#someone pls critique me if im wrong

[syawbrrymochii]

no no no u say this as a joke but as a proud Hufflepuff and a Barty kinnie, I can find a way to make this work

as we all know, Hufflepuffs are kind, caring, compassionate, honest patient -- and as we all know, Barty Crouch Jr is anything but those traits

However!! Please understand that he mustn't have came right out of the gate like the intense person we know right now (that we've created) -- personally, I think that at first, Barty was a very intelligent, well-kept and polite person bc rmbr!! his father works at the Ministry!! and has pretty damn high role as well!! maybe Barty started rebelling in his later years but as soon as he got to Hogwarts? Unlikely.

So he comes to Hogwarts and he, Barty Crouch Jr, was sorted into Hufflepuff. The teachers were all a bit disappointed he didn't enter Slytherin or Ravenclaw as those Houses would help sharpen his brilliant mind further but at the very least, he's in the House of the Kind. His father, of course, could not care less.

But what does Barty think? Well, he's a bit upset. You know how it is, Ravenclaw is house of the smart, Slytherin house of the evil, Gryffindor house of the brave -- but Hufflepuff??? House of the kind??? House of the naive, gullible morons??? A bit upset was sugarcoating it but he held his head high and decided that his House doesn't define him. This is where he first gets a taste of rebelling against an idea that is posed a law of life.

"But he's not kind!! nor patient!! nor selfless!! nor honest!!"

yes, yes well -- no one is a 100% their House traits, are they? Even I, a proud Hufflepuff, am not and personally, I think that's quite alright and cool. Besides, while those are the popularized traits of Hufflepuff, they're not the only ones.

Other, lesser mentioned, Hufflepuff traits are such as Tenacious, Determined, Loyal, Hardworking, Dependable and Genuine.

Barty Crouch Jr, despite his laziness, is tenacious. As we know from canon, he can work pretty damn hard and achieve spectacular results as we see from the Goblet of Fire. This boy is a genius and once his mind is set on a goal, he was so, so near from achieving it if it weren't for Dumbledore.

Determination and Hard Work can be seen from the same book as well -- yes, yes we're all aware of Barty Crouch Jr, Young Lazy Genius turned stupid by the fandom but again, look at what he's able to accomplish when he puts his mind into something! Even before the events of the Fourth book, he's one of Voldemorts most trusted Death Eaters, is he not? No average joe can accomplish that but Barty, despite his laziness and his intensity, manage to work hard and be determined just enough to gain the Dark Lord's attention and trust.

Loyal, dependable and genuine. By now, we're starting to blur the idea between fanon and canon but I'll try my best to stick to canon or the most popularized aspects of Barty's fanon personality that would also align with his canon personality.

Loyalty, as we all know, is a true factor of his personality -- kinda. He is Voldemort's most loyal, most trusted Death Eater, is he not? That takes a lot, I wonder what exactly made him that way but either way, loyalty is loyalty. He was loyal to Voldemort all until the end, even as his soul got sucked by the Dementor.

But by fanon terms, I feel like he would be the most loyal to his friends. Yes, he is harsh and he tends to be cruel but he's giving them attention -- something he learnt from his father. No, Barty Crouch Senior is a distant, toxic father that would never even look his son's way. I believe, in Barty's eyes, at least he's being seen despite the hurtful words thrown his way. And so he stays spewing foul worlds from his lips all until someone insults him or one of his friends. Unwavering loyalty would flow through his veins and suddenly, all his pent up anger can be shot at a target.

Dependable and genuine. Please, do not make the mistake of mistaking these as soft. Being dependable and genuine is anything but. Barty Crouch Jr, hand down no question, would be THE most dependable person in that whole friendgroup and he won't even know it. Dora likes some dude from another House? Whatever as long as he doesn't hurt her but if he sees the person his friends care about being in trouble, he'll help bc "(Evan/Reg/Dora/Cas would be unnecessarily sad over their poor, ickle partner" if he didn't. His friends are a bit down from sickness or trauma? He will start yelling at people to get out the way and let his friends do what they need/have to do and is 100% not afraid to start pulling out his wand or jump into a fight if a dumbass wanted to go against him.

This also ties in with genuine as one of his personalities. You think this man can lie about his personality? He's spent most of his life staying quiet, following orders, numbing his emotions as to not make a scene for his father -- and you think he'll continue to do those once he's away from his toxic environment??? He'll curse at the top of his lungs, scream the most blunt, bullseye description about your feature and throw threats like they're flower petals but that's just...Barty. He's not hiding anything, he's not sneaking around anything -- he's ripping himself open and showing the world just how he is.

His friends, his amazing friends that he'll do anything for, they know how dependable he is, how genuine he is. If they were in a bad head space, come to Barty. Barty, with his open personality and his stability, would quiet down a bit and will lend his bed, lend a shoulder, sneak into the kitchens or lend his presence. He'll be confused, he'll be internally worried but he'll be there for them and if they were to ask him "Do you hate me?" or "Do you think I'm a horrible person?" or something of the sort that vulnerable, broken people ask when they're at their worst, he'll be even more confused. He'll be like "bitch ofc I don't hate u wtf where is this coming from u think I spend every free goddamn time I have with u and hate u???? i have better things to do dumbass if i hated u u think i'd stand up for u when everyone else is being a bit bitchy??" or "yeah but like i still care for u tho. u curse and hex ppl or whatever but u keep a plant in ur room and ure nice to animals so probably not that horrible. maybe be less of an asshole and i'd say a confident no."

And this, this absolute confidence and blunt honesty behind foul words is more comforting than hurtful bc Barty isn't changing to be more gentle and soft for when they're down, he's actively shooting down their arguments with his honest, genuine observations of them as people. he's confused at why they would ever even think that way and genuinely offended when they seem to be implying he's hiding smth or have another motive -- bc that's just not who Barty is. What you see is what you get and that makes people, his trauma-induced friends, feel way better than being coddled by.

And it's also more devastating this way. Hufflepuffs are the House where Death Eaters come from the least -- maybe once in a full moon. The idea that a child from a high-rangking wizard from the Ministry from the House of the Kind being a Death Eater -- it'll make people wonder and it'll make people doubt because of their own stereotypes.

"If a Hufflepuff enters Voldemort's side, doesn't that mean it's the good side? Hufflepuffs are known to see good in others, maybe there is good in Voldemort's cause, twisted as it is presented to us?"

or worse, and more devastating,

"What has this poor boy went through that made him turn to the dark side?"

pity, the last thing Barty Crouch Junior wants, is the only thing people will throw his way when they say his name

barty crouch jr was a hufflepuff actually

[londonfoginacup]

Dude I’m slogging my way through a batch of books from the 1800s trying to figure out if they’re out of copyright or not and that’s TOO HARD so I’m just gonna post about something totally unrelated I’ve been thinking about.

I haven’t actually seen it in this fandom at all but probably because our fandom didn’t exist pre- 2010. But like there’s been a general *idea* circulating recently that fic authors are *too sensitive* now and in the old livejournal/forum days people *begged* for critiques on their fics. They think it’s insane that we, the authors of today, keep telling people to stop being assholes and putting negative comments on fics.

