#so passionate netflix hating lol

[hangesextra]

Hey, a good girls guide to murder fans. Let's hope the show won't be on Netflix.

[butterflysonnets]

yes i'm rooting for m*leven breakup because byler is neat but mostly? i'm rooting for m*leven breakup for the sake of el and mike.

to me, their romance was always a puppy love born out of a combination of social pressures, naïve curiosity, and a lack of true understanding regarding intimacy and romantic love and what it really is. it was real in that they do truly, deeply care about each other and they are close friends, maybe even shared an attraction, but a maturing romance is so much more than that. they've grown up and out of being boyfriend/girlfriend, and that's okay! i think television/film needs to show more often that most of us don't have definite "soulmates" or first childhood loves that we spend our whole lives with. it doesn't mean these relationships meant nothing and didn't impact us, it just means they've run their course and that something else is in the cards, and this is part of life!

i've always felt el was at her best and most confident self when broken up with mike, discovering who she was and what she liked alongside another girl her age instead of just relying on mike for mentorship on how to live in the real world. she deserves more of an opportunity to find herself, her autonomy, and her independence, and to love who she is, and she's made it clear she's felt insecure in the relationship with mike because she isn't being loved and understood the way she wants, needs, and deserves from someone who is her partner.

also, it's okay if mike doesn't love her in "the way he should". he is not obligated to love her romantically and stay in a relationship with her just because she's a girl, because she "needed someone", or because he cares about her a lot. he shouldn't be pressured into a romance if it's not truly coming from his heart. he deserves freedom to find out and honour who he is, too, instead of just staying in his non-functional first relationship — one he got into as a child, essentially — and defining himself that way because it's what's expected when a boy and a girl are close. he loves her in some way, yes, but it's okay if he doesn't feel comfortable or secure being her boyfriend anymore, for whatever reason that is. he's felt insecure too, and that's valid and it matters.

they are their own people and are steadily growing and changing every day. they need time to figure out who those people are, and it's become clear (at least in my opinion) that those people aren't meant to be a couple at this stage.

they deserve freedom. they deserve to grow up and be authentic to themselves and not feel like they need to lie for the sake of a relationship. they deserve to move on from this version of their relationship that isn't making them happy and rekindle the best part of their bond: their strong, beautiful friendship. they don't have to be a couple if it doesn't make them stronger and better and happier people.

i think it would be healthy and wonderful for a show, especially one consumed frequently by young adults, to show a relationship starting, progressing, and ending on good terms in this way. sometimes things don't work out, and that is okay.

[minamorsart]

What , And how did you start pairing lotura, And Plance .?

Ooooh boy am I excited to answer this!!! This is going to be a long answer, hope you don't mind! Because I have some specific memories about these two ships, particularly lotura, that I would absolutely love to share with you!

Prepare for a long read! Hehe

Starting with lotura, when season 3 came out and Lotor made his debut, of course I was all 👀👀👀 Because that day something awoke in 19 year old me that I didn't realize could ever be awoken lol. And I wish I could remember exactly what my reaction was to his cat-and-mouse chase with Allura in the episode "The Hunted", but at the time I must not have considered the idea of them ever going in the direction of a romance. Looking back now though, how could I have been so blind??! That chase scene is HOT. I mean just look at them!!! Look at Lotor especially woah mama 😳

Season 4 was mediocre to me at the time, I will confess, for a lot of different reasons. But then season 5, man... SEASON 5!!!! I remember it was March 3rd, 2018. I wasn't keeping up with the show anymore, but I just so happened to see an article online that said season 5 had been released the day before on Netflix. I told my sister and we decided, "eh, let's watch at least the first episode."

And we watched the first episode, alright. And then another, and then another and another until we watched all six episodes in one sitting. We were both blown away! Lotor... Allura... together???? 😲

Their adventures, their chemistry, their clear attraction to one another... I was OBSESSED!!! I shipped them hardcore after that. They were and are still my #1 OTP, and it's because of them that I really tried to work hard and improve my art! I wanted to draw them all the time, making mini comics and AUs, and while their tragic ending actually left me in tears and I was upset for a really long time, I can now say that I have been able to heal and move on from it--eh, mostly anyway, haha.

It still hurts, but 5 years later I feel that I've matured and come to a greater understanding and acceptance. I have come to really appreciate how perfect they are for each other, both aesthetically of course (cuz lookit that sexual dimorphism babeyyy) as well as the many, many things they have in common. I have also come to appreciate their flaws, their imperfections, and the mistakes they made regarding each other and their relationship. They may have gotten a sad ending, but they were still truly equals in every way. It's just beautiful, and my love for them now is stronger than ever :')

For Lance and Pidge on the other hand, it's not quite as clear as when I started shipping them! I remember rolling my eyes at Lance and Allura's first meeting, like "okay Lance is one of THESE guys, here we go 🙄"

Other than that I didn't really ship Lance or Pidge with anyone! If I'm recalling correctly, I don't think it wasn't until after season 6 that I started shipping them together. I remember reading metas and analyses of their relationship that people were making in anticipation for season 7's release, and the more I thought about it, the more I started to really like the idea of Lance and Pidge getting together! And there are definitely subtle hints throughout the earlier seasons of Pidge's feelings for Lance, as well as their fun chemistry with one another, like the episode "Space Mall"!

The hints are not so subtle to me now, but back then it wasn't until I watched season 7 that I actually became hopeful that they could be a couple! I especially loved the moments when Pidge indirectly called Lance "cute, in a creepy, hideous sort of way" lol, and when Lance become very protective over Pidge in such a way that I don't think we ever saw him react before! I was honestly taken aback by that moment!

And again, their ending was definitely less than satisfactory, particularly Lance's ending (still hate it with a passion), but just like with Lotura's relationship, I have also come to appreciate many things about Plance's relationship today. While Lotor and Allura have so much in common and are able to reach an understanding with each other that they can't with anyone else, it would seem at first that Pidge and Lance are far too different to be compatible. And it is true that they are very different, but for one, that can be a good thing! The foundations of some relationships are built off of their differences. It can make someone more compassionate and more open-minded when they have a willingness to accept and appreciate the differences they have with their partner, and a willingness to take a genuine interest in the things that their partner is passionate about, even if they don't completely understand.

And two, at the same time, Pidge and Lance DO have things in common! They both love their families, both have a stronger connection to Earth compared to the other paladins, and they are able to bond with one another over fun pastimes such as video games! How cute is that??!

