#you as a viewer don't have to do anything

[oneirophasia]

I like thinking about how The Murderbot Diaries could be adapted. I enjoy the conceit that much or all of the footage/animation is technically in first-person - but, true to character, Murderbot frequently prefers to hijack drones and other environmental cameras as an emotional distancing mechanism, allowing changes in POV to communicate its emotions without forcing Murderbot to explicitly comment on them. :D Visual media obviously want less narration than literature (sometimes to its detriment), but fortunately Murderbot has the excuse of lacking a Watson or anyone else it's willing to talk to, especially for half the first book, so there's plenty of justification for a minimal level of snarky cyber-noir commentary. The tonal contrast between its internal monologue and everything it actually says is important!

Treating the "camera" as an explicit extension of Murderbot's perspective also slightly simplifies the problem that a lot of the action and dialogue happens in a way that's tricky to convey passively in only two senses. For one, people talk to each other regularly not just vocally, but over the feed. How can that distinction be made clear to the audience without constantly having to say so? Audio is the most obvious choice; maybe the dialogue has processing effects that give it a subtle electronic tint. Earlier scenes could establish the convention by showing augmented humans continuing to talk by closing their mouths and using subvocal jaw movements, accompanied by the processing change, setting up that association to use without the visual cue later. It'd be important that the effect be distinctive without making the dialogue incomprehensible, since music and sound effects would also still be part of the mix. But "the feed" isn't just one feed, either - not everyone uses the same public channel, and sometimes that's plot-relevant. I remember in Rogue Protocol there was a moment where Murderbot has a brief conversation with someone - I think it was Abene? - which starts vocally, then moves to the feed, then to a private channel. The same people are speaking, or else you could use that to imply the change, but it's important to the audience that other people in the group who aren't currently speaking can only hear some of it. How do you communicate that efficiently? "Sounds digital" is one thing, "sounds digital but in two or more distinct and consistent ways" is another level and outside my limited AV knowledge. (If Murderbot is narrating when other people are around we might also need tone for "asides no one heard but the audience", but that isn't anything new at least.)

That's relatively trivial compared to the broader problem that Murderbot, specifically, is constantly talking to and hacking computer systems. That's at least half of its job and plot participation, but it's also a core part of its characterisation as an insubordinate non-human that makes it a compelling protagonist, so "just write it out of the script" would clearly betray the spirit of an adaptation. I don't know if you've thought about how much effort directors went to until someone (possibly on Sherlock) figured out how to just present text messages on-screen in a dynamic and legible way? This is worse. Viewers don't necessarily need as much information as readers get, but I just finished Exit Strategy and was paying attention to what I was actually imagining visually while Murderbot:

Remotely contacts a gunship using false authentication so it won't notify its human crew

Casually disables security devices and erases itself from recordings

Distinguishes systems by which organisation they belong to, how much access it has to them, and whether they have an active human operator

Sorts personal memories to edit into a highlights reel

Briefly redirects a secure call at a critical moment

Fakes a glitch in decorative holography

Exploits the perimeters of security systems that don't directly communicate with each other to evade pursuit

Monitors transit traffic to deduce enemy movement and change plans accordingly

Hijacks all the drones in a large room and blocks attempts to regain control

Reclassifies enemy combatants mid-engagement

Secures a pilot bot in the middle of being destroyed by killware

Creates bait to lure said killware into a subsystem that can be physically disconnected

Good thing I was imagining a broadly POV camera framing anyway, because none of this is happening physically, and Murderbot isn't experiencing it through human-analogous senses. The challenge is to communicate all of that without impeding the story it's meant to support, without the advantage of being able to control pacing through text. The usual trope for creating visual interest in the visually-unexciting activity of "using a computer" is to portray it as happening physically anyway in a metaphorical cyberspace, but I don't think that actually works in this case, because remember: a lot of this happens during climactic action scenes, and blocking fight choreography can be disorienting enough as it is without also constantly flickering into virtual reality just long enough to flip an imaginary switch. It makes more sense to me to represent it as more of an augmented reality overlay, which... the problem there isn't really that that sounds like creating an entire imaginary UI, which isn't different in principle from set design making sure all the buttons are labelled consistently on the spaceship console, the problem is that usually the audience isn't watching through the console. You'd need to treat the HUD elements as normal and use them at least often enough that when they become important the audience will be ready to follow along without exposition, but cluttering the screen can be distracting enough when you're playing an game and is probably even worse in a non-interactive medium.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