And first of all, I’ve got sort of a “and then everybody clapped” mentality about it. Like I’m just side eyeing anyone who’s like “yeah I wanted everyone to give me HARSH FEEDBACK so I could IMPROVE” as if Hans Christian Andersen himself didn’t lay down in the mud and cry when he read a bad review. It is not in human nature to be like “here is my precious child now everyone give her a good prodding with a knife”. It’s just not.

But ALSO you know what was DIFFERENT about LJ days? The community was SMALLER. I might be more willing to risk some negative critiques if the fandom is just me and, say, 300 other people who are so insanely into said fandom that they’ll track down a fucking livejournal community for it. Fandom is SO accessible now that 1. The Normal People (no offense) are involved and 2. Much YOUNGER people are involved. And that’s a big demographic shift!! (Okay “normal people” needs explained but like. A quick explanation being that fandom used to be for the people who would unabashedly say “squee” and “glomp” and wear cat ears in public. If you are not that level of brazen you may be slightly on the normal side. It’s not bad. It’s just different).

Like I personally do not want a negative critique left by someone who hasn’t figured out that a negative critique isn’t “I didn’t like this plot so the fic sucks”. I TOOK A CLASS ON CRITIQUE IN COLLEGE. I do not expect a high schooler who stumbled upon my fic to be able to leave a helpful negative critique! They’re new to this!

But also like. I’m gonna be real. I don’t care what a stranger thinks of my fic. If they post a negative critique on my fic and I read it and I cry, that’s not me caring about what a stranger thinks, that’s me walking along and being punched in the face by a stranger. I still don’t care what the stranger thinks but I will be getting a restraining order bc I don’t want that to happen.

I *will* sometimes go to my friends whom I *trust* and say “hey this fic is a mess pls help” and they DO they say HELPFUL THINGS. And maybe that’s actually what Fandom Olds are thinking of. Because in a small fandom community you can TRUST people! Like being in a church of 20 where everyone has known everyone for forever versus being in a mega church of thousands. I’m not gonna trust a rando in a mega church. I’m gonna trust Linda from the tiny neighborhood church because she makes the best pizza casserole and she cat sat for me once. Expecting critique in a tiny livejournal community =/= expecting critique in the vast ocean of ao3.

Anyway I’m getting on a tangent. The point is, is authors aren’t *weak* for not wanting negative critique. It’s natural. I don’t know you or your history with fic. I will take comments and compliments because that is fuel in the fire of a writer’s heart. That’s symbiosis. I will not let you prune my writing tree with big loppers because I don’t even know if you’re a tree surgeon, and pruning a tree in the wrong places KILLS IT. DON’T BE A TREE KILLER. Yes this is two completely unrelated metaphors. No im not changing my them.

[threebooksoneplot]

ok so this is a hypothetical scenario bc i listen to a buncha pods about books and sometimes the podcasters have Bad Takes and will b like "i think people generally think [insert bad take]" and i always want to scream and reach out to them like: no. respectfully, i luv ur pod, but shut up ur wrong, or at least to be like: if ur gonna insist on having this take at least acknowledge that there are also other takes out there pls n thanks (yall do this its gr8 im here for it!) anyway i was wondering if someone said something to that effect to you would you be like: ok noted thanks for the feedback ... or would you be like: anyway ur wrong actually bye what would ur response to this incredibly vague hypothetical scenario be?? im curious! thanks for indulging me/my curiosity lol ... ok thats all bye

I mean, I (G) feel like we've definitely done both of those things at different times! kinda depends on the take. like, does the phrase "it's not that deep" apply? then we're probably gonna go for a jokey "you're wrong" Response B. In fact, I'd say 90% of the time when we go for Response B we are joking (James did nothing wrong and Victoria should get to kill Bella as a treat.)

but in general we tryyyyyy to leave room for nuance and point out where we ourselves are biased? you guys are the best judge of whether or not we succeed at that, lol. personally I think the key is just doing what you said above, and acknowledging other takes exist. our experiences are not universal! we try to keep our finger on the pulse (haha vampire jokes) of what other fans are saying even as we acknowledge that "other fans" is a HUGE and diverse category that includes everyone from Cheryl in the Bite Me Edward facebook group who's been writing edbella fic on ff.net since 2009 to Emersyn on tiktok who saw Twilight for the first time last year to Princess Weekes, who just released a new video essay on how not all critiques of the series are bad faith vitriol.

it's also why we have guests! shannon and I are in such close agreement on most things that we knew from the start we wanted to introduce more diversity of opinions, lol.

we ourselves definitely have opinions of the reactionary "we've heard this take we disagree with one too many times online and now we can't help but rip it to shreds when it comes up" variety (stan renee for clear skin) but consider this our re-upped commitment to pointing out to the audience whenever that's the case. we know some of you guys probably like, touch grass and may not be aware of the niche online twilight discourse that poisons our brains 24/7

overall, New Moon has been a great place to build up our "acknowledge that other takes exist" muscles! it feels like every 5 pages we were both stopping to be like "well I don't find this compelling, but I can see why someone else...might...like this." it's definitely opened up my perspective to reread the books after years of being in fandom and being exposed to so many opinions.

so, yeah: it's a boring answer, but our response to the hypothetical situation would depend on the hypothetical take. we hope (and continue to work) to always leave room in our Serious discussions for other points of view!!

[cshmoney]

mmm I don’t like how Kai handled the Kanye situation. 🦦 My take —

Before he even tried on the clothes I felt like I could see through him.. I’m a very observant person especially energetically & I felt as though he was trying to present himself as his usual self, but I think he’s tired. It can be exhausting trying to embody that energy/persona all the time and that’s understandable & okay, but i feel like Kai was faking it and it just wasn’t working fr. anywho, when he gets to opening up the box, he mentions drake for whatever reason.. That’s neither here nor there, or so you would think🦦 but i felt like the mention of his name is kind of what set the tone for the rest of the try on… especially in the midst of ye dissing drake. Anywho, he then starts opening the clothes & he’s not his usual excited self. Which is okay, but its noted. So boom, he gets to putting them on and.. I didn’t feel too much appreciation. it was like.. forced. Idk, maybe I just love Kanye that much but ik if it were ME? I’m geeked fs. Idgaf WHERE im at in life or how big I THINK I am. Idgaf how much motion I got, how much credibility I got or who my friends are.. If I support you, im gonna show my appreciation. Period. and thank GOD that someone LIKE Kanye, let alone KANYE is sending me his merch??? Like.. cmon now kaiiii, this was a bad marketing move! It just wasn’t smart. You know how many people love Kanye??? cmon now. Ngl a part of me immediately looked at you different. Then to actually COMPLAIN about the clothes in front of the WORLD? It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. It’s one thing to ask for a smaller size, it’s another thing to quite literally complain abt and critique someone’s merch as if you purchased it. It’s insulting and it shows a lack of respect for him and what he’s doing. I’m disappointed. Then you get to talkin crazy to him? This grown ass man. This fucking legend. This man who’s already been through enough. Been through shit you can’t even imagine. we all know how Ye can react to things he’s passionate about, and he’s very direct.. but I just feel like it’s bc he wants the truth. He wants to know if you fwh or not so he can move accordingly.. or so I think. if you know that, why provoke him? Why play w him? It’s ignorance. Why not be honest with yourself? It’s like, you coulda been like bro my bad, it wasn’t my intention to come off like that… bc You came off kinda rude. and it happens! But admit that, take some accountability. No you didn’t have to kiss his ass or beg for his forgiveness, You could’ve been a man about it. But instead, you chose to speak out of the side of your neck… to come off “cool” to literal kids.. as if acting like that is what makes you a man “standing on business”… #notcoo #notcute #whoareutryingtoimpress.

