#unpopular opinion I prefer this song over iris

[shrinkthisviolet]

For the character ask game: The West-Allen family from The Flash (Barry, Iris, Nora, & Bart). I know it’s a lot of characters, but I thought it would be easier just send it in one ask instead of four. Also, if you think Bart is too new of a character to do, you can skip him.

I’ll be skipping Bart for exactly the reason you mentioned! And FYI, this’ll be the last ask I answer for this ask game

Barry

Favorite thing about them: His loyalty and love! I love characters who care about people fiercely 🥰

Least favorite thing about them: The unwillingness to kill Thawne 💀 listen, I have no problem with heroes who have a “no killing” code, but that’s because those heroes are usually kids (Peter Parker in the MCU) or they know that doing it would send them on a dark path (Bruce Wayne, and he’s proven right on a few occasions). But Barry is 32 at this point, and he was 25 when the show started, and NEVER in 7 years has he even TRIED to kill Thawne! Even after everything! Even given COUNTLESS chances! He didn’t even kill Thawne in S1, Eddie did! It’s not like killing Thawne is some kind of moral ambiguity at this point anyway 💀 and Barry is apparently faster than him now!

Favorite line: “Whether you realize it or not, there is no Flash without Iris West” and “we were all struck by that lightning.” Everyone who hates Iris’s “we are the Flash” line, I hope you save that same energy for Barry 🥰 but me, personally? I love both lines!

BROTP: Barry, Caitlin, and Cisco! Also Barry & Cisco individually, Barry & Jesse, Barry & Nora (all 3), Barry & Henry, and Barry & Wally

OTP: Westallen ofc! Though I did like Parkallen for the brief time it was there

NOTP: Barry/Harry, Barry/Caitlin (I used to be neutral on it, but the shippers are smth else 💀), Barry/Patty (didn’t see a lot of chemistry there tbh, and the ship has been used multiple times to put Iris and/or WA down), Barry/Snart (I personally prefer them as a brotp)

Random headcanon: Barry once made a valentine for Iris for Feb 2000, but then he was out sick for Valentine’s Day. He kept putting off giving it to her, but his mom encouraged him to go for it. He was going to give it to her on March 19th, but after his mom was killed on the night of the 18th, that all went out the window 😭

Unpopular opinion: Barry considers Joe a father figure, not his actual dad! He calls Henry his dad (says he’s proud to be Henry’s son), says Joe is like his dad, has never considered Iris a sister, considers Wally his brother only after proposing to Iris (which is when Wally starts calling himself Barry’s brother btw!!), and had a crush on Iris back when they were just fellow students in school together! So if you’re calling Westallen incest or incest-adjacent, stop. It’s not

Song I associate with them: Birth by Thirty Seconds to Mars! Thanks to this edit 🥰

Favorite pic of them:

I just love the early-season suits tbh, I miss them

Iris

Favorite thing about them: Her determination and fighting spirit!

Least favorite thing about them: That argument in S5 where she says Thawne “isn’t that bad.” I love her, but that was so OOC of her to say…wtf writers??

Favorite line: “All the information I have about Black Hole will be immediately released, so tell your friend to stand down.” Or “you stay the hell away from my family, or you won’t even make it to the end of that timer!” IRIS BEING AWESOME AND DEFENDING HER FAMILY 🥰

BROTP: Iris & Linda! Also Iris & Cisco, Iris & Nora, and Iris & Kamilla. And, during s4, Iris & Caitlin

OTP: Westallen ofc!

NOTP: Iris/Eobard, Iris/any of the Wells really

Random headcanon: Iris’s first fight was in defense of Barry, and it was before she even really knew how to fight (she was in the early stages of learning). Someone was making fun of Barry, calling him a crybaby orphan, and Iris punched the kid in the jaw. She still isn’t sure if it was the force of her punch, or the shock of her punching him, that knocked him over, but she remembers the look Barry gave her. Full of love, admiration...and it made Iris feel some type of way that she couldn’t name. It was a crush, but she didn’t have the words for it then, nor the willingness to acknowledge feeling that way about her best friend. And this took place during the time between Nora’s death and Joe taking Barry in.

