#this is i think the only instance of me receiving the same ask im actually quite surprised | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

the-s1lly-corner · 1 year ago

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not sure if you have done something like this before but can you do one where the reader is the type to call everyone pet names? Kind of like Caine does, like "my dear", "darling", stuff like that

TADC cast x reader who calls them pet names!

ooouuugh characters who call people names of endearment habitually my beloved <33 gotta be one of my favorite genres of character; side eyes itward and dick knubbler and caine unrelated to everything im so mad it took me so long to listen to psycho teddy ive literally had it on loop all day and yesterday while i write RAAAAAAAH romantic leaning by the way! though some can be platonic if you squint, i think!!

CAINE:

honestly i think caine only calls people endearing names platonically and on occasion, but i think you calling him the same style of names it makes his habit more prevalent. i think the first time you call him something like dear, hon, or darling, he kind of does a double take. i mean, hes always the one saying names, but hes never really... been the one on the receiving end... now im not sure if you wanted this to be platonic or romantic, but i think regardless of which this one is; caine loves it and makes it known. you guys experiment to see which names are his favorite eheeh

POMNI:

i think it would take her some time to get used. i think the main reason she didnt really react to caine calling her those names was due to the shock, just to add some explanation for this post in particular on why she didnt seem to mind... i think if there were any names that made her uncomfortable, she would let you know! does eventually embrace it and probably asks if somethings wrong if you call her by her actual name

RAGATHA:

honestly i can easily see ragatha using terms of endearment for those shes close to (like in a general sense, not just familial or romantically) and i can also see her being a huge fan of being called them! i dont think shes been bold enough to ask to be called them, though, so when you just call her dear and love shes over the moon! probably makes a matching name for you! you become to darling to her dear, the bear to her honey, the sweetheart to her sweetpea, and so on and so forth. i just think... that would be really sweet... you know?

JAX:

calls you a really dumb name in response; like shnookums or something within that ballpark. honestly i think it depends on how you say it, when you say it, and how close you guys are when you call him any endearing name. personally i dont think jax likes public affections, since he kind of views it as vulnerability.... at least when hes on the receiving end. bro is weird like that, you know? only lets you call them any of those names behind closed doors.... thinks... surprises you one day by calling you a normal nickname... since usually its the above example or something completely out of no where like. "Mesopotamia" or "20 ton semi truck carrying 720 thunder fucking pounds of freight" or something just as hyper specific

KINGER:

oh i think he would love it a lot! probably calls you a name back in response, perhaps even one that matches; similar to what ragatha does! maybe its because hes old and he gives off nice dad/grandpa vibes, i can see him calling people that he cares about names of endearment (hes only 48)

thinks... though i do think he pauses the first time trying to process what you just called him.. takes him a few seconds before realizing. kind of like the "oh IM pretty boy!" audio but replace pretty boy with any name

ZOOBLE:

i think zooble is the only one who doesnt like endearing names; like i think in a romantic sense they would like it but only really like babe/baby, and not much else... very picky with what they do like, at least for this instance. definitely going to take some experimenting to see what sticks and what doesnt. funny little scenario but imagine sitting with them trying to find something they like and you call them something absolutely abhorrent, perhaps something akin to the "pookie bear with whipped cream and sprinkles on top" meme but WAAAAAY over the top and zooble just. "absolutely not."

not too mean to harsh with rejecting any names, though. but they are blunt about what they do and dont like

GANGLE:

honestly if this isnt romantic and this is platonic, she sees it the same way as when an older lady calls you a sweet name,... you know? does the ^w^ she does in her character intro short thing, me thinks, whenever you call her any name. very shy and sheepish about calling you any names in return, give her some time shes trying to hype herself up so she can return the same energy! only really likes it when you call her those endearing names, i fear that SOMEONE is going to tease her for it... poor girl.... explodes jax with my neurodivergant brain

#tadc x reader #the amazing digital circus x reader #digital circus x reader #caine x reader #pomni x reader #ragatha x reader #jax x reader #kinger x reader #zooble x reader #gangle x reader

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anniflamma · 8 months ago

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Im seeing post’s of People mixing up the Greek and Roman deities, so they are similar but two separate deities, like I have two views of each one.

it’s kind of angering me a little that people don’t research just a little bit 😭.

but anyway I wanna hear your thoughts

It's a mixture of being neutral and a pet peeve for me. I do understand that there are plenty of people who consume only mythologies from mainstream media, where they get a basic misconception or misunderstanding of the whole thing. Roman and Greek deities throughout history and culture have been very intertwined with each other. So when the Romans were syncretizing their gods with those of the invaded territories, and mainstream media echoes a simple "they are the same thing" message, it's understandable that people would just assume that is how it is. And for most people, they watch and then move on to the next thing.

Heck, I have a cousin who was like, "Isn't Hades the Devil?"

And then I had to explain to them that Hades isn't the Devil, and they were still confused because, well, Disney and every other movie that features Hades say the opposite.

And I don't really mind that to much, that people like my cousin don't bother to look it up. They are not interested in it so why should I expect them to be correct?

This also includes the whole Viking image of wearing tight skinny leather pants and having Native American chin tattoos. Because of movies, TV series, and games, most people right now think that Vikings look like that. And well… that actually makes me more angry than the misconception that Roman gods are Greek gods.

But I do have a pet peeve when people who do like mythology and interact in fandoms that orbit around it still have that line of thought filled with misinformation and don't bother to, well, learn more about the fandom they're in. That is something that I can't really understand: how someone doesn't have the interest to learn more about their own interest.

It's why there is always a debate on which is the "correct" Medusa myth or Athena is a pick me girl or whether Patroclus is a sweet innocent baby boy who cries and shit his pants every time he's in a fight or not.

Like, how can you be a Roman and/or Greek mythology fan and not care to learn more about it? Why are you so stuck with the first info you received? Why do you assume when someone tells you about their headcanon or interpretation of a myth that it is fact and not bother to look it up or ask questions?

This has also happened in my biblical short animatics, especially with the Daniel ones. For instance, some people say that Daniel was one of Jesus' apostles and was married and had kids. Every time I correct them, they get pissy and block me. Like, can you really not just accept that you were incorrect, acknowledge it, and learn from it???

But I acknowledge that people make mistakes and/or are gullible. I do that too! Like that time when I forgot that Pelops is the freaking great-great-grandfather of Menelaus and was definitely dead during the Odyssey. And now there is an animatic with that error. And I will have to live with it! XD

#Guess I have already shot my own foot here haven't I?#asks #pet peeve #headcanons #greek mythology

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vamos-chilli · 3 months ago

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My god people are so miserable in your tags, trying to find a problem everywhere . And btw haven’t you guys wondered that the vibe was maybe just a bit “off” because Carlos was just probably disappointed that he didn’t win that’s it, no need to insult or blame Charles when he did nothing. He won his race beautifully, so no need to be bitter. Some Carlos fans are being really annoying lately sorry

im ngl i dont even think the vibe was weird charles went to celebrate w whoever was collecting the constructors trophy i can’t remember and both of them gave carlos a spray before carlos went to spray max and they chatted before they left the podium like it wasn’t weird to me

but the main thing is people are always going to be like this in fandom . it’s a form of parasocialism in believing that we as viewers can understand the inner workings of our idols from ‘knowing them’ through the screen and coming to ‘recognise’ what we see as behavioural markers . happens all the time that’s why we end up with prominent shipping and rpf cultures in a lot of fanbases bc of our interpretation of how people interact with one another .

it can become obsessive for people, the majority of fandoms i’ve been in have been centred around real people and the subject of ‘truthing’ comes up a lot- the strict determination of a trait or personality of a person based on a second hand perspective of them, where the f in rpf is made redundant and people start to genuinely believe their headcanons of a person are applicable to their real life person . larry stylinson is knocking at the door .

because of parasocial and truthing behaviours peoples perception of drivers becomes tilted on what will best fit the subconscious narrative they are building- lando for instance i believe doesn’t deserve the mass hatred of mischaracterising as an awful person he’s been getting this season. nothing has changed between this season and the last except for the number of wins under his belt .

last year people felt the same hostility towards max . a few years ago it was lewis . its the relationship to our drivers as a competitor that’s changed . and those that pose a bigger threat receive the harsher penalties to their character .

it’s not an issue with carlos fans . it’s not an issue with lando fans or max fans or charles fans or anyone . it’s an issue of parasocialism that’s prevalent in every fandom for every character ever . we see it more for these drivers because they are top 5 drivers and they have larger fan bases . none of us are the big bad .

sometimes it feels like us vs them and i’ll tell you first i felt that way at the start of the season because genuinely i was being flooded with carlos hate in my asks and people posting the most insane negatively parasocial conspiracy theories about carlos having paid out the media to talk about him as if he didn’t just win a grand prix 2 weeks after surgery and be one of the most valuable drivers on the market for 2025 (i still get heated about that bc it was just plain disrespectful) . and yeah it did feel like it was carlos fans vs the lecfosi . because sometimes we let it be .

we build these insanely negative parasocial relationships with drivers and it consumes us. i’ve had to block ferrari fans for constantly posting carlos negativity and no doubt charles fans have had to block some carlos fans for constant driver negativity. lando fans will have gotten death threats over a race result even though that’s an insane thing to do and so have oscar fans .

everyone is annoying all the time we all annoy each other with our parasocial truthing of drivers personalities and the only way it’s actually going to change is if

1) we all take a step back to analyse our own behaviours and how we engage with negative parasocial behaviour

2) we stop making call out posts of ‘x drivers fans are so annoying’ because all it’s doing is reinforcing the narrative we want to build

#formula 1 #f1 #carlos sainz #charles leclerc #ferrari #lando norris

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narryffdreaming · 7 months ago

