you weren’t so stubborn you probably would notice that he treated you differently too, he was nicer and offered some help. When you had a rough day, there were pretty flowers in your room, out of nowhere. When a guy you were about to go on a date with called you names, Bucky came back with bruised knuckles to the compound. Other than those little acts of service, he was still the smug, sarcastic bastard. Nothing changed. So, why do you feel some kind of affection towards him?

You did not, you told yourself, as you shook your head, coming back to the reality. You must make haste, you have a lot of things to do today, and you don’t have time to think about whether you like Bucky, or not. As you were passing the lounge area you overheard a conversation. It was Mark, a new IT guy, he was annoying. He was younger than you, and he acted like a smart-ass all the time. He always brags about how his father is an entrepreneur and a CEO of a big company in London. Yeah, and you were a ballerina. No one ever heard about his father’s company. Stupid kid.

“You know, I’m glad he was injured.” you overheard, and that made your interest pick up. You stopped to listen, making sure they couldn’t see you. Mark was talking with Pepper’s assistant. Another spoiled brat. You continued to listen. “At least, we don’t have to watch that metal arm anymore. It made me sick when I was looking at it,” he said.

When you heard that, you wanted to enter the room and smash that kid’s head on the wall, but you stopped yourself. He didn’t say anything that bad yet, you had to wait until he said something more, so you could have more reasons to rip his head off, and of course, to justify why you did it.

“You know, I don’t know why they keep him here, he should be put in a madhouse or a circus.” he laughed, and it made your blood boil. “He could be put next to one-eyed Joe, they would make quite a pair!” he continued. “With that one arm...”

That was enough. You wouldn’t let this guy joke about Bucky’s disability, it was too much. He didn’t deserve that. It’s enough that he blames himself for everything that has happened to him. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence, you little shit.” you nearly growled at him, entering the room. They almost jumped at your sight, and that made you smile. You knew you were respected here. After all, you were Captain America’s assistant and best friend.

You grabbed the kid by the collar and pushed him against the wall. You were taller and bigger than him, so you almost towered over him, making him intimidated. “Don’t ever speak like that about Bucky again. He’s better than you will ever be, you get it?” you asked him, pushing him more into the wall. He squealed.

“He’s just a murderer, nothing more. He doesn’t deserve redemption.” Mark muttered, looking at you with fear. And that was the last straw before your fist connected with his cheek.

 You kicked him out of the building when you finished with him. You were almost seething when you were walking back to your room. You entered it and slammed the door. You walked straight to the bathroom and started washing your hands. You washed the stains of that bastard’s blood from it. You looked at yourself in the mirror. You were surprised with yourself, you were never violent. You completely lost your temper. And it was all because of Barnes...

Friday announced a meeting in the living room. You sighed, they must know about Mark. They don’t know who did it, you made sure he won’t tell anybody. Still, you had to face them. You changed your shirt into a long-sleeve, because you had to cover your bruised knuckles. And you went down the stairs to the living room.

They all were there, including Bucky, who was sitting on the couch. Looking uninterested as usual, but when you walked into the room, he turned his gaze to look at you. There was something in his eyes, that you couldn’t quite recognize.

Steve was standing in the middle of the room, with Tony standing behind him, and mocking his every movement. You let out a laugh at it. “What happened that you decided to gather all of us here?” you said and sat down on the sofa next to Sam.

Steve explained Mark’s accident, and you were trying hard to not show any emotion at that. They can’t know that it was you, especially not Bucky. It would ruin everything, and you would have to explain why you did it, and you had no idea.

“Y/N, you were the only one walking down the corridor, you were caught on the corridor’s cameras. The other was shut down immediately after Mark was attacked.” Steve said. “Did you do it?” he asked.

You felt everyone’s eyes on you, and you crossed your arms over your chest. One gaze was burning you the most. If eyes could burn you, you would be ashes on the ground.

“Do you have proof? If not, it wasn’t me,” you said, standing up, and walking away from the room. You didn’t know that when you were crossing your arms, Bucky saw a glimpse of your red knuckles. He raised a brow and followed you right after you left.

You were almost back in your room when you heard someone calling your name. You turned around and saw him rushing after you. “What do you want?” you asked.

“Why did you do that?” he asked when he got to you. He was looking at you intensively. His blue eyes almost burning into yours.

“I didn’t do anything,” you said, shrugging your shoulders. You still kept a poker face, you didn’t tell the truth.

“Oh, yeah, so you didn’t knock Mark out? You didn’t beat him up and threw him out of the building? Tony told me that you insisted on firing him. Why?” Bucky came closer to me, his question making you uncomfortable.

“It’s not your business, Barnes!” you snarled, and turned around, wanting to walk away but he stopped you. He grabbed your arm with his flesh one.

“Yes, it is mine! You did it for me, why?!” he almost shouted in your face, and you couldn’t keep it in anymore. You jerked your hand out of his grasp.

“Because he insulted you! He made fun of you, and you…” You trailed off, looking away from him. “You didn’t deserve that.”

You repeated Mark’s words to him. You could see the hurt in his eyes. “You see? No one deserves to hear something like that, and that’s why I kicked him out. He deserved more.”

