#SOC Critique

[thetooclevermartian]

now that i have a void to scream into i need to say that even though i adore leigh bardugo so so so much her music metaphors and such make me so mad. they don't work. like what do you MEAN wylan's heart beat like "a metronome set to the wrong rhythm". metronomes aren't for rhythm, they're for tempo. and there ain't no way wylan stuck a flute in his shirt comfortably. have you SEEN flutes. they're long as fuck. no way this kid had a whole ass flute in his shirt and still managed to bend over to put his head between his legs. and don't even get me started on how kaz's voice had "the coarse rasp of an over-rosined bow". ohhh i hate that line so much it drives me bonkers

#grishaverse #six of crows #soc #mini rant #i'm sorry but i had to say something #like aaaagh #love six of crows but this is literally my main critique of the duology

[bytebun]

i need diverse fiction to get really big and successful so i can be a hater without . like. basically bashing my neighbour. do you get what i mean

#if ur friend of a friend's older brother is an actor u personally think is kinda cringe u are not gonna say shit you are gonna hype them up #but like big name actor say m*sha of ultranatural fame you can bully as much as you like. without it being personal #WHEN I SAY BULLY I MEAN LIKE. post stuff like 'i think he's cringe' on ur personal blog #that's how i feel about minority authors #we are all in this together etc etc a win for you is a win for me is a win for you #but also can i not critique and lambast fiction. i love being a hater. : ( #and i can! i would just feel bad because they are also literally on the same soc media. lol. and probably search the novel names #i need them to be so successful they don't have time to do this. so i can be a hater in peace #bytebun rambles #i will never ever say mean things abt any specific fandom artist in public for similar reasons #they are my neighbour & my friend. i keep that shit private #because really it's harmless complaining #about tropes i don't like or something #<== also not about anybody who would see this

[jccatstudios]

I have been following your soc comic adaptation and it just so good!!! I love how you draw them!

I have just one question: Why did you not include Inej's opening musings about Kaz on the first page? (Kaz Brekker didn't need a reason etc) I actually really like how there is not text on the first two pages, it's really atmospheric and moody so this really is not a criticism, I don't want to insult you. I guess I was just wondering what the thought process behind that was?

Oh, I've been wanting to talk about this for a while! Buckle up, this is gonna be one of my long comic rants. (Also, no offense taken at all! Anyone's welcome to question my artistic choices and I'm always happy to take critique, even though that isn't your intention.)

So, the thing is I actually planned on including that first paragraph into the comic! Here's when I first shared the thumbnails on here. Just for the sake of this post, I'll insert them here too.

The boxes are meant to be where excerpts of that introduction would go. When I was creating the thumbnails, I was thinking about how iconic these lines were and how well they introduce the world and characters. I even finished the pages with the intention to include those lines. This is from my original csp file.

When I lettered it all out, I felt like something wasn't right...? Hard to explain. I wanted silence for the opening and the narration took that away. I then thought about the reader who'd go into this without reading the novel first, wondering if they'd be thinking, Who's this Kaz Brekker guy? Is it this character on the page? It's clearer in the book, but I didn't think it paired well with what I drew. I didn't want any confusion. It's also Inej's chapter, and while Kaz's parts take up most of it, I still wanted it to feel like her POV and her story. We can hold off officially meeting Kaz until page four.

But the main reason I took it out comes down to my philosophy when it comes to comic adaptations. I believe that an adaptation should use the original story in the best way for the secondary medium. A comic adaptation should play to the strength of comics, not the original source material.

Time and time again, I see a lot of comic adaptations of books try to use a book's strength instead of a comic's. When that happens, you get pages upon pages of narration boxes and exposition that could've easily been told in a single panel's image. If you want to read excerpts from the original novel, go do that! They're beautiful and well-crafted and you should be reading the original anyway! If you're making a comic adaptation, make a comic, not an illustrated version of the novel (that's a whole field of its own).

This whole thing really ties well into what I'm doing for Chapter 3. Kaz is such an internal character, his chapters have a lot more exposition that isn't setting description or character actions. I've had to do a lot more of my own writing for this chapter than the last just to turn that exposition into his own voice as an internal monologue. Sometimes, it's just a change from "he" to "I," but there are other times I've had to write new dialogue and find ways to naturally flow between thoughts. If I didn't do the work to adapt the expository text and instead just put in narration boxes of text from the book, there would be a greater disconnect between the reader and Kaz. Third-person limited works great in books and doesn't separate the readers from the story, but in comics, first-person internal dialogue keeps the readers inside the scene better.