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Dani, do you ever get hate for being on your 30s and still on tumblr? I’m only asking because I’m a bit older than you and sometimes I feel highly unwelcomed by many people here. I’ve seen blogs saying that we (over 30) are too old and should leave, or making me feel dumb when I share an opinion. From what I’ve seen your blog is pretty chilled and you seem very mature, so I was wondering if you have any tips on dealing with this kind of stuff? Sorry if this message is out of place. Thank you! Hope you’re doing well x

hii! first of all, im really sorry people made you feel like that :( and also im sorry it took me days to answer! tbh i don't think ive ever received any hate bc of my age, at least not directly, but i think that might have something to do with the way i interact with tumblr/other blogs? like, i am 32 and i have no problem with that, i actually LOVE the fact that im not in my 20s anymore, so tbh i would like to see someone even try to say something mean to me about it lol no but honestly, i feel like we shouldn't even be listening to this kind of people ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ i work with teenagers/young adults every day, and not even once they've attacked me or bullied me for being older — in fact, im their therapist or their teacher, so im in a position where they PAY ME for my knowledge and experience lmao. so from my pov, the only reason why people on tumblr act like that its because 1) they're hiding behind a blog/fake account, and 2) they can't actually see us bc we're also hiding behind a blog/fake account. so honestly, if you ask me, the way to handle this would be to filter and choose the kind of people you want to "hang out" with. for instance, would you, outside of tumblr, hang out with a 20yo that makes you feel dumb when you share an opinion? because i wouldn't. and of course this doesn't mean i won't talk to a 20yo, or that 20yo aren't nice or kind or funny or smart, but im 32 and that means im 12 (TWELVE!!) years older. which means by the time they were being born i was already kissing boys and had my period for 2 years yknow? lol so of course we are different and thank God for that. that's how it's supposed to be. like, nowadays i have zero (zerooooo) patience for mean girl behavior. is something that it's just wayyyyy past behind me and that i just find so immature and childish that as soon as someone acts like that around me im instantly like 😴 can't even waste my time honestly.

so yeah, i know i KNOW the internet tries to make older people feel bad about themselves, but in all honesty when i listen to conversations teenagers/young adults have around me all my thoughts usually are "awww that's so cute you're so naive and innocent. just wait until you grow up" shajhdujg so yknow... why WHYYYYY would someone behind a screen hold so much power over me when it's practically the same situation?

anyway, i could keep going and going lol, but honestly in the end what i mean is: you're better than them, just let them be immature and childish and find nicer people to follow and talk to, bc there are plenty of fun and kind blogs around here (including some in their mid 20s) who won't shame you or try to ruin your experience just because.

#I'm not trying to be mean to younger people #but if people can't treat me with respect then im out #so this is about the disrespectful souls out there #I'll only have patience to deal people like that if im at work... bc it's a completely different context. but to hang out socially? nuh uh #people like that = disrespectful #God im exhausted I hope this makes sense lol

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unidentifiedfuckingthing · 11 months ago

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idk i feel like the goal of intersectionalism is understanding that all systems of oppression are arbitrary and post-hoc justifications for forming a society where some groups are systemically disadvantaged and other groups give up some part of their freedom of expression (as in, that which associates them with the underclass) as an agreement to willingly keep the other people disadvantaged. right. and it seems to me like still trying to sort out whether *discrete incidences* of prejudice are actually transmisogyny* or another thing because the person being victimized isnt a trans woman*

*literally anything but this is the thing rn

is unhelpful because the system punishing people for transgressing acceptable social categories is the whole point. so firstly whether an instance of prejudice was "misdirected" or not, it serves to publicly reinforce the boundaries between acceptable and unacceptable for people on both sides of the line. a cis woman getting fucked up for looking like a trans woman is straightforwardly transmisogyny; which is a separate discussion from whether she's systemically targeted by transmisogyny; which is even a separate discussion from whether she's the social and economic target of transmisogyny on a cultural scale. it's untruthful to say it wasnt transmisogyny just because its victim wasnt a trans woman, and it's also untruthful to say that experiencing transmisogyny on an incidental or interpersonal level is equivalent to being targeted by systemic transmisogyny or to being within the category of people transmisogyny is intended to subjugate, because all of those are just different things.

secondly the invocation of "intersectionalism" to mean that each axis is its own straight line and they only "intersect" at single points is materially, a bad analog of the function of oppression, and theory-wise, serves to create a lot of discussion of exactly which oppression or misdirected oppression someone faced in some incident that doesn't actually like, benefit the discussion at all. it isn't like, *either* misogyny or transphobia or intersexism or ableism when cis women with nonnormative presentations receive aggression, because those are all a coherent spectrum of the same thing. the reason you notice the same punishment of forbidden gendered embodiment as misogyny and homophobia and transphobia and intersexism in racism and ableism is because they grow from the same taproot. and honestly i would assert (and my experience is) that the fact it's consistently so difficult and contentious to pare apart different axes of oppression to analyze & discuss them individually is the proof that it's an incomplete framework and the point at which you should be asking questions about missing links that would square that circle.

so the main point im interested in making here is that tme/tma (and "straight/lgbt", and "white/nonwhite", and "abled/ablebodied/disabled", and...) are useful rules of thumb, because describing the effects of vectors of oppression that naturally operate on an impersonal, systemic, theoretical scale, on individual people and especially individual incidents is usually relevant and useful while generally not cleanly accurate. tma and tme don't literally mean "will or will not receive all possible transmisogynistic aggression" and taking such strong offense to the use of the words or the framework implies to me either:

literally genuinely thinking that the extent of transmisogyny is whether strangers have harassed you on the street. which is a shamefully common mindset and speaks to a perspective that has blissfully never once interacted with the multifaceted reality of oppression but still insists on being an important part of its discussion;

an insecurity in ones own victimization and the right to claim it when thats not actually being challenged (which, like, nobody can take that from you, but it's stupid and childish to refuse to recognize a boundary between real aggression and other people having discussions you can't look at right now);

or else, plainly being against the discussion of transmisogyny, and just conveniently finding an explanation for that Bad Vibe it gives you in the terminology being bad and bigoted. this just sucks man it's incredibly fucking frustrating to throw a fit at feeling implicated in culpability or complacency in discussions of/by a class you aren't a part of but also thinking you deserve to be seen as an ally. have a little fucking grace

the second point is if every time people argued about whether something was *really* transmisogyny or homophobia we replaced it with synthesizing the shared characteristics of different axes of oppression and how movements in one affect the other we might get somewhere more useful

#dude ive had that backstreet boys song stuck in my head since i saw that post like 9 hours ago i am at my limit

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attemptsonherlifepdf · 4 years ago

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bojack horseman and bo burnham: the art of acting like you’re acting and the comedy of misery

at the core of bojack horseman, raphael bob-waksberg’s 2014 comedy, is a story about the relationship between performance and depression. the protagonist of this renowned tragicomedy is best described as a sympathetic villain; he is shown to clearly be in the wrong across various events of the show, and is explicitly referred to as a bad person, but the audience is granted deep access to his personal struggles, resulting in some portions of the audience finding themselves on bojack’s side. the duality of his character is complex, but can be broken down into some core components, that all stem from the impacts of stardom and performance. the standup comedy of bo burnham arguably echoes this sentiment in real time. having been a performer from a young age, burnham creates work that serves as a satirical commentary on the life of entertainers. he uses original songs to explore the reliance upon and resentment for his performative nature both onstage and within his personal life. both the comedian and the netflix show are widely understood to be thinly veiling their critiques of the entertainment industry behind a particular brand of witty and absurd humour.

both bojack and burnham’s content openly criticises their audiences and explicitly states the manufactured nature of the narrative the audience is fed. in the fifth season of bojack horseman, the show satirises itself by having bojack star in a police procedural drama, parts of which are actively written by other characters to reflect events of bojack’s life. the titular character he plays, philbert, is the epitome of selfish male angst, and an example of what bob-waksberg’s show could have been; another story about a sad and angry man whose guilt supposedly makes up for the people he has hurt. according to bojack, philbert teaches us ‘we’re all terrible, so we’re all okay’, an interpretation that is harshly disputed by diane: ‘that’s not the point of philbert, for guys to watch it and feel okay. i dont want you, or anyone else, justifying their shitty behaviour because of the show.’ this moment is a direct reaction to some of the online reception bojack horseman has received. various circles of the show’s fanbase have found themselves relating to the protagonist to the point of defending his untoward behaviour, a response not intentioned by the show’s creators. this is not the only example of bob-waksberg’s ability to make his work self-evaluative. in season six’s exposure of bojack and sarah lynn’s problematic relationship, characters question their sexual encounter from the first season. the writers use this as a way of examining their own choices, and the harmful tropes they played into when using this exploitative sexual encounter as a gag. this self-evaluative quality is what sets bojack apart as a show that assesses the performance it participates in, much like the comedy of bo burnham.

bo burnham is known for directly addressing his audience, particularly in terms of discouraging idolisation and parasocial relationships. some examples of this manifest as responses to hecklers rather than a planned bit in the show, for instance:

heckler: i love you!

bo: no you don’t

heckler: i love the IDEA of you!

bo: stop participating!

he actively addresses the issues posed by being an entertainer, and encourages the audience to understand and recognise that his onstage persona is just that: an exaggerated persona. not once does burnham claim to be fully authentic onstage, and even moments of authenticity we see in his latest special, inside, are staged. we make the assumption that having the physical setting of a stage stripped away grants us a more personal look at the entertainer’s life, but he makes it clear that even in his own home we still see the aspects he has carefully constructed rather than the full truth. arguably though, parts of the show really are authentic; in his monologue during make happy, bo deconstructs his own show in a way that is similar to bojack horseman’s later seasons, admitting that all he knows is performing and thus making a show about the more mundane and relatable aspects of life would feel ‘incredibly disingenuous.’ in his attempts to separate himself from this onstage persona he actually manages to blur the lines between what is acting and what is now part of his nature as a result of his job. this notion is echoed in bojack horseman as bojack’s attention seeking nature is attributed to his years acting in front of a camera every day.