And just like with Lotor and Allura, I also love Pidge and Lance for their flaws. It did take me a while to come around to Lance, because while he has his funny moments and one-liners, I also found him very annoying at times lol. But I think the fact that he can be really annoying honestly makes him the most realistic character in Voltron. Not necessarily the most relatable, at least not for me, but definitely the most human! Because there are people in our real lives that we love and cherish deeply, but they absolutely have their moments where you go, "ugh, you're so annoying and it really frustrates me when you act this way" but we still wouldn't trade them for the world 🥰

And just to draw one last comparison between Lotura and Plance, I especially LOVE how incredibly different the two pairings are even from each other! To me, Lotor and Allura are sexy and passionate, while Pidge and Lance are pure and fun! They're all so unique and special in their own ways, and they bring so much to the table, both for their characters and for their relationships.

I can't help but write essays every time I get asks, I'm so sorry lol 😭 There's so much more I could say about these guys, but I think I'd better stop here haha! I had a lot of fun writing about Lotura and Plance, and I hope you had just as much fun reading this! I really love these characters a lot. I'm so incredibly grateful that they exist, even if in the form of fiction, and I'm even MORE grateful that my love for them has continued to grow over the years. Thank you so much for the ask!!!! 💖💜💙💚

Oh and one last thing: we were robbed of a lot of different potential interactions with a lot of different characters, but I have to say it would have been fun to see more of Lotor and Lance interacting with each other! Lance was always acting out due to his jealousy, while Lotor on the other hand mostly just ignored him lol.

[vaperarmand]

I'm sorry to say I don't share your passion for Netflix version of Witcher. But I do love the books and Joey Batey and his Jaskier. So since I won't be watching s3 I'll very much appreciate seeing glimpses of it through your posts, so don't be shy!

i'm actually right there with you LOL what happened to me is that i watched season 1 and developed a crazy hyperfixation and got extremely attached to jaskier as a concept (genuinely he's a top character of all time to me.) and played the witcher 3 the wild hunt for over 200 hours in like. a month? i haven't read the books! or i've started one. and i own two of them. when season 2 came out i said okay this was mid. but burn butcher burn was like my top 2 song of the year on spotify wrapped. and season 3. well. i hate season 3. i think genuinely i would rather have jaskier be queerbait than have him have a bisexuality storyline with RADOVID........THE FASCIST. it's like the showrunners don't know i killed him in the optional game quest. and he didn't even have a big ballad ......... WHATEVERRRRRR. anyway im an optimist #optimist and also i very rarely don't finish things i start so i will be tuned in for season 4 for better or worse. idk why in my mind i'm thinking liam being geralt will fix some of the show's really bad writing but again. #theoptimist

[mood-2017]

initial thoughts after finishing the first three episodes of the atla netflix adaptation bc I have thoughts in my brain (contrains spoiler)

first, things I really liked and appreciated so far:

KYOSHI BC HOLY SHIT

the cgi looks GOOD, the animals actually look like they belong in this world

the bending looks insane (it actually has impact other than.. yk)

combat choreography and costume design is also a 10/10

idk a lot about score but I like what I hear lol

story progression is also interesting, of course they had to combine 2-3 episodes worth of information to fit their format and I feel like they put a lot of thought into that (it's more of a 50/50 tho)

starting the show with the air normad genocide was cruel but it really set the mood (I may have cried over that one aang and gyatso scene)

the actors actually look like the kids they are portraying

got nothing to complain about zuko, iroh, suki, zhao, etc.

I actually think that they portrayed zuko very well with him being very grumpy and goal driven but also has his awkward moments

I still have hope that they bring out irohs personality more

next, the bad and the ugly oof:

line delivery and interaction between the main characters feel a little stiff and awkward (might get better idk but where is the chemistry??)

I'm sorry but they sucked the life out of katara. If I didn't know the original character, I would find her really boring?? No hate to the actress tho, the lines she was given are just not it imo she did what she could with what she had

NO relationship building between katara and aang?? (they basically cut every important scene of their relationship out? like her being the one who breaks aang out of the ice, her being the first person he sees, her being the one calming him down after he goes into avatar mode at the southern air temple and probably more that I missed) > kind of makes me think that they're actually gonna go for zutara and idk what to feel (we all saw that scarf scene)

still don't know how to feel about them introducing azula, ty lee and mai so early? why introduce them so early when you already have to cut so much from the original to fit the 8 episode format? (their actresses slayed tho)

pacing lacks now and again and makes the flow a bit awkward (probably bc of how compressed it is)

I feel like the adaptation relies on the knowledge of their viewers who know the original a lot, especially when it comes to the main characters bc if this was my first introduction to atla I wouldn't feel connected to any of these characters YET

mind you, I still have 5 more episodes to watch so maybe this will turn around idk

I'd give it a 6,5/10 SO FAR but only bc I'm SO attached to the original so therefore I'm probably not as open minded as someone who hasn't watched the show 17 times

the original is a near perfect show and I think everyone knew, that there was nothing that the adaptation could do much better but you can still tell, that the people behind the scenes have a real passion for the original so I still appreciate everything that turns out better than the movie that shall not be named

[wonkastarshine]

I’ve been thinking a lot about CATCF today. 18 years has passed since it was released. I was four years old when my mom rented a copy of it for me and my sisters. It was an instant moment of connection and love at first watch. Now, I’m graduating college next month and I still can’t believe just how much I love this film. I was obsessed in middle school probably to a fault. On its 10th anniversary, I watched the film ten times 🥵 it was an all consuming obsession and one that did cost me time and friends.

I put my love away for the film as I went into high school. I gained other interests and got into other movie series. I graduated high school and went to college. COVID hits. In all the chaos and confusion, I felt a pull to watch what used to be my favorite movie. I was very scared to go back. What if I didn’t like it? What if I only liked the movie because I had such a crush on Wonka? I pushed play on Netflix and just from the first forty seconds… I was home. The factory is a second home to me. A place of creativity, freedom and expression. I’m no longer afraid to tell people this is my favorite movie. At school, people have been asking me all week what my thoughts on the Wonka prequel are (that’s for another post). My friends watch the movie with me every year on my birthday. We have a “Wonka Wall” in our apartment where there is a picture of everybody who has visited our place and put on the Wonka glasses that I own. It’s glorious and liberating to be free in your interests. True friends will never judge your passions, only fuel it.