If I were to redo Chapter 2, I think I would try to find a way to incorporate the information from the chapter intro better. I think by losing the intro I initially planned to include, I didn't establish certain ideas very well. Ketterdam and Kerch are established later on pages 4 and 5, but I don't think I ever go back and mention The Barrel. Also, the idea that Kaz is deliberate, even if his reputation says otherwise, is important too. I've made sure to fix this kind of issue in Chapter 3 and keep record of what kind of information I'm losing as I adapt it.

#comic rant over! #thanks for the ask I really love talking about this stuff #soc comic adaptation #asks #comics talk

[leo-fie]

News from the Twilight Zone, Berlinale Edition

After a forced break from Mastodon, I'm back on there and back in German language social media. And it seems like nothing has changed, the levels of zionism are still absurdly high.

I'll explain it with an example, this article by publicly funded news show Tagesschau from today (26th February 2024):

The headline reads: Allegations after Berlinale gala - "Antisemitic and anti-israeli rhetorik"

What happened? I asked myself the same thing this morning (read: noon) after falling out of bed. Berlinale is a film festival in Berlin, and a sad attempt at a pun. It's a big deal for the Feuilleton and not much else. But apparently someone said something antisemitic. Who? What? In what context?

Nah, the subheader is not helpful and the first two paragraphs are about how the israeli ambassador is mad, saying the german art scene only rolls out the red carpet for israel's deligitimization. Apparently there was applause for the antisemitic remarks.

The Berlinale was very political this year (just like the last, and the one before that, and the one before that, imagine that!), and a lot of the artists had called for a ceasefire. Very reasonable, one would assume.

Then the article literally does the "do you condemn hamas?" meme. Can't make this shit up:

It goes on how our chancellor Olaf Scholz (soc-dems) critiqued the "one-sidedness" and how federal minister of culture Claudia Roth (greens) wants to do an investigation together with Berlin's mayor and senate. All are very shocked! Berlinale is a place for variety, different perspectives and dialogue, not for hate, agitation, antisemitism, racism, islamophobia, and all kinds of misanthrophy.

The satements of, according to the article, "ceasefire now" is deeply one-sided and israel-hating.

Berlin's mayor Wegner then says that it's all in Hamas' hands, they just have to let the hostages go.

Then finally, we get something concrete. Apparently a filmmaker named Ben Russel has spoken of the gaza war as a genocide, which prompted some green MP to accuse him of victim-blaming on Twitter. Two other politicians say similar things, again stating that art is for a variety of poltiical opinions, just not that one.

The organizers of the Berlinale say some nothing, then the last two paragraphs are where it gets interesting. Because some hero posted this on the Berlinale Instagram:

The post has since been deleted, the Berlinale team distanced themselves from it, say they were hacked and filed a police report for "antisemitic agitation". Calling for a ceasefire and naming the genocide in Gaza and the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians by name is a criminal offence in Germany now.

I personally think that Germany is one of the most zionist places right now, because here exists no distinction between Judaism and Israel. Whereas other western countries have protest movement in solidarity with the palestinians, and the media machinery has to work hard to manufacture consent for the ongoing genocide, where being an antizionist is normal for a leftist, we here in the country of "never again" don't even have the idea of critiquing Israel. We, in a very Orwellian sense, cannot think it, because we don't have the words for it.

#israeli genocide #palestine #israel #gaza #anti zionisim #free gaza #genocide #berlin #germany #berlinale #berlinale 2024 #antisemitism #antizionism #news from the twilight zone #literally 1984 #but for real

[kaz-brekker-crow]

what you said about the defense of s&b making the show that much more unbearable is so true because the pjo movies exist and they didn't bother me because everyone (at least in the fandom) agreed they're shit and even something like vampire academy where the source material itself isn't good (imo) the movie wasn't received well. when did we switch to this 'at least we have something let's be grateful for that' attitude as a fandom. i would rather have nothing that a show that misunderstood and mistreated the characters like this

Yeah, it's completely taken over the SOC fandom, and it feels almost impossible to be a part of it in any meaningful way. If everyone thought it was trash and ignored it (and it is truly is bad, even from a purely technical perspective), I wouldn't be such a big fucking deal. Insulting, but bearing no real power. As of now, if you try to bring any critiques to the table they are dismissed as being the "fun police" or summon pretty angry aggressive action. It honestly kinda makes me feel fucking crazy.

Like, I try to practice engaging with fiction from a more distanced perspective, but honestly a big part of me feels increasingly baffled that like 90% of the fandom can enjoy the show, while also like, at least claim about caring about literally anything in the books, i.e. the themes, the plot, the CHARACTERS. I could write a fucking college dissertation about how much of an insult it is the original story chriisssttt. It sometimes feels like I'm being genuinely gaslight by the SOC fandom lol. Like, it is NOT okay and fun actually. Knock knock?? knock knock?? hellooooooo????