bo suggests that the era of social media has created a space in which children’s identities mimic that of an entertainer like himself, describing the phenomenon as ‘performer and audience melded together.’ in this observation he criticises the phenomenon. bo attempts to force the audience to recognise the ways in which their lives are becoming shaped by the presence of an audience and to some extent uses his own life as a warning tale against this. he points out the way in which the ‘tortured artist trope’ means that your cries for help or roundabout attempts of addressing mature themes such as substance abuse, mental illness and trauma become part of that on stage persona and therefore become part of the joke. both bo and bojack address these topics in more discrete manners earlier in their careers, but this eventually becomes expected, and thus they are forced to explicitly detail their struggles with these topics in order to be taken seriously. even then, portions of the audience are inclined to see it as part of the persona or as something that fuels the creators creativity and thus does not need to be addressed as a legitimate issue. the emphasis on creating a character or persona promotes the commodification of mental illness: any struggle must be made into a song or a joke or a bit, must be turned into part of the act in order to have value. this actually serves to delegitimise these emotions and create a disconnect between the feeling and the person, as it becomes near impossible to exist without feeling as though you are acting. even when an artist’s cries for help become blatant, they continue to go ignored because now they serve the purpose of creating content that criticises the industry they stem from. online audiences can be seen as treating bo burnham and his insightful work as existing to demonstrate the negative effects entertaining can have, and because this insight is useful or thought-provoking to audiences, he is almost demanded to keep entertaining and creating. in response to this demand, his work becomes more meta and his messages become clearer, and the more obvious his messages, the more people he reaches. this increases audience demands and traps entertainers in a cycle fraught with internal conflict.

during bojack’s second season, bojack’s date asks him, ‘come on, do that bojack thing where you make a big deal and everyone laughs, but at the same time we relate, because you're saying the things polite society won't.’ this moment exemplifies how aspects of his genuine personality have now become a part of his persona and this is demanded of him in genuine and serious situations, undermining the validity of his emotional reactions. he immediately makes a rude comment to the waitress at the restaurant they’re in and satisfies his date by performing that character he has set himself out to be. some circles of the fan base have argued that bojack is written as a depiction of somebody with borderline personality disorder, offering a psychoanalytical lens through which to view this notion of performance. a defining symptom of borderline personality disorder is a fluctuating sense of self; having grown up on camera, being demanded to perform to others as young as six years old, bojack’s sense of self will have been primarily dictated by the need to act. whether this acting is for the sake of comedy, or as a representation of masking his mental illness, when they need to act is taken away bojack entirely loses his sense of self and relapses into his addictions: ‘i felt like a xerox of a xerox of a person.’ burnham’s depictions of depression run along a similar vein; in his new special he poses the idea that his comedy no longer serves the same personal purpose it once did for him. he questions ‘shit should I be joking at a time like this?’ and satirises the idea that arts have enough value to change or impact the current global issues that we are facing. burnham’s ‘possible ending song’ to his latest special, he asks ‘does anybody want to joke when no-one’s laughing in the background? so this is how it is.’ implicit in this question is the idea that when the audience is taken away and there is nobody to perform his pain to, he is left with his pain. instead of being able to turn his musings and thoughts into a product to sell to the public, he is forced to just think about them in isolation and actually face them, an abrupt and distressing experience.

the value of performance and art is questioned by both bojack and burnham, particularly during the later years of their respective content. burnham’s infamous song, art is dead, appears to be a direct response to the question ‘what is the worth of art?’ he posits that performing is the result of a need for attention (‘my drug’s attention, i am an addict, but i get paid to indulge in my habit’) and repeatedly jokes throughout his career that the entertainment industry receives more respect that it deserves (‘i’m the same as you, im still doing a job or a service, i’m just massively overpaid’). his revelations regarding the inherent desire for attention that runs through all entertainers is frequently satirised in bojack horseman. bojack is comically, hyperbolically attention hungry and self-obsessed, and the show has a running gag in which he uses phrases along the lines of ‘hello, why is nobody paying attention to me, the famous movie star, instead of these other boring people.’ his constant attempts to direct the focus of others towards himself result in bojack feeling like ‘everybody loves you, but nobody likes you.’ his peers buy into his act and adore the comical, exaggerated, laughable aspects of his character, but find very little room to respond to him on a genuinely personal level because of this. interestingly, bojack appears to enjoy catering to his audience and the instant gratification it produces, whereas bo burnham becomes increasingly candid about his mixed feeling towards his audience. ‘i wanna please you, but i wanna stay true to myself, i wanna give you the night out that you deserve, but i wanna say what i think and not care what you think about it.’ he admits to catering to what audiences want from him, but resents both the audience and himself in the process as it reveals to himself which parts of his character are solely for the sake of people watching him.

within bojack horseman, this concept is applicable not only to the protagonist, but to the various forms of performer demonstrated in the plot. towards the show’s end, sarah lynn asks ‘what does being authentic have to do with anything?’ to which herb kazzaz responds, ‘when i finally stopped hiding behind a facade i could be at peace.’ this highlights the fact that because entertainers are demanded to continue the facade, they do not receive the opportunity to find ‘peace.’ this sentiment is scattered throughout the show, through a musical motif, the song ‘don’t stop dancing.’ the song stems from a life lesson bojack imparted to sarah lynn at a young age, and becomes more frequently used as the show progresses and bojack’s situation worsens.

sarah lynn is also used to explore the value of entertainers; in the show’s penultimate episode, she directly compares her work as a pop icon to the charity work of herb, arguing that if she suffered in order to produce her work. it has to mean something. she lists the struggles she faced when on tour: ‘i gave my whole life...my manager leaked my nudes to get more tour dates added, my mom pointed out every carb i ate, it was hell. but it gave millions of fans a show they will never forget and that has to mean something.’ implicit in this notion is the idea that entertainment is the epitome of self-sacrifice. there is a surplus of mentally ill individuals within the industry, largely due to the nature of the industry itself, but some may argue that the cultural grip the industry has, and the vast amounts of respect and money it generates annually, gives the suffering of these prolific individuals meaning.

the juxtaposing responses entertainers feel towards their audiences manifest as two forms of desperation: the desperation to be an individual who is held accountable, and the desperation to be loved and validated. we see both bojack and bo depict how they oscillate between ‘this is all a lie’ and ‘my affection for my audience is genuine’, or between ‘do not become infatuated with me im a character’ and ‘please fucking love my character i do not know how to be loved on a personal level.’ bojack explicitly asks diane to write a slam piece on him and ‘hold him accountable’, similar to bo’s song ‘problematic’ in which the hook includes the phrase ‘isn’t anybody gonna hold me accountable?’ for his insensitive jokes as a late teenager. their self-awareness is what enables their self-evaluative qualities, but self-awareness is its own issue. bojack grapples with a narcissistic view of his own recognition of his behaviour before settling on a more nuanced, albeit depressing take. originally he makes the assumption that in recognising the negative aspects of himself, he is superior to those who behave similarly: ‘but i know im a piece of shit. that makes me better than all the pieces of shit that don’t know theyre pieces of shit.’ eventually, during his time at rehab he is forced to reconcile with the fact that self awareness does not, to put it bluntly, make you the superior asshole, it just makes you the more miserable one. the show does, however, make a point to recognise how the entertainment industry protects ‘pieces of shit’, prioritising their productive value over how much they deserve to be held accountable, demonstrated using characters like hank hippopoalus. the show itself obviously stems from the entertainment industry, as it is a form of media produced by netflix, one of the most popular streaming platforms available. bojack horseman and bo burnham represent the small corner of the industry that is reflective enough to showcase the damage it inflicts. this is powerful in terms of education and awareness, and urges audiences to question their own motives and versions of performance, but the reflection alone is not powerful enough to help the artists in question. burnham’s candid conversations surrounding his mental health continue to reveal a plethora of issues somewhat caused or sustained by the nature of his career. within bojack horseman, bojack is only able to stop hurting other characters when those characters construct a situation that forces him to face consequence, his introspection alone is not enough. while bojack ends on a message of hope, suggesting to the audience that reverting back to the status quo is not the only acceptable way for events to end, it leaves stinging lessons and social commentary with the audience regarding the unnatural and damaging narrative that performers live through. on a similar but markedly different note, bo burnham’s work and personal progression is playing out in real time, and not in a way that is as raw and genuine as it appears. each bit is planned, even the most vulnerable moments that appear unplanned and painful. his latest special is not entirely devoid of hope, but does translate to audiences as a somewhat exaggerated look around the era of social media and the development of performance, using himself as an example.

the absurdist humour that often acts as a vehicle for poignant statements or emotionally provocative questions is very specific to each media creator. bob-waksberg’s use of puns, tongue twisters and entirely ridiculous circumstances served to simultaneously characterise his points as an expected part of the show’s style of humour, similar to bojack’s emotional instability, but also to make them appear gut-punching in comparison to the humour. burnham’s work is similar in that poignant but blunt statements are often sandwiched between absurd and exaggerated jokes, making them stand out via contrast but not giving the audience too much time to dwell upon them as they are said. performance art is second nature to entertainers, and is presented a an issue that is infiltrating the general population via social media rather than solely affecting the ‘elites’. bojack horseman and bo burnham present the duality of artists simultaneously attempting to level the playing field and increase their chances of survival in the industry, and encourage audiences to know that everyone is bluffing and you’ll never have the right cards anyway.

i.k.b

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aknosde · 4 years ago

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i’ve asked this before to other people but im curious about your answer; if the god’s blood is golden and human’s is red shouldn’t demigods have a combination of those colors?