I have been thinking about Feast recently and it got me thinking about the kids that are studying at the temple and how fucked up it is that they're brought back 186 years later

Considering that Fu was forced into guardianship and had to leave his family behind we can assume the same thing goes for the other kids as well, which makes the situation even worst

Because imagine you're around young Fu's age, they force you into guarding a box with magical jewelries that you didn't asked for and aren't interested in, doesn't help that the training is a nightmare, suddenly a giant blue frog shows up and swallows you whole alongside other people and you're now dead, and when you thought things couldn't get any worst you're miraculously (no pun intended) brought back to life and you realize you skipped almost two decades into the future, meaning you can't come back to your family since I highly doubt they're alive for so many years, you can't go back to your home either because again highly doubt it exists anymore, so you're now an orphan just like the other kids and you're forever stuck in that guardian temple

One thing for sure everybody want Fu dead after this

The guardian lore is one of the many elements of canon that feels incredibly underdeveloped. Heck, I'm not even wild about the idea that a sentimonster's damage can be perfectly undone over a hundred years later. The implications are really weird. Like, if I'm dying from cancer, can I make a sentimonster and have it kill me so that a future Ladybug can undo that move and I wake up when cancer has been cured? Based on Feast, I think the answer is yes! It's super weird. ~180 years have passed. The guardians should have been dead, cure or no cure.

Having Fu be an unwilling child guardian would have been a solid choice if the goal was to have a discussion about Marinette also being an unwilling child guardian. It's a decent analogy for generational trauma. It could even be used as a discussion on child soldiers! But canon isn't doing any of that, so Fu being an unwilling child guardian just feels sad and weird. Why add that element if you're not going to do anything with it? It's up there with implying that teenagers aren't supposed to be Chosen like they did in Furious Fu:

Su-Han:(interrupts, shouting) When the lion speaks the cub listens! First off you two are going to hand over your Miraculous to me. Cat Noir: What, that's a bad joke. (smiles with Ladybug) And I know all about bad jokes. Ladybug: We can't do that! How are we going to defeat Shadow Moth without our Miraculous? Su-Han: I will reassign then to carefully selected, appropriate adult holders. Like any rightful responsible Guardian would do.

You should never acknowledge that teenagers are a questionable choice for heroes in your show about teenage heroes unless you're going to give that statement actual weight and discuss how messed up this would be in the real world. Canon doesn't do this, so this was a terrible thing to include. This isn't breaking the fourth wall for a joke. It's the writers trying to engage with bad-faith criticism to which there is no good counterargument other than, "this is the show's premise. If your suspension of disbelief doesn't allow you to enjoy that premise, then this isn't the show for you." Don't remind the viewers who are happy to play along that the show is asking them to use their suspension of disbelief. That is a great way to break their suspension of disbelief!

All of this is why my stance is that the guardian order was a bad call. It's just way too complicated an element to introduce if you're not going to do anything interesting with it. Su Han could have easily just been the guardian of a different miracle box who comes to train Marinette when Fu is lost. He could have even been some sort of master guardian who only has one kwami of his own and no box because he oversees all the different sub boxes. Anything is better than introducing a whole temple of guardians and then only having one guy show up to help, especially when he doesn't actually do anything to help! At least give the heroes a new power up!

[femnoah]

Feral Female Noah part 3!!!

Part 1

The girls night!

Heather's still suspicious of what 'Noah' is up to and tells 'him' that. Cause she thought 'he' was going to be eliminated so why is 'he' still here? Courtney is also incredibly curious about it so 'Noah' tells them about the team swap with Cody. Their attention is then drawn to the rom com where they basically trash talk the main couple and then it turns out that the fl's ex boyfriend had cheated on her which sparks Heather to start ranting about it (she didn't actually kiss Trent you know, she's not stupid, it's like how fights in movies aren't real, it all comes down to camera angles).

Courtney tells Neha to tell Heather what Neha told her. So she explains what happened in the cargo, including the threats. "So he had a knife to my throat and told me he'd kill me if I told Courtney" "ohh, that's what the cut was about, I thought it was a shaving accident or something" "on this plane, honey please, I would never willingly let anything sharp near my neck" " honestly though, threatening you like that, what does he think this is, some sort of mob flick" Courtney just starts laughing at this. "I never thought of that, he really is cringey isn't he" "too right courts, I have no idea what you saw in that wannabe highlighter" " well, then I told him that if he tried that I would crush his dick and balls" "no way" "wait! you didn't tell me about that part!?"