kai pls dont make other people’s problems your problems, don’t be easily influenced and don’t let this “motion” get to your head. You big.. but you not Kanye big🥸 I’ve always been a supporter of yours bc of your humility, don’t let this worldly shit fuck everything up. Bc that’s literally what it’ll do. Karma is real. Do unto others what you want done unto you. Treat others how you want to be treated.

What’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong in Gods eyes… & two wrongs don’t make a right.

[maeshmallo]

so i folded and binge-read lore olympus

im just gonna talk about it cause im bored and there’s stuff i wanna discuss about it. i’ve always been in love with the hades x persephone story (the first version i read was consensual so that’s the one that resonates with me the most) 

im gonna start with the good stuff

- i love the animation! the colours are so fun and cool and i like how captivating they are, and the pink of persephone and blue of hades works well together

- i like that the time frame of olympus and the underworld is expedited compared to the modern world, that’s really neat

- the comedic timing is spot on, both the dialogue and animation can be so great and make me laugh to tears

- hades and persphone’s moments can be so tender and sweet, one scene between them that just sticks with me is when they are cooking together, or the first time she asked the names of his dogs and he lit up. they are so soft for each other and it makes my heart so so warm ;-; and i like their banter too

- i like hermes, and artemis, and eros, and basically everybody who’s become a friend in this series, they’re great (ares is an honourable mention bc he’s funny with amazing character design imo)

- the fact that therapy is a thing here??? pls they all need it omg 

- the exploration of cycles in different extremes (the cycle of fertility goddesses being used for power, having shitty people around you in turn making you shitty to those you love, the fear of becoming one’s parents, etc)

- i like that none of the characters are “good” or “bad”. as it goes with deities, they are as morally grey as you can get especially in regard to mortals. (with the exception of apollo. i hate his character.)

- i appreciate the discussion of boundaries between hades and persephone, letting fluffy moments just be fluffy and sweet

- their relationship in general has very sweet moments and warms my heart a lot of times

- honourable mentions: baby hades being very worrisome for such a small boy, hades with his stars, hades with his crowns and earrings, hades with his little glasses, hades’ scars. hades. 💕 

all in all, it’s a very fun read with many intriguing and cool themes that I love and i’m excited to see how it is concluded

now for critiques 

- why did persephone have to be 19/20??? not 119, not 190, that young compared to everyone around her??? i mean even though on our (mortal) terms, she is legal and perfectly capable of making her own decisions. but the issue within most age gap relationships is not primarily the difference in years itself, but the difference in mindset and stages of life (a relationship between a 14 and 18 year old is vastly different from a relationship between a 30 and 34 year old). there doesnt seem to be a point to make her so young and then pair her with a being literally older than death itself, ya know? but that’s just me 

- not necesarrily the characters, but more so the reactions to them. why is it that hades, modeled to be a capitalist business owner that keeps the dead souls as slaves and does things that are so cruel (i.e tear out some kids eye for a photograph or threaten an employee for asking for ID) is seen as a precious baby that can do no wrong?? now please understand that I love his character, I adore him!!! but he is no baby, and there is nothing stranger than seeing a morally grey character or straight up villain (who doesnt love a good villain every now and again amirite) be coddled and have excuses made for them while their female counterparts are villainized for the same or lesser offenses, which brings me to my next point

- minthe. she is no saint, and i dont like her all that much. she was petty and catty, and an awful and cruel partner towards hades. however, she is complex in that we see her internal monologue and can see that most of these things come from a place of insecurity and deep rooted issues with herself. not to excuse her behaviour because it is all very immature and lame, but i hope to see an arc from her that allows growth and letting go of being forced to see herself as nothing more than a trashy nymph. and learning to apologize properly

- also why was it funny when hecate smacked him across the face like three times but a crime when minthe hit him upside the head. my point is both were bad, but one gets forgotten and forgiven. 

- man why is persephone drawn so mf tiny? i mean it’s cool to be short, but in some frames she’s legit at his waist which is a bit odd since you’re kind of already toeing the line of what is appropriate and what isn’t in their relationship (employer/employee relationship, extreme age difference, somewhat childish nature). i cant lie this feels nitpicky but it’s just so jarring everytime i see it combined with everything else, ya know??

- i dont know if the apollo incident was necessary. i feel the story would have been the same if had just been a pushy jerk trying to marry persephone because she is a fertility goddess for his own advantage. it was just an awful thing that provides very little substance to the plot and made me struggle to read it.

- im still a bit lost on where we are with what’s going on with persephone. when she goes into her “death bringer” state, why does it seem like she’s been possessed instead of it being embraced as who she is? i’d like to see her gain more control of these powers and maybe trained properly by someone so that the next time they are used, they are used with intent and purpose.

- lastly, why is persephone’s growth being stifled? we see her make mistakes, and fall short in certain areas, but i would also like to see her excercise agency and fix things for herself. we only got to see a glimpse of that, but i want more so that she can figure out for herself what and who exactly she is and what she wants without having to think about others and what they need from her. if she is to become the queen of the underworld we want her to be, she doesn’t need to be coddled all the time.

if there is anything more to be added to the conversation, pls feel free too!! i like conversation and this is an interesting topic!

[lilikoi-lacroix]

Hello :) just wanted to chime in to say i love your blog and the love and happiness you have for yizhan and tu/mdzs. Im always curious to read whatever you have to say. Pls keep it up. Btw if you dont mind me asking is this a sideblog? Or do you only have this blog here? What other things do you like ie tv shows, movies, music, hobbies, books whatever? If its too personal obv u dont have to reply. Im just curious. Thanks once more for your awesome blog and have a great day :)

😳😳😳 This is so sweet, anon. omg.

This isn’t a sideblog. I used to have a tumblr that I abandoned in 2018 and it was mostly just beyoncé and sasuke shitposting.

I have some personal and work soc media accounts and a fandom twitter I mostly just use to lurk with these days.