Unpopular opinion: Iris’s “we are the Flash” line isn’t terrible, actually (see the “favorite line” section for Barry for details). Also, y’all calling Iris a bad mom for what she did to Nora...first of all, metas were ILLEGAL and EXPERIMENTED ON in 2049, so Iris was just protecting her daughter from that. Second of all, she was a SINGLE MOTHER WHO NEVER PLANNED TO RAISE HER SPEEDSTER CHILD ALONE

Song I associate with them: Me Too by Meghan Trainor!

Favorite pic of them:

That outfit + hairstyle is just ICONIC ✨

Nora

Favorite thing about them: At times, she can be mature, and she clearly loves her family. In S7, she acts her age, which I like! Maybe it just took having a sibling 😂

Least favorite thing about them: Ohh boy. Well first there’s the fact that she’s almost 30 in S5 but acts like a teen. Then there’s the fact that she keeps working with Thawne EVEN AFTEE KNOWING THAT HE KILLED HER GRANDMA! And THEN there’s her childish anger at Iris–which she does get over, but after way too long! And refusing to even consider Iris’s side!

Favorite line: “Sometimes all we can do is live with the consequences.” Surprisingly mature of you, S5 Nora 💀

BROTP: The Westallen family!

OTP: Nora/Lia, Nora/Mia Smoak-Queen! I recommend this fantastic S5 rewrite fic series featuring Nora/Mia 🥰 and a Nora that acts her age!

NOTP: Nora/Thawne. I wish I was kidding. The ship exists, I’ve seen it, and it makes me want to throw up

Random headcanon: Nora and Iris used to be pretty close before Crisis! They used to watch Food Network together and go shopping together and such. But after Barry disappeared, Iris had to kinda take on the role of both parents, and she wasn’t able to balance that super well along with her reporter job (understandably, being a single mom is HARD AF). Nora never stopped hoping that Iris would find/make the time to have fun with Nora like she used to. Unfortunately, Nora was ready to go off to college before Iris was able to make the time (which, again, isn’t Iris’s fault!! Single parenting AND working is HARD)

Unpopular opinion: Nora isn’t a bad character, she was just poorly written. I would’ve liked to see her written as an actual 28-year-old, or for her to be 18 on the show (which is the route I take in anything I write about her).

Song I associate with them: Oh No! by Marina, especially as Nora is being overtaken by the Negative Speed Force 🥺

Favorite pic of them:

Tell me she doesn’t look 18 here. SHE DOES

[gellavonhamster]

zack snyder’s justice league

very random unsystematic thoughts

loved it just like I knew I will - I mean, it was bound to be better than the previous one because 1) it’s the work of one director not two very different works of two different directors duct-taped together; 2) the bar was really low, and at the same time I didn’t have any specific expectations re: characters and plot (I would’ve loved if Lois did more, but this is already a movie trying to focus on six characters equally, so I can understand why her storyline wasn’t expanded more)  

I can see which moments could be shortened or cut out completely if this was going to be shown at the cinema, but seriously, for watching from home, this is fine

so glad this version doesn’t have people living right next to an abandoned nuclear plant, this was so stupid. Someone please tell the Hollywood ppl that it’s “отель” not “готель”, though

the deal with the Mother Boxes became clearer, and so did the motivation of Steppenwolf (as far as the motivations of Ugly Ass Dramatic Space Demons usually go)

the soundtrack was great; loved the Amazons’ theme music, the song about a king for Arthur, and! the fisherwomen’s song!!! love it when superhero stuff is less about science/near-science and more about magic and myth - what can I say, I’ve always preferred fantasy over sci-fi

the murals under the temple of Artemis are lovely, and the entire scene looked like something out of some adventure movie like The Mummy, very beautiful

Victor is so good. So good. I believe there’s enough written and to be written about him by people more eloquent than me, but gosh, Wh*don’s version did him even dirtier than I expected

Batman’s character development as compared with the way he was at the beginning of BvS! The man who’s lost faith in humanity to the man placing all his faith in other people! This must be an unpopular opinion (?), but I really like Affleck’s Batman. He’s reasonably cool, but he’s also an awkward sad loser trying his best and struggling to figure out how tf people make friends as adults. Quite possibly me in 10-15 years, only I won’t have as much money 

“How are you gonna do this?” - “By the power of love?” - “...Barry.”

