#comment if you want to see how the entire episode or even season goes

[reikunrei]

It's Always the Dad

Yes, we have another installment of comparing Stranger Things and Doctor Who! Today we'll be going through:

Season 1, Episode 8: Father's Day

The general premise of this episode is Rose and the Doctor going back in time to the day her dad, Pete, was killed in a hit-and-run accident. Initially, she just wanted to be there for him during his passing, since he died alone with no one around. However, in a split-second decision, Rose runs out and pushes him out of the way, thus saving him. This causes a "wound" in time, as the Doctor puts it, which summons creatures called Reapers that start killing and "consuming" everything in the vicinity. It even makes the Tardis unusable, leaving them stranded with no way out and no clear method to fix things.

Immediately getting hit with the name Peter is soooo... even getting an Alan in there?? Anyway.

We open on a flashback of Rose as a young child talking to her mother, Jackie, about Pete. Jackie mentions that how, when he died, "I only wish there'd been someone there for him." Now Rose, in the present day, talks to the Doctor about how she wishes she could be that someone, and asks if he could take her to him. He agrees, but when the moment comes, Rose freezes up and Pete dies before she can go comfort him.

She asks if she can try again, but the Doctor warns her that they have to be very careful this time. He says it's dangerous having two sets of them there at the same time, though he doesn't elaborate further than that, instead simply warning her that, while she doesn't "have to do anything [she] [doesn't] want to," this is the last chance they'll have, as they won't be able to come back a third time without it getting risky.

However, overcome with the sudden understanding that she could save her dad, Rose runs out before Pete's been hit by the car, exposing herself to the past versions of Rose and the Doctor, and shoves him out of the way as the car peels off around the corner. The past Rose and Doctor disappear and Rose introduces herself to Pete, who notes how it's a "coincidence," seeing as she shares a name with his baby daughter.

Blurting out that she knows of the wedding Pete was on his way to, she goes with the Doctor and Pete back to his apartment to finish getting ready. We then get an overhead shot, shrouded in red, of the city from the eyes of an unseen creature.

Obviously, what Rose did was bad. Really bad. But we have yet to see the full damage, and first get this exchange between her and the Doctor at Pete's apartment.

Rose protests, saying that now her dad is alive, that what she did was a good thing, but the Doctor counters with the fact that his entire race of people is dead and "Do you think it never occurred to me to go back and save them?" Rose further argues, saying that it's not like she "changed history" in a meaningful way.

Obviously this jumps out in conjunction with Vecna's "he was an ordinary, mediocre man" comment about Brenner. The idea of Pete being important because he's ordinary will come up again later in this episode, and it's something I've spoken of before in some of my prior DW posts.

This concept is present in Stranger Things, and, notably, for the most part, it is presented as a very good thing. It's often highlighted that our protagonists are underdogs and outcasts, specifically people who, while on the fringes, are still very ordinary. They're messy, they're imperfect, and characters like El, who are extraordinary, have a desire to become ordinary, or at the very least to just fit in and live as normal a life they can lead. Characters like El and Henry and the other lab kids are put on pedestals for their abilities, but we're shown time and again that it's really not all it's cracked up to be, especially if they want to be able to exist out in the world and be loved for who they are, not for what they can offer.

This does then, however, quite neatly lead me back around to Brenner. Our protagonists are shown to be ordinary, but so are our antagonists. Everyone in Stranger Things is just someone, and that means everyone. No one character is any more "special" than another, and that's a core facet of the entire show. And again, I mean everyone. Even the bad guys. Even Vecna. They are all ordinary.

Thus, our "good guys" and our "bad guys" are put in the same camp. They're equated to one another. Therefore, one can't simply be cast aside, because doing so entirely undermines the other and strips the story of one of its load-bearing columns.

When it comes to Brenner, as I spoke about in this post analyzing another episode, this idea leads me to believe that we're meant to deeply humanize Brenner. Brenner is said to be seeking out greatness in others in order to uplift himself, in order to make himself extraordinary, and while Vecna makes his "...ordinary, mediocre..." statement as a means to knock Brenner out at the knees, I believe it's also meant as a way to ground him in with all the other characters in the show. If our "big bad," the guy who created the Child Torture Basement, is "ordinary," then what does that make the rest of us? Certainly not worse than him, but not better either.

Moving back to the DW episode, the spat between the Doctor and Rose continues, and we get this gem of a back-and-forth that (combined with the last screenshot in the previous collage) reads very much like the byler rain fight scene and thus also the brennry argument in TFS (which you can see side-by-side comparisons of here from @henrysglock).

Even with the pseudo-"you'll come crawling back" line? Please.

So, the Doctor storms off, leaving Rose with Pete, who tries to comfort her about her "boyfriend" walking out on her.

Tell me I don't need to get into detail with this. Even the stuff with the loony bin? Come on, now... Even the little comment about the Bermuda Triangle, which is something @aemiron-main has cooking up in a post somewhere/has spoken about it personally with me in the past... wrow.

Then we cut to the church where the aforementioned wedding is taking place, where multiple people comment that so many guests are "missing." In a prior scene, we got more of those red overhead shots followed by people in the city being snatched up by our unseen danger. The groom's father jokes with the groom about how it's not too late for him to back out.

Of course we combine time being weird with it getting cold and a “turn back the clock” line… sure.

While driving to the wedding, Pete asks Rose how she knows Jackie, and Rose says that Jackie, when talking about Pete, says she "picked the most wonderful man in the world." Pete scoffs at this, saying, "Must be a different Jackie, then. She'd never say that." This is something Rose finds odd, but I'll talk about it more in-depth and my thoughts on it later.

They're interrupted by the radio suddenly changing channels, which begins playing a rap song that Rose recognizes as having not been released yet in 1987. She pulls out her cell phone to check her messages and presumably call the Doctor, but all she gets is a repeated voice saying, "Watson, come here. I need you." Then, the car that almost ran Pete over earlier appears in the rear view mirror before disappearing.

Pete and Rose pull up at the chapel, and, again, the car appears out of nowhere and nearly runs into them.

Then Jackie comes over and immediately begins a row with Pete while Rose just gawks. The following screenshots are a collection rather than the shot-for-shot, line-by-line progression because... boy she has words.