#Thanks for the ask #I'm glad you care at least #anti shadow and bone #anti s&b #soc #six of crows #I don't really believe in gatekeeping in a broad sense #but like SOC characters don't belong to you guys get your hands off them

[aplacetosharemyfics]

The Downfall of Susan St. Clair: An Essay on the Pep Rally

Please @saveourpinks

The night air was stubbornly cold, especially when your only woollen cardigan was at the dry cleaners.

Maisie rubbed her arms. Her other cardigan was designed for late spring, a lightweight cotton blend which was nothing against the chilling breeze. If it were up to her, she would be at home, tucked into a cosy blanket with a good book. However, her mother had given her a mission. She was to return with a friend – impossible – or with a detailed essay about the effect of the Pep Rally on the crowd. And, as she knew her too well, her mother expected direct quotes from other attendants.

Her breath fogged in the cold air, billowing in pale clouds from her mouth and disappearing into the dark sky. This was going to be her first Pep Rally. The school courtyard was lit up by floodlights, illuminating the flocks of cheerleaders warming up for the rally. From amidst the pom-poms and swirling skirts, Maisie was able to pick out Susan, her blonde hair pulled back into a bouncing ponytail. She stood with her friends, all fellow cheerleaders, a cheerful smile on her face as the group chatted. Looking away, Maisie headed towards the chairs that had been set out for the evening, picking a spot near the edge of the gathering. The light was dimmer at the edge, still enough to write to but not as blindingly brilliant as where the cheerleaders were gathered. Maisie settled down, tucking her bag under her chair, and resting her notebook on her lap. The essay was the only viable option, anyway.

Susan slipped away from the group with a wink as Jane Facciano approached. They needed to keep the image up at least until the rally started. Jane was welcome to the Soc group, for now. Glancing around her, standing all by herself next to the brightly lit stage, she realized how many people were watching. Thousands of eyes stared at her from the darkness, each seeming to find a new thing to critique: her clothes, her hair, her posture. Smoothing her skirt, Susan quickly headed towards the tent that had been erected as a makeshift dressing room. Before she entered, she glanced back at her friends, chatting happily with Jane as she explained the cues for the fourth time. Normally, she would be over there, in the middle of things, the centre of the conversation. Forcing herself to look away, she noticed a figure sitting huddled on the outskirts of the seating, head leant forwards as they focused on the book in their lap. After so much time examining the yearbooks for a single glimpse of Maisie, seeing the girl in real life felt like a sin – like seeing a celebrity while shopping. She no longer needed to check her makeup. Instead, she stood next to the tent entrance, hand still clutching the flap, and watched Maisie. Each action was fascinating, the fluid movement of her pen on the paper, the tilting of her head as she listened to her surroundings, the constant need to sweep her hair back behind her ear. Any thoughts Susan had had about her hair being like Jane’s were thrown out the window. There was no way Miss. Facciano’s hair came anywhere near this.

If this was a different world, Susan dreamed, she would walk straight over there and sit down beside her. Maisie would look up in joy at her arrival and they would talk without the barriers of social class. But she knew that in this world, where her mother and friends existed, such a thing would never be allowed. The outrage from her mother if she made friends with someone from such a family. The teasing and bullying from her friends if she brought the quiet girl into their group. Finally ducking into the tent, she pushed the thoughts out of her head. There were other things she needed to be concentrating on tonight, starting with this Pep Rally.

--------------

“Get back here!”

Maisie jumped, scooting her chair back just before the horse mascot ran past, followed closely by a furious Ms. McGee. Her essay was quickly devolving into a criticism piece about the disparity among the social classes at school, and the treatment of girls involved in any form of sexual behaviour. Her mother was going to love it.

The disappearance of the mascots seemed to mark the end of the Pep Rally, as the crowds started to start gathering themselves together. Maisie leant down to collect her bag, stuffing the notebook and pen inside before standing up. She was more than ready to leave the place. Just as quickly as she’d stood up, she sat back down again, staring at her lap as the crowd of cheerleaders passed, their group swarming amongst the chairs, all around Maisie. Even with her head down, Maisie found herself picking out Susan’s shoes from amongst the crowd.

“Did you see her face?”

Maisie glanced up briefly. Susan wasn’t looking at her, instead, her eyes were glowing with mischief as she laughed at Jane’s predicament. Remembering how she had grinned before the Rally started, Maisie put two and two together. Grimacing at the petty play – exposing someone like that was so childish – she slipped off her chair and snuck out the back of the group.