Victor and Barry are so young and they literally do the impossible during the final battle and ahhh I love them

Bruce: this is Alfred, I work for him

the first meeting of Barry and Iris = CUTE

Arthur trying to look like he doesn’t care and still caring about his new teammates and the world

really enjoyed all interactions between Arthur and Diana because of how they work together and respect each other despite their people having bad blood, but also because this was literally my taste in men and my taste in women on screen at the same time, hashtag blessed

Barry’s dad told him not to live in the past, and then in the end Barry literally changes the past, a small part of it, but the crucially important one

“Flight is its nature.” - “Yours, too.”

Bruce’s nightmares (in BvS and here) make me nervous because, well, they’re probably supposed to be something more than just the representation of his fears, and I don’t want them to, I don’t want to see all these characters fighting each other again (realistically I won’t, of course - there’s no way they’re making all these movies, especially what with all the cast changes). But I liked how even in that nightmare Harley’s last dying wish is for Bruce to make sure the Joker dies a very painful death :3 I bet that during/after the events of BoP Batman learned about their breakup and was like “good for her”

I know nothing about the Martian Manhunter but I like him so far

loved that Bruce’s reaction to being visited by an unknown alien is basically “eh whatever, still not as weird as the dream I just had”. Who wouldn’t react the same way this early in the morning

love the dynamic between Diana and Alfred!

Victor leaving his old clothes on his own grave and flying into the sky, leaving behind his old life and all “what if”s of the kind the Mother Boxes tried to tempt him with

was that Granny Goodness? Why do I know who Granny Goodness is despite having read so little comics

okay, I am running out of very random unsystematic thoughts. Feels good to be excited about the DCEU again

[dravensnight]

DO EM ALL

rose - describe your crush.

ok so he’s super sweet and smart and hot. he brightens my day from near and far, and he makes me emotional in the best ways. i cant believe i have someone like him to lean on tbh. he’s everything i never realized i wanted in a person 🖤🖤 also he rly loves music and is so funny i get stomach aches from laughing and he gets emotional over food and it’s the best

cherry-blossom - do you believe in love at first sight?

nah not really. the first sight can be a good sign and a good starter but it’s not what makes me fall in love.

daisy - what’s your best childhood memory?

idk? watching buffy/disney movies i guess. maybe my first dog.

daffodil - which colour suits you best?

black and red.

peony - do you put more value in honour or truth?

idk truth i guess. im not really sure where honor comes into my life.

iris - favourite 90s song?

burn by the cure i suppose

sunflower - sun or moon?

moon!

narcissus - your best physical feature?

my hair.

freesia - are you still friends with the person you considered your best friend two years ago?

yesss

orchid - favourite fruit?

pineapple!

violet - have you had your first kiss?

yep

gypsophila - do you prefer many distant friends, or a few close friends?

a few close friends for sure

gerbera - neon or pastel?

pastel

carnation - does true love exist?

idk i dont think so? im not sure the universe really makes one true love for every person but i believe that you can feel like you’re in a true love with someone.

alstroemeria - dream vacation?

harry potter world or europe (ireland/germany). or just a remote beach w/ a nice house & windows and balcony that face the ocean.

anemone - were you ever interested in greek mythology?

oh boyy yess. percy jackson teen over here lmao.

cymbidium - sexuality?

bi

rhododendron - what’s your biggest fear?

probs not making it in life lmao (financial wise)

tulip - lucky number?

7? 13? dont really have one tbh

gladiolus - who do you look up to most?

anyone who’s capable of creating their own happiness despite their circumstances. it’s a skill and habit i have yet to learn.

snapdragon - favourite mythical creature?

vampires. also sirens.

hydrangea - proudest moment?

probably winning my high school’s english scholarship and hearing what my teacher had to say about me.

heather - what’s your favourite musical?

idk i think theres one that i really like but i cant remember it

delphinium - what’s your star sign - does it suit you?

aquarius. yes, i think so. tho im not into aliens and i no longer pretend to be unfeeling (though i definitely did for a time so i mean that characteristic was accurate at one point)

ginger - least favourite food?

ignoring meat/dairy foods, hummus tbh. #unpopular vegan opinion lmao

[in-defense-of-the-horror]

American Horror Story Hotel: A Rant Continued

Yesterday I posted my thoughts on AHS: Roanoke, because it was terrible and all my anger was eating me up inside.  I thought that would be the end of it, but I was wrong.