Jackie has always been fiery and hot-headed, so this isn't exactly out of character for her, but Rose is shocked by the fact that they're fighting so terribly when all Jackie ever told her growing up was that Pete was wonderful and they were happy. Briefly after this, Rose does see them sort of "make up" and have a firm but more civil conversation about Jackie being upset about their instability and Pete promising things will get better, but even after that, she's still very short with him and insults him repeatedly.

While, obviously, it's not the same situation, it made me think of what 001 partially monologues about in 4.07, wherein he complains that while his family put on this happy, perfect image, it was all a veneer to hide how dysfunctional they really were. In DW, Jackie, after his death, spoke highly of Pete, possibly so Rose wouldn't think poorly of him (though, knowing Jackie, I'd say it was also partially to soothe herself lol). When Rose was at their apartment, she saw all of his awards and accolades on display while, in the modern day, they're all boxed up and tucked away. Rose commented on all of Pete's entrepreneurial goods scattered around the house, and though Jackie spoke exasperatedly of it all, it's framed very much as a fond exasperation. Meanwhile, in this chapel scene, it's clear that Jackie vehemently hates it.

I still need to do some exploring through more episodes of DW, but I have a little hunch that aspects of Rose's character and arcs may have been at least partial inspiration for the Creels and Henry specifically, so seeing this family dysfunction crop up had my radar beeping a little faster.

We then get a brief scene of several children at a nearby playground being snatched up one at a time by our red-tinted villains, and one boy races around to the church shouting about monsters "going to eat us!" and one of the other wedding guests asks, "What sort of monsters, sweetheart? Is it aliens?" and several of the adults laugh. Okay.

At this point, we've also been made aware that the Tardis is out of service. The Doctor, after having left Rose at the apartment, finds that the Tardis is empty, just looking like a normal police call box on the inside. He races back to where Rose is (he goes crawling back!), finding her at the church and yelling for her to get inside as we get a first look at our monsters.

They're giant bat-like creatures, of course, because what else would they be, that swoop down and consume several guests (including the pastor) on the outer steps of the church while everyone else races inside to safety.

Rose, babygirl, quit saying Henry words.

The Doctor is also given the groom's father's cell phone, which is also receiving that "Watson, come here. I need you" interference. The Doctor excitedly says that that's "the very first phone call" from Alexander Graham Bell. I'm sure you picked up on it when I mentioned it before, but evidently with this "wound" in time, we're getting a "bleeding" effect where time is sort of overlapping. The area is now unstable because of the way Rose interfered, so we're getting snippets from long before and after 1987.

This makes me think of all the stuff with anachronisms in ST, which has been spoken about heavily by Em and others, specifically in posts like this one irt TFS. This "bleeding" phenomenon is even present on-screen, specifically with the newspapers that Nancy and Robin read at the library, given that they see a newspaper with the name Edward Creel in it, yet they come to only verbally mention Henry. While we're not sure why this is happening in ST yet, as it's used here in DW, it's meant to be a hint toward an overlap/collapse in time and space. Therefore, who's to say it's not something similar, or at least some hint at general instability, in ST?

I also want to briefly highlight the religious undertones we get within this episode, due to the fact that the majority of it takes place inside the church. We already had that one shot I posted earlier of the groom and his father talking, in which we get a prolonged moment on the stained glass window depicting the crucifixion of Jesus followed by the comment of it being "cold." Here, now with everyone hiding inside, we get this shot of the shadow of one of the Reapers through the same window.

This happens several times through the episode across all the windows of the church, but this one is especially pointed and instantly makes me think of all of the TFS promo that heavily favored religious imagery, as well as the recent ST5 leaks showing that a church will definitely be involved, even with UD vines covering it (Creel exorcism, anyone?). To bring it even closer to the MF, these shots of the Reapers remind me of the MF looking through the gate as El closes it in ST2.

We even get a moment later where the Doctor stands behind the pulpit in order to explain their plan to get the Tardis back. That paired with Brenner's Time Lord imagery, and even Mr. Newby in TFS originally being listed as Father Newby, sure had me raising my eyebrows.

Pete and the Doctor have a brief moment while they're going around making sure all the windows and doors are locked, wherein the Doctor spots the disappearing-reappearing car that almost hit Pete going around the corner. Pete catches a glimpse, but when he asks the Doctor what it was, the Doctor says it was nothing to worry about and moves on.

Then we get one of my favorite moments.

This had me jumping for joy because of the Fringe of it all. Spoilers ahead, but, in Fringe, after Peter Bishop was wiped from the universe, he was returned only for the universe around him to not shift to accommodate his presence again. While he still had all of his past memories, even ones that he shared with Walter and Olivia, nobody else had any of those shared memories. He wasn't inserted back into their world retroactively, he was just placed in the present as-is. In the original universe, Olivia and Peter were in a romantic relationship, but that ceased to exist when he was wiped, yet she begins acting like they're in a relationship and being affectionate. When Peter asks why she's doing that, she says she doesn't really know why, just that she knows she loves him even if she has none of the memories to go with it.

Earlier in this DW episode, in the screenshots I posted above shortly after the Doctor leaves, Pete admits he feels he knows Rose from somewhere. Deep down, he knows he's her dad, but he just had to see it.

Given that Fringe is a huge inspiration for ST, I was so pleased to see this concept crop up here too. It reminds me a lot of what we see in the NINA arc in ST4, wherein El is dropped in front of 001 and seems to almost instantly trust him with her life. She doesn't remember what happened, but she seems to know that she loves him and he loves her, which feels further aided by her lashing out at him when he appears "off" to her. Hell, even her still trying to break through to Vecna points to the idea that she knows she loves the man (allegedly) in there, and perhaps even knows more about the truth of the situation than she remembers/than what Brenner has led her to believe. She's being presented with the worst possible image of this person, but part of her still hesitates in condemning him.

Now let's return again to our lovely idea of ordinary being best. The Doctor is approached by the bride and groom of the wedding, and the bride asks if he'll save them.

While these people are deemed "ordinary" and they think themselves "unimportant," the Doctor protests. They have their own individual, unique lives and experiences, ones that he, by virtue of who and what he is, will never get to experience. This is a big reason why the Doctor, across the entire history of the DW series, always comes back to Earth. He's fascinated by humans, which is something I've spoken about before. It's very reminiscent of Gandalf being smitten by Hobbits in LotR.