So I sit here in bed and ponder on a full 18 years of this movie in existence. It’s reputation is still split. A love it or hate it kinda flick. But the love for it grows every day. Seldom is a movie of this size and success considered a cult classic, but sometimes I feel like CATCF is reaching there. As cinema gets less and less creative, I think people are realizing we took this movie for granted. The production design, costumes, practical effects, the music, the atmosphere… it’s just so uniquely Burton that I can’t help but smile like a lunatic when I watch this movie. It’s just so great. I know this film isn’t a masterpiece by any means, but it’s just the movie I needed when I was 4 and whenever I was down and lonely in my life.

Depp’s Wonka is an acting masterclass and it was heartbreaking to 9 year old me when I discovered he wasn’t real, but played by an actor. He seemed so vividly alive to me as child. He existed out there somewhere to 4 year old me. If I searched hard enough to find him… but he was just truly inside my soul. I also grew up with an overbearing and abusive father. I envied the fact that Wonka could just run away and become whatever he wanted. I wanted to escape to the factory the way Wonka did. The man isn’t real, but the lessons I’ve learned have been. Never let the past dictate the present. Never let the limitations of the world limit your creativity. Never let other people’s judgment get you down. Also ✨dress stylishly✨

Anyways this has gone on too long lol and I’ll probably regret this post in the morning. But I’m just full of love right now for this film and I’m so grateful every day that my mom went to Blockbuster and chose this film to take home.

Happy birthday Charlie and the Chocolate Factory🍫

[sunhlland]

This blog write all right. Idk how all his project outside mcu all get one way or another does bad or it's streaming numbers or box office. Idk hod it'd happened like probability so small,like we don't know it'd his team or it's him not knowing what hd doing. Did someone reading scripts alongside him to give advice? If u think about its somehow coming it's always something bad storytellers,pace,bad challengers development or something else?now he have bad reputation in Hollywood or big ppl not take him seriously. Plus mcu actors nowadays it's like swimming against stream,u like need proof to everyone and add some,all should be ideal and only then they will let go of his neck. I'm kinda sad for Tom. But on another dude he said himself that he don't wanna be actor 😔 like if it's not u passion why u forcing it dude idk working through pressing on urself. Idk idk like I stop expect anything, I wouldn't surprise if he retire after spiderman. Tom a man of unrealized potential

Ok.

First, when did Tom say he doesn't want to be an actor? Do you think that if it were like that he would continue trying and working on it? I think he has just been unlucky, remember most of his movies were released in the Covid19 season. Chaos Walking, for example (poorly executed, definitely, but would have done well at the box office if not for...zero promotion and covid).

Tom was very young when he started taking on a lot of unscripted projects. and I read somewhere that he wasn't sure about playing Cherry but the Russos convinced him (they bribed him lol, I'd say ) and since he feels he owes them part of his career, he said yes... The Russos have a name there out and (Advenger is a success to this day although it hurts those who hate the MCU) but it turns out that the direction of these men was bad in cherry. Now his performance, his acting skills (if you read the reviews) has always been praised... even today. (there is an agenda against him for being part of Marvel duh)

The common people love him, praise him... and even on Twitter they always defend him with..."the broh needs a better agent" "he always chooses bad projects" etc... they know he's a good actor. Those who say it's a flop...who are they? some Z fans who hate him bcuz he dates her and are jealous. Fans of other actors who for some reason feel threatened by Tom.... (and why do you think that is?😌) some idiots who think they're cinephiles and believe that hating everything that has to do with marvel makes them intellectual...🤪 ? LMAO.

You say marvel flop too? huh that will never be the case with Spider-Man, don't worry...Tom is not just any Marvel actor...he plays the most beloved character of all superheroes and the most famous. And people love it... 🤭

To this day his most watched movie outside of the MCU is TDATT, and most people always praise Tom's performance. And it's the most viewed bcuz it's from Netflix. If TCR .....

None of my friends have Apple TV and even I had to pay for 2 months of that horrible app just for him.. when I recommend the series... no one has Apple TV... I hate apple tv...Anyway.

I give you some advice, if you have such a poor perception of him, I think there are more actors out there for you to follow.

Tom is 27 years old...not 40. There are actors who were recognized just last year with 5 years older than Tom...and I am not going to mention names...🤐🤓

xo🤗

[ofmermaidstories]

Ooh ooh I wanna ask >:3

🙊Your coworkers or classmates stumble across one of your fics, but don't know you're the author. Do you fess up? Or keep quiet?

🟥How long do you spend in edits?

🎬One of your fics gets turned into a TV series. Which one is it and what network is it on?

👩‍🎓 Do you have an 'official' creative writing background such as a degree or previous experience publishing?

😁What makes you happiest? New fic comments, kudos, bookmarks, user subscribers, story subscribers, or Tumblr asks?

I wanted to ask less but I am truly curious about all of these hope it isn't a bother ...

you’re never a bother castle. 🥺🌷 but thank u for playing. 🥹😌

🙊: your coworkers or classmates stumble across one of your fics, but don’t know you’re the author. do you fess up? or keep quiet?

this is not really relevant to me bc everyone i come into contact with eventually learns that i write fic. 🩷 LOL. this has literally been a pattern my entire life. the only time i have ever genuinely been shy about explaining what i write was recently, while meeting a (visual) artist who wasn’t familiar with the concept of self-insert fic. 🥹 but mostly i think that had to do with a friend standing there being like, “it’s hot steamy PORN!!!” LOL.

🟥: how long do you spend in edits?

not long enough LMFAO. i hate editing with a burning passion. 💀 honestly tho at a certain stage you kinda need to treat it seriously (so that whatever you’re writing is readable 😔) but by the time im ready for a proper editing stage i just wanna rush through it to get to the fun stuff (posting). 😔🥺

🎬: one of your fics gets turned into a TV series. which one is it and what network is it on?

what are our rules of engagement? like it’s a bonafide 1:1 adaptation, the fact that it’s fic be damned? or it’ll be stripped down and the serial numbers filed off and everyone’s names changed? if it was a 1:1 adaptation, then surrender would be the most fun!!! there’s a bit of action, romance, and also potential for multiple seasons if it did well. 😌 if it was something that was gonna have the serial numbers filed off, then i’d want it to be like, the widening sky or something—a fic that wasn’t so dependant on the context of canon for the background. either way tho neither of them would be signed over to netflix or the like, i’d literally rather die than make a a deal with those assholes.