*take this as seriously as u want lol*

Y’know, when you first sent this months ago I wrote out a really in-depth response where I went into biology and the like, and then I came back to work on it and it disappeared. That haunts me to this day because I just let this sit, but I finally have energy to go ham on this again so here we go.

I think to look at this you really have to look at the gods. Many, many people have written posts about parentage and genetics, and if I find my favorite I’ll link it here, but the two schools of thought that most people work under are A) that gods have no DNA or B) that gods become people when they do the do. Both of which would have interesting impacts, but primarily I dismiss A because that would mean all children are essentially clones of their parents, which we know is not the case. (however if you did subscribe to that, it would mean that all campers that aren’t the same gender as their mortal parent would be trans which is really cool)

So, B) gods become people with DNA. So, the nitty gritty, do gods change their appearance when they “”become“” human? We know they can from actual mythology. I suspect that they have preferences, and those are what demigods/mortals can see, so Zeus dresses and looks like a snotty white businessman on purpose for some reason. Okay neat. God sees some mortal they want to get with, god makes themself a “”human“” body and screws around with genetics until it’s what they want. And these genetics get passed down to their offspring. Evidence being that Percy is told he looks like a photocopy of Poseidon (i don’t subscribe to Poseidon or Percy being white, btw, but evidence still applies)

But they’re still godly, still divine. And this is where we reach another barrier, because what is inside of them? When Percy fights Ares, he bleeds gold. But Ares wasn’t on Earth or in mock human form with the purpose of making babies, he was there to beat the shit out of a twelve year old. There’s no answer. Unless I turn this boat around and talk about where the greek gods get their power because that would impact their health. Percy is more powerful in water and Clarisse receives the blessing of Ares while fighting a war, so let’s take that and say that Gods receive power from whatever they are the god of, and the health of those things. Another example being Poseidon all worn out while the oceans are so messed up in TLO. A god in their element has some more juice.

And this is why, in a really roundabout way, I think that the red vs. gold blood would fluctuate. Overall, I would say that demigod blood is red 97% of the time, non mixed. Given that gods would have some mortal blood in their “”mortal“” bodies and the mortal blood of mortal parents. Gold blood would come into play during serious bleeding (like if we don’t treat this you’ll die bleeding) and if/when demigods are in their element and powerful. For instance, children of the big three might have more gold blood, or have gold blood more often (not that anyone can tell if they aren’t actively bleeding). Versus Annabeth, who does not have any powers or magical energy bestowed on her, probably only has gold blood when she’s bleeding out. The large amount of red blood and it’s frequency would explain why demigods who don’t know of their parentage yet would not be able to see anything wrong, and the Mist could cover the small amount of gold that a mortal might see if a demigod were ever to get inured and bleeding gold.

#fátima tag #this is so old it's from your previous blog #riordanverse #i took this too far and it isn't as eloquent as my first attempt #im taking a higher biology this coming year so maybe i'll have a better answer after that

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pocmuzings · 3 years ago

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hi g! i get that you're not a monolith for writers of color in this community, but your recent asks made me want to reach out. im a white roleplayer and want to know if theres any consistent microaggressions/actions that lead to the feeling youre getting in this current (or other) roleplays? i find it far more common that i don't know the ethnicity of other roleplayers than i do, but i'd like to be as conscious as i can be in this space (and all others lol).

hello ! i think its really hard to answer this , bc in this rp in question - i've joined and now have realised i know some of the rpers from previously / having made me and my friends ( all poc ) uncomfy . i think most behaviours are actually quite in line with general EXCLUSIONARY behaviours ( e.g. not reacting to plotting calls . not reaching out ooc . ' ship chasing ' or only wanting to plot with the cis male character ) . however , these behaviours are amplified if , for instance , you can visually see that somebody plays a white male and has put up an intro / plotting call , and has received 13 likes on it . but when you , playing a moc ( maybe someone dark skinned , or not ' ' ' ' conventionally european attractive ' ' ' ' ) puts up a call and only gets 2 likes on it . this very quickly draws a line between , well okay , what is really different about this character vs the other character ? maybe one is developed better , sure . maybe one has more plots available , sure . but also . . we can't deny that ethnicity / colour will always play a strong strong factor . this goes the same with playing ANY minority . e.g someone not cis . someone who is not skinny . someone who is not a ' popular fc' in general etc .etc .

in general , i think white rpers just need to be more NOTICING of these things . i know you can't know if a mun is a mun of colour straight off the bat , but in general - if you notice someone is playing a character that isnt ' popular ' or isnt getting as many reactions etc , you should reach out to them ! you should try talk to them and involve them !

as for being cautious , i guess - if you realise a mun is a mun of colour , it'd be nice to reach out to them and say ' hey by the way ! do u want to plot ! ' because sometimes ( again i cant speak for all ) being a mun of colour in a rp can be quite . . overwhelming / exclusionary from the beginning because you can really FEEL the white spaces and thus the spaces NOT MADE for you . idk if this helps , but i appreciate u wanting to be conscious of this ! if any other mun of colour has suggestions / ideas , please throw them in !!

#shutup g.#rph #rpc

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taechaos · 4 years ago

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That scenario was really good😱 Yeonjun’s last line made me GASP lolol

can you do another scenario where Yeonjun gifts OC roses and a teddy bear through a delivery service so she is shocked when she receives them, how would Jungkook react? 😱

I love jealous/pissed/possessive Jungkook 🥵

YALL JUST REALLY LOVE THE DRAMA 💀💀 making my man suffer like this,,, you'll be hearing from my lawyers

im gonna be including this bit in the scenario so 😎

"Is this for you or me?" you ask Soyeon who can barely keep her eyes open after waking her upon seeing a bunch of gifts when you opened the door of your dorm room to attend your morning lecture. It's a teddy bear holding a bouqet of roses in its fluffy paw, sitting on the hall floor to provide you with today's first surprise.

You know Soyeon is single, and you know Jungkook like the back of your hand: his romance doesn't extend to these cheesy gestures. It may seem rude to not even think of the possibility that it might be your boyfriend's doing, and despite being such a hopeless romantic, you're certain it's not from him.

Soyeon grumbles drowsily as she stretches before rubbing her eyes with her fists. "What?" she yawns tiredly.

"That," you point past the open door and she follows the direction of your finger with puffy eyes.

"Definitely not," she answers with a sleep strained voice. "Look for a card." She doesn't leave room for a response before turning on her side to face away from you and fall back asleep.

You listen to her advice and crouch before the toy to search for anything that would reveal the identity of the delivery person. It's with close inspection that you find a white card stuffed between the roses.

In your hand it reads: Good morning, beautiful. Can't wait to see you in Human Anatomy.

There's your clarity, and you can't doubt it's Yeonjun when Soyeon doesn't even take this course. It's pathetic, you think, to try and court someone who's already in a stable relationship. This isn't him going after you, but beckoning you to go to him just like he said you would before calling your boyfriend a cliché. It more or less sounds like a mind game, and you're stuck between ignoring his advances completely or confronting him about it.

Yeonjun seemed like an understanding guy; he did say he wouldn't go around you asking for a date, and for two days, he hasn't. If he takes orders so well, it wouldn't hurt to tell him to leave you alone once and for all.

That's your reasoning to march down the hall and find Yeonjun after crumbling the note and leaving the gift on someone else's doorstep. Front rows are your go-to spot to not miss a single detail in your lecture, and it's no shocker seeing Yeonjun sitting on a front row bench.

You clench your fists and scowl to intimidate the creep before stomping over to him. Dismissing your demands is out of the question when your stance nothing short of angry. He needs to know you're not playing around, that he can't manipulate your naivety like he's attempting to.

His eyes twinkle the moment they land on you and he stops spinning his pencil to give you his utmost attention. Good, he's listening. You don't trespass the barrier in the form of a stretched out table between you two as you glower over him.

"I'm gonna make this short," you glare with slit eyes, "I don't want anything that has your fingerprints on it nor do I want to hear you speak to me ever again. Leave me alone or I will report you for harrassment. Say yes if you understand."

The light in his gaze dims momentarily as his awed smile falters. "Y-Yes." He appears afraid and innocent, but your gut denies it. "But may I ask why?"

"Oh, you know why," you scoff in a hushed voice, "I don't want your stupid cards and your stupid gifts, and most of all, I don't want you. Get that through your thick skull."

He never knew you could be this mean, and it almost throws off the sweet impression he has of you until he remembers that you're just loyal. He loves that you're so faithful, and he wants you to be faithful to him only. He craves it so deeply, but he says nothing of the sort and instead stammers, "I-I understand. I-I'm sorry, I'll leave you alone if that's what you wa–"

The slam of the lecture room's doors echo in the spacious hall, and you hurriedly take a seat on the edge of the bench to distance yourself from Yeonjun as much as possible. He has to bite his lip to stop a smile from growing on his face from having you sit next to him.

But just as you requested, he doesn't interact with you throughout the lecture except for a few glances to drink in the sight of you being so close to him. Instances like these are the only time he can feel intimate with you, but it'll only get better on from here.

Because the professor assigns a pair project before you're dismissed.

"Before you leave, by the end of the term, you will have a report submitted in pairs regarding senses that affect the human system in a topic of your choice. More information on the college website, along with the assigned pairs. You can go."

"I already checked," Yeonjun whispers to you, making you immediately wear a distasteful expression, "I'm your partner."

"Nuh-uh," you deny childishly before taking out your phone as you stand from the bench to leave after packing your stationaries. You log onto the site just as you receive a notification from Jungkook.

the love of my life ♡: no good morning text? sus

You have to swipe it away out of worry that you'll actually be forced to spend time with Jungkook's new nemesis. The site loads. You scroll past the details of the task and finally land on the pairs.

And there it is—your name next to Yeonjun's on the screen.

"No," you exhale to yourself and rush out to the hall to avoid Yeonjun. "No, no, no."