I’m not a very confident writer tbh and it’s been surprising to me how much I’ve been feeling motivated to write about mdzs, bjyx and fandom issues here.

other stuff i’m into:

Some other shows that I like: black sails, hannibal, mob psycho100, russian doll, winter begonia, and I recently did a rewatch of hikaru no go I’m currently watching the svsss donghua and I’m almost done reading the novel. I’m waiting for the last episode of sdc3 to get subtitled even though most of the big stuff has been spoiled for me at this point. It’s ok though i’m just watching for my kings huang xiao and qiao zhi. and my son xiao chao. god i should make another sdc3 post. i haven’t looked it up yet because i want to see what happens in the finale first but i’m really curious if there are cpf of huang xiao and qiao zhi 👀👀👀

Other interests include astronomy and astrobiology (life on venus! maybe!) and various fields of history and theory (the two deeply unfun books about war and systematic oppression I am reading at the moment) amongst other things

For some masochistic reason I’m darkly fascinated by cults, mlms (not the fun kind), alternative medicine scams, and debunkings of far right conspiracy theories. My yt subscription list is like 40 bjyx or c-ent channels, a couple of science channels and ask a mortician.  Ask a mortician is phenomenal if not a bit cheesy but be warned that there are graphic images in most of the episodes.

I listen to a lot of podcasts. A few of my favorites are:

-you’re wrong about (two reporters go back to mostly american news stories from the recent past and examine how the story and the people involved were misrepresented at the time.)

-one from the vaults (canadian trans historian morgan paige profiles a different trans person from us, uk, or canadian history each episode.)

-bad gays (each episode two gay historians profile someone, usually a cis man, from western history who can be loosely called gay and loosely called bad. Loosely gay as in the subjects are often from times with a very different conception of gender and sexuality from today and thus aren’t gay in the modern sense of the word. What they call bad ranges pretty widely from innocuous and fun crimes like art forgery to genuine issues like transphobic and racist gay journalists and activists to genuinely monstrous stuff like gay fascists and gay monarchs presiding over genocide and slavery.)

-overinvested (movie and tv critique by two journalists/writers who met in the slash fandoms of the early 2010’s. big crush on gavia) Anyways thanks for asking! I probably won’t post about any of these things here. Maybe I’ll try to restart a general blog one day but right now mdzs and bjyx are what make me the happiest and I want to have a space to just focus on that.

[velveteencurtains]

folklore first impressions!

the 1 — don’t hate me for this but. HAYLOR RIGHTS. anyway so so fucking CUTE i’m gonna cry. “the greatest loves are over now” WAHHH IM GONNA CRY

cardigan — taylor if i ever meet you i’m getting you to write “stars around my scars” for a tattoo. watched the music video before i listened to the full album and i’m so glad i did. cinematic masterpiece. this song is so fucking good you guys holy shit. just the sentiment of the lyric “when I felt like I was an old cardigan under someone’s bed, you put me on and said I was your favorite”. anyway YOU DREW STARS AROUND MY SCARS BUT NOW I’M BLEEDING. guys. TYE PETER PAN REFERENCE IM. WHEN YOU ARE YOUNG THEY ASSUME YOU KNOW NOTHINNG GNGNGNNG.

the last great american dynasty — WHO IS REBEKAH. these lyrics are so good holy shit. DID SHE JUST USE GAUCHE IN THIS SONG????? the layered harmonies on the chorus oh my god. “THERE GOES THE MADDEST WOMAN THIS TOWN HAS EVER SEEN” okay i havent listened to mad woman yet but if this is a parallel i’ll die. DID SHE JUST SAY BITCH??? i’m putting “she had a marvelous time ruining everything” on my gravestone. taylor please give us a music video. please. please. STOP HER VOCALS ON “I HAD A MARVELOUS TIME RUINING EVERYTHING”

exile — okay confession time i’ve never heard a bon iver song before and i thought he was a woman so his voice actually scared me. “you’re not my homeland anymore, so what am i defending now?” REAL SHIT???????? wait wait WAIT “I hit the Sunday matinée/You know the greatest films of all time were never made” and “I think I’ve seen this film before” IS THAT A PARALLEL???? the duet section “you never gave a warning sign (I gave so many signs” Taylor I’m crying and it’s your fault. NOT “we always walked a very thin line” THE PARALLEL TO HAUNTED I’M CRYINGG

my tears ricochet — okay I already posted about how this is gonna kill me the title the fact it’s track 5 the fact it’s self written i’m ready. HER VOCALS AT THE BEGINNING. “IF I’M ON FIRE YOU’LL BE MADE OF ASHES TOO” REAL FUCKING SHIT TAYLOR???????? “IF I’M DEAD TO YOU WHY ARE YOU AT THE WAKE” IM CONVULSING MY HEART IS LITERALLY RACING ARE YOU SHITTING ME “YOU KNOW I DIDNT WANT TO HAVE TO HAUNT YOU, BUT WHAT A GHOSTLY SCENE” the way i’m literally losing my mind right now. this is the best song i’ve ever heard. real shit. real fucking shit. “and I can go anywhere I want, just not home” IM FUCKING FERAL TAYLOR. THE VOCALS IN THE BRIDGEEEEEEE. this is her best track 5 I dont care. “Written by: Taylor Swift” THE POWER THAT HOLDS

mirrorball — when i first saw this name i thought of the fushigi not gonna lie. NOT THE ECHOEY VOCALS PLEASE. “i can change everything about me just to fit in” oh wow. oh wow oh wow oh wow oh wow oh wow. i’m crying right now. someone much more eloquent than i will write a thinkpiece about this and put it excellently but the notion of never showing your true self ‪and constantly changing to fit in and being a reflection of what other people want you to be....no i’m not okay‬

seven — oh shit we get right into this whatttttt okay. the vocals, I’ve already said i’m dead like 100 times in this but who cares i’m DEAD. no one is gonna get this but this song reminds me of spring awakening the musical. like seriously this is ilse singing to moritz. if you don’t know what that means go listen to the musical and then you will. the outro is so gorgeous oh my god

august — am i stupid or does this song remind me of danny and sandy from grease. like this is from sandy’s perspective. ignore me i will make connections to musical theatre even if it isn’t there. SO MUCH FOR SUMMER LOVE BABEYYYYY. HER VOCALS ON “YOU WERENT MINE TO LOSE” ARE YOU JOKING???? for the hope of it all. this is fifteen’s older sister don’t @ me. STOP WHEN IT GETS QUIET AND THEN THE MUSIC COMES BACK YOU KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT MY EYES JUST BULGED OUT OF MY HEAD. yeah okay I’ll talk a lot about her lyricism in this but this song really made me wanna appreciate the instrumentals?? holy shit they’re so good. insanely good. what the hell taylor. oh my god

this is me trying — once again a round of applause to the instrumentals this intro is sick!! this feels like the last time’s optimistic sister. i hate it when people say that but like...it’s true. “so i got wasted, like all my potential” oh my GODDDDDDD. the vocals on “at least i’m trying” exCUSE ME?? okay going back to the grease thing this is danny’s perspective. period. jack antonoff and taylor swift is a duo that will go down in history.