I've already spoken about how our main characters in ST are deemed "outcasts" and "freaks," and while those monikers feel inherently at odds with the "ordinary" label I slapped on them earlier, the whole point of our main cast is that they're representative of “the everyman,” and they’re meant to be generally sympathetic to everyone in the audience. We're even shown the "ordinary" characters being anything but that (specifically thinking of Karen and how Nancy talks about her in ST1 compared to their conversation in ST3; and Jason being the "perfect boy" before he snaps and loses his head entirely; and, of course, the Creel family seeming picture-perfect before revealing in TFS that Virginia really was Like That with Henry). Point is, there's the "ordinary" we're told, and then the true "ordinary" we're shown.

The "ordinary", or "normal" as it's often dubbed in ST, we're told about it always a facade of some kind, and in fact almost everyone in ST is un-ordinary beneath the surface or due to varying circumstances. In short, this is an extremely long-winded way of, again, saying that there isn't really any "ordinary vs freaks," because everyone is on the same playing field.

So for just one second I want to be That Bitch and talk about how this made me think of the comparisons between Henry and Will, and the common fanon idea of bringing Will "up" to "Henry"'s "level" of supposed greatness by giving him world-altering powers. While I don't doubt that Will has some kind of ability that will aid them, especially given that he can still sense the Shadow when he's back in proximity of it, I find it quite a stretch to believe that he'll be given powers akin or adjacent to what El or Henry have.

While El often falls back on her powers to help/defend herself and others, we also see her crave a "normal" life and claim she "doesn't belong" because she's different (read: has/had powers and lived a wholly different life from her peers because of it). It's something that's heavily emphasized with Henry in TFS as well, with him claiming he's not "normal" and that something is wrong with him because of his affliction with the Shadow and his newfound powers he has yet to understand or control. His entire life has been turned upside down (ha ha), and flashes of medical reports in the play outline that he was a "normal" boy before his flaying in the (alleged) Nevada cave. Overall, the powers are framed as something undesirable that makes life harder than it already is for them.

Obviously everyone knows that Will's homosexuality and El's powers are meant to sort of parallel each other in this sense. And thus, I can kind of see the argument that, if he had powers of his own, this could be a way to tie it together. If he had powers of some kind, they could be another literal representation of his queerness or otherness that needs to be "accepted." However, I find that, to put it bluntly, completely pointless. Him being gay already represents him being gay. It feels demeaning to his arc to give him a proxy to accept himself through rather than just accepting himself... for himself.

Besides, we already have El grappling with the powers aspect on her own in her "am I the monster or the superhero?" struggle. She already has that whole idea covered, so why does Will need to take it from her? Why does he have to accept it first before she does?

Rather, as I've been discussing, I believe it's because Will is "ordinary" (read: doesn't have powers) that he'll be of greater help toward fixing things. He, along with El, very closely parallel Henry's life experiences, with El paralleling his time in the lab and Will paralleling his time outside of it/prior to it (which is something James has spoken of in the past, though I cannot find a post about it !!). However, it's less about them being the same and more about highlighting how they're different.

- Will's family stuck by his side and tried to help him while Henry's tossed him to the dogs. - Will had his life saved and the Shadow removed while Henry was left to fester with it for months, at the very least. - Will had a group of friends willing to give him the benefit of the doubt/help him when he was flayed while Henry never had someone listen to his side of the story, instead choosing to believe he really did everything of his own volition.

Therefore, it feels extremely logical to me to assume that Will would be left without profound powers like the ones Henry gained (which, for the record, we still don't know how he got). They're not meant to match each other beat for beat, but, as people, they're meant to highlight a disparity within society and what circumstances can do to a person. They share experiences, but they don't share outcomes.

I can't say all of this with complete confidence, obviously, as the Duffers haven't given us all the answers yet, but i feel very confident in my agreement with James, as I stated before, that El is meant to closely parallel Henry as a lab-kid and someone with powers, while Will is meant to closely parallel Henry pre-flaying and who he is without powers.

In short: having nothing "special" going on (aka not being a Time Lord or having psychic abilities) is not a detraction and, in fact, just being who you are is what makes someone exceptionally important.

Back to the episode!

The Doctor, in a moment of reprieve while he's trying to think of how to get everyone out of there, is tasked with keeping an eye on baby!Rose. Adult!Rose approaches, but the Doctor physically prevents her from touching her infant self. Doing so would cause a paradox, since they're the same person, and any further disturbance in time might make the Reapers strong enough to break into the church.

At this point, the Doctor is still miffed at Rose for having unintentionally caused all of this, and we get a fun moment where she snaps at him that she's "not stupid" and he responds with "could've fooled me." Hey, Russell T. Davies called, he wants his ST2 El and Hopper arguments back.

Ultimately, Rose apologizes, because she does feel guilty for causing this, and then the Doctor holds her face and hugs her... in the same way Pete just did not long ago but hey we don't need to unpack her love interest acting like her dad right now that's fine-

At this point, Pete still doesn't know he's supposed to have died, so he asks Rose if he and Jackie are still together in the future and if he's a good dad. Rose spins a tale that he read her a bedtime story every night and they all went out for a picnic every Saturday; that he was always someone she could really rely on. All Pete responds with is "That's not me."

I discussed this earlier, but while this does remind me of the whole "facade" thing we have going on in ST, it reminds me too of the idea of alternate selves and different timelines. Which, in the case of DW, I swear is not a stretch because later in season 2, Rose and the Doctor go to a parallel universe where they meet the Pete from that world, who didn't die, and ultimately becomes a great father figure to Rose.

Eventually, Pete figures out that he's meant to be dead. He sees the disappearing-reappearing car going in its loop around the corner, recognizing it as the one that almost ran him over, and on top of the weird way Rose has been acting with his questions and the cryptic way the Doctor keeps talking about how "the thing [Rose] changed will stay changed" (wow, cool TFS word), he finally puts the pieces together.

At this point, Jackie finally overhears Pete call himself Rose's dad, which they'd since been keeping a secret, and we get... uh

Sorry, this one really just made me laugh. Don't mention the lab child breeding program, it's fine.

She even balks at him calling her Rose, asking if he "calls them all Rose," because she assumes Rose is an affair partner and is disgusted that he'd give his own daughter a "second-hand name" from his mistress. I can't even get into this, I just have to move on.