They eventually end up talking about the rest of the guys when Courtney brings up potential crushes~ (cough cough heather cough cough). Heather immediately denies liking Alejandro which both Courtney and Neha comment on. "Why not, I mean he's fit and a gentleman!" "Yeah, the guy's hot and he's like perfect husband material" "...... didn't you call him a slippery eel Noah?" "I thought you were smart! You're like the only other person who knows he is evil and now you're calling him hot!!" "I stand by what I said, he's manipulative, slippery, hot, competitive, petty, a little diabolical at times and a total and complete eel: he's clearly husband material!" "If I didn't know any better I'd assume you'd have a thing for the guy" "that sounded pretty confession-like Noah, I'm actually kind of worried about you if that's what you find attractive" "Oh yeah, I definitely do, but don't worry I'm not going to fight you for him Heather, we can be each others totally lame wingmen instead" " so you ARE gay then!" "No" "don't be stupid Courtney, people can be bisexual" "Nah, I'm 100% heterosexual" ".....didn't you just admit to liking Alejandro" "were you dropped on your head as a kid or something nerd?"

Neha just looks at the two with a Cheshire grin before telling them that she'll let them in on a little secret. The other two are obviously very curious and lean in to presumably hear what 'he' is going to say. They weren't sure what they were expecting but it definitely wasn't for the new 'guy' on the team to grab 'his' hair- wait wig?! Staring back at them is a recognisable girl (woah, Courtney notes that her forehead is actually smaller than she thought- it must have been because of the wig- and now that she actually thinks about it, 'Noah' had always looked very feminine) with long messy hair and a smug grin that utters only one word "surprise~" . Heather's response to this after her moment of shock was to immediately start cackling (across the world, every total drama viewer and other contestants felt an intense shudder down their spine..... It was probably cause of climate change or something) and says "you really are straight, you fooled us all nerd, I'm impressed" "wait-- you'rE A GIRL?!?!!?"

She ends up telling them her name and the reasoning behind the whole pretending to be a boy thing cause what are they gonna do about it, tell on her to Chris? The other two girls agree to keep it a secret cause for once, it'd have no impact on the game. They also discuss slight game strategy (mainly how Gwen is totally the next eliminated on their team and how to handle Sierra after she finds out about the team switch), Neha tells them that after Gwen is gone, if they really need to vote someone else on the team off then they can vote for her (she's in the competition for reasons other than money rn so she doesn't mind getting eliminated so the other two who actually want to win the money can- as long as she gets what she wants out of it at least) which lessens Heather's distrust in her even more. "Wait, I just realised, it really is girls Vs boys now, I'm sure Chris is loving that" "not like any of the other idiots know that though" "yeah, and good luck getting them to believe either of you about it"

They even get to change into the spare pyjamas for the interns cause there's no cameras rolling in the staff quarters. Actual mildly comfortable pyjamas! And Neha doesn't have to wear multiple layers of constrictive clothing to hide her boobs, at last she can breathe, freedom!

The night ends with the three girls passed out and Neha clinging to them (no one can escape her koala grip, no matter the universe)

They're not immediately besties or anything (though they do look like it to everybody else) but all three of them feel like the night is the start of a genuine friendship (the first on the show for Heather and Courtney)

Heather wakes up first in the morning cause she feels someone tapping her. She then immediately wakes up the other two girls by screaming because she was NOT expecting to wake up to Chef leaning over them doing the 'I'm not mad, I'm disappointed' mum stance. Turns out they slept in... Whoops.

Next

[takahirokatoh]

warning & Wish

To reiterate, for all episodes 1-4 currently available for a limited time, and episode 5 to be released in the future, screen recording, photography, and audio recording with cameras or smartphones are strictly prohibited.

In addition, unauthorized reproduction or sharing on video sites may be subject to legal liability. Commercial use of live streaming videos is prohibited. This includes receiving a fee from viewers and streaming live streaming videos in restaurants, halls, etc.

Even if it's free for a limited time, it's not free material. The cast members have all obtained permission to post photos on social media. I know you want to show how much you love this scene, but please stop. Otherwise, it will probably stop being distributed in the future. I want to protect this content. It may be strange to say this, but it takes just under 40 days of rehearsals to create one episode. And then there's the performance. I'm sure it varies depending on the cast, but you can't live in Tokyo for a month on the performance guarantee, half a month is the limit. You can't work for more than a month and survive for two weeks. It's even more of a deficit. But they keep creating because there's "love" in it. They keep creating "magic" in a performance without major investors because there's "love" in the people involved. Please don't do anything that tramples on that "love."