Susan, elated at the effectiveness of the joke, allowed her eyes to drift for a second. It was the reason she’d lead the cheerleaders in that direction, to catch a final glimpse of Maisie for the night. But the disgusted expression on her face as she left, scoffing at another comment at Jane’s expense, made the laughter catch in her throat. For a second, Susan questioned herself. Was she wrong? Biting back the guilt, she focused on the future. She was at the top of the heap, and she had to fight to stay there, even if it meant stooping a little low. Tossing her hair, Susan smiled.

------------

As expected, her mother was not impressed with the contents of the essay.

#susan st clair #the downfall of susan st. clair #grease rise of the pink ladies #grease #grease rotpl #rise of the pink ladies #rotpl #maisie james

[eerna]

could you elaborate on the s&b critique in the last ask? Just curious since I’m not sure what was wrong with their version of soc and kanej.

Ok first off this is about MY preferences and not the objective truth that everyone should follow.

I've talked abt it before, so I encourage you to read my #eernask talk grishaverse and #sab liveblog tags, but the short of it is: they made Kaz wayyy too soft and kind and in love. Kanej is supposed to make you question if it is really worth it right up to the last second. Kaz telling Inej she is irreplaceable and his saint and whatever is sweet, but it just doesn't work in context. The most important thing about Kanej is that Inej is preparing to leave Kaz. She is planning it right until their final chapter, when he finally proves himself to her and she decides to stick around. But in the show, she presents him with the ultimatum before their relationship development even starts. He proves himself to her before he is even challenged to do so. There is no tension, nothing makes us question him or his motives, there is no slow learning curve of a relationship. I simply can't see Kanej working in the show as well as it did in the books and I am hashtag big sad

#eernask #eernanon #eernask talk grishaverse

[jahayla-parker]

who are some of your favorite mutuals and why

Hi my lovely little anon!

Ahhh that’s not super easy! Buuut, I’ll go with:

(in alphabetical ordering 🥰) [also moots, I left your actual names off and just did usernames, cause I didn’t know if you wanted that out there!)

@b3kk3r-by-br3kk3r

Super sweet, protective, responsive, encouraging, similar interests, ADHD buddy, Freddy and Kaz simp buddy!, fills my dashboard with GIFs of my husband Freddy, etc. 🖤

#BbB🎩☺️

@ell0ra-br3kk3r

Puts up my craziness, super sweet, responsive, proofreads my drafts to give feedback, keeps me young haha, my moodboard buddy, Freddy and Kaz simp buddy!, talented writer, Jesper and Nikolai simp buddy!, Taylor Swift buddy, etc. 💜

#ElB🦯🎩 or #littlesisel

@emmymaehereeeeee

So open and honest, respectful but doesn’t put up with bs from internet trolls, my “Ducks and Sunflower” buddy, Austin Butler simp buddy, talented writer, so sweet and funny, etc. 🖤

#ducks and sunflowers 🦆 🌻 and #emmy Mae 💎

@galaxyholland

First, bubbs I miss you being on here 😭 okay, I digress:

Oh my goodness, one of my first handful of followers on here, so unbelievably supportive, always reblogged my works from day one without having to ask, sweet and talented, Holland & Peter simp buddy!, etc. 💜

#galaxyholland🌌

@justapurrcat

Okay, I miss you on here sm too bby! 😭 again, I digress:

Ahh, one of my very first followers as well, talented writer, provides such helpful feedback and constructive criticism, major sweetheart, kitten/cat lover buddy!, Tom/Peter simp buddy, fellow purple obsessed buddy, always reblogs people’s work with the cutest annotations, fellow lily lover (why’s there no emoji of any lilies?!) etc. 🖤

#Justapurrcat😻 and #LiLi💜

@lilisouless

Side note, that transition ^^^ is uncanny lol

Supportive, open minded, engages in debates, SAB and SoC polls, SAB/SOC simp buddy, comfortable critiquing and debating SAB/SOC books/TV/book -> conversion accuracy/characters/etc., keeps me thinking and living my SoC hyperfixation dream lol, funny, etc. 💜

#lilisouless👻

@theslayerofthevampires

So very supportive and interactive, very understanding, provides feedback on my work, one of my first few followers as well I believe, Tom/Peter simp buddy, comfortable chatting about anything and everything, creative, etc. 🖤

#theslayerofallthevampires🧄❤️

@toms-gf

Tehehe I’m so glad you’re back and active again, I missed you bubs!