@colonelcaribou was curious as to my thoughts on Hotel, and so I’m here to present you with more ranting about American Horror Story (something that I’m always more than happy to do, by the way.)

SPOILER WARNING: Like my last AHS rant, this is intended for people who have already seen the season in question, this time Hotel.

Let’s just go ahead and start this off with one of my favorite things; unpopular opinions. Hotel is actually my personal favorite season of American Horror Story. While I don’t think it’s as good as Murder House from a critical standpoint, the strengths from the season all play to my preferences whereas the weaknesses are issues that I seem to have with every season of the show - making it the most enjoyable for me to watch. That being said, it’s the only season (excluding Roanoke) that I’ve only seen one time, and I’m probably the least familiar with it.

While it is my favorite season - it’s far from perfect. Since this is a rant, I’m going to start by talking about the things that drove me crazy.

I think one of the aspects that bothered me most throughout the season was Chloë Sevigny’s portrayal of the grieving mother Alex Lowe. I can see where she was going with the role, the under-played emotions were meant to illustrate the detachment and depression that her character is experiencing (at least, that’s what I got out of it.) However, it led to me feeling like many parts of the story regarding her character were bland at best. The fact that the only real emotion I remember her distinctly expressing was anger (which was often misguided, misplaced, or exaggerated) tipped the scales toward me actively disliking her character. This was a big issue that I had with what was an otherwise great subplot.

Before I move away from the Lowe family too much, it’s also worth nothing that I took issue with some character design choices for the small son, Holden Lowe. This sounds like nitpicking, and maybe it is, but could they have made the kid any creepier? It would be one thing if that was part of the story all the way through - or if they had made him look more like a normal kid in the flashbacks at least, but I actually found it really distracting. With the long, wispy, white blond hair, the pale skin, and his mother’s vacant expression - this kid was legitimately the most terrifying part of the season in my opinion, and it kind of sucks that I don’t think it was intentional.

Now let’s talk about James Patrick March.

Don’t get me wrong, I thought he was an interesting character. His design was great, Evan Peters did a fantastic job playing him, but his name bothered me. It’s not the first time that American Horror Story has changed the name of a character or even a historical figure being portrayed on the show - and I can see why they wouldn’t want to flat out say that this character was H. H. Holmes. After all, the Hotel Cortez was an amalgamation of many different locations, and it wasn’t even located in the same state as the infamous “Murder Mansion” that Holmes built in Chicago. Using the name of the actual killer would have been spreading a wild amount of misinformation, and considering the amount of liberties they had to take with the character’s history, could have been seen as pretty insensitive. 

It makes sense that they would choose a new name for him and just use Holmes as inspiration (like they did with the Briarcliff Institute in Asylum) but there was one episode where it started bother me; Devil’s Night.  In a room with the spirits of the most notorious serial killers, the fact that H. H. Holmes had been replaced with James Patrick March meant that he obviously couldn’t be at the soiree, since he was, in a way, hosting it. It’s a small enough detail, but it’s one that got on my nerves while I was watching, and as I’m typing this out I realize it really stuck with me.

That small issue is also a great transition into Devil’s Night, which was my least favorite episode and, as far as I saw it, the worst part of the season.

Let’s say for a moment that I buy into the premise of serial killer ghosts having dinner together annually on the one night of the year where they have physical form on this plane (which for the record, I don’t.) Let’s also say that the ghost of not H. H. Holmes was somehow a mentor to all these serial killers from all over the country, and that somehow makes sense. The execution was still very flawed. The whole scene was over the top, the dialogue felt very forced, and what the fuck was going on with the Zodiac killer?

Like, okay, I get that we don’t have enough information to do an accurate depiction of the Zodiac killer, but I feel like there were a lot of better alternatives than to making him look like the world’s worst Monty Python and the Holy Grail cosplayer (did anyone else get that impression from his outfit, or was it just me?) Much like my issue with Roanoke where they failed to give me an answer to an actual, historical mystery that they decided to bring to screen, I feel like there were a lot of ways to go.