[magnificent-buckless-butt]

I only disagree about the "Marvel care and are nurturing it" (except if the 'they' is the tfatws cast) but that's exactly what I thought when I was waiting for my train after the movie.

We, sambucky nation, are like a chihuaha. We can bark a lot, true, but we're small and have actually no interest in bothering people: we're absolutely content with what we already have and if you close your eyes, it's easy to ignore we're here.

So they gave us sambucky because the vast majority of viewers don't care/don't know about that ship (they're already having a hard time with a Black Captain America I don't think they have the time to ponder whether Marvel is also making a Gay Captain America) and for us, anything will suffice. Heck, "anything" is literally just putting Anthony and Sebastian in the same scene and alone and let them act.

I don't think Sambucky will ever be officially canon but, like my love, I do believe it's unofficially canon. As in, canon unless proven otherwise and that proof would have to be Sam or Bucky dating a woman clearly identified and refered as such. And honestly, it's clearly not worth the energy. Bucky have already been filling the love interest role in the Cap movies and now that Cap is no longer Steve (so for some viewers, not an "important" guy anymore), they don't even have to worry about having to justify that role in a non-gay way. Or, you know, by saying "it's like a buddy cop movie" and that never stopped us anyway.

TL;DR: We won.

Is Sambucky Canon? (Part 2)

Spoilers ahead obviously....

Sambucky is canon in the shippiest way. They're not officially a couple but they're also not "not a couple".

They're either already married or building the longest slow burn in MCU history. And this has been the case since Avengers: Endgame.

The only difference now is that everyone seems to acknowlegde it. The fandom (whether they're Sambucky shippers or not) , but also the writers.

At first I found it weird how Sam didn't have have any love interest in the MCU but now it seems deliberate. I also doubt Bucky will have a love interest in Thunderbolts.

It's heavily implied that they're eachother's love interest. Them staring at a sunset together, them doing a soul gazing during couples therapy, the pictures in Sam and Joaquin's HQ, them throwing the L word any chance they get , ... It's getting a little less subtle each time.

Bucky went to be with Sam because he knew he needed him, he comforted him, gave him a pep talk and then told him he loved him.

No Sambucky shipper would have ever imagined those words would ever be said to each other.

TL,DR: Sambucky isn't canon, but it's not "only a fanon ship" either. It has left the fandom sphere, I feel like Sambucky is an "official" ship. They know it exists and they care about it, they are nurturing it and hopefully they're planning to let it flourish.

[talesfromthenorsesmouth]

ok, so it's not, you know, good, but I don't entirely hate this first gouache attempt, even though I think I switched techniques several times, and the paper wasn't all good for this medium. The jacket turned out ok, even if I need a lot more practice.

anyway, here's the Riddler again. i'm still giving him Bowie hair circa '75 and I will never stop

[bread-wizards]

I actually think Dorian and Orym should fight more.

Remember when their slowly building tension over and entire episode (full of passive aggressive remarks and blame throwing) led to threats? And how after, Orym thanked Dorian for handing over the crown sadly because he knew Dorian would be mad at him? And Dorian couldn't even look at him because he was legitimately hurt, thinking Orym was disappointed in him for doing what he thought was right? That was peak.

The fact they went from that to their current closeness and trust is the best part of their entire dynamic. Their relationship was hard fought and still will be. They will fight for it because they respect and care for one another deeply, and their disagreements don't change that, only improve it.

[chiropteracupola]

revisiting a couple of the major characters from the Dubious Fantasy Novel I attempted to write in high school

(the project started in 2016ish but the earlier drawings are c.2020 since I never took photos of the really early stuff)

[sherlock-is-ace]

watched the first ep of Dead Boy Detectives today, did anyone also think the dialogue was a bit clunky?