👩‍🎓: do you have an ‘official’ creative writing background such as a degree or previous publishing experience?

nah, i’m a hobbyist. 😌 i wish i’d studied creative writing, or something, in school—it sounds like so much fun!!—but i didn’t! 🥺

😁: what makes you happiest? new fic comments, kudos, bookmarks, user subscribers, story subscribers, or tumblr asks?

i’m not immune to the lure of a comment. 🥹 or a ask!!! everything else is just math in disguise and maths is for nerds. 💕

[hermetiqa]

hello! I'm 🫧 and i’m here for a tarot reading from u! could i pls have a reading on what cute things my first/future girlfriend will do w me? if not anything that comes up about her like her personality and our dynamic anything like that! i have never dated anyone before for context but i have had crushes and heartbreak and things never seem to really go my way romantically.. so i’m really just wanting smth to look forward to atp lol 😭tysm in advance 🫶

Hello, 🫧! Sure. I'm so sorry for making you wait but I hope you'll be able to see this (since you won't be notified because it's anonymous). I haven't shuffled the cards yet but I'm getting some good energy! Sooo I'll start your reading now.

What cute things your first/future girlfriend will do with you?

I feel like you'll start as friends first. You might meet in a group of people and you'll recognize each other in the crowd. Though, you might not realize at first that you're meant to be with each other because you'll be both cautious and think that you only see each other as friends, and nothing more than that. But after a while, you'll realize that you actually like each other and that's when you'll start pursuing each other. The physical attraction here is so strong and I feel like you might be spending a lot of time with each other but at the same time, you won't be impractical. You'll still manage your budget despite hanging out a lot. Your future relationship will be stable and it's so passionate. I feel like you'll both bring adventures to each other's lives. You might go to an arcade, visit some places you haven't visited yet, and I'm seeing a lot of picnics!! I feel like it's the type of picnic where the place isn't crowded. Either of you or the both of you might hate crowded places and would prefer calm ones. But I also don't think you'll be the type of relationship that always prefer to watch netflix and chill, because you'll be more like enjoying outdoors. I'm also seeing that you might be debating about some stuff, maybe about your opinions but it's more like fun and playful debates. You'll have a lot of date ideas and it might come to the point that you don't know which one to choose. I can also see that you'll learn from your past experiences when it comes to relationships/connections and you'll reflect on them so that you'll become better towards your relationship, and your future girlfriend will do the same.

That's all! I hope this reading helped you. Please leave me a feedback in my ask box, it'll be a huge help for me to improve and build trust with my future clients and other people here. It'll be highly appreciated! Thank you for trusting your mini reading with me.

PAID READINGS | TIP JAR | FEEDBACK

[thefudge]

Hi thefudge! I love reading your thoughts on fiction and I was wondering if you've heard of Obsession, a Netflix series starring Richard Armitage. He plays the role of a surgeon who has an affair with his son's fiancée.

thx! and yes, i have lol, but i have kept quiet about it because i am not a fan, even though i don't hate it, per se.

i will say, the trailer made the show look kind of cheap and bland, but upon watching the first episode i was sort of pleasantly surprised.

that being said, i have two big main issues:

a) i don't like the source material. so this is based on a novel called "damage" by josephine hart which is a very apt title, because it's all about the massive damage these people inflict on themselves and others. i read it back in the day and found it... interesting. it's not erotica, it's literary fiction through and through. and it's a mostly unpleasant, philosophical book. there is a famous 1992 adaptation with jeremy irons and juliette binoche which is faithful, in that it is not very pleasant and hardly erotic. because the thing about this novel is that the passion between these two characters is bizarre and unappealing, and i don't think it's just me. i think the novel wants you to feel that even these two people are not enjoying themselves, but they have to go through with it. it's compulsive and tortuous, like anna karenina and vronsky in the last throes of their doomed affair. and that's what's sort of fascinating about it. it's obsessive and deranged and not fun. hell, you don't really get any progression, you don't get tension and yearning and all the good forbidden stuff, because from page one, the guy is absolutely besotted with her and doesn't care about the consequences because he can't, it's that bad. the moment they meet is fatal, because they both realize what's happening. it's not love at first sight, it's like finding out how you'll die. it's sort of romantic but incredibly unsexy. there is no tension there. you just see two characters trembling with morbid anticipation. and that's fascinating and cool...but it is also deeply unpleasant and sort of pathetic (imo).

that's why i see this novel as more of a philosophical introspection into the limits of love, morality, responsibility. it's an intellectual exercise. and i appreciate it for that and for the daring questions it poses. but it makes me feel nothing. i am left cold by these two characters. so i only kind of enjoy the intellectual experiment.

which is why any filmic adaptations will have roughly the same effect on me. the netflix adaptation is both better and worse than the 1992 version, because it is less silly (god, jeremy irons loves to be The Most), but it is not as weird and daring. it's better than i thought it would be, and some scenes are compelling (though i didn't finish the series) but i just don't know what to do with it. it also doesn't work for me because i need progression. i don't like it when characters have an instant and inexplicable connection without even knowing each other. i can appreciate it in literary fiction and as an intellectual exercise with a moral/philosophical point, but....emotionally, i am bored by it. so it's a case where my subjective preferences interfere.

my other issue which is also subjective is that:

b) richard armitage doesn't work for me in this part. i love richard armitage, he's a beautiful man, but he doesn't have that subtle ick factor necessary to pull this off. he's the earnest gruff guy who doesn't understand all this kinky shit, he just wants to fuck you and hold your hand. he does not sell the obsession and the pathology to me. he does his very best, i will give him that, but something about it feels inauthentic. his facial reactions are, at times, so forced they become hilarious. he's constantly and very earnestly glowering like he's still on the set of north and south. it just doesn't work for me, even though i can tell he's putting his whole armitussy in it lol.

but even if! even if richard armitage was right for the part, i'd still find this deeply unappealing and unpleasant. interesting intellectually! but just unpleasant. which i think is the point of the novel, but it's a depressing point.

my favorite character in the book was always the wife, and indira varma is my fave here too, she is amazing and too good for this show lol. but other than that...i don't see the point of telling this story again, ultimately. i know the ending is shocking and incisive and yet, it just feels pointless, all of it. but do check out the 1992 film to see true fucked-upedness!

[literaticat]

If a book sells a ton of copies but receives very poor reviews, would the publisher care? Or because it sold a lot and they made lots of money the reader reception doesn't matter?

There are plenty of mega-bestselling books that received very poor critical reviews in the press. And no, I don't think the publishers give one fig, they are too busy gathering their money! (I mean I'm sure they'd LOVE it if their books all got starred reviews and glowing accolades and awards and whatever -- but a book being considered "good" by five snobs in NYC and London doesn't keep the lights on.)