Zodiac could have been just a regular guy whose name wasn’t mentioned. Could have been a regular woman whose name wasn’t mentioned. They could have created a name (like they did with James Patrick March.) He could have been Ted Cruz - which would have been the best use of a meme on television. He could have, and this is crazy, not been there at all. I think that would have been my top choice, actually, because from what we do know of the Zodiac killer, what are the chances he would attend an event like that anyway? I feel like the most elegant solution to the dilemma would have been to have a place-setting at the table for him (with the symbol on it of course) and then to have slipped a line in there about how he never shows. 

There were some other issues throughout the season, but these are the ones that really stuck with me, and that I’m still thinking about a year after watching it. So, with all these complaints, you’re probably wondering why this is my favorite season. Unlike Roanoke, Hotel had a lot of redeemable moments and now I’m going to transition into some more positive ranting.

For one, the ambiance was great. The set was stunning, the cinematography was gorgeous, and hands down this was the season with the best sound track. (They got my favorite She Wants Revenge song AND my favorite Eagles song in the pilot, how awesome is that?)

There was an excellent use of body horror throughout the season, from the grisly killings committed to represent the ten commandments to the flashback where Sally sews herself to her friends. I think more than any other season the visuals really stuck with me.

While I have already brought up some problems I had with certain casting decisions - there were a lot of fantastic choices also made in that regard. I was surprised by just how talented Lady Gaga was in her role as The Countess, Kathy Bates continued to impressed, I think Sally was one of Sarah Paulson’s most intriguing and well-played characters. Let’s  also not forget about the amazing supporting cast in this season. While there were countless characters in the Hotel Cortez that were wonderful, I don’t think any of them stand out as much as Liz Taylor.

In addition to being beautifully designed, perfectly portrayed and having a fascinating backstory that contrasts with  the darker themes in the rest of the season, Liz Taylor was possibly the best instance of representation in the season - perhaps in the entire show. While the Countess also offers some LGBTQ representation, I was deeply moved by the mature way they dealt with having a transgender character recur throughout the season. 

They addressed Iris not being comfortable with Liz due to her own ignorance, and she was upfront about how she didn’t know how to ask. Liz, a strong woman confident in her identity is happy to set the record straight, even though it means sharing about a time in her life before she had that confidence. 

That flashback scene also shows The Countess in a softer light as she helps Liz embrace who she was meant to be and acknowledging her as a woman before the rest of the world did. She pushes Liz to come out as a woman, and when she sees that she’s pushing too hard, tones it down and suggests a smaller, more manageable step. Maybe she didn’t handle being an ally the best, but the fact that she realized she was trying to force someone to do too much too fast and backed down showed a side of her character that was unexpected, especially considering her unflinchingly dominant personality.

Where I thought Liz really shined though, was after that when she’s in bed with Tristan. Tristan is surprised that he’s fallen for Liz because “he’s not gay.” Liz is quick to assert her gender and set him straight. “You’re not gay for being with me. I’m a girl. I’m a hetero girl.”

There’s one last big thing that made me really appreciate this season, and that was the mythology. Those of you who have been following me awhile know that I am tougher on vampire stories than I am on just about anything else. It’s partially because I got burnt out on it, but I also feel like a lot of vampire mythology is poorly executed and overly romanticized. If I had known there would be vampires in the season, I might not have even wanted to watch it - but I’m so glad I did.

There are a lot of vampire romances in Hotel, but at the same time I feel like they weren’t glorified. At no point did I feel like the show was trying to sell me on the concept of eternal love through a vampyric virus. On the contrary I think it illustrates how the undead are in many ways lonelier than they ever were as humans. The relationships aren’t born out of romance, they’re born out of the lust that comes with the vitality of everlasting youth, and that’s how it was depicted. 

All in all I felt like this was a much more realistic take on vampires. They’re less idealistic and in a way the idea of vampires being more human is a lot scarier than the alternative. They’re not dangerous because they’re monsters, but rather because they have the same wants and needs that we all have, but amplified. Not only does it make the prospect of them existing more plausible, it makes the idea of becoming one much less appealing - which is exactly how it should be. 

The undead (the ghosts and vampires both) were glamorous, but that beauty was always matched with such clear suffering.

I have a lot more that I could probably say about the show, and about this season in particular, but this hits most of my big points about it. While it’s not perfect, there were a lot of things that made me enjoy the story. 

In fact, writing this up, I think I’ve talked myself into re-watching the season to see if it holds up.