Fun, talented writer, motivating, one of my first followers and followed me over from my other account (tumblr has hated me from day one and that account didn’t last long before I got locked out, and I hadn’t posted any works of my own yet), hilarious, runs -what she calls- a “whore house” including for Tom and Peter, sweet, etc.💜

#toms gf💖

And of course all moots are tagged with #mutuals👯‍♀️

This was fun, thank you! And to anyone not listed who’s a moot, I still lysm, we need to chat more! 🖤

And mwuah to all my followers! If you wanna be a moot, lmk and let’s interact more!💜

#i love it when you guys send me asks 💗 #jahayla checks her inbox 📫 #Jahayla’s diary 📖 #little lovely anons #BbB🎩☺️ #elb🦯🎩 #littlesisel🖤 #ducks and sunflowers 🦆🌻 #emmy mae 💎 #galaxyholland🌌 #justapurrcat😻 #lili💜 #lilisouless👻 #theslayerofallthevampires🧄❤️ #toms gf💖 #mutuals 👯‍♀️ #my lovely little anons

[heavenlyyshecomes]

I would LOVE to hear you rant about books like Babel or the Gilded Wolves that claim to deconstruct colonialism but don't.

brother i don't know what else i could add besides my post which already attracted annoying people 'well actually'-ing me but linking my review + two others by friends that i found that hit the nail on the head. as for the gilded wolves i don't even remember anything about it (besides it being a SoC knockoff) which probably says more about the book than anything else.

Anyways both these authors are incapable of writing any good criticism of colonialism, racism, especially regarding elite institutions because despite everything they're still very much attached to them lol i am sympathetic to kuang writing about her experience as being enamoured by oxford's balls and such but still feeling left out of it as an asian woman but babel is very clearly a love letter to oxford it's a personal work (w regard to her experiences) that doesn't rly translate well for the general reader. she wrote a novel, a story that she wanted to see but which is ultimately very much flat in terms of having any real impact. a book needs something more than just "i'm gonna critique the racism prevalent in elite universities and how they serve imperialism" not to say anything about the general writing. i know the general booktwt/booktok users have worms for brain and anything that is not the most basic fantasy will probs get rave reviews so like . who cares. as for chokshi well she was too obsessed with writing a ya book that would duplicate SoC's success to actually pay attention to things like fucking actual worldbuilding and general plot, much less mention anything about deconstructing colonialism (lmfao) don't mention that book on my blog again.

#sooooo disappointing how ive become disillusioned w kuang's work considering how much i love tpw #she refuses to develop her characters theyre all allegories u can excuse it in a debut not in a book like babel w the theme it purports #to address. #anyways whatever pls feel free to tell me ur views too 😁 #asks #book log #babel #rf kuang

[tangerinecherrygal]

Small S&B S2 rant for my two followers or; SOC and S&B shouldn't have been combined (opinion)

Hi, this is my opinion and if anyone here enjoyed both seasons then I'm so happy for you. There are things that I enjoy that my friends don't and them pointing that out isn't a personal attack on me. Different strokes for different folks :)

Ok, first, since season 1 I hated that they combined both series. The story between Alina and the crows was completely different and felt disjointed.

I do wanna say I have read the first S&B book and I don't think I'm finishing the series because, i didn't like the way it was written. I also couldn't finish season 2 for some of the reasons I'm going to list now. However, I'm still able to critique how the show felt and it felt messy.

The relationships: (Season 1 mostly)

The relationships between everybody but Mal and Alina felt very forced and sudden. Like when she kissed the Darkling I was like, you've talked for a total of 45 minutes??? and it feels like those were their only interactions. In the book it was also like that but I feel like if they just focused on the s&b storyline then the writers could rectify this.

Also the 15 minutes of Nina and Matthias and then they're in love?? Even if this is a backstory that isn't in the books they could explore it in a different show. That storyline was so interesting and could've easily been a show by itself. The same for the rest of the crows.

Kaz and Inej's interactions mostly involved Jesper (who I loved). So I didn't really feel the chemistry with them. Buuut... the friendship between them felt very real and was so fun to watch. These actors are so charming and suited the characters I think.

The pacing (Both):

Because they combined the storylines they couldn't explore the relationships much like I said before. Also, they couldn't show much development, especially Alina developing her powers. In the books they explained why she was so weak but didn't in the show. I think it was a nice point. (The analytical part of me wants to say it's a good allegory for how suppressing parts of yourself can wear you down. Since this is a YA series I feel like it still has life lessons so that's how I took it). They could have given us more time with Mal and Alina's friendship too, instead of those flashbacks. Alina getting 'over' Mal also felt like it came out of nowhere.

In season 2 it's even worse. Already in the first episode it felt like we had no time to settle into the new situation. Of course, it's going to be fast paced bc they're on the run. I'm talking about how it feels like I'm watching a a playlist of under 5 minute s&b then soc videos. I saw someone say that they were trying to combine all 6 other books. In the 8 episode slots that stupid Netflix gave them??? Ok guys.