Below the names explicitly states: No changes in the assigned pairs. It's too big of a coincidence for you to think it's just your bad luck—you're certain bribery is involved, and how lovely that you can't do anything about it.

You take pride in your intelligence, but you can't outsmart him in this situation, especially when your grades are being held over your head to force yourself to be around Yeonjun. Jungkook would get arrested for murder if you involved him in it, and he surely wouldn't leave you alone if you told him about it.

But then again, you promised—no more secrets.

You: good morning kookie!! i was a little busy so i couldn't text you :< did you sleep well?? <3

"Fuck, fuck," you shriek to yourself as you keep walking, not paying attention to where your feet are leading you. Just as long as you're safe from Yeonjun so Jungkook wouldn't find you with him. You need to tell him when the guy isn't around, so you need to wait until his lecture's over–

Yeonjun calls for your name softly while running past the roaming students, and you stop on your tracks with the desire to spit out every insult you have in mind to his face.

"You asshole!" you grit the moment he faces you while breathing heavily. "You planned this, didn't you? I said–"

"I-I'm sorry, but I had nothing to do with it," he pleads with that innocent expression of his. "I promise I-I won't act like before! I'll respect your relationship and stop being weird!"

"Good," you jab a finger at his chest as you seethe, "I don't want to spend any more time with you than I have to."

He frowns with a jutting bottom lip, looking like a kicked puppy as his eyes turn glossy. You are so mean, and he hates it, but his only leverage is that he can be meaner—not to you, never you, but to Jungkook. He's a step ahead of you, and you can shower him with all the bad words you can think of until you heart is content, but he sees it as just a step in the process of owning you.

You think he's submissive and persistent, but no, he's just manipulative.

—

"Don't get mad," you warily caution while lying down on the grass next to your boyfriend, basking in the sun to last the peaceful atmosphere a little longer. His arm is under your back and his hand on your chest as you hold it.

He has his eyes closed as he says, "no promises."

"We promised to tell each other everything, and there's nothing you can do about this one so please don't get mad at me." He quirks a brow when he opens his eyes to see your timid face. "Remember Yeonjun?"

"You have to be fucking kidding me," he groans angrily as he sits up, prompting you to do the same. "You talked to him, didn't you? I specifically fucking said–"

"Can you just listen?" you sigh. "We have a project together." His brows scrunch intimidatingly, making it harder to say what's on your mind. "And this is unrelated but... he brought a gift to my doorstep."

He doesn't say anything for a few seconds. "Is there anything more I should listen to? Are you done?"

"H-he said he'd stop acting weird and respect our relation–"

"Fucking bullshit. What, did he also say he just wants to be friends? That he's not interested in you anymore?"

"He didn't say that–"

"And you didn't tell the professor you wanted a different partner? Did you keep the gift too?" he sneers mockingly.

"Jungkook, I can't switch, and no I didn't keep the freaking gift," you defend, feeling offended. He can be so provocative when he's mad. It isn't even your fault! "I'm telling you, there's nothing I can do except to convince him to work together online. Isn't that better?"

He grabs your jaw and pulls you a little closer. His grip is bordering on painful and you hold back a wince. "Are you fucking hearing yourself? You can't even be around him and yet you're not allowed to switch? Listen to me. You go to that fucking professor, tell him this guy is harrassing you and that you can't work with him, and if they don't listen, you go the headmaster. You hear me?" he slightly jolts you to command an answer.

"Y-Yes, but–"

"Don't make any fucking excuses," he hisses and lets go of your face. "If you don't do something about it while I'm giving you the chance, then I will."

You hold onto your chin as you meekly question, "what will you do?"

"Things don't need to escalate," he shrugs as he lies back down. "I'll threaten him with my pocket knife and one wrong word from him, I'll use it."

"Like kill him?" you exclaim in shock.

He rolls his eyes. You take him too seriously sometimes. "No. Just send a message. Now go run off to your professor before I ask Yoongi to be my alibi."

#yall wanna know how jk would do it? 😩#my mans would beat up the poor guy and then hang out w his friends so he can have an alibi in case yeonjun reports him #WEEWOOOWEEEEWOOOOO #textbook love

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ophiuchus-interactive · 4 years ago

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You made some fair points on originality in IF works, but I'd like to ask, what was the intention of putting your work out there? For others to read, isn't it? That means you and other writers are opening yourselves for feedback and ultimately criticism. Whether or not they are what you hoped for, it's going to happen unfortunately. And when there are similarities in terms of specific things (ie. supernatural detective stories) it's natural for others to draw connections. Maybe the author was inspired by another and created their own spin on the story, or maybe they saw how those elements made the story so well received they wanted to do the same for theirs. Either way, when that level of similarity (no matter how superficial or basic) crops up, it's going to be a point of interest, especially when the earlier work is so popular. It's sad when people accuse authors of plagiarism but it's equally sad to be told off for drawing comparisons when you see them, moreso when it's plain to see. You say you're doing this in your free time so you can share your passion projects with others, and that's great, but please understand not everyone is going to like what you put out and, more importantly, aren't obligated to stick around when it's something they believe isn't as up to par as another work.

My criticism of these comparisons that people draw are not a deflection of people actually criticizing works, but instead the false accusation that is being thrown at authors for having similar stories.

This nowhere near drawing comparisons between works. Stories that have similar tropes or beats or elements are part of a genre. No one is criticizing pointing out similarities- it's when people decide that these comparisons must mean that someone was just copying off of another person. And yes, you are absolutely correct, and I agree with you 100%- no one has to like what you put out. At all. They don't even have to give a reason as to why. What people like and what people don't like- even with the stuff I create and put out there in public- is none of my business. You don't like my story? Cool. You're never going to please everyone, and you shouldn't- focus on the people who do like your work, and go with that instead. But what I was talking about in that post are primarily anons who- most notably with TWC- will often outright attack authors for having stories similar to it. This is not criticism. This is just saying that the author is committing a rather egregious form of theft and claiming it as their own property, when the author themselves have put time, sweat, and tears into the story that they wrote without copying anyone.

Take my anon for instance, who accused me of just ripping off characters I 'liked' from somewhere(?) and bastardizing them into Thane and Rosalie. This is not criticism, this is just them claiming that I have stolen the work of someone else and used it. It is a false claim of something I take very, very seriously as a writer, and it is not amusing to be told that you are just some kind of lazy thief who's mooching off of other people's work. It is not amusing nor helpful at all.

What I am attempting to point out with that post is that not only is this just not criticism- i.e, "im telling so/so you stole their story" or "just admit you wrote this because xyz" it is a rather poor understanding of literature and how people are influenced by things they surround themselves with. There are things such as tropes, and storylines, and genres or ideas that are often used and expressed through media. They may look and feel and go for the same moral, but depending upon the execution of the media- the innovation of what the author brings to the table- it may be a total different product by the end of it.

And that to me, is the most important part of that entire post. It is not the silly and often times false accusations of copying, but rather the lack of acceptance from creative communities- both creators and consumers- that in order for something to be good, it needs to be original. But what the hell does that even mean? Do I have to be like Tolkien, and create entire languages and maps and charts for my world? Do I have to avoid tropes at all costs? Do I have to have the entire story from a different point of view? Does it have to be avant garde?

It can be with these elements, of course, but I think many forget that simple stories with simple tropes and dynamics are okay. It's okay to be simple, and no, it's not copying off another person's because it has similar beats that can be see throughout the entirety of human literature as we know it. You don't have to constantly attempt to have twists or worry that your story isn't "original enough" because it goes from plot A to B to C.

This seems to be flung out the window by those few who think they have some kind of God-given right to make the claim of someone plagiarizing another's work, just because it features vampires or death or whatever the hell is similar to something else.

Accusations are not criticisms. They are precisely what they are- accusations. It is best, in my eyes, to not confuse the two.

#renny talks #anon asks

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letteredlettered · 4 years ago

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hi! ive been following your writing for a few years now and i drop by periodically to check if you have anything new posted, and im really surprised that you seem to be enjoying the untamed? im curious what you think about the show - its story and characters, the acting, the production, etc. idk if you know, but the untamed is the most successful example of a current trend in chinese entertainment, where popular online novels centered around a gay romance is adapted into a 'safe' drama.

continued:

due to the many explicit and implicit restrictions imposed on creative media in china, many crucial plot points have to be changed (often badly) or removed, including the nature of the relationship between the main characters. the untamed is considered the most loyal adaptation so far, but like all other works in the genre, it received criticism for weak acting and queerbaiting. that's why im really curious about what you think of the show as it is, as itself, free from its context.

if you're interested, you could also check out guardian! it features much better performance and chemistry by the leads imo, but the story was heavily botched bc the original incorporates and reinvents a lot of classic chinese folklore beautifully and stuff like that is considered disrespectful and not-pc. i think it's really sad how so many great pieces of writing with complex world-building and plotlines are simplified into... idek what to call them, but just, less than what they are.

im sorry this turned into a rant. as a mainland chinese person with oh so many frustrations about our current society, it's hard to comprehensively describe my feelings about the untamed's popularity. it's the first mainland chinese show/movie to gain this much organic interest abroad so i should be glad? but, but. anyway, yes, im sorry.

There’s no need to apologize for ranting, but I admit to some confusion as to whether you want your question addressed or the rant. Because I’m me and tend to be thorough, I’ll address everything, in reverse order.

First of all, I’m sorry that this show is sad to you. I’m sorry that the popularity of it is difficult. I’m also deeply sympathetic to your frustrations about your society, as I too am deeply frustrated by my own.