Just as we see with so-called "trashy" movies and TV shows -- there are some things that are legitimately not good, like from a craft standpoint or whatever -- but are extremely appealing to regular consumers. They scratch an itch -- and in THAT sense, they are very very good.

For example: LOVE IS BLIND on Netflix is not GOOD by any critical metric. It's an embarrassing, witless, ridiculous "experiment" cast with a bunch of fools, all of whom need therapeutic intervention. Is it going to get a glowing review in the NYT or on NPR? Absolutely not. Did I watch every minute of it AND the reunion? Bien sûr, avec plaisir. Same same with our ocean-going friends on Bravo's BELOW DECK or the bling-filled shenanigans of REAL HOUSEWIVES -- these programs are not trying to be critical darlings, they are trying to be appealing and hooky for a mass audience who like gossip and scandal.

Now the thing there is, VIEWERS love these programs, regardless of what critics or pundits say. 50 SHADES OF GRAY is not going to win a Pulitzer Prize -- but out of tens of thousands of reader reviews, it's clear that the majority of READERS really like it. (And yes, thousands HATED it, too, or just thought it was Meh -- but TENS of thousands of readers loved it for what it was, enough so that the haters don't matter, and the point is, love it or hate it, everyone READ it.)

So -- to answer your question (finally lol) -- I think it depends. If critics pan a book but readers are passionate about it (whether for good or ill) and it sells a lot of copies -- the publisher is happy. If critics pan a book or ignore a book, and readers pan it or ignore it, and it doesn't sell a lot of copies, the publisher is not happy.

[dangelqueentmnt16]

my head cannons for the hat box ghost/Hattie-

I feel Hattie would love ice cream a LOT!

Hattie has an allergy to cats, so he won't pet them. But he would definitely meow at them.

Hattie in his free time loves big projects, and had recently been introduced to Dimond art. And constance hates it cuz he's hanging his art up in the attic!

Hattie is a hiden theater kid, the world shunned his passion for preforming so he ussally keeps quiet.

Hattie I feel if he was introduced to Netflix, he would binge stranger things, super natural, and the dark crystal.

Hattie knows how to play the violen🎻

Hattie's got high Adhd/add and so he intertains himself when things over stimulate him, by taking walks around the mansion. And can lose track if time Easley, that why he was gone from the attic for so long!!

His favorite Halloween movie is hocus-pocus, (and more adult film) scream.

He dosnt like chocolate very much, but butterscotch is a must!

When he sneezes his head pops into the hat box!

Ect more in the future I'm tired lol 😂 💕

[littlelambdrgnfly]

Oh my gosh i would die for an animated beatles series. i think that would be so cool. I'm so passionate about art of the beatles in general, more than i can express, and i think that would fit a lot better/ be more interesting. I think it'd also be better if so many people are so expectant for the casting to look like them. No problems on casting if you can just animate them :)

I will honestly be relieved if it doesnt happen. music biopics arent my thing either. many will disagree with me but i hated the freddie mercury biopic :( </3 loved rocketman though. But im always suspicious of movies being made about very complicated topics, especially if theyre making it just to make money. i think if they do end up making 4 movies about them, it will inevitably be bad since all 4 of their lives are so hard to represent in the format of a movie (thats at least what i feel)

And i didnt even think about their lives being almost similar during their times as beatles since they spent maybe like 60% or more of their time together up until maybe 1967. Great point. Even if it was about when they were more separated from 1967-1970, i still dont think their lives were varied enough to make 4 individual films about them

sorry im going on but you are still a beloved blog i go back to now and then (lol) and a cool person i think, so im glad i could get your opinion and also just love talking about this (since i havent been able to talk about it with another beatles fan so far) - person who sent the question about the biopic

Honestly, ever since I mentioned it, I’ve been obsessed with thinking about an animated Beatles series! Like, my god, it has the potential to be so good! I keep planning it out in my head, like each episode would be at a specific time, early years, Hamburg, Beatlemania, etc… A talented animator can express so much with so little in a way that live action usually can’t touch, and that would be so important in a rich story like the Beatles’. You could even do each chapter in a different style, or with different artists, just to highlight the changes they’re going through! God, someone get me in a room with a Netflix producer, PLEASE.

I didn’t even see Bohemian Rhapsody and I adore Queen and Freddie Mercury. As soon as I heard that the band was involved with the making, I knew that it wasn’t gonna be good. 😅 I really don’t watch any musician/actor biopics. Celebrities, and families of celebrities, are always going to make themselves look as good as possible, even if it means making a worse movie. But the whole genre is just so predictable— you’ve got a young person who loves entertainment but they’ve got some kind of barrier holding them back, they break through, they experience fame, they hit a low point usually with substance abuse, and then they either get better or die. You can’t really help it, it’s just the nature of a celebrity’s life, there’s always going to be the same elements. I mean, there’s a connection as to why Amadeus is so heavily fictionalized, not even told from Mozart’s perspective, and why it’s the best music biopic ever lol. There’s a real fine line between keeping enough of the true story and making an engaging film, and I don’t think that many filmmakers are up to the challenge.

Thanks for sending these asks! I love talking about film and television and the awful awful decisions Hollywood seems intent on making lmao! 💖

[virgo-dream]

I’m also upset that season 2 is coming to us this way. Neil’s involvement was what made the show so loyal to the comics.

I’m really worried about it tbh. It feels like the fandom is constantly being baited by Netflix, just the sheer amount of photos being leaked of the filming is enough to keep us interested, and while I’m sure the majority us are not gonna boycott season 2 (because Netflix might just plain cancel it and blame it on the strike), it feels like a… very confusing battle.

The thing is, I’m excited! This show means so much to me already— I got *Dream’s ruby tattooed on my arm* for god’s sake! — that I’m trying to hold onto the good things: the cast is extremely passionate about the show and these characters. The scripts were not at their final version but they were written by the screenwriters at least, because there’s AI now, and isn’t that fucking depressing?

Idk… I want to be happy but I fucking hate Netflix right now lol I went to film school for 5 years!!! Nearly lost my damn mind in the process. This whole thing is incredibly disheartening to watch.

[practicalmagicintuitions]

"Anyone who is still following that mess formerly known The Witcher, Lauren Hissrich is still active on social media or is she hiding?"

Literally nothing, she has not posted anything about it, even the Tudum event. She's been laying low. Henry was there, but it looks like he took a private jet for a total amount of a 30 minutes appearance, lol. He has not been in any of the interviews, and everyone is acting like nothing has happened. I think he will give like one interview in the press junket later, and that's it, then he's out for ever!