Things they should have changed: When Alina got mad at Mal for not responding. It makes their friendship seem less authentic. Yes, I know she's quite young and scared (me too), but she's also able to be a bit rational. It's unbelievable that she wouldn't consider there may also be some other reason that he hasn't responded even if it's for a moment. If she maybe thought that he might not have been able to respond or if he was outside of the base camp and he couldn't get the letters yet. Then she could realize that she can't rely on him so much and needs to support herself. This would also make her confidence later feel more reasonable because it feels like she's working on it for herself.

More time with the Darkling in the first half. In the books I was annoyed that she went from being terrified of him to trusting him implicitly without much reason. Maybe if he was more involved with giving her advice then she might feel like she would be able to trust him.

Genya's hair. I can't deal with bad tv wigs, I think since I started being more interested in drag. This is a more petty thing but in the words of drag queen, Katya: If you have a fantasy show you're adapting for the screen, you can pull it together. If there is a fantasy world that you're adapting, [you've] got to say one thing, "this world is not real." This is not Ken Burns, we can take a little bit of liberty. We can do a low light, do a bang, we can experiment with some texture, we can make it whatever we want. Just make it look good. People get hung up on the good part. Like they could have at least given her some side swept bangs to hide the hairline. That was so twisted and evil I think. My girl was done so dirty.

This is more of a question. Why isn't Alina's surname Starkova?

The dialogue: What the hell? The downgrade between the writing from the previous season to this one. I'm not going back to watch and find exactly what I mean. But some of the dialogue felt so unedited and cringey. They are capable of snark and one-liners, they proved that in the first season. I think it was Nikolai that was the worst so far and the actor was working hard to make those lines work.

Finally, I hate you Netflix: (impromptu netflix rant)

I understand that most of the problems I mentioned could be fixed if they had more time. They could have a better chance of making the combined stories work. The other option is to keep the eight episodes and just adapt s&b.

The 8-10 episode format can't work for everything. GOT could do it but it takes a lot to pull that off for a fantasy show and not every production can do that with the constraints.

Also netflix clutches it's purse tight when it comes to non Stranger Things related content. $28m? For a FANTASY SHOW of a hugely successful book series? That's less than a single ST episode. Netflix open your purse girl, we know you have the money.

It's obvious they crammed a bunch of stuff into this season so if netflix cancels it, then they could have appealed to all the fans and wrapped it up. At the expense of quality :/. If netflix wouldn't cancel all their shows after one or two seasons, then i believe this wouldn't have happened. Idk how they expect to make legendary shows if they won't take that risk and let the fanbase gradually grow. That's how GOT, the office and breaking bad etc became so iconic.

I liked season one and thought it had a lot of potential. I was so disappointed that i didn't like this season.

#*gemma collins voice* these producers are fuckin idiots #wait I like my version lemme start an ao3 #wig rant #s&b season 2 #s&b s2 #s&b season 1 #shadow and bone #grishaverse #sab #shadow and bone netflix #grammar isn't real #especially at the end #impromptu netflix rant #the darkling #alina starkov #genya's wig was not giving #i laughed so much writing the wig part #i care about wigs ok #s&b spoilers #s&b #malina #six of crows #netflix is a joke

[bimboficationblues]

where would you place the "communitarians" (macintyre, sandel, etc) on the political spectrum?

they’re a curious beast and it depends on the individual writer (Walzer is a left-wing Zionist, Taylor is a Catholic socdem a la the Bruenigs, Macintyre is a Marxist-turned-Catholic with some lingering sympathies).

but basically I think it floats in a space between Christian democracy and social democracy: still basically liberal in political imagination (cops, bosses, and politicians, baby!), leaning into social justice on some points and religious/national identitarianism on others without going whole-hog on either. (I might also lump them in with some contemporary “socialists,” like the Bruenigs, who combine generally soc-dem policy positions with their weird conservative idiosyncrasies and underlying motivations.)

there’s some compelling critiques of liberalism and some agreeable social ontology, but neither is really “unique” to communitarianism. This is typical of modern “analytic” political philosophy, in which the loudest voices are often the most annoyingly self-satisfied, patting themselves on the back for coming up with ideas that other people outside the “canon” originated centuries prior.

And I personally find the overlap with Catholic dominionism and distributism (Taylor), or other forms of identity-driven reaction (Walzer’s committed Zionism), pretty distasteful, and think there’s a reason for that affinity between identitarian politics and communitarian philosophy. Pearl-clutching about “modernity” and “postmodernism” and “secularism” and “liberalism” (incorrectly using this word to mean “egalitarianism”) - these are not intellectual habits I associate with good politics.