Secondly, yes, I’m aware of the context of The Untamed. I’m aware that the book it’s based on is a BL novel, and that, in order to align with Chinese politics, overt queerness was erased from the adaptation. I’m aware of the censure laws of gay media in China. I’m also aware that some aspects of necromancy and morality were adjusted to make the show more palatable for general audiences, but I’m fuzzier on those details. Lastly, I’m aware that the popularity of the show calls attention to certain things, such as fanfic, and that attention results in more censorship,

The fact of this erasure and this censure provokes a lot of questions: by consuming this product, which contains erasure and censure, do we engage in the erasure and censure? By posting gifs and writing fanfic and talking about this product, do we increase its popularity, thereby encouraging additional erasure and censure? By increasing the popularity of this product, do we diminish the popularity of the original gay morally gray canon, thereby decreasing representation? Do we discourage other authors in China from writing explicitly gay morally gray material? In short, are we allowed to enjoy this media?

I don’t know the answer to these questions. However, I do know that boycott is a very effective tool when it can inflict economic pain on the producer, or when it can exert pressure on an entity to change. That said, I feel like a lot of the calls to boycott certain media these days are a lot like telling people to stop driving their cars to stop climate change: it’s suggesting that individuals can solve the problem, which presupposes individuals are the problem, and therefore fails to address the scope of the problem, or present the possibility of a real solution. Not watching The Untamed isn’t going to change laws about portrayals of homosexuality onscreen in China, partly because the laws in China are a much bigger problem.

The other part of it is that The Untamed is coded queer, so if you run a successful boycott against it, you end up with . . . less queer TV. I know a whole lot less about China than I do about the Hays Code, but if you had told gay people during the Golden Age of Hollywood that they couldn’t enjoy movies that were coded queer because they weren’t explicitly queer, they’d have said you were crazy. In fact, many people will tell you that media that was coded queer was a big reason we got more explicit queer stuff later. And as I’m sure you’re aware, the US is still fighting that battle . . . partly because it wants to sell movies to China.

So then there’s a question about whether me, an American in the US, liking something coded queer from China but not explicitly queer--does that encourage Chinese censorship? Should I only support texts that are explicitly queer? But the answer is the same--it’s not addressing the scope of the problem, and by supporting texts that are coded queer, you could be paving the way in the future for something brighter.

But you weren’t talking about boycott! You were talking about your discomfort with the popularity with this show, which I accept. I understand feeling uncomfortable. I can only hope it makes you a bit more comfortable to know that plenty of fans are deeply aware of the context and do wrestle with the question of what liking this show means in the context of a society that would never allow aspects of the original to be portrayed onscreen.

Thirdly, I’m not against trying Guardian at some point, but by comparing the acting and chemistry of the leads to The Untamed, I feel like you prove our tastes are very different in these regards. I love the acting of the leads in The Untamed; I found their chemistry off the charts. It’s okay you don’t feel the same.

Lastly, you asked my opinion of The Untamed: its story and characters, the acting, the production, sans context of the canon upon which its based and censorship laws in China.

a. I love the overall story, but the plot has deep plot holes. Quite a few segments do not actually make sense to me, because the plot is so haywire. However, I’ve never cared that much about plot, except when it gets in the way of characters and themes, and for the most part, this plot serves its characters and themes, except when the parts they leave out are so confusing that I cannot follow the story. As for the story, it feels like it’s built for me, because ultimately it’s about moral decisions and how to make them; it’s about guilt and paying for mistakes; it’s about learning, changing your mind, and remaking yourself. Really, I’m not sure there are many stories I love more--except they killed my favorite character, and I almost quit. So, that certainly put a damper on things.

b. I love the characters most of all, although the villains are really two-dimensional. However, large parts of the plot are not Hero vs Villain, they’re Hero vs Society, and then some Hero vs Himself in a way that suggests the Hero is no longer a hero. I could talk about the characters forever, but suffice it to say I think they’re really strong. Also, the relationships are really exquisite, particularly when it comes to family dynamics. Unfortunately, they killed my favorite character off. Also unfortunately, there are six women in this show, only two of them are main characters, and every single one of them dies. It disgusts me.

c. I think the two leads are exceptional, in particular Xiao Zhan . . . when he’s not being too broad, which he is quite a bit. However, I do wonder how much of this is direction and production style, because in many instances, he’s quite subtle, and the choices he makes are astounding. Then there are times where it’s like they needed more footage, or wanted to drive home a point, and he turns on the extra, and it’s awful. It could just be him, but I actually feel it’s the case with most of the actors, which does make me think it’s a directing issue. Meng Ziyi never really has that problem though, because she is the most perfect of all. But then take He Peng, who I actually thought could be incredible, but every scene was just SO BROAD that I began to feel sorry for the poor dude having to act that part. But there is nothing to be said for Wang Zhuo Cheng, who really is just terrible, which is sad, because it’s a great part.

d. Production-wise, it’s really hit and miss. So much of the locations are truly beautiful. A lot of the costumes are too, unless the shot is too close. I actually don’t mind the wigs; I love the long hair. The CGI is terrible. And then while a lot of the shots are beautiful, some of them are awkward, and the pacing is really difficult, imo. It really seems like they wanted to drag it out, and there are so, so many scenes where I’m sort of embarrassed that we’re in the same scene or that we’re still looking at someone’s face, or that everyone is just standing there waiting for the shot to finally end.

I will say that film is a language that does differ from culture to culture. It could be that both the broadness of the acting and the awkwardness of the editing are my cultural lens based on American and a lot of western film. When I watched older Hollywood films, the acting is a lot more broad and maybe a little less “true” feeling, but I understand that it’s not the case everyone in the past was a bad actor. It was just a different style, so I’m not sure I’m equipped with the cultural knowledge of Chinese acting, cinematography, and editing to be able to really judge the value of these things.

I do know how I feel, which is that the editing is the biggest hurdle for me while watching the show. However, I feel that the beauty of it makes up for a lot, and the strength of the characters and themes really carries it.

I hope I addressed your points adequately, and I wish you well.

#Anonymous #the untamed #china

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gayregis · 4 years ago

Note

in voice of reason do you think Geralt was justified in calling Yennefer “too possessive”? what did you think of nennekes response?

ok im splitting this into two parts for the two questions!!

PART ONE: do you think Geralt was justified in calling Yennefer “too possessive”?

well, i think that sapkowski didn’t really have the lore of every single detail down-pat yet. he changes much later on - for example, in a question of price, geralt is referred to as a child surprise, but in the sword of destiny in something more, geralt clarifies to calanthe that mousesack got his facts wrong... this is sapkowski is behind the scenes retconning it.

other things also are changed, like i think it’s weird how vereena is just referred to as vereena when mr emiel regis rohellec terzieff godefroy pops up later in baptism of fire and says his name is in accordance with vampire tradition, and also vereena can turn into a bat and fly even though it’s midday (iirc... the time isn’t specified, but it’s assumedly midday?) when regis states that he can only turn into a bat and fly during the full moon, and not before midnight at that. of course vampires are such an irrelevant little detail, a footnote in the actual story, but it’s something to keep in mind that sometimes sapkowski loses consistency in his own lore inbetween books.

i think he also stated that geralt and yennefer spent 6 months together in vengerberg, but this was later changed to a year, and then to four years... so i’m not sure how much he had conceptualized of yennefer as a character and yennefer and geralt’s relationship by this time of writing and publishing the last wish. he might have just had geralt say that yennefer was too posessive because he needed a reason for them to be broken up at this moment.

but for the sake of simplicity, let’s say that this is fully what sapkowski intended to write and convey about yennefer - it’s on the page, after all. firstly, i think that geralt is a whiny pissbaby. he just is. especially at this point in the books. he complains about everything, nothing is ever right, the entire world is out to get him and mock him. so i am inclined to not exactly believe him 100% when he complains about things being too anything, of course he would find everything too anything, he’s so sensitive, he’s geralt of rivia.

i need to analyze what it means to be called “posessive” in a relationship. and i don’t know what the original word used was, perhaps it was something more specific, as is sometimes the case with the translation. does it mean that yennefer didn’t want geralt to be looking at other women, that she wanted him to remain monogamous, and he didn’t want to be monogamous? does it mean that she was controlling of his actions? i think these are kind of both in character, i wouldn’t agree with geralt in calling her “posessive” due to the actual look at yennefer’s character that we get later on, but canonically, yennefer did want monogamy from geralt. and canonically, she did influence his behavior a lot, at least in style of manner and dress, for example she taught him how to eat chicken with a knife and fork and also dresses him for the event on thanedd. i don’t think these are necessarily negative things, it depends on how the level of willingness of geralt to be treated like this, it just depends on if he likes it or not.

but let’s actually look at instances in which yennefer could be called “posessive” - for me, specific scenes in blood of elves and lady of the lake pop up. the first thing that comes to my mind is that triss betrayed her and used magic on geralt to sleep with him... which, obviously, is dubious consent, which means possibly no consent at all... and so, yes, yennefer has the right to be upset at triss and, depending on the context (it’s vague if geralt consented or not) possible geralt. i don’t think this is her being possessive, saying “geralt belongs to ME,” but rather, why would my best friend and my boyfriend go behind my back to sleep together? it's just one of those things you don’t do, as a best friend. it’s disrespectful. and this tension between yennefer and triss continues throughout the series, the last hostility between them in the series is yennefer threatening to snatch her by her ginger locks if she goes after her man - which i find to be just sort of a catfight sapkowski wrote in, owing to his personal biases and view of how women interact with one another. but also, in context, yennefer has just been through hell to get ciri and geralt back and safe, and triss has already gone after ciri to steal her with the lodge, and since yennefer and geralt are actually sincerely in a commited relationship by this point, i think it’s justified for yennefer to be upset at the thought of triss trying to get geralt to cheat on her again. and also, it’s sort of humorous because of how insanely much yennefer has just been through, but sapkowski allows her to have this sort of petty drama throwaway line, it contrasts with her deep character development that she just received in these last two books, and due to that, it’s funny.