He seemed overwhelmed on stage, people were cheering him up fiercely, Brazilian fans are passionate. But I didn't see the happiness that his supporters are pointing out. All I saw is sadness, just my opinion.

I bet we will never know the real reason, or what exactly happened behind the scenes. maybe Henry will say something years from now, although, he did say something on stage about characters being oversimplified, that was shady hahahah.

I still believe there is some truth to that rumour, but not in the villainy way that people has been talking about. Nor the people who defend him by saying all of his female costars gushed about him in the past. Dealing with other actors is not the same as dealing with behind the scenes workers.

Lauren definitely messed up, the show is doomed! Let's see if this will be a good reviewed season or not, highly doubt it. And let's see what will happen in season 4. I have decided not to watch anything at all, not worth it.

I am not defending Lauren when I say this, but I am so done with people saying Henry did nothing wrong and treat him like the "Lore Saviour". He only praises his fans when they are "passionate" and this passion is on his side. But then will turn around to tell everyone to FO when he does not like what is being said and what he is being criticised for.

HW is such a hypocrite place!

I think despite the lack of support from LH and H this will be a success. Netflix algorithm doesn't care if you hate watching, the only important thing is that you watch it. And people will want to support HC for the last time. So the viewing numbers will be high. Maybe even all-time high.

I think this situation is the fault of both. LH is definitely a mess, cannot write, cannot read, cannot understand and doesn't care about the books, the games etc. She only cares about herself and I understand this was hard on HC. However, I think he has his own faults which lead to his departure.

I haven't seen a single minute from S2 and I won't watch S3 either but I am interested so I will follow the ratings.

[my-jokes-are-my-armour]

Blood origin

OK, so today I am gonna try to make my review and quick analysis of Blood Origin and try to survive it.

I'll precise more than once but I am not a defender or a hater of the show. There are aspects of it that I love and other that I dislike, even hate. So I do both parts in my critics. You've been warned.

Before I enter in full analysing mode, I'll just put some thoughts on the main characters and the show itself.

I won't go in full details (but it will be long anyway 😅), so consider that to be my relatively spoiler free review. It contains spoilers but I don't really say how things went, more what I thought about it. For obvious reasons, I will tag nothing but the #twbo.

The short version

So you can decide to chose to continue reading or not, I'll make it short here so if you are unhappy with it you can leave already 🙂.

Did I like it ? Yes ! 😶‍🌫️

Is it a good story ? In my opinion yes.

Was it good with the canon ? No. They are deviating a lot on some points. But for the thematics yes and I understand some strange choices. Other... less.

Did they try to save it with Jaskier ? Yes.

Are they milking the franchise? Yes...

What I did like ?

The thematics of the series. The parallels and the cycles.

The characters chimestry (especially the seven). Jaskier is a bonus 😏

The ambiance, the music and the sceneries.

Some cool ideas and good fights.

What I didn't like ?

Too far from the canon for some points that could have been integrated.

Too fast. They should not have cut 2 hours of it. But we don't what was in those 2 hours, so...

The cgi. I don't care about that, it didn't bother me but it can bother some and objectively that's not good 😅

The entity in the void plan. I have an idea of what it is at if it's that, that explains a lot of what went wrong 🧐

Are you still there ? Can I go into a more detailed review?

General opinion

First of all, I don't find this a masterpiece but there things I really dig in it and overall I enjoyed it.

Huhu, I enjoyed the show and I had a fun experience of watching it with some of you on discord ❤️. It was my first time that way and I liked that we were elaboring theories while watching. The bottom of that is : I am not an english talker so following both the show and the conversation was tricky sometimes. I always watch it in original version so it double the challenge. Some actors have tick accents and I needed the subtitles 😅.

So I watched it again later and it elevated my appreciation of it (and my complains also lol).

About the source material. Well, this is more based on the Netflix canon for some plots. Some things from the books are not explained enough to be associated with them, but there are metaphors that they took and made theirs. For example, I am pretty sure that all the monolith things are their take on the "Gates of Worlds". I never made the link in the main series but now I am convinced they are. I'll get there in analysis.

For the rest, more or so, they took the ideas developed on the books more than exact things. I understand that their vision can be upsetting for those who loved the rich stories of the elves that is nested in the future of the main plot, and for those who liked the game version of it. This is a really simplified and twisted version of the books. Also certain liberties have been taken. So book accuracy criticism can fully be understood from this perspective.

I will always find the book version superior in terms of lore. Yet I didn't have that canon problem personally, because I found the other links to the source material interesting. And in a way I guess that I have accepted the Netflix canon as another take of it. This is my point of view and I am not there to say I am right above others. What I want to do is : try to explain all the connections I found with examples, more that just saying this is OK or this is wrong with passion or anger.

That said... opinion now...

My first impression was positive but I found the series too rushed. I feel that the 2 hours cut is a miss. It would have slowed the pace and would have given us more time with the characters who I enjoyed.

Before hand I had a worry about the voice over of Seanchai, but finally it was discreet and wasn't too explanatory, like "I am telling you what you don't understand because we don't have time". There was some exposition moment indeed but not that much. It was more there to articulate the fast forward moments.

That said some characters suffered from the fast narration. The trio of the woods as i like to call them - Callan, Sacaré and Syndrill - were those who had the less time to tell their story. But they had a good chimestry together. For the opponent side, for me Balor suffered the most. He was cool but his inner motives were not that much illustrated. Like we don't really see the effect of his low cast borned birth. He just says it. For Eredin... well hmmm that's harder in a very twisted way (and it has nothing to do with his sexual inclination).

On the good side, I have a very soft spot for Meldof 😅. Her with Callan was really nice to see also. Even if he hadn't much back story at least he had chimestry. Éile and Fjall were the most developed and at the first watch I enjoyed their story but found their chimestry rushed. On the second watch I dug more into it.

I will develop more on the characters part.

I enjoyed the fight scenes. And that some of them carry some characterisation. Like the fact that they are all skilled in combat but they have to learn how to fight together, for example. Also a part of me was like yeah but why ?

The show had clearly a low budget in comparison of the main show but I found it visually good. Yes sometimes cgi is a bit low but it didn't bother me at all. And god, I love Merwyn's wardrobe and stylists lol. On the other end, I wish we could see more of the high cast elves. We had more of the low cast that displayed more "human like" costumes. On the main series it has meaning as they live on humans lands now. So they adapted. I am a bit deceived that they didn't add something distinctive for their culture there.