I don't mean it was unwatchable or anything i just feel like it didn't feel realistic the way they introduced the characters and world... It felt like the dialogue was for the viewer instead of an in character thing. We were gonna be introduced to a viewer surrogate within the first few minutes, there was no need to have the characters who already know how the show's world works spell it out for nobody... and then explain it again when Crystal showed up? idk it felt like something I would write (not a complient) 😅

[thecindercrow]

everyone scrambling to point at the screen at the end of s2e1 and say "The numbers align with the four tempers!" Yeah, we knew this for three years

[ishouldreallybeelsewhere]

Episode one of Supernatural is so flawed that, had I watched it for the first time last night (instead of for the third), I would not have have watched the second. Ever. The flaws are things I simply didn't pick up on when I was thirteen, and memory glazed over with emotional attachment. I understand why these flaws are there, what the writers tried and failed to do through clumsy dialogue and strange character decisions. There's no subtlety. Everything Sam says is direct exposition, specifically the things that he would not have to say to his brother.

I do not do reviews so that's all I'm going to say.

[inkykeiji]

No fr, I saw Hazbin fans on TT who ACTUALLY THOUGHT Alastor's last name was "Altruist". Like. They didn't comprehend it was a word he was mockingly attaching to his name after his performance in the finale.

oh my good god. once again i say, the media literacy (and possibly literacy, period) is buried beneath the ground like...that’s actually concerning. unless they were young teenagers who just didn’t know what the word meant,, tho idk if young teenagers should necessarily be watching hazbin but that’s a different conversation for a different time.

[sahrayliathefaelia]

i guess i shouldn't be surprised about this but re: the introduction of claire as a character in the bear--y'all really love hating women and completely disregarding larger narrative arcs don't you

[gayofthefae]

The thing with the Byler twist - and it is a twist, even if we’ve predicted it - is that all that the general audience really needs to be on board is to realize that all of Mike’s behavior will have remained in character. No sudden change or confusion to accommodate this fan service ship. Even if you didn’t see it coming, it is very consistent with his behavior over the seasons.

That’s all you really need for a good twist. Not predictability but rewatchability. Does it makes sense? It doesn’t matter if it was built up. Because this isn’t a slow burn. It’s an “it was under my nose the whole time” subversion. Yes, it’s been built up from the start but that’s the part about being under your nose the whole time. Some people will have caught it some won’t, but ultimately, the fact that Mike’s behavior won’t change is what will make people see it.

Because the general audience is, by definition, not actively fighting the idea. Casual viewers. Character consistency is all that’s needed. Even if it WERE to be fan service, if they were to be able to execute that unplanned plot with great character consistency, props to them, that’s the story now, and I’ll accept it. (Just like I say a non-Byler ending would be totally great if it can maintain character consistency and realistic happy endings within that - I just can’t think of a way it can). 

This has been a long way of saying.

Mike and Will getting together will not feel out of character or like an adjustment or accommodation to this “new” storyline. And that’s really all that’s ever needed for a twist or subversion to work. It doesn’t have to be foreshadowed or predictable. It just needs to make sense. And as long as that’s true, no general audience member will fight it.

[unproduciblesmackdown]

the most recognized as comedic song being the best part of the movie musical because the conventions that serve as a mode of communicating ideas, for example "people just bursting into song" or "choreography" or "'noticeably stylized' cinematography" that accentuates nonliteral nonrealism-invoking choices, are regarded as Silly or Frivolous. and the effort to shove everything else that's more "serious" into what is expected to be read as dramatic cinema that's not stylized in any ways that seem too "Genre" which only makes [but someone's singing?] underwhelming and out of place because no other elements are supporting it

[unlawfulsp00n]

It bothers me to no end that "where's the tesseract" is the first thing Thor says to Loki after a year of believing he was dead.

That the first thing he does is be angry at him instead of appearing remotely relived or happy to see him.

(I mean Loki has barely even done anything at this point of the movie. Surly nothing worse than the average Asgardian does on a regular off-world outing)

A year after watching him (attempt to) kill himself right in front of him.

A year to question why Loki did what he did at the end of the first Thor movie. To actually think about why Loki was feeling the way that he was. To finally realize and reflect on all of their sub-par family-ing.

Because 1000 years of being raised together and playing together and fighting together as Thor himself put it should be long enough to realize that his actions at the end of the first Thor movie and his actions now are clearly out of character for him.

but I guess 1000 years of growing up together is only a valid argument when Thor is trying to get Loki to see his perspective. did it occur to you that maybe reflecting on those 1000 years yourself could help you understand Loki's perspective, Thor? and see that something is wrong with your brother and that angrily telling him that their life before was so good that he should come home isn't going to help and maybe you should try a different approach?

Yeah, I'm sure Loki felt very wanted and eager to return with that reunion.

I’ve missed you too.