[thedasincolor]

Welcome to Thedas in Color!

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[gautierprotectionsquad]

so i latch onto aftg to run away from my emotions about ace attorney and latch on to six of crows to run away from my emotions about orv. what does this say about me?

Update:

aftg: a story about a group of traumatized young adults playing a sport together while under the threat of the mafia. The mc is demisexual and has heavy tension with another male character, who has a long history of their boundaries not being respected until they're labeled a monster. This later becomes a canon romance. Their relationship is built on trust and respect. Also there's found family.

soc: A story about a group of traumatized teens going on an extremely risky heist. The mc is a traumatized, physically disabled, 17 year old that hates touch and he has a romance with a girl who has a history of her autonomy being stripped away until she became "the wraith". Their relationship is built on respect and protecting each other. Also there's found family.

aa: a series of video games about a lawyer fighting against an unjust system highly stacked against him and his clients. The story explores themes like sisterhood and legacy. It talks about Law vs Truth vs Justice and how they are not the same. It ultimately makes the conclusion that prosecutors and defense attorneys need to work together in order to find the truth, rather than trying to "win" the case by proving the defendant innocent/guilty no matter what. The main leads have easily readable homoerotic tension but are not canon. Also there's found family.

orv: a story about a reader, a writer, and a protagonist that critiques, subverts, and is a love letter to fantasy webnovels and their tropes and cliches. To quote the book directly, “This tale was a story about an impossible communication'. This tale was a story about indistinguishable ‘Good and Evil’, this tale was a story about a tragedy locked in a cycle, and this tale was a story of a reader who wanted to change its conclusion." The main leads have easily readable homoerotic tension but are not canon. Also there's found family.

Ok I get it

#orv #aftg #soc #ace attorney #romanticsap

[shanayaaici]

Intervention 1 : Networking Mixer

The networking mixer I hosted went really went really well I was able to meet an older Pakistani woman who is interested in buying art, two Pakistani artists who would be interested in exhibiting their work in a show I curate this 2024. I was able to network even further the next day at the PAK SOC movie night where I spread the word about the upcoming exhibition.

I can see that this intervention was able to measure and instigate change as I hosted this event for free in a public space and was able to find interested parties. So offering opportunities to artists in London to exhibit their work is actually already creating the change I wish to see in the world. Promoting and supporting Pakistani artists is able to do this quite simply by allowing for more representation of artists who are not white and British in the UK.

Research

What is representation and what does it do? For brown and black artists, it is often as simple as seeing shows by artists that look like us. Representation is: Soul of a Nation, Frank Bowling @ Tate Britain, Basquiat @ the Barbican. I pointed to this in the Problem with Diaspora Art; how, for me, these shows fall flat in their intended gesture, bc. Well - they are exactly that::: GESTURES. Gestures towards a never-fulfilled promise of a more progressive system, but gestures nonetheless. While they are enjoyable moments for me personally - I enjoyed seeing every single one of those shows - there is also a valid structural critique that remains the same for all of them.

[societascriticus2]

ÉditoFacebook: Qu' est-ce qu' on ne comprend pas?

Societas Criticus, revue de critique sociale et politique, Vol. 25-06 : www.societascriticus.com

Michel Handfield, M.Sc. Sociologie, 2024-01-07 (d’après mon Facebook du 2023-11-25)

Avec les libertés, on a le droit d'aller vivre de plus en plus loin, de voyager, de demander des services spécialisés pour chaque enfant dans l'école de son quartier ou de son choix. Mais, ce sont aussi des couts assumés par la collectivité, chaque petite ville et les gouvernements supérieurs devant offrir un éventail de services pour une population restreinte et éparpillée dans de petits havres de paix sur un grand territoire; le gouvernement devant alors multiplier les routes et le nombre de voies; chaque école devant offrir une panoplie de services qui, autrefois, étaient concentrés dans quelques écoles spécialisées seulement...

Après, on est surpris de la hausse des couts; des pénuries de personnels, en même temps que plusieurs ont des horaires atypiques et incomplets; et de la hausse de la fatigue psychologique contrairement au temps où les personnes et les services étaient concentrés dans quelques lieux.

Et, si tout cela était dû au fait qu’avec les libertés nous dispersions nos ressources, ce qui nous rend finalement tous à bout de souffle? Je dis cela de même, mais ça mériterait probablement réflexion.