speaking of best friends... the next scene that pops into my head relating to yennefer being “posessive” is when she speaks with dandelion at the beginning of blood of elves. i think a “posessive” lover would be one to try and ruin the relationships that their lover has with other individuals: friendships, family, etc. but in this scene, she’s so nice to dandelion! she’s very respectful, even when she’s hurt. and she tells him she respects him and thanks him for being there for geralt. that’s not posessive, that’s entirely the opposite - accepting that even if you don’t really like your significant other’s friends, that they like their friends, and you have to respect that relationship. yennefer could literally just threaten or kill dandelion if she was posessive and wanted him out of geralt’s life, but instead she is grateful to him for being there for geralt when she couldn’t / in a way that she couldn’t. and, in this same scene, she says that she has gone to kaer morhen as a a guest many times, never uninvited, so that confirms that she also has a good relaitonship with the other witchers of kaer morhen, geralt’s family, and doesn’t try to limit geralt’s interactions with them. she’s quite supportive of geralt’s relationships beyond her.

and finally, let’s go to the end of blood of elves, in the scenes where she becomes a teacher and mother to ciri... in the beginning, she is actually upset because she is being possessive of geralt - she resents ciri because she feels that geralt’s attention has been divided between the two of them, that because geralt has this kid now, he’s forgotten about her... but nenneke rebukes her for this, and then she realizes that that’s an incredibly immature way to behave. and she becomes a better person, she changes from her initial petty behavior and becomes a wonderful, selfless mother to ciri. in the end, she wasn’t possessive at all.

so, i don’t think that yennefer is actually “possessive,” she kind of just wants to be respected as a human being and also as geralt’s lover. geralt, in a little sacrifice, realizes that he hasn’t exactly respected yennefer, because of his own insecurities, he believed that she didn’t really fall so deeply in love with him, and that he couldn’t love her back, but she did, and he did. so his perspective changes in this moment... but of course, the voice of reason occurs way before this, when he is still acting immaturely. yennefer and geralt as characters develop together and sometimes as a result from one another. in the beginning, they’re both incredibly insecure people and that insecurity has made them act immature. but over the course of the series, they learn and grow.

in this moment, i don’t think geralt was justified to call yennefer “posessive,” because over the course of the series we see that she isn’t, but it is in character for him to say so.

PART TWO: what did you think of nennekes response?

nenneke responds to geralt by saying she’s not his mom and he shouldn’t be voicing his relationship complaints to her, and that if he has something to say or give to yennefer, he needs to do it himself.

i like this response, primarily because she urges geralt to act responsibly and maturely. geralt is, as i said, immature at this point in the books, and also is not quite experienced in love and relationships... so he is acting indirectly, almost cowardly - like breaking up over text message, or asking someone else to ask the girl in class if she likes you. it’s just like, do it yourself! have some confidence! but this is the edge to how much geralt respects yennefer and values her... he doesn’t want to do the wrong thing and offend her, so that he does the cowardly thing instead, and ends up offending her after all - i mean, leaving a flower on the nightstand? come on, dude...

geralt NEEDS someone to be the voice of reason and tell him to snap out of it, yennefer is just another person like anyone else, and you need to be direct with her. if you’re sorry, then say sorry! don’t try to give her vague presents to make up for it. that’s not how relationships work.

what i find funny and ironic is that as nenneke urges geralt to act mature and respectably, she tells him she’s not his mother in the same breath - even though this is exactly what a mother does. i think this was intentional on sapkowski’s part, since nenneke is so obviously a mother figure to geralt, having her say “i’m not your mother” aloud is something that needed to be said, because even though he sees her as one and they have this kind of mother-child relationship, she’s not. or, on the other hand, she is, and by her denying it, it’s just meant to be ironic to the audience, who understands that she is geralt’s mother but can never admit that to him.

#geralt #yennefer #nenneke #anon #ask #the voice of reason

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furaflictedhost · 5 years ago

Text

An alternative WKM

I am not sure what else to say, besides I know AHWM just came out, but here. Have my strange alternate version of WKM. Brief warning, I am not a very good author, and I wrote this a while ago, but I hope you enjoy.

Content warnings: self harm, delusions, possible sanity problems, extremely old writing,if I missed any let me know

She couldn't remember the last time she saw him cry, and frankly, she didn’t care.

He was sobbing, and she just stood there, watching her husband cry at her feet.

Mark looked up at Celine, tears flowing freely from his sleepless and sunken eyes. “I’m so sorry…”

She shook her head, only to vanish into the darkness that surrounded them, leaving him alone, stranded in a nightmare.

Mark woke up screaming. He sat bolt upright, and clutched his pillow close to his chest, attempting to stop the free flow of tears on his face. His eyes darted around, catching sight of his room around him.

The silence was deafening as he climbed out of bed, throwing his robe on over the simple pajamas. One of the many turntables in the manor crackled to life, Mark putting a record on so the silence was shattered.

The window ledge seemed particularly inviting, so he opened the window, and sat there, looking out over the vastness of the garden and courtyard. The cold breeze that fluttered over him calmed the tenacity of nightmares, pale moonlight washing out his already pale skin.

“I can’t remember what it was like, Before all this madness.”

The demon perched next to him, watching over his shoulders.

“Why do you continue to stall? They deserve this.”

Mark closed his eyes, seeing only darkness, and fearing that the darkness would eventually cloud his judgement.

“Because I would rather she be happy then get revenge, And they were my childhood friends, they don’t deserve this.”

It vanished, leaving him alone once again. He glanced over the closet, thinking about the revolver that he kept in there. Perhaps...No. The knife would be a better option, not to mention quieter.

He rifled through his dresser, and pulling a dagger from its sheath in the boundless depths of his clothes. The ringing in his ears only getting louder as he pulled down the sleeve of his robe, exposing the skin of his wrists.

He slowly pressed the blade to his skin, relishing the sweet feeling of pain.

Mark woke up with the blade still sheathed in his lower abdomen. He can’t remember what happened the previous night. Sitting up, he discovered he was sitting in a pool of his own blood.

How was he not dead? Lucky, he guessed. The butler was shocked when he walked in, only to see Mark attempting to pull the knife from his lower chest, and mistook this for him stabbing himself. He panicked, and ran over, assisting him with the removal.

“What happened?”

Mark glanced up at him, and shrugged. “I tripped.” was his simple reply. He didn't know why he lied, it was bound to happen again. Benjamin bandaged the wound, and set to work cleaning the blood from the hardwood floor.

Mark didn’t bother changing, only heading to the downstairs balcony. The pool seemed welcoming, perhaps a swim later. He looked over the edge of the balcony, and out onto the small golf course.

He spotted a small figure dressed in tan standing out in the field. Mark quickly recognised the Colonel, and grimaced. He was fairly certain that it was he who ran off with his wife.

The Colonel walked over, having noticed the other man.

“Mark! How are things? I haven't seen you much since i heard about you and Celine, it seems you're always hold up in that manner of yours, or your room when I visit.” The flamboyant man slung an arm around his shoulders.

Mark replied simply “Im fine, everything's fine. Why are you here?”

WIlliam could tell nothing was fine, but by god, the man's wife just left him, so he didn't press.

“I'm here with Mr. Mayor.He wanted to come see you, and I can’t say no those adorable puppy dog eyes.”

Mark nodded, only to see Mayor Damien walk from the house, walking over to join them near the edge. His was twisting his cane between his hands as he spoke.

“There you are, Mark. I came to check on you. You have been very… antisocial as of late.”

Mark smiled. The one friend he felt had not turned on him. “Hello, Damien. Im assure you, im fine, just a little tired. How are you?”

Damien smiled, going to stand next to William. “I am well, actually. It's been an interesting last few weeks.”

Mark raised an eyebrow as William laced an arm around Damiens back as the Mayor spoke.

He played up his facade of being alright. “Well? Care to tell me?”

Damien smiled shyly. “Well, for instance… I am in a relationship now, along with the fact that I finally got the grant for the school that they have been asking for.”

Mark grinned, “and whos the lucky Gal?”

Damien glanced down. “Gent, actually. William and I are Dating.”

Mark nearly died all over again. “You and Will? Good job Will, But I didn't peg you for being bi.” A wry smirk spread across his lips

William grinned. “Im Gay, Dami is Bi.” He corrected.

Mark was extremely confused, but very happy at the same time. William cant have taken off with Celine if he was with Damien, because Damien would watch him like a hawk. He felt… a lot better.

He smiled, and patted Damien on the shoulder. “Your lucky.” he turned to William, and playfully said “Don't you hurt him, or i'll have to hunt you down, and I can't imagine what Celine would do to you.”

William laughed. “She would tear out my heart and feed it to me, I can tell you that much.”

They talked for a while, before it was eventually decided that the couple would be sleeping over. Mark sat on the balcony railing after they went inside. He felt the cool breeze once again, but it felt more calming than usual.

He turned, and nearly fell off the balcony. Celine was standing a few feet away, and was staring at him, worry evident on her face at him appearance.

“Mark? What are you doing?”

Mark slowly walked towards her, as if he was afraid she would vanish. He pulled her into a hug, that she graciously accepted.

“Hey, Mark? Why Are you crying? You knew I was coming back, right?”

Mark pulled away suddenly, looking at her square in the face. “I received a note in your handwriting saying that you didn't love me, and had found another man, William. I had reason to assume you weren't coming home.”

Celine looked shocked. “I left you a note, but it said nothing of the sort. I left to help Damien ease into his new relationship with William, and I knew I had to leave early, so I left you a note explaining that very thing, and that I would be gone for a few weeks.”

Mark started crying, hugging her close again. “I'm just glad your home…” She patted him, and then asked where the note was. He nodded, leading her up to his study. He dug through the notes for the most recent movie, only to produce a note, handing it to her.

She read the note, frowning deeply. “I fear this may have been tampered with by outside forces.”

Mark looked up at her from his chair. “Like what?”