There was silence between the two of you. Bucky was trying to process what you had said to him. He couldn’t believe that you would beat someone. Not for him. You were always getting on his nerves, always jabbing at his mistakes. He couldn’t stand it, but deep down he liked it. Everyone was always so careful around him, always tip-toeing around him, and you didn’t care about it. You were loud and stubborn, you were always doing your own thing. When they kicked you through the door, you would come back through the window. He always admired that about you. You didn’t pretend to be somebody else, you were yourself. And he thought that you were beautiful. And it wasn’t just about your looks, you were beautiful to him in every way, and that’s why he tried to hide it underneath all of his comments. Bucky tried to soothe it with small acts of service, but he still didn’t say anything about his feelings. And he had them for you, plenty of them. He was a coward, and he didn’t say anything about it. He was scared of rejection.

Right now, he was standing in front of you, with you telling him that you beat a guy because he insulted him? That guy didn’t say anything that bad. Bucky had said worse things about himself. Yet, you stand up for him. You protected him, didn’t let anyone talk bad about him, and his disability that he was still conscious about. It made his heart flutter. And before he could think, he shot towards you, grabbed your face in his hands, and kissed you senseless. He pressed his lips against yours in a deep, a little sloppy but very passionate kiss. You didn’t expect that, but you wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him back. You closed your eyes and let him kiss you.

“What was that?” you asked when you parted. Both of you were breathing heavily.

He pulled away from your embrace to look at you, he placed his big hands on your hips, giving them a soft squeeze. Bucky had this soft look on his face, one you would never dream that you would see on his face.

“A thank you, I guess,” he said, and sent you a breathtaking smile.

You let out a laugh and kissed him again. You cupped his face in your hands, you had to stand on your tippy toes to reach him. “If you will thank me like that every time, I will knock out every guy who frowns at you,” you said.

“I have no doubt about it, doll,” he said and pulled you for a tight hug.

Being held in his arms, made you realize that what we had, was always more than this little banter. That our dislike towards each other was actually hidden feelings that we couldn’t express. And right now, it turned into something more. You weren’t so sure about what you both were, but you were not enemies anymore, and you weren’t friends. It was something more than lovers, your souls were calling for each other. You never believed in soulmates, but maybe that’s what you always were? Long lost soulmates, that turned into enemies, to become lovers in the end? You didn’t know, but you were sure that you had plenty of time to find out.

[terapsina]

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[anghraine]

I don't know if it's become more common lately or just grates more after years in academia, but I genuinely dislike the whole "this wildly popular and enormously influential work is fun and it's fine to enjoy it, but there's no need to fool yourself into thinking it's genuinely good and actual Art."

Thanks for the permission, perfect stranger, but I don't get all that invested in things I don't think are good, no matter how conscious I am of their flaws.

I really do think Lord of the Rings is, by and large, a beautifully-written and well-constructed novel. The idea of respecting its trailblazing qualities but insisting that Tolkien is objectively a poor novelist or weak prose stylist is not actually my perspective on it at all. I have criticisms, some more serious than others, but do I still think it's a great work of art? Yes. I think Tolkien is actually incredibly skilled stylistically and shifts between registers and styles in a way that I find really impressive. The obvious point of contrast for me is the Narnia books, which famously he disliked, but which I enjoyed well enough as a kid—Aravis was one of my favorite characters growing up (and she still rules!). But the shifts between registers of style in the Narnia books feel so forced and artificial to me next to Tolkien's far more elegant and controlled handling of shifting registers in The Hobbit and esp LOTR.

I actually feel pretty similarly about the Star Wars original trilogy (blasphemy to some, lol). I think The Empire Strikes Back is, despite occasional misfires, really truly brilliant artistic cinema. I recently watched Flash Gordon, which has similarities of genre and inspiration and came out the exact same year as ESB, and as enjoyable as it is in, uh, realizing its own artistic vision, there's no comparison to ESB. I've seen reviews that can't resist the urge to get in digs at Star Wars even while calling for re-evaluations of Flash Gordon and other 80s schlock (even Starcrash!) and it just seems an absurd degree of snobbery to me, all the more in the context of cheesy movies that owed their existence to Star Wars taking tropes and genres seen as fun but essentially unserious and making beautiful films out of them.

I've even experienced this "it's enjoyable and influential but not great art" snobbery with works that are generally well-regarded. In grad school, other students were genuinely taken aback that I thought Pride and Prejudice is truly one of the greatest novels written in the eighteenth century and one of Austen's best novels. I'd encountered and been annoyed by the whole "oh, a truly discerning, sophisticated taste will prefer Persuasion or Emma" thing, but it didn't even occur to me that it would be at all controversial for me to think P&P is a spectacularly brilliant novel, all the more in the context of its time. But I've encountered quite a bit of discomfort with the idea that P&P is actually great art and not just enjoyable wish-fulfillment in an accessible style. And meanwhile, I'm like ... no, I really do think it is superior in characterization, structure, pacing, style, and cohesion than most English-language novels of its era, including several by Austen herself.