The music is great and seems very nordic to me. Maybe this is a good point as much as a bad point as it would have been better with more eastern influences? I don't know. The Lark songs are good and I liked her voice. I liked a lot 2 songs of her. The Black Rose and The Echo and the River because they hold meaning within the story. I'll tell more in a more specific post also 😅.

Mild spoiler (mild because the official clip is already out lok). As much as I listen in repeat the song, the Jaskier's song is not his strongest. It was clearly made in a rush. It slaps and the lyrics have meaning but this is not up to the narrative building. Also musically, the verses are clearly a mixed of "Toss a coin" and "The Golden One" so... Yeah lazy. I saw that Joey was credited for the music not the lyrics (well yes I can tell haha - they are not that bad but it covers only the riot part and they are straightforward) but for the music I find it strange because the verses are clearly not in his confort zone in low range. Maybe he played instrument in it or helped for some arrangements. Or maybe he is credited to get something from it in compensation 😅. Seriously I feel like this is the minimum for being the biggest PR shield they used all along. But I'll elaborate my bittersweetness of that in another post. So many posts I want to write 😮‍💨.

That said I question myself a lot about that story Jaskier has to bring back to galvanise non humans.

Anyways. Nonetheless to say, I loved Jaskier's part in the series but I am not really objective about that. Yet I will argument in another post dedicated to the narrative (one more...).

And just because I'm in the narrative part in my general opinion bloc, I can say it there. This is what I enjoyed to most about the show. The parallels and the cycles 😅. I didn't find it confusing at all even at my first whatch. This is too fast yes but not hard to understand. Very straightforward on the surface, richer under.

Some references about the lore are there but not said, as for the Aen Seidhe and Aen Elle. Those we see are Seidhe a long time after the depature of the Aen Seidhe.

The characters

Éile and Fjall are the main focus. They have the most time to develop their relationship. The accent was almost made on that, only for the drama 😅. Their back story is fast but a least we have something to understand their motivations. They are used to make us understand clan's rivality at first and unveil sordid stories about their species. (I have a problem with the clan thing by the way but I need to find the time to elaborate)

My complain here is more on the emotional part with other members of their siblings that falls flat for me. They have no time to grieve or to comfort each other more than for the relation they have together. Some deaths should have more meaning for example. Death of members of their family is used just like a trigger that fuels a burst of angry to justify a sudden change of mind, not very much more.

Meldof doesn't have this problem as her arc is about grieving and vengeance, and what's left behind... She is the most attaching one. Her story is simple, it has a beginning and an end. Her story with Gwen is bittersweet and mirrors the cycle of hatred. Also it refers a lot to the main series. It helps build the elves not as innocent than they were protrayed before and leaves us wondering of what would happen if their would overcome the humans...

Scian has an interesting back story and arc that make us understand her motivations and her scepticism. The back story isn't very detailed but it is part of the global narrative. Her combat scenes are great.

Callan is the weakest link in terms of storytelling but he has a marvellous synergy with Meldof and I loved their relationship.

The Celestial Twins, Sacaré and Syndrill are so important and very little developed 😭. I feel like in their past, in their relationship, there was a lot to say but that was probably cut. Basically she is the key to understand old magic used by the elves. He is the key to understand monoliths. And this is so rushed. I wished we could see more of them to understand some things better. Also this connects dots from the main show that were vague. It has nothing to do with the canon for what I remember about magic, but I find it interesting in its ways.

What I like the most about the Celestial Twins thing is that the elves value both high science and superstitions but the mystical part has really concret effects on their lives.

Now for the antagonists part.

Balor is the pivot point but he is not fleshed out. Said low born he aimed the top. He has a personal quest to gain power so he can rule everything. But we don't see his low born condition. We don't see disdain for his birth in other high born characters. Also he has an assistant who proves herself the person he valued the most but we don't understand why. They barely interact. I would have guess something like Celestial Twins for them but she didn't display any kind of magic so... It's very hard to connect with him even if his part is interesting. He is the character that makes us understand that the magic the elves are using is not chaos until it pour into our world.

Eredin is the most damaged character there. I don't mind the part with his lover as it seem to bother a lot. It's here to illustrate that the elven civilisations has the cast system as discrimination, not sexuality or skin colour. A system that have here the same repercussions. My main problem with him is... him lol. Yes he has ambition but he is flat and his story is all over the place with the canon. And I don't understand why they did this. I get that we met him "before" he is evil but in the book he is evil before what happened to him in the end. Lore character wise this is the one that I wasn't pleased at all with. He could have matched way better the empress ambitions with some good evil traits. Its a bit like Balor and Merwyn had stolen his purpose.

Speaking of her, Merwyn in another hand is a very interesting antagonist. Puppetised and puppeteer. She has a passion for those who came in the Continent first (the Aen Elle I suppose) and she wants the elves to return to their past glory. She has a complex of greatness and she turns out to be a coloniser. She wipes the current system and becomes empress with Eredin and Balor's help but she makes awful mistakes. Some seems done due to the fact she is a puppet but then... Her ambition is her fall down. She seems to care about her people but her ways are built on a terrible past.

One problem that is not clearly said in the main show and in this one is the fact that elves do not use agriculture, they collect. So her solution for the famine that is spreading is to get the resources they need in other worlds. And to achieve that she wants to "civilised" those worlds. This is a good use of the lore and a miss at the same time. We barely can connect the dots there. (I will explain later for the lore)

She is gray and at the beginning we can empathise with her until she reveals herself. I liked her ending.

There are other characters from the lore in it but I tried to speak about the main ones that cary the story. For me there was way too many characters for a so short among of time. They tried to tell too much.

The narrators

Seanchai is the narrator of the story. They tells it to Jaskier for him to ressurect it from the past of the elves to help them. Both are used as the narrative framing device for the show. We have to keep in mind that those two weren't initially in the show. My guess here is that Jaskier was pushed in for audience reasons but his cameo was less important in the first place. Yet he would have been told the story anyway.

I really want to see that piece of musical he had done in the first place 😅.

That said. I catch the Jaskier bait. And for some reason this is interesting for his development too. He learns something valuable that is strangely connected to the lore but in a twisted way. And it goes back to S2. That is for another post again 😮‍💨.

Also from a less grounded perspective, I loved the implications of him being told the story of another heroic bard from the past and his warrior lover 😏. They are two many dots to connect there so even if I tried to keep my head out of it, sometimes I remembered that Jaskier was listening to the things we were watching and I was like : Seanchai don't give him ideas, please 🤣.