Pete, in his attempt to get her to understand that they're the same Rose, makes to hand baby!Rose to adult!Rose. Too late for Rose or the Doctor to stop it, they touch, and the paradox gives one of the Reapers enough strength to make its way into the church. The Doctor puts himself between the Reaper and the rest of the people, saying that he's "the oldest thing in here" and thus just what the Reaper would want most. It consumes him and disappears, and Rose cries that he's dead and the whole world is over because of her.

Pete, however, realizes what he's meant to do. He tells Rose that he's going to sacrifice himself and complete what was meant to be completed. He even convinces Jackie that Rose is their daughter, and the three of them have an incredibly somber moment.

My leaking tear ducts aside, the "extra hours" reminded me of some weird language that comes up in TFS, specifically something Brenner says to Henry about his "missing hours." Pete gets extra hours outside of "real hours," hours that were never meant to happen, like how Henry may have “lost hours” without actually losing time, if that makes sense. It even makes me think about NINA and how 001 very well be sentient in there, at least to some degree, and therefore would he feel like interacting with El in there was like getting "extra hours" with his daughter?

James has also spoken to me about how time moves strangely in TFS, and not even in the sense that "it's a play and that's just sort of how the transitions within that medium work." Specifically, he's pointed out how the days and scenes bleed into each other in ways like Henry's skipping around hours (which, coincidentally, is similar to a phenomenon that occurs in another DW episode I've spoken about). A really obvious example is Henry in the attic scene in which "he" kills Prancer, wherein it should be at night/before bed. However, when he comes out of it, Virginia is knocking on the attic door telling him it's 9:45 and they need to go to church. Henry even squeaks "in the morning!?", just as shocked as we are to learn an entire night has passed in such a brief sequence of events.

Also I don't have any real commentary on the rest of it other than I would Die if we get a similar exchange between Victor and Henry, or Henry and El, or something. Pretty please. Something something you have to be your dad, but for good. Something something doing everything they can to save their children.

With no other feasible plan, Pete leaves the church and rushes to the street corner, where he steps out in front of the car and allows himself to be hit. This time, Rose does go to him, and holds his hand as he passes. As soon as he dies, the Reapers vanish, time stops going wonky, and everyone who'd been consumed is returned, Doctor included.

Now, we get another flashback like the start of the episode, with Jackie talking to kid Rose, but this time the story of Pete has slightly changed. Jackie says that the guy who hit him was just a kid, it wasn't his fault, because Pete just stepped out into the road. Jackie even mentions a "girl" who stayed with Pete until he died, and then she just... was gone, and they never found out who she was.

Oh yeah btw peep that date lol lmao.

This I thought was really interesting. Sometimes the trope of “history has to say the same” can become boring and predictable when there’s no way around a specific outcome. However, when it’s done well, it’s done well. I don’t think this is one of the best ever examples of this, but I did find it very intriguing that, while the same outcome occurred (Pete was killed), the situation surrounding it has been slightly recontextualized.

Where Jackie once lied (strong word, but you get the point) that Pete was the most wonderful man in the world, now he really was the most wonderful man in the world because he decided to correct the error that was made and save the world by sacrificing himself. It should be noted that, iirc, no one remembers what actually happened because Pete essentially just reset the timeline to where it’s supposed to be.

It’s something I could very easily see occurring, at least in a symbolic sense, in ST, especially what with the truth of Henry’s situation being so murky. Even if it’s without an attempt to “change” things, simply the act of looking at what happened through a different lens can make everything click into place.

Now I just want to wrap this up with some final odds and ends of what various parts of this episode reminded me of irt ST that I haven’t touched on yet.

At the start of the episode, we learn that Rose’s motive for visiting her dad on the day of his death is so she can simply be someone who’s there for him when he passes; she doesn’t want him to be alone. The concept of loneliness is not unfamiliar to ST, and it’s especially on the nose with Henry and Patty in TFS, and comes up fairly frequently with characters like Will, Mike, and El on-screen. We see it in scripts for ST4 with Brenner, and we get it in ST1 with Joyce berating Jonathan for doing things alone. It all comes back to community and support. Being with someone to curb their loneliness can make all the difference, especially when it’s genuine. Especially especially when someone is going through something scary and otherworldly.

And that’s the whole point, isn’t it? Being there for each other, even in our worst moments?

This isn’t a form of compassion that’s exclusive to “the good guys” either. As I said above, the plague of loneliness even affects Brenner, and even a character like Vecna, who’s been trapped alone in the UD for years, probably just needs a good shoulder to lean on for once.

Henry, as per TFS, didn’t really have anyone. We’re told about a boy (or two) in Nevada who very likely was close to him, but he’s otherwise very reclusive from his family (at least post-flaying). When he meets Patty, he latches on the moment he finds her compatible and, despite her mistreatment of him, he doesn’t let go. He’s finally not alone anymore, and even if it resulted in disaster, he wanted it to work. There were just too many outside forces at play convoluting things. All he needed was someone to be there for him with genuine intentions, and I believe that’s something he will receive, come ST5.

I also want to touch on Rose having to “try again” at the start of the episode. I don’t have too much to say about this, but it did make me think of James’s theories irt Henward possibly having turned back the clock in order to save himself. Something about going into it with neutral-to-good intentions, only for something to go wrong and bring it all crashing down. Not that we know for certain if that’s what’s going on with Henry, but there’s something in the continuous tragedy of his life and the earnest attempt at making things better, only for it to go much, much worse, and having to return to the un-ideal square one.

It doesn’t even have to just be about Henry doing it to himself. Someone else might be sticking themselves in, toying with timelines, in an attempt to help Henry, only for other, unknown forces to muck it all up. But now we’re getting a bit into James’s territory, so you can just chew on that concept a bit. The last thing I’ll say on it is I did find Rose seeking out her dad reminiscent of TFS Brenner seeking out answers to his father’s experience in Dimension X, but alas, I’m running out of steam.

Exploring this DW episode wasn’t much anything new, but I found it very satisfying to see even more concepts confirmed and expanded upon that I’ve spoken about in my other posts, as well as touching on ideas that my friends have talked about before. Overall, I’ve reached the conclusion that I need to explore more of Rose’s episodes and see what’s up lol. There's even more within this episode I could pull on further, but a lot of it is just pointing at the words that are said and going "that's the words!!! the words from the show!!!" so. Sort of an "iykyk" situation atp. But! Lots to chew on, and likely more to come in the future!