illicit affairs — i have no words. no words. my favorite song on the album. holy shit. holy SHIT

invisible string — what’s so interesting about these songs is that they’re so intricate and complex and tell their own little stories that i barely wanna do this bc i don’t wanna focus on anything else than listening to the lyrics and making little music videos in my head. taylor has always been amazing at storytelling but this is next level. “a string that pulled me out of the wrong arms into that dive bar” with “dive bar on the east side where you at?” And “one single thread of gold tied me to you” with “deep blue, but you painted me golden”. wow. WOW. her little vocalizations at the end. i love her. so much

mad woman — THE SONG I WAS MOST EXCITED ABOUT WHEN I SAW THE TRACKLIST. DID SHE JUST SAW FUCK TAYLOR JUST SAID FUCK. taylor please give us a music video set in witch trial salem PLEASEEEE I HAVE ONE (1) REQUEST. “it’s obvious that wanting me dead has really brought you two together” IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII my heart is pounding so hard right now. what a TUNE WHAT A TUNE TAYLOR SWIFT DID THAT

epiphany — she sounds like an angel. yes i’m crying. is it stupid to say this makes me think of like a medic on the frontlines dealing with the traumas of war? probably. this is so gorgeous. the drums at the end that feel like a heartbeat. wow. wow. wow.

betty — TAYLOR SAID FUCK AGAIN i need to stop she’s a grown woman i can’t freak out when she curses. taylor make a music video for this but make the love interests two girls pls. nevermind just heard the james lyric. the key change?????? yeah i showed up at your party!!!!! will you kiss me on the porch in front of all your stupid friends?? STANDING IN YOUR CARDIGAN. william bowery whoever you may be (👀👀👀) thank you for this and god bless taylor swift

peace — so simple. so beautiful. yes i’m still crying. i love this song so much. wowowow

hoax — yeah the latter half of the album is just pure tears for me. “don’t want no other shade of blue but you?” Jesus Christ. Oh my god. “you knew the hero died, so what’s the movie for?” wow. wow. thank you Taylor. i love you so much

overall: yeah judging by the tears down my face it’s pretty aight. kidding this is a full blown masterpiece. literally album of the year. decade. millenium. my only critique is that there isn’t music videos for every song. everything is so intricate and poetic yet the entire album is so sonically cohesive and fluid i’m literally in awe. illicit affairs left me SPEECHLESS. holy fuck. i need a minute.

[stuhde]

🌻 hi hi. i don't know what to do when feeling mentally and physically drained from both work and a relationship that is currently out of control. he's ten years older, a goodish friend and someone who wants to take me to Disneyland and Disney World. Is it wrong of me to want to date someone in my own age range (20-28) and still crush on older celebrities without wanting to pursue anything? 🌻

hi sunflower anon!! apologies for responding so late, uni has been crazy. i have to say, im perhaps the worst person to ask about balancing work and a relationship... but I will say from an outsider’s perspective that you DO need to advocate for yourself, set boundaries, and communicate how you’re feeling. if your partner doesn’t respect that or is willing to work with you to accommodate your needs and work schedule, i would say you either have a serious conversation on what your relationship means moving forward or just... break it up (is that harsh? also relationship peeps pls comment lmao).

i would also say that just bc your partner promises to take you to places... that doesn’t equate it to them being the best person for you... you know? i feel like anyone can say that and then disrespect your wishes when you need time for yourself or dismiss you when you’re trying to advocate for yourself. but obs idk what’s going on or know your partner, so that will be on you to decipher!

crushing on older celebrities i think is really normal, so long as you’re not... insane about it? (some people will weirdly stalk their fav or not take to critiquing them seriously - but this isn’t about a stan culture lol).

in terms of balancing work and your personal life, I really have to say that the most important thing is that you make time for yourself, whether that’s having one day off in the week for you to sleep, reenergize, and be by yourself, or doing so with people who energize you (depends on if you’re an introvert or extrovert - I’m the former). hope this helps!!

[yoong-seok]

Ring, Ring

Pairing: yoongi x reader, romantic or platonic, up to you! 

Genre: Fluff, comfort

Word Count:  1362

Warnings: This does bring up/deal with panic attacks and anxiety attacks. 

A/N:  Hi! I haven’t posted in a long time mainly bc I kept writing, editing, deleting, and so on. This took two months...and even now I’m not fully satisfied, but sometimes you just gotta let things GO. I’m thinking of having a lil mini-series? with each of the members. It’ll be called Ring, Ring! I hope you guys enjoy, and as always any critique is welcomed! (also im sorry if there are still some mistakes!) I want to also shout out to @versigny !!! I had asked her if I could use a line she had used in her fic bc I loved it so much and it tbh inspired this and she was sooooo nice and kind. Pls follow her (but u prob already do bc her writing is beautiful). I didn’t end up using it, but her kindness is just something I have to thank her for!

Within the expanse of your bed, you feel cold. As you lay curled up, head bowed down, legs brought up your stomach in a loose fetal position, your teeth chattering and your heart feeling lonely. Growing up, you had the comfort of your loved ones. From summer vacations with your cousins, piling on the beds, sharing blankets and jokes; to winter holidays, fitting too many onto a small loveseat as you opened any gifts and shared stories. You never once felt alone. The warmth and love had always washed over you, and you’ve grown so used to it.

But, now, you’re all alone. Far from your family with a new house in a new city, a new job, and a new life. It’s overwhelming. The emptiness of your house is suffocating. You take in each breath from your nose, the icy air stinging as it travels down to your lungs and back out again. Tomorrow, you were going to walk around and acquaint yourself with the new surroundings, but you don’t want to. You want to go back home. Back to warmth. Back to your family—their love and reassurance. Back to-

"Hello?" you hear. As you calm down, you notice you’re sitting against the bed frame, phone in hand. Briefly, you check the screen to see who’s on the other side of the phone.

"Yoongi," you try to breathe out, but the panic attack still hasn't left your lungs, so you barely choke out the 2 syllables.

"Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay?" his voice is gruff, laden with concern. You don’t even know what time it is, but the sky absorbs the aura of lights from the city. "Hey, it's okay. You’re at your new place, right?  I'll be there in 5 minutes. Do you want me to stay on the line until I get there?" You shake your head and croak out no. "I'll see you soon."

You hang up and only then do you notice the time: 2 AM. He was sleeping, and you woke him up because you didn’t know how to be alone. How stupid. Your breathing became ragged. Hiccups falling between every few breaths. You wipe your tears harshly and quickly go to your call logs to call Yoongi back. Tell him he doesn't need to come over. You're sorry, you shouldn't have disturbed him, he has a full schedule tomorrow and he needs as much sleep as he can. Yet, as the ringing continues, you know that he’s already on his way.

You’ve known Yoongi for nearly half your life. The two of you had met in high school. As a lonely freshman, you walked around during lunch period, trying to find somewhere to eat. You decided to sit next to the music classroom. Finishing your sandwich, you heard someone playing the piano from inside the room. You peeked through the small window and saw the back of the blue suit from the school uniform. The soft notes of Fur Elise were playing before he stopped and began playing a piece that was unfamiliar to you. It sounded good. He was really good. The lunch bell rang and he turned, seeing you staring at him. You quickly threw your lunch in the trash and ran to class, feeling your face grow hot.