Alors, pourquoi, quand on rationalise le personnel, sachant que de nouvelles technologies sont certainement en cours de développements et que de nouveaux besoins seront à combler à court ou moyen terme, chaque crise étant invariablement suivie d’une nouvelle phase de développement, on n'offre pas la possibilité au personnel qui le veut de rester à l'emploi de l'organisation, à un moindre salaire, mais avec des formations pouvant aller jusqu'à un degré universitaire? Ce serait une façon de retenir le personnel et de se préparer aux changements qui viendront.

Si l’entreprise ne le fait pas, pourquoi les gouvernements n’en profitent pas pour investir davantage en éducation, alors? Il faudrait même investir dans l’éducation populaire, une façon d’aller chercher des savoirs pour certains, mais aussi de ramener des gens vers les parcours scolaires. Pourtant, les centres d’éducations populaires sont les grands oubliés du système d’éducation alors qu’ils pourraient y jouer un rôle plus important. Le passé l’a montré. (1)

C’est vrai que former des citoyens, ce peut être dérangeant pour un gouvernement. Vaut mieux former des travailleurs et les parquer devant le télédivertissement. Ça ne manifeste pas trop et ça ne pose pas de questions dérangeantes.

Note

1. Voici ce que j’écrivais dans le Postscriptum de mon texte Réflexion pour notre temps: « Les fils » de Manon Cousin et «La chute de l’empire américain» de Denys Arcand (avec quelques précisions supplémentaires ici) :

Parlant d’éducation populaire, voilà le parent pauvre de l’éducation qui devrait davantage être pris en charge et financé, car elle permet aux citoyens d’aller plus loin dans leur (auto)formation en lien avec d’autres citoyens pour combler leurs manques ou pour répondre à des besoins de comprendre sans suivre tout un cursus scolaire.

Des exemples? Malgré un bac et une maitrise en sociologie, j’ai suivi une formation en gestion du personnel au Centre de Ressources en Éducation populaire (CREP) de la Commission scolaire de Montréal pour m’aider, car je pouvais être sur un comité d’embauche dans le cadre de ma fonction de secrétaire du CA d’un Organisme à But non lucratif par exemple. Mais, je n’avais pas besoin d’un certificat ou d’un bac pour cela. J’y ai aussi suivi une formation en animation, car cela pouvait m’être utile dans des réunions ou des activités à animer. Mais, je n’avais pas besoin d’une formation universitaire dans ce domaine non plus, puisque je n’en faisais pas une profession. Le CREP était donc une ressource fort utile dans ces circonstances. Pour moi, comme pour d’autres.

Source : Societas Criticus, revue de critique sociale et politique, Vol. 21 no 01, Essais. À BAnQ : https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/61248 et BAC : https://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/201/300/societas_criticus/pdf/index.html.

Même si le CREP existe toujours, maintenant comme Centre de ressources éducatives et pédagogiques, et qu’il offre un volet « édu pop », son rôle « vise le développement du pouvoir d’agir et de l’autodétermination de l’adulte dans son rôle de parent, premier éducateur de son enfant, ou dans son rôle d’apprenant ». (https://infocrep.cssdm.gouv.qc.ca/edupop/#services). C’est différent de ce que j’ai connu dans les formations que j’y ai suivies entre 1988 et 1990. Vérification faite, ça s’appelait encore la Commission des Écoles Catholiques de Montréal à l’époque où j’ai suivi ces formations.

[shoujoegg]

you do NOT need to read the other gv books lmao, as someone who read and in spite of myself enjoyed them Leigh ATTEMPTED to do a critique of imperialism but she spread herself wayyy too thin and relied on a really sloppy ‘bad king gone good king remains nothing systemically changes’ ending. and i was forgiving albeit frustrated because again she was trying to embark on a lot of themes in a single series but then she released the nikolai duology and oh god it was so much worse

omfg that makes a little more sense and smthing ive always chalked up to be related to her world-building problems too? tbh id read the og trilogy just to understand how her grisha-as-jewishness in imperial russia allegory operates earlier in the series bc i find it (and its internationalization later on in the soc duology) intriguing in spite of all the problems hinged to such racial metaphorization. u could not pay me to finish king of stars tho i tried it once n idk wtf is going on there!

#it's not surprising to me she ends up writing a preservation of the dynasty like what was she gonna do? make zoya fantasy trotsky? #that would be iconic tho. we'll leave that for riyoko ikeda #tbh despite misgivings i actually find her racecraft of jewishness fascinating in a moishe postone-esque kind of cultural critique way #where i imagine how bardugo would situate a lot of her critiques against russian imperialism through? #bc it's def not coming from enfleshing out the weird territorial (??) wars w/ fantasy not-china-japan! #too bad this woman is rlly not interested in the political economy underpinning race or any kind of mass movements against colonial hegemon #ty for writing id be curious for more of ur thoughts lol #qq