#st dw #stranger things #i say things #wrowwww anotha one

[fromxxthexxashes]

One thing I learned in my screenwriting class is that things and details put into film/TV are intentional. Leave aside misplaced coffee cups, boom mics, and sneakers, everything that ends up in the final cut is important. As we learned with 7x06, time is an incredibly limited commodity, and sometimes things get cut. That means that whatever shots/scenes/moments end up being in the final edit are there for a reason. With that being said, I think it’s incredibly interesting that Eddie is being included - narratively, blocking, and camera framing-wise - in Buck’s journey with discovering his sexuality and his relationship with Tommy.

For one, why choose Eddie to befriend Tommy? They could have easily had Chimney hang out with Tommy, seeing as they already knew each other. But they choose Eddie, and they choose to have Buck spend the entire episode talking about Eddie. Why include confusion regarding whose attention Buck was really trying to get? Why show Buck coming to this conclusion that he was trying to get Tommy’s attention, but also show Buck talking about Eddie and peacocking in front of Eddie so consistently in 7x04? Why choose Eddie to be the one to interrupt the BuckTommy date? Why have Buck spend all of 7x05 more worried about lying to Eddie than about his failed date with Tommy? Why put so much time and emphasis on Buck’s coming out to Eddie? Why insert Eddie so obviously into Buck’s sexuality storyline, when they could be giving that precious screen time to Tommy?

In 7x06, Eddie comes in, proudly dressed up in the matching costume he suggested he and Buck wear. Right after Eddie comes in, Tommy enters wearing the most boring clothes anyone can wear to a party. Not only that, but Buck told him that there was an 80s theme, and he put in no effort to adhere to said theme. He was even dismissive about it, and Buck was clearly a little disappointed about it.

For one, why have Eddie show up first? They could have given that time to Tommy to enter first and develop that relationship if they really wanted the audience to root for them. Instead, they highlighted, once again this season, the relationship and effortless dynamic between Buck and Eddie. For another, why make such a big deal of Tommy being the odd one out, while vocally addressing the fact that Buck and Eddie are literally wearing matching costumes? They didn’t have to be matching, they could have worn any 80s costume. But they choose to dress these two in the attire of two characters in a TV show who are queer-coded partners and best friends.

Why show Eddie being arguably petty and jealous, with Tommy in that scene? Why frame him in the middle of them, why focus on Eddie’s reactions to Buck and Tommy? They could have focused and Buck and Tommy together and individually, but they chose to show Eddie right there in the middle and in the background.

And after Tommy leaves, do you know who stays? Do you know who is the only one that stays? Oh, yeah, it’s Eddie. It’s Eddie who easily goes along with Buck’s shenanigans. It’s Eddie that Buck clings to all night at the bachelor party. It’s Eddie that Buck shares most of his screen time with. They had to cut out 30 minutes of content for 7x06, yet they purposely included Eddie’s reaction to Buck coming out, when we already had his reaction. They could have included any number of people who we hadn’t seen react, but they chose to pan from Buck to Eddie.

They could give screen time to both Buck and Eddie’s current respective romantic partners, but they chose to give screen time to Buck and Eddie, consistently. Why keep making these choices to include Eddie in this storyline, and give precious screen time to that inclusion, if there is no intention to take it somewhere?

It’s all intentional, how they’re including Eddie. It’s all intentional how they keep showing us the relationship between Buck and Eddie. They’re subtly weaving in these moments, shots, comments, and scenes with Eddie and with Buck with the purpose of leading somewhere with Buddie as something more. It’s the same thing they did with Buck’s bisexuality. Now we look back at all the subtext and the little nods, and think “We were right” or “Oh, that makes sense”. They’re doing it with Buddie, too, and I think they have been for a while. They’re doing it so they can introduce this long-term friendship-to-romance arc in a way that is well-built and developed. They’re doing it so we could look back, and think “Oh, yeah, this has been developing this whole time”. They’re doing it so casual fans can be gradually warmed up and conditioned for Buddie, and for the more dedicated fans to notice, pick apart, and cling to. If they didn’t want us to root for Buck and Eddie they wouldn’t keep intentionally choosing to frame them as two people with an incredibly close bond that continuously overshadows their respective relationships. They’re writing and filming in this way so they can have these little, and sometimes not so little, moments to build on when they finally go somewhere romantic with Buck and Eddie.

#buddie #911 #911 on abc #911 abc #eddie diaz #evan buck buckely #evan buckley #911 spoilers #tv: 911 #911 season 7

[genericpuff]

Scamlords is at it again.

A few nights ago, there was a sudden blow-up in the /r/webtoons server showing a new announcement from Snailords -

For anyone unaware, Death : Rescheduled has been on mid-season hiatus since October. And it's now, and only now, that Snailords has suddenly decided the comic is ending after it returns, but readers can get an extra 20 episodes... if they fork over $1k in merch sales.

Now, this could be a lot worse. They could be threatening not to return to the series at all unless their readers hand over money. But considering it's practically just one degree away from that, it's still pretty nasty. Not to mention, the further they divulged in their reasoning around this "idea", the more confusing it got.

They also even revived their @snailordsrant account on IG which, for those of you who were there and can recall, was the same account they used to put one of their own fans on blast over some very mild criticism.

None of this makes any actual sense, for several reasons:

1.) I literally fail to see how getting $1k in less than 24 hours is worth shoving in an extra mini arc of 10 episodes if you don't even have it planned out. Why do that to your audience or to yourself? Why drag things out just to scrounge up an emergency $1k? Why not just be honest with your audience and run a GoFundMe or just say , "Hey everyone, I've run into some financial troubles, I would really appreciate it if you could FastPass my newest episodes or donate to my Patreon or buy some merch so I can cover the costs". It's really telling that this shithead doesn't have enough confidence in themselves or their audience that practically worships them that they have to resort to this kind of underhanded shit to get the money they need. I wanna make it clear that this is NOT like a Kickstarter stretch goal or anything that incentivizes readers to support their work, they're instead holding the length and future of their series over their audiences' head (which they've done before) for money. That's not an incentive, it's an ultimatum.