The next time you saw him was later that day when you were waiting for your mom to pick you up. You were staring at your phone and didn’t notice him walk next to you.

“You were outside the music room, right?” his low voice asked. You jumped slightly. Your ears grew warm as you recognized the face.

“Um...yeah. Sorry…” you mumbled. He said nothing for a moment, and you feared that he would make fun of you.

“Why were you sitting alone for lunch?” he asked. You looked up at him, but he kept his eyes forward.

“Oh, um, I’m a freshman. I don’t have friends, yet...” you answered him, slightly shocked that he was keeping a conversation with you. He paused again.

“Did you like it?” he asked in a softer tone. “Not Fur Elise...the other thing.”

“Oh yeah! I didn’t recognize it, but it was really good.”

“It was uh....” he sighed, “It was my own song. I’ve been working on it for a while.” Your eyes widened.

“No way! It was so good. It sounded beautiful! I don’t know much about music, but it was really pretty.” He finally looked down at you and you found yourself mesmerized by his brown eyes, and beautiful pale skin. And he let out a small smile. You found yourself smiling back at him.

“My name is Yoongi.” He sticks his hand out for you to shake.

“I’m ____.”

The doorbell rings through your apartment. You get up from bed and open the door.

He’s in sweats and a stained t-shirt that is likely from the laundry basket. A light black jacket covers his frame. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his black hair was sticking out in all directions. He walks inside, arms reaching out to a hug. The jacket and t-shirt have residual cologne, a musky scent with a mix of something you couldn't place...kimchi?

"Hey, I'm sorry. I was already driving when you called and it was on vibrate, I didn't hear it or see it until I got here," he says, the gruffness from earlier still lingering. “Are you okay?” Why is he apologizing? You’re the one who called him in the middle of the night, woke him up, made him worried enough to drive to your apartment. He has nothing to apologize for, you did.

“I’m okay. I’m sorry for worrying you and waking you up, I bet you have work tomorrow,” you mumble into his shirt, the sound of your voice muffled.

“Psshh, no. I was already up,” he says. You give him a knowing look. He tries to keep a straight face but gives up after your continued glare. “Okay, so I was sleeping, but don’t be sorry. I’m glad you called me.” You groan lightly into his shirt and mumble out another apology. "Let's go to bed," his voice barely reaches your ears. You nod noticing your lack of energy. You lay down and he sits against the headboard. He's being so kind and patient, not forcing you to say anything or asking any questions. It reminds you of how nurturing he is. You don't deserve him.

"I just got so overwhelmed," your voice is soft, yet the cracks from the panic attack are still reminiscent. You stare at the ceiling. He hums. You turn and face him. Instinctively, you burrow into his chest.  Yoongi lightly wraps his arms around you before speaking,

"Do you want to talk about it?" You deeply breathe in his hearty scent again. Your eyes flutter shut. Home.

“I’m just so alone," you begin to ramble. "I always had friends or family with me, but now, I’m by myself and I don’t know anyone here, and I’m so scared to go out and have to experience everything all alone. It’s too much for me.”

Yoongi is silent.

"I know you don’t want to hear me say that you’re not alone…I hated it when everyone said it to me…” You realize he probably went through a similar experience when he first moved to Seoul so many years ago. “Everything feels so scary. And it seems like you’ll never fit in.

“But, you’ll make friends. You’ll meet people. You think you’ll feel lonely forever, but I promise it won’t.” He lifts your head. The deep coffee of his eyes stare into your soul. You feel vulnerable. You feel naked. "And you have me and the boys. You can always call us.” He smiles, looking into your eyes. Feeling the original comfort of warmth, love, and reassurance, you smile back.

You don't know how to respond or what to say. Yoongi brushes his lips against your hair and you grip onto him. The change wouldn't happen overnight. Not much will change over the next few weeks. But, you feel safe knowing that Yoongi is by your side for the unknown future.

[scoops404]

consciousness streaming

i am only just finishing reading chapter 4 of inffqth

and when i tell u i have fallen for this dream and been brought to tears i mean it, u have created something so fucking beautiful, i am speechless

not just him, but specially him,

i also love how u have given them all different built-up emotions and now they gotta re-build them again the right way with help from loved and trusted ones,

and then u just make me identify with so many different bits of all of them, it's amazing

there's also this line that is making my brain go haywire istg,

— I don't get sick of you. If you got into working on cars, I'd want to know what attracted you to that. I might not like it enough to do it with you all the time, but if you see something in it, then there's something good there, you know?"

this line. is so special to me. i even took a screenshot and saved it on my favorites so i can go back in the future and gush abt it

idk how to explain it but i guess it's just,..wao, i wish somebody would love to listen to me talk abt my interests like dream does, and not be all critique and judgy abt it,

it's always "pls tell me abt urself" and then when it's ur turn of talking abt the things u like u r scared they wont be interested or it'll bore them? idk, something along those lines

but, dream. that line plus when he decides to sit with george's mom and ask abt what she is watching even if he doesn't have any interest in reality shows, it broke my heart, im just gone for him

he is beautiful, ive said it alr but he just is,

imma pull an all-nighter for this fic and hope that i dont get too shy in leaving a comment on it, cus i feel like imma have so many things to say by the end of it

thank u for sharing this story with us! <3

I love that’s the quote that’s stuck out to you at this point. I think when I was working that scene out I had that part written down first because I wanted to get that idea across and made the rest of the scene work around it. I’m glad it stands out <3

You’ll find those people, I promise. It took me until my junior year of college to find my best friend and she loves me like this and I love her like this (though not romantically lol). She doesn’t care about mcyt at all but will ask me what they’re up to, she remembers details about me that I myself forget, and she’ll randomly tell me to check my front porch because she sent me a box of lush products that just got delivered. She is a safe space to brag, to talk shit about someone, and to be on my side even when I’m wrong (though she will gently tell me this haha).

I’m glad you like this dream. Let me know if you still do and if anything changes as you keep reading. I’m interested to see your take!