She turned to him. “Have you been hearing voices around the house?”

He nodded, explaining the weird but tolerable house demon that kept bugging him at late hours.

Celine looked worried. “The Entity. This could be the reason.”

He shrugged, taking in the sight of his beloved Celine. There was silence between the two of them, but that was enough said. Unspoken words lead the two outside again. There was a nod from Celine, and Mark smirked, and grabbed her hand, leaping into the pool, dragging her in with him.

She laughed in surprise, and at the fact that Mark got tangled in his robe, before removing it for movement under water. She was swimming in a dress, so she wasn't in much better shape.

Mark laughed at her struggles, and swam under her, picking her up bridal style, and swimming to surface.

It was a pleasant swim, and the two were now laying under the summer stars. Laughter drifted up to the heavens as the two talked. Eventually the conversation died, Celine having had fallen asleep. The bigger man picked her up, and carried her up to their shared room, drying her off, and laying her on the king sized bed.

Instead of laying down next to her, he went and sat on the window cill, once again looking out over the garden. He smiled, and stepped down, closing the window. That time was over. He laid down on his side of the bed, cuddling up with the smaller female. He found himself falling asleep much easier that night.

Celine woke up the next morning cuddled into a very broad chest.

She started only to realize she was home, and that was just Mark. Celine laughed slightly, and poked him, waking the slumbering male. He snorted,and blinked blearily, looking down at her, a happy smile spreading across his face. “G’,morning, Celine.”

She smiled. “Good morning, Mark. You are very warm.”

He laughed, and let her move, pulling his arms back, only to have her pull him back.

“You aren't going anywhere, buster.” He laughed, snuggling up to her.

Tears pricked at the edges of his eyes as he inhaled her scent, it calming his nerves. He didn’t want to ever move, she was safe, happy and warm where he could be with her, and no one would take her from him.

It was perfect.

A little too perfect, hmm?

I don’t know how to link it, but there is a part 2 with...angst? Sort of.

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talesofawaywardsoul · 4 years ago

Text

A friend of mine recently started sending our group story prompts. I saw this as a perfect way to actually use this tumblr for its intended purpose which was to get me writing again and actually sharing what I wrote. Today while at work I pushed out a little short story based on the first prompt she sent. Hope you enjoy!

Prompt: Curse breaking only pays like, half the bills. The other half comes from Arby’s. (I changed it to Burger King)

The Curse Breaker’s Curse

Every hero or adventurer has a struggle that haunts them, a battle they lost, a person they couldn’t save, a villain that eludes them. It comes with the territory.

For me it was a curse, the only curse in my long career of curse breaking that I’ve never been able to break. The curse of working in food retail.

“Hey buddy you listening?”

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”

“Jesus Christ, I don’t have all day you know. I shouldn’t have to repeat myself, you should be doing your job. I got places to be, important places. I don’t have time to be dicked around.”

I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

“I want the whopper without the lettuce, tomato and onion.”

“So a cheeseburger?”

“No a whopper without the lettuce, tomato and onion.”

“Without that on it, it’s just a cheeseburger. It would be cheaper for me to charge you for that.”

“Yeah except I don’t want a cheeseburger, are you dense. I want a whopper.”

I wanted to respond. Wanted to break my vow and place a curse instead of break it. It would be so easy. But the side eye from my manager stopped me.

“Of course, sorry about that. Would you like to make it a meal?”

“Of course.”

“Okay, you can check the screen for the price.”

“What, why is it so much?”

“That’s the price for a meal.”

What a Neanderthal.

“No, that’s not what the board says.”

I turn to look at the large menu board. With my back to the customer I finally roll my eyes, a nice deep eye flip. An easy ten if eye rolling was a gymnastic sport. I finally turned back to the customer.

“That’s the price for just the sandwich.”

“This is ridiculous. I order the same thing every time I come and I’ve never paid that much. Where is your manager?”

My manager had been nearby the whole time, listening to everything. I only had to turn around and he was walking over.

“What seems to be the problem sir?”

“This cashier is overcharging me for a whopper meal. He’s obviously charging me some fee for asking for it without the tomatoes, onions and lettuce.”

“Everything he has entered is correct. There are no additional fees.”

“This is ridiculous. You are making me late for a very important meeting. I am not paying this ridiculous amount.”

“I’m sorry for the inconvenience. What I can do in this instance is ring you up for just the whopper and drink and give you the fries for free. That will bring you closer to the price you mentioned. Is that satisfactory?”

“Fine, whatever. Just put my order in so I can leave.”

I tried to keep my anger at bay as I watched my manager ring up a cheeseburger with a meal add on. The customer shoved his card at him and then huffed off with it as soon as it was swiped, without his receipt.

I stared at the customer imagining him breaking out in boils or weeping sores. I whispered a quick phrase in Latin as he walked away. Not an actual curse just more of a marking. If any other curse breakers interacted with him in passing they would avoid him.

“My office please.”

The manager didn’t even wait for a response. A fellow employee who had seen most of what occurred gave me a sympathetic look. No one enjoyed the manager's chats.

“Please have a seat.”

I sat gingerly on the overturned crate that sat diagonally from the desk. This room was never meant as a real office. Just a dumping ground for the safe, important papers and security cameras.

“You’ve been with us for what two years now?”

I nodded.

“I know customers like that can get annoying especially the longer you’ve been here but we have to be diplomatic with them.”

I stared at the monitors behind my manager instead of directly at him. The customer had just received his food.

“I know customers like that can be difficult but we have to be empathetic, who knows what’s going on in his life, maybe he’s cursed.”

I didn’t find his joke funny. People are either assholes or not, it has nothing to do with curses. Most norms don’t truly understand curses. Or the fact that the people like me out there breaking them don’t get paid near the amount we should. Most of what I make is from cleaning up after people trying to break a curse themselves and no one thinks they should have to pay as much when they “got the process going”.

“Tell me, where do you see yourself in five years, surely not as a simple cashier. There has to be more you want to do with your life.”

I’m only six years older than him, but he has a way of making me feel ancient.

“I think you have potential as assistant manager but we’ve got to work on your attitude. Act like you want to be here, like you care about the work and the customers. I see you going places.”

Yeah out the door in thirty seconds.

“Think about it, okay. Here’s the application, take it home with you.”

I took the application, wishing I was a pyrotechnic instead of a curse breaker and could burn it right there in front of him.

“I’ll take a look at it, thank you.”

“Good to hear. That’s all.”

I stood to leave.

“Oh make sure you clean the bathrooms before you leave.”

I looked at my watch as I stepped out of the office closet. It was already 4, time to clock out. I considered just not doing the bathrooms but I believed strongly in Karma, unfortunately.

I went to the back and started grabbing the cleaning supplies. Maybe it was just time to quit. I could manage on just curse breaking for a bit. I’d have more time to build my clientele. I shook my head. I knew it would never work. I had rent payments, insurance, had to eat no matter how much I tried living off rice and beans it never worked for long. My student loans were out of control. Why I ever thought going into curse breaking was a viable career I’ll never know.

I grudgingly pushed the mop bucket toward the front using the mop as the steer. A customer was at the counter but I pretended not to notice. I almost kept going but realized the other cashier was nowhere around. I wanted to go home, why couldn’t I go home.

“What can I get for you?”

“Hi, can I get a Big King with a meal and a chocolate shake.”

“Sure thing. Will that be all?”

“Actually there was something else.”

She looked from side, getting an eyebrow raise from me.

“I hear you’re the person to ask about breaking a curse.”

I tensed slightly and looked around. I could get into trouble talking about my “side business” at work but I didn’t want to miss out on a potential client.

“Im off in like 15 minutes. Can I find you after?”

“Of course. I’ll be sitting in that booth.”

I rang her up. I couldn’t even hide the smile on my face. I hadn’t had a new client in weeks. I rushed through cleaning the bathrooms. I wasn’t going to be any later than the fifteen minutes I told her. I clocked out as soon as everything was put away and then grabbed my backpack, pulling out my notebook as I walked over to the booth.

“Thank you for sitting with me. I know there’s technically a process for these kinds of things but it’s an emergency.”

“Understandable. Tell me what the problem is.”

I pulled out a pen and opened my notebook to a blank page and started scribbling down notes.

“We didn’t realize it was a curse, just thought I was suddenly unlucky. But the past year things have just gone horribly wrong.”

“Is it just random things or is there a similar factor.”

“I honestly hadn’t thought about it, it’s just been random things.”

“The best made curses are always the ones that seem random.”

At this point I’m feverishly writing down notes. The possibilities could be endless, but I take in things I observe about her that will hopefully help narrow things down once I have time to think it through.

“They’re also the hardest to break. We’ll have to take some time to get to the root of each occurrence and see what they have in common. When can you meet again?”

“Tomorrow, I want this to be over as soon as possible.”

“Alright, tomorrow evening works for me. About my fee, I have a standard consultation rate and then the cost of the actual counter curse will depend on the intricacy of it.”

“Okay, will the discount be applied to the consultation or the counter curse fee.”

I pause my writing.

“Discount?”

“Yes, the discount. I was told that if I came here and ordered food I would get a discount.”

“And you believed that?”

“Well you do work here, I’m giving you business.”

I put my head in my hands rubbing my eye sockets. Part of me wanted to gauge them out.

“I don’t own the business lady, I don’t make money from you buying a meal.”

“But they pay you here, so in a way I’m paying your salary.”

“And I don’t make nearly enough.”

I stood, stuffing my notebook and pen back into my bag and sling it onto my back dejectedly.

“If you change your mind and want to pay full price like everyone else here’s my card.”

I turned and headed for the door. As I did I saw my manager behind the counter, arms crossed, a scolding look on his face. Maybe it’s time to look for a new job.

#writing #short story #flash fiction #story prompt #creative #writer #fantasy #reality #fast food #curses

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