2.) Maybe I'm misreading / being stupid (someone pls explain if I'm missing something here) but I literally don't see how their comment about working 50 hours a week explains why they're suddenly getting their fans to pay out $1k worth of merch in less than 24 hours. For anyone who doesn't know, $1k per episode is an example Webtoons uses in its post discussing how they pay out creators (this came after the platform got called out 2 years ago for paying creators too little, there are undoubtedly creators getting paid less). And yet for some reason $1k is apparently the difference between 10 episodes and 20? How does that add up? And is the bit about them wanting to buy boba supposed to be a joke? Where's the punchline here?

3.) They say they have writer's block and they want to use the money to "motivate them", but then just a few slides later they say 10-15 episodes is what would make them the "happiest" so which is it? Do they want to write 10 episodes or do they want people to pay them to write 20 episodes so they can draw the fluff scenes that they apparently want to draw? If you have an ending planned out, why rush it or drag it out depending on how this "fundraiser" goes? Why not just write the ending you want to write that will serve your story best? Why shove in an extra mini arc that you don't even have full confidence in writing and then try to compare it to a "super expensive cake"? What are you doing? Speaking as someone who's had trouble getting motivated in the past, suddenly getting a month's rent worth of money to do it doesn't necessarily solve that, it just turns up the pressure, and if you're not someone who deals with pressure well, then you're more likely to wind up just burning out entirely rather than fulfilling that goal.

4.) The fact that they did, in fact, hit their goal just makes it all the shittier to think about because their audience is mostly made up of teenagers who worship the ground that they walk on. It's horrifying that they keep pulling these stunts with their audience, and getting away with it to boot - and Webtoons, as a company, keeps enabling it by allowing it to happen by hosting and promoting people like this.

Anyways, there's already a lot going on here that's sketchy, but then... they went and deleted their posts. At the time of this happening (as I was there to witness it all play out in real time) I assumed this meant that they had hit their $1k goal - especially as they had been showing their progress on their IG and they were already at $900 after just a couple hours - but it gave me a sinking feeling seeing them delete it because they had also been called out by some brave readers telling them that it wasn't exactly a good look to essentially blackmail their audience through their own content into giving them money.

Snailords deleting it gave me a stronger impression of "burying the evidence", especially now that they had the money. By all accounts, they could do whatever they wanted now.

So what did they decide to do?

. . . Huh?

Okay, take a second to actually think about what Snailords has done here. Because I know some of you will go "oh, it was for charity all along! that was nice of them!" but . . . I don't know about the legalities of collecting donation funds under false pretenses, but morally speaking, it's a really shitty thing to do. They stripped away the choices - limiting them to three - of what their readers could donate to, and what I think their readers don't understand - due to being mostly teenagers - is that they're tax-exempt individuals and they just unknowingly gave Snailords an easy $1k tax write-off. You really, really shouldn't collect donation funds like this without being honest, it's just a shitty thing to do, especially after you've already collected the money. It mostly just comes across as damage control on Snailords' part to make it seem like they were always planning to donate to charity, when in reality, if they wanted to donate to charity, they would have been honest about that at the start. Again, even if they wanted to do that from the start, it goes to show how little confidence they have in themselves or their audience that they have to stoop to methods like these instead of just doing it honestly.

And do you really think Snailords will actually do those extra episodes? Or donate that money? This is the same asshole who has manipulated their readers for money not once but twice, and now seems intent on doing it a third time just for the charm. This is the same person who practically sabotaged their own comic, Freaking Romance, because they apparently didn't like the romance genre and may as well have only done it for clout / views / etc.

What was especially odd - and I found this out from folks who actually read Death : Rescheduled (I do not) - was finding out that it wouldn't make sense for D : R to end in as many as 25 episodes, because apparently, the plot has basically just gotten going.

So it does seem like this is foreshadowing that D : R will wind up just like Freaking Romance, rushed into an ending that wasn't expected. And this, of course, has the people who read their work confused because D : R was supposed to be Snailords' passion project, their magnum opus, the project they wanted to do. So them holding the timing of an ending that shouldn't even be happening yet for ransom contradicts that original intention. Really, it just goes to show that Snailords has no passion, they're just in it purely for the money, to a degree that I can't even cheer them on for being a hustler because it's missing the honesty and integrity.

And of course, every single time Snailords finds a way to backpedal and take his audience for a ride, they hop right in without a single thought for themselves.

And no, none of this is to hate on the readers directly, I hold Snailords entirely responsible for this - they have an audience of impressionable, naive, gullible teenagers, and they know it, and take advantage of it every chance they get. It's why they weren't just honest about wanting to collect money for charity from the start. It's why they resorted to basically holding their own comic's progression for ransom during its midseason hiatus. It's why the deadline was 24 hours and why the posts are now gone.

Thankfully the Internet does what it does - any evidence that Snailords was trying to bury is now all over reddit, and hey, just for good measure, here's a post on Tumblr that's been sitting in my drafts for days now, days after people have already seemingly stopped talking about it. Don't let anyone bury or forget about the stunts Snailords is pulling on their audience, with a platform that they've been consistently given by Webtoons, because that's what they want you to do.

#snailords #webtoon critical

[respectthepetty]

This is gonna sound very weird but I hope as we go on with the show you won't stop making posts about how much you love Ming's toxic ass cause they make me laugh and I'll need them when in the future I'll feel the urge to somehow strangle Ming through the screen. No pressure but please help a girl in need if you can!

You're writing to the person who is openly praying that Ming gets worse (amen), so I am not one to call others weird.

Something about those who live in a glass house shouldn't throw stones, you know?

Because, once again, I want Ming to be awful to Joe, and only Joe, which I know is kind of weird of me, but I'm just too happy to care.

A few people have commented that Ming will get worse, and I'm giddy from the mere thought of it, so I'll be here all season being unhealthy about Ming's behavior.

Because in the first episode, he was awful, which I LOVED, and I don't think some people really see just how bad he was simply because he is being played by Up, which was a brilliant move by casting, so I love that the show directly told us he is a nightmare, and we could judge all his actions accordingly.