Thank you for your sweet message. I may have screenshotted it so I can keep it close 💚💙

[scarletrebel]

a thing about rw.by

this is a whatever. not a meta or a theory or really a well-thought out critique. if anything I guess im just voicing my frustrations. if you like rw.by, please, please dont read this. you wont like what i have to say and i am in no way looking to upset rw.by fans, i just need a good old fashioned shout into the void. theres some things i liked in here too that actually came out whilst writing aha, so its not all my bullshit.

my main gripe with rw.by at the moment is the lack of character development for ruby rose. you know, the main character? which i think is the reason why my heart breaks a little that i dont love it as much as i used to. i identified so much with ruby. a little girl with a heart too big for her brain, who just wants to protect and help, having to come to terms with the fact that the real world doesnt make noble goals like that easy? thats my childhood right there. 

the latter is something that hasnt been touched on as far as ruby rose’s character development goes until this season, and even then it hasnt really been touched, or lightly brushed, its been mentioned. ruby thought saving the world wouldnt take that long, that the world wasnt as big as it is; she apologises to jaune for dragging jnpr along with her. all INCREDIBLE MOMENTS I was really happy about, but they werent expanded upon. it was like the writers wanted to hit a checklist of ‘make sure the audience knows ruby is naive and sad but hopeful’ rather than making it more engaging to learn about as aspects of her character, which is just lazy storytelling. 

show, dont tell. they’ve done that with juane. they’ve shown that he’s upset about phyrra’s death, they’ve shown him get mad at the situation and with qrow. he’s never outright voiced these things about his character like ruby has about herself, and we all knew she was a little naive. season one, weiss accusing ruby of being a bad leader and them showing the audience ruby trying to get better was so much better than just having her be like ‘im a little naive but ill fight for the greater good!’ like she has so blatantly been this series. 

like, why would she not get mad at her own uncle for keeping her in the dark about someone wanting to kill her?? ruby’s what, 16 at this point? 15 at the least? would she not at least be a little bit annoyed, and would that not show some character growth on her part if she was? my naivety ended, personally, when i stopped trying to be so dang optimistic, (this can become more complicated to explain, as obviously you still have to have hope in the world while keeping a level head and ruby is still young, but, thats another conversation) and if that moment hasnt happened for ruby after 1. penny dying 2. phyrra dying 3. her uncle keeping important information from her 4. her sister having her arm sliced off 5. her friends being split up from her 6. nearly dying to a foe way more powerful than she is, even with her silver eyes -- then when?! 

and lets just get it out of the way -- i dont fucking hate juane. i really, really like him as a character but i just fucking wish he got less of a spotlight because so much more attention is being payed to him and his journey and how everything affects him over ruby. it just is, and it sucks. i like theorising about his semblance, im pretty certain he’s really fucking powerful just like ruby is, but if he unlocks and masters his thing before ruby does i will be so pissed, and the only reason i say that is because it feels like thats the way its headed. 

juane is a lovely character. he’s heroic, he’s actually quite brave and smart, and he’s a good fucking friend. he’s a brilliant support character. but for the love of all that is holy, focus more on ruby when they’re in the same scene. about how he’s helping her on her journey, why could they not have had one conversation about phyrra on screen is my question. they did it really, really well it season one, and i was very loud about the fact that no, juane doesnt get more screen time or attention, but during season four it feels like he -- like everyone that isnt ruby or the other three titular characters -- has over ruby. 

just, please, rwby season five -- give ruby rose more character development. prove me fucking wrong and reveal that you were playing the long game, please.

also; i havent watched the last two episodes, but if it turns out the ‘’’cure’’’ to yangs ptsd is a new arm. fuck, man. please no. but i cant really comment on that yet so, we’ll see. i actually, up until seeing the preview for her spraying her arm and all that, really liked yangs journey. and taiyang is such a sweetheart i adore him. he was so patient and gentle and loving with yang, a few moments had me cringing but overall, an enjoyable part of the season. i hope yang gets to punch adam in the face. 

blake’s journey is one ive enjoyed also. and tbh, i think sun following her and thinking she was on a personal mission to take down the white fang is a very sun thing to do, and i think blake surprising us all by saying no im not gonna do that is a very blake thing as well. sun is spontaneous, carefree to a point and very dedicated to taking down bad guys. projecting that onto blake was his mistake, and im really glad that blake is the one to voice the audiences frustrations at how annoying it is that he follows and harrasses her into taking action (even when a part of us knows that she should -- a really, really well written aspect of blakes journey actually, i really liked it) (sun really needs to have a ‘okay im being a creep im really sorry’ moment but i dont see it happening. again; prove me wrong, guys.)

blake so, so needed to see her family. im glad she could see that and im not surprised that she wanted to run under the guise of ‘resting’ like. come on blake, we all know you’re scared shitless. her characterisation was on point, probably the most out of the four girls. blake was a+ in this season and im really happy about that, come to think of it aha. i hope she gets to punch adam too.

weiss im satisfied with too, although i really wish that ironwood and her got to talking. he didnt necesarily need to save the day for her, i would think that a guy fighting her own battles -- even if it is a ‘good one’ like ironwood -- would irk her, so it wouldve been nice for them to talk. (im still fucking salty about juanes ‘you can have her’ to neptune like lmao fuck off you fucking dudebros THAT WAS SO ANNOYING anyway) weiss being able to call off the thing she summoned before it hurt the lady would be a sign that yeah she’s getting strong but she’s learning control, so. shrug. 

papa schnee is an asshole, where is mama schnee?? and i FUCKING LOVED THE PLOT POINT THAT HER DAD MARRIED INTO THE FAMILY. please let this be an opening for a badass but subdued for Reasons mama schnee (although my hope is not that high)

my main, number one, OVERALL problem with rwby since the end of s3 to s4 is that they dont give the characters that need and deserve the most time and attention just that. i know its a small crew, i know that what they do and the time they do it in is amazing and admirable, and i do admire it and applaud it, they work so fucking hard and deserve praise for that. but they dont use their time wisely when it comes to assigning it in the narrative. and thats more of a writing issue, anyway. 

and another fucking thing. the majority of the interesting characters that arent the main four and are alive and have been developed or made mysterious enough to warrant interest from the audience are fucking men. and yeah, no duh jade, welcome to every piece of media for fucking ever. qrow is an asshole that everyone loves, raven is probably going to turn out to be a bitch -- the majority of salem’s ‘court’ or whatever are dudes. ironwood. ren got backstory over nora. blakes dad. adam taurus. for all that i love him, fucking juane. did we learn anything about phyrra that wasnt her explicitly telling us her backstory? no. we felt sad that she died because of her connections with other people, but, lets face it, mostly juane. im still adamant that she didnt die just for him, that she knew there was a bigger picture and genuinely loved him, but from a narrative pov him and his reactions was a bigger focus point especially in the aftermath with season 4. 

(ruby fucking unlocked an ANCIENT POWER BECAUSE SHE SAW PHYRRA DIE AND SHE DOESNT GET TO HAVE THE SAME EMOTIONAL SCENE ABOUT IT THAT JUANE GOT??? PLS LAST TWO EPISODES. GIVE HER THAT AT LEAST. PROVE ME WRONG.) 

i remember at a rwby panel at rtx one year, when asked about making a series that has four female protaganists, the guys said that they didnt see it that way, that they were just writing a story about a bunch of kids and yeah, i get that. but its not. 

its a story about four strong, tested, young women and they need to stop being oblivious to that because the narrative is fucking suffering. 

end rant/

[lindyhunt]

Everything That Upset the Internet This Week

What is the web-o-sphere angry about this week? A soul singer’s take on Michael Jackson, Disney’s first openly gay character, a comedian’s portrait of Aretha Franklin and a very scary YouTube ad. Here’s everything you need to know.