We already know Jaskier so he is easy to connect with and Joey put on a hell of a range of emotions for his short appearance.

Seanchai is an intriguing character and interesting overall but they is just a voice in the end. Their motives are unclear. Someone pointed me out a Gunter theory before the show aired and I have to say there are some similarities. I don't think that's them but probably there is some inspiration.

The thematics (this is the most spoilery part)

There too much there lol. This is where I think they lost themselves. Telling too much in a so small among of time.

I am not against action packed movie or series, but The Witcher have long contemplative parts. This is something I miss a lot in all the shows. There were some bits in S2 but here almost nothing. With so many characters it would have helped flesh them out. I had read that they cut to keep the action up and I remember in interview of S2 where LH said that the there was not enough action material in the book she was adaptating for a TV show. For me this is one enormous mistake but it underlines how TV shows are conceived. Are we that much distracted to can't stay focus on a calmer development ? Also I get the need to not give too much to build the need to have more. But in this case I don't like it. The milking plan of the franchise is way too obvious.

For me the main plot, and the story that I liked, is how stories can change the world. And how a song can carry hope.

The Lark (Éile) is a warrior that became bard and one of a song speaks to the heart of the lowest cast. This song gives them the courage to rise. A lot of that is confirmed by Balor that fears the hope that The Seven are giving to the people as they can't be stopped by the empire. He want this heroic story to stop before it set fire in the heart of those who are oppressed. "Put them to clay". He tries and fails but my complain is that we don't see it.

I guess that a lot we don't see is because we can't 😅. For the same reason we barely see any crowd to the crowning the Merwyn. No budget to make it real lol.

The fall and rise of empire is ok. This is a common theme. What I liked in it though is the cycles. We have those who want things to stay as they were. Those who want a change. Those who make changes. And those who believe that they are changing things and just repeat the cycle instead.

And it is a perfect metaphor of what is happening right now with the show... are we just repeating ourselves ? Blind to what is good for some. And unacceptiing what others find so wrong for the others. In a sad way I think showrunners are pushing too far and too fast for changes to be tolerable. In my opinion, they will end it all the same way Merwyn ends and that sad.

Those cycles and the bad things that are implied is the reason why I don't get why Seanchai gives Jaskier this story (except for the very last part with the prophecy of course). But she ask him to sing about the Seven to give hope to the elves of his time. And he does that with that song in the credits. But in the end she is using him to revive a dying fire.

The thing I find interesting too is this : forgetting means repeat error from the past or lost purpose on the way. Clearly elves use masse massacre as a way to rewrite history, as their very long life span make the stories last longer, as long as there is someone to remember (Scian or Meldof are tiny exemples). Then when it's the time of humans to rule, this is the same thing but those who want to rewrite history have a easier task as generations of humans come and go faster.

On the other hand, remembering seems as wrong as forgetting here. They use the past believing they would make better things of it than their ancestors. Balor ends up breaking everything on his way. To save the present Merwyn believes she has to repeat the horrors of the past. Éile changes things and she breaks the cycle in a certain way but this is in vain as we know how it will go centuries later for her people. What impact would Jaskier make with his song ? Fuel anger ? Help them resist ? He feels for them and empathise to their suffering. He believes he does good but would he ?

I mean that's what I love about this spin off. It's all gray and that easy to see the world we are living in into that. There is no perfect answer. But plenty of room to think. There are large parts of the books that hold those thoughts. The world changing too fast, hard to find a place under other rules that don't match ourselves. Racism and colonialism. Twisted story told (by Jaskier himself until he learns what truth carries) that makes the concerned ones to react in anger but debate also. Those with longer life span that still carry the past (Yarpen Zigrin is way more interesting in the book for that).

All those things are in the books. They are not told the exact same way because it would take forever. But this is a part of how I connect with what I love about The Witcher stories.

Then we have two other plot points that are unfortunately rushed. The first one is the proto witcher. Mark my words, this is not the first one. He will be created by humans later.

This plot here has three (four...) purposes. And I don't like any of them haha ! Nonetheless it was kind of cool. First, they use it to implant the idea that it is the historical answer to the monsters later on. Could have been said (better) in the main show many times. Secondly, they use it to twist (not fully but just too much...) something of the lore about what is special in elder blood. This is interesting in the Netflix canon but this is not in terms of lore. I understand a bit the simplification but in the same time I find it bad. Thirdly, it gives an explanation on how twisted the creation of witchers is. It taps onto forbidden magic and ethical blindness. The thematic is interesting but not really necessary as the fact that submitting children to the trial of the grass already reflect that in the show lool. And the (fourth) point: this is a big trope to connect both shows of the franchise. As much as I like the love story and the drama it carries, the tropes are too big.

The other plot is the Conjunction of the Spheres. That one is OK I think but its importance is somehow under the water. This show tells us about the parallels worlds and I loved that trying to end the use of the monoliths (the gates) they ended in the biggest catastoprophy. They give little about the monoliths except there were used differently when the dwarves had them. There is a lot to connect to the original lore there, but they used it almost the other way round. Until it falls back "almost" in place.

The last thing I want to say without going into much spoilers of other stuff is the ghost entity in the empty realm. If this is what I think it is then it connects the shows with the thing I found the worst part of S2's writing, justifying a colossal mistake. For me this a very wrong take. But one it connects with something of the first season that was not clear and explains a lot. I don't know how to feel about it. Maybe there is a answer in S3.

But everything is about parallels and cycles, right ? So i dread a lot 😅

There is a lot that I didn't speak about because I want to dig more with it and it will be way too spoilery.

Conclusion

I had a good time and I like the show. I found a lot to dig in. I found a lot of twisted lore. I am passionate for some parts but I understand constructed criticisms of the fans that dislike it for what it does to the canon. For me the representation isn't the issue. There are bigger problems underneath.

That said, I believe it gives a lot to think and it has some great underlying connections with itself, the main series and the books.

I believe also that this may put an end to the franchise. The main reason I am sad about this is because Joey's Jaskier is, for me, the best iteration of the Jaskiers. In this show I loved him to bits because they pushed simultaneously the "old" Jaskier and the "new". For my tastes, he is perfect. (And Joey teasing us is just the best part of it 😅).

This blog is about Joey so I'll dig really further on his part later on.

I hope it was clear enough that is my opinion only and I don't push anyone on a direction or another. I am not stating. I tried to justify my plus and my minus the best I could, so please don't use this for spreading hate to any side.