Regardless of Tong's fake personality, Ming just showed up at the set without any warning and ambushed Tong at his job

Ming only wants to eat alone with Tong, and it's of course because he likes Tong, but he even hung up on his sister mid-conversation after she threw him a little welcome back surprise (sidenote: I think he and his sister might be similar personality-wise because her call while Tong was eating with Ming was convenient)

Ming doesn't tell Joe his name or how he got Joe's number

He called Joe drunk and obviously pissed off, then snapped at the staff for being shocked by his behavior

He doesn't tell Joe he thinks of him, but instead reversed Joe's statement to point out that Joe thinks of him

He doesn't compromise

And none of these have to do with sex and Ming wanting to fuck Joe because he looks like Tong because Ming's toxicity isn't just about sex.

This is about how meek Ming is around Tong

Compared to how aggressive he is with Joe.

Pushing Joe down and standing over him, which in the heat of the moment doesn't seem like much.

But Joe took Ming to his house because Ming told him to. Joe doesn't eat instead opting to watch Ming eat. Joe lets Ming spend the night because Ming asked. Joe gets on the bed because Ming tells him to. Joe goes to Ming when called. Joe bottoms because Ming wants him to. Joe does everything Ming wants.

With Tong, Ming can't control anything, but with Joe . . .

Ming's gonna control everything.

Or at least that's what I'm hoping!

So I'll be here all season, cheering every single time Ming does something truly fucked up because he is going about his issues in the worst way by trying to exert dominance on a stand-in of Tong since he is weak for the real Tong until he ends up regretting it once he loses Joe and tries to replace old Joe with new Jo which restarts the vicious cycle that began this entire shit show in the first place! *deep breath*

God, I'm so happy!

#my stand in #my stand in the series #I'm here for Ming's toxicity #please be worse babe #do it for me #it makes me so happy

[bookshop]

pardon me i'm just overwhelmed by wang yibo (as usual)

It's just, this kid, THIS KID, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND LET ME EXPLAIN

— he has to battle his way up through the ranks of YG to get to debut, in another country, away from his parents, while barely a teenager, all while learning a second language, and he not only does it, but according to legend he and Lisa are the only two foreign idols in YG history to graduate the program with all As

— and then his debut gets canceled and he has to go back to China and Yuehua and restart his entire career without much support at all from his agency, and he just does it, he starts the grind all over and just fucking does it

— he isn't even Yuehua's first choice for Day Day Up's new host competition, and they submit him only because he speaks Korean and that's good for the show, but then Wang Han sees him backstage one day and sees how hard he's working on his dance routine and immediately knows that Yibo is their next host, and not only is he an incredible addition to the show, but he stays on DDU longer than he reasonably should given how massively famous he gets, and he's so beloved that when he returns for Hunan's 2022 NYE concert, the network rolls out the red carpet and treats him like he's their hometown son and Wang Han is like, "Our Yibo has come home" (And Luoyang is the girlfriend in the distracted boyfriend meme lol but ykwim)

— he has to submit his comp shots twice just to even get an audition before anyone takes him seriously for The Untamed!! Except then the moment they see him, they immediately know he's their Lan Zhan

— he's the "pretty idol" throwaway captain for SDC3 and you can tell this when you watch the editing for the first episode because the comments for Yibo are all about how hot he is, and he comes in last place after the first captain's dance, and it's clear nobody really takes him seriously, but then the second he opens his street auditions, the tone of the entire show changes and from then on, for the next two seasons, he is completely unstoppable, his talent and intelligence and strategic thinking and competitive drive are so raw and exciting to watch that he basically takes over the entire show, the ratings more than double from s2 to s3, his fandom grows even more massive, and the dancers all fucking LOVE HIM. like dude he wins street dance of china so hard that within three seasons he's basically co-producing it and he's literally given a writing credit.

— The director of Being a Hero doesn't think he's old or mature enough to play Chen Yu and then Yibo sits down and talks to him about why he wants the role and the director realizes that Yibo basically is Chen Yu, he's the focused hard-working persevering single-minded actor of his dreams, and Yibo winds up giving a performance so moving it makes the director cry and declare, "That? That's acting."

— he jumps from no ranking at all to 9th place to #2!!!!!! within TWO YEARS on the Forbes China 100 Most Powerful people list between 2019 and 2021

— Duhua famously didn't take him seriously or treat him well for most of their long contractual relationship, oh shit, because now according to YH's latest investor report for Q3-4 2022, he singlehandedly brings in 90% of the profit for her entire company, a shareholder, the "top talent," and the one who has to pay whenever Uniq gets together because he's "the boss"

— Yibo goes from being the SDC underdog to being so respected that when Da Peng is looking for a dancer to star in his street dance movie, he asks all the best street dancers what actor is capable of doing the moves, and they all unanimously tell him: Wang Yibo. Da Peng winds up telling the press on Weibo Film night 2022 that he wrote the whole movie for Yibo, and that "if there's no Yibo, there's no movie"

— Cheng Er, director of Wuming, claims he has no idea who Yibo is, and just decided to cast him in a supporting role in his film because he looks the part of a Republic-era spy. And then he sees Yibo act, and he sees Yibo immerse himself in the part, and he sees how hard Yibo is willing to work and how committed he is, and he rewrites his entire movie until Wang Yibo is the main fucking character; Wang Yibo, in his first major film debut, acts his way into the lead and earns rave reviews from across the globe, including the goddamn new york times

Every time you think people will have finally figured out that you do not underestimate Wang Yibo, you learn of some new example where Yibo, once again, has had to prove himself in an industry that perpetually writes him off and doesn't take him seriously at first — only for the people around him to be absolutely blown away by his talent and dedication and mesmerizing star power.

And this happens over and over and over again. And he just does the work, always, every time, without complaint, and every time the result is something surprising and unexpected and fantastic and such a mark of his incredible passion and talent

— and every time I think my heart can't possibly grow any more sizes over Yibo, he proves me wrong

#yibo #wang yibo #wang yiboooooooo #i'm so proud of him #so proud of him always #and i'm so sorry tumblr at some point surely i will stop word vomiting about yibo on your timeline but that day is not today #wuming #hidden blade #long post

[buddiebeginz]

If they are keeping Lou around for any part of season 8 the show has to put an end to the cameo nonsense. Some of the Buck/Oliver takes that are starting to make the rounds are next level insane. I saw one scolding Oliver for making Lou do all the promoting of the ship. Another post said the writers needed to up Buck's game because he's not at the level of commitment yet that Tommy is being written (wtf when were these episodes). And yet another post scolding Oliver for promoting Buddie and Buck for continuing to spend time with Eddie.