Sam Smith is caught saying he doesn’t like Michael Jackson

THE STORY: English singer-songwriter Sam Smith, of “Stay With Me” fame, joined fellow singer-songwriter, Adam Lambert, on a boat cruise in California. In a video uploading to Instagram by Lambert, Smith is heard saying: “I don’t like Michael Jackson, but this is a good song.” To which, someone off-camera can be heard responding: “Wow.”

Adam Lambert accidentally posts a video of Sam Smith saying:

‘I don’t like Michael Jackson, but this is a good song’ pic.twitter.com/Rhw1lnA5O0

— Music News Facts (@musicnewsfact) August 10, 2018

THE REACTION:

I heard Sam Smith getting drawn out for saying he didn't like Michael Jackson. How can you not like someone who is the reason you have a career?

— Prince Elijah (@candyelijahh) August 13, 2018

@Samsmithworld Don’t come for MICHAEL JACKSON when you wish you have sold as many records and you wish you were the King of Pop like he was. I’m so tired of you people studying our music, and studying our artist and claiming that you don’t like our music. Go sit your 1 HIT WONDER ass down and learn how to finish a tour. When you can sell as many records as the king of Pop, Michael Jackson then maybe you can say something. So I say to you Mr. Smith have several seats and come for me if you want to.

A post shared by Stephanie Mills (@iamstephaniemills) on Aug 12, 2018 at 10:52am PDT

Sam Smith is over. What self respecting musician says they don’t like Michael Jackson? Honey..

— bratty daddy (@Guido_Conz) August 10, 2018

RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE RAGE: Sure, it’s surprising that a soul/pop/R&B artist isn’t a fan of the biggest soul/pop/R&B artist of all time. (Especially since, you know, accusatory similarities have been drawn between Sam Smith’s James Bond movie theme song “Writing’s On The Wall” and Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song.”) But did this single sentence, off-the-record backhanded compliment warrant a very personal take down from Jackson’s ex-wife? No, not at all. Personal opinions on art are allowed, right? It’s not like he called him untalented, he just said he didn’t like him.

Jim Carrey shares a portrait of Aretha Franklin

THE STORY: Funny guy-turned-painter Jim Carrey shared his latest work of art with the internet: a portrait commemorating the late Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul.

THE REACTION:

who is this white woman jim https://t.co/8fqMcqeonu

— jourdain searles (@jourdayen) August 16, 2018

Is this not Kathy Bates?

— Ash's Aunt Hillary (@Iced_Mango) August 16, 2018

Art is also up for critique and my critique is: Aretha Franklin was a black woman, a blackity-black woman so drawing her this pale is disrespectful, especially when the materials to NOT do this is available. Drawing Black women who arent light ad light skinned is problematic, man pic.twitter.com/3mSkn4SVfw

— Tater🐮Todd (@PieFlavored) August 16, 2018

RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE RAGE: Art is up for interpretation and critique, and here’s mine: I’m pretty sure this image shows Franklin singing under a beaming spotlight, right where she belongs. But also, yes it does look like a portrait of Paula Deen.

Jack Whitehall has been cast as Disney’s first openly gay character

THE STORY: Disney announced this week that British comedian Jack Whitehall, a straight man, will star alongside Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Emily Blunt in Jungle Cruise. A source told The Sun that Whitehall’s character would be “hugely effete, very camp and very funny” and confirmed: “He is playing a gay man.”

THE REACTION:

Disgraceful that Jack Whitehall has been cast as Disney first openly gay character!! Where’s our hashtag? #Queertoo ! Obviously Hollywood has run out of gay actors! 🖕🏻🏳️‍🌈

— Jaymi Hensley (@JaymiUJWorld) August 14, 2018

Straight people playing gay camp characters is offensive. Period. @jackwhitehall pic.twitter.com/6UNnLuktVg

— ric 🏳️‍🌈 (@ricardo_jpl) August 13, 2018

Wow, @Disney couldn’t find ANY gay actors in Hollywood to play the first openly gay character in their new film?!?!

Don’t get me wrong, @JackWhitehall is a cutie, BUT HE’S STRAIGHT!

This is a huge problem in Hollywood, let gay actors play gay roles!

— Brandon Hilton (@BRANDONHILTON) August 13, 2018

RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE RAGE: Representation is incredibly important, and is something we all need to be paying close attention to. But I would be a hypocrite for justifying this Internet outrage when Brokeback Mountain, Moonlight and Call Me By Your Name — which all feature straight actors playing gay characters — are among my favourite films. The problem (I think) isn’t that Jack Whitehall is playing a queer man, the problem is that the character is being described as an old-fashioned, super camp comedic stereotype. But that’s just what we know via a “source” in The Sun, so let’s hold out a little longer before we really rage. In other words:

Everybody’s going off on one about Jack Whitehall being cast in this gay Disney fiasco but can we all at least agree on one thing. Thank the blessed lord it wasn’t James fucking Corden.

— Mrs Phil Perry MBE (@MrsPhilPerry) August 14, 2018

An ad for the horror movie The Nun is popping up on people’s YouTube

THE STORY: A six-second pre-video advertisement for The Nun, the second spin-off to emerge from The Conjuring after Annabel: The Creation, sees a volume icon decreasing before the titular nun bursts from the darkness, scaring the living hell out of unsuspecting YouTube viewers.

“When a young nun at a cloistered abbey in Romania takes her own life, a priest with a haunted past and a novitiate on the threshold of her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate. Together they uncover the order’s unholy secret”, the synopsis teases. “Risking not only their lives but their faith and their very souls, they confront a malevolent force in the form of the same demonic nun that first terrorized audiences in The Conjuring 2, as the abbey becomes a horrific battleground between the living and the damned.”

THE REACTION:

IF I SEE THE NUN TRAILER POP UP AS ANOTHER AD WHEN IM WATCHING YOUTUBE IMMA THROW HANDS. IM TIRED OF GETTING SCARED IN THE MIDDLE OF A JAMES CHARLES VIDEO

— emy moore (@emy_mooree) August 11, 2018

I really hate when YouTube puts a trailer for a scary movie before a video….like I’m just trying to watch funny American Idol auditions, I don’t wanna know about The Nun 😩😩😩

— Lindee Link (@lindeelink) August 13, 2018

WARNING! If you see an ad on youtube with the volume sign 🔊🔉🔇 being turned down and nothing else, ITS A JUMPSCARE for the new NUN movie coming out. i advise you look away and/or turn down the volume if you have anxiety or just straight up hate jumpscares, pls rt to save a life

— apple 🍎 (@bbydvas) August 12, 2018

RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE RAGE:  If this happened to me, I would log out of my YouTube account indefinitely. Thankfully, YouTube has since removed the trailer for The Nun, deciding that it is “too scary” for viewers and that it violated the site’s “shocking and violent content” policy. “We value diversity and respect for others, and we strive to avoid offending or shocking users with ads, websites, or apps that are inappropriate for our ad network”, YouTube confirmed in a statement.