They are taking these PAID (you paid him to say this shit) videos and making them canon. No part of anything he's saying is canon. Firstly, he wouldn't be allowed to tell them any actual canon facts and secondly Oliver/Buck is the character/actor the show gives a shit about. He's encouraging this nonsense and it's gross. Him promoting himself is fine, it's low-key cringe given the fact the other half of the ship is silent but you do you, babe. Oliver's silence is what's pissing his fans off. Seriously tell me you're new to Captain Starks ways without telling me you're new. He promotes no ship but the Buddie ship, canon or not. These people are here for Lou. When he goes, happy for him to take them with him.

I'm not sure why they keep letting him do those cameos especially after he pissed people off when he said T*mmy being homophobic and racist to Hen and Chim was just teasing. He also talked about people recognizing him in Thailand in the AH interview and did this fake stereotypical asian accent. 🤦‍♀️He really needs a better agent and some media training because they'd for sure tell him to knock that shit off.

I could see the cameos being fun to do a few times when he first came back to the show even to garner excitement about B/T and T*mmy but the fact that he's done so many now and has even raised the price just makes him look desperate for attention. And like you said he gives all these headcanons about T*mmy in his videos that his obsessive fans have taken for absolute fact. We would never hear the end of it if Buddie fandom was paying Ryan for videos like that.

I agree with you that a majority of B/T stans are here first and foremost for T*mmy and Lou not Buck and Oliver. I still can't believe that a lot of them used to be Buddie shippers. I think everyone should be able to ship what they want including multishipping but I don't get how some of them dropped a ship they were seemingly invested in for years for the nothing that is B/T.

That part of fandom also loves to call us delusional and say we're seeing only what we want to see but a lot of times we're just pointing out what's actually happening. Like in the recent episode T*mmy was being a downer to Buck's enthusiasm (which has basically become the norm for them). The camera also paned to Eddie after Buck got his award not T*mmy. Buck chose to run off to Eddie's after work not to T*mmy's. These are things the show is literally showing us not just stuff we're imagining.

It's similar with Oliver. They can come up with all the reasons in the world why he's never promoted B/T through this entire season but it doesn't matter because he still hasn't and likely won't. I've seen them say Oliver doesn't post anything about B/T or Lou to avoid dealing with the hate or to not upset Buddie fans or to protect Lou. The thing is though Oliver has left social media before when he's had issues and could again if he wanted to. He's also been dealing with homophobic comments since Buck came out but he's never shied away from talking about Buck coming out and has even addressed the hate on his insta.

Oliver liked a couple of B/T pieces of art when the story first happened but I think that was more to support the bi Buck storyline and the artists than anything else. Multiple times during this season he's liked Buddie art (including a tattoo which he commented on three times) he's also posted Buddie related and Ryan stuff on his stories. If he wanted to show support to Lou or B/T he could easily post on his stories where people can't comment. B/T stans can think what they want but it's clear Oliver doesn't promote any of that because he's rooting for Buddie harder than anyone. I think he knows B/T isn't going to be around forever and he's trying not to lead people on about it as he's said in the past he hates to do that.

I really hope we can get rid of T*mmy at the end of s7 although knowing Tim he'll probably keep him for added drama until s8. Unfortunately even when B/T ends I expect those fans to do a lot of complaining because they've concocted this whole idea in their head that T*mmy is Buck's endgame soulmate. They even want T*mmy to be added on as main character and get a begins episode. So I fully expect some of them to riot when he inevitably gets the ax. The rest will probably run back to Buddie the minute it becomes canon and try to pretend they never left. Jokes on them though because a lot of Buddie shippers have blocked them for how awful they've been this season especially towards Eddie.

#ask #anon #911!

[ultfreakme]

Thoughts on Jessie Gender's video on NATLA

I really admire Jessie Gender's videos usually, she's the one whom I usually go to to see videos on gender and queerness in media. I like her stuff a lot and respect their work.

But the NATLA video left me going "no, wait, that's not what happened" a lot. I can't summarize the video, I suggest people go watch it if they want to know but I disagree with practically everything for the most part.

I'm not anybody on the internet. But what I do have is a lifetime of growing up on ATLA, a degree in Sociology and English Literature, coming from a culture that ATLA is based on, studying about colonial rule, researching the cultures ATLA is based on in my spare time and a love for the original. Does that establish some legitimacy? If for some reason you feel like you need to go hate on Jessie for this, DON'T. DO NOT. This is me just critiquing because I think the video content was biased and I want to honestly engage with the points made because everyone has a tendency to demonize the adaption without looking at it on its own merit. With that said:

Point 1: Sokka's sexism is taken out to make the show more palatable and his arc in the Kyoshi Island episode undermines Suki to prop up Sokka.

She says that Sokka's sexism and him addressing it is a show-long arc, and him deconstructing that is him fighting against the colonial sexism of the Fire Nation.

Sokka's sexism is explicitly dealt with in one episode. He's shown to be overtly sexist in the first 4 and never again except for little comments here and there that every other character makes as well and goes unaddressed. His sexism is not because of the Fire Nation- FN is very inclusive of women as warriors. Sokka's sexism is an anomaly because no one but him cares that Katara isn't just sitting home mending clothes(Bato, Hakoda, none of the men on the ship they are on in S3 say a word and she takes off to join Aang in the Fire Nation islands).

If Sokka's sexism is not systematic to the Southern Water Tribe or caused by the Fire Nation, what kind of commentary on sexism is this?

She also says Suki is played down and demured to give Sokka confidence when she's teaching him, taking away her arc as she pines for the new boy who she likes because he's shirtless. Sokka's throughout the episode shows insecurity and a more subtle form of sexism where he's trying ton prove he's as good as her. He's trying to show off his strength to her, and failing miserably and when he realizes she bested him, he walks away. He goes into it assuming he's better than her but walks away realizing shit she is GOOD. Then he goes to her dojo to observe the practice and follows along, Suki invites him in seeing him fucking up the forms outside and teaches him.

Suki falls for a tackle Sokka does in the og and live action. In the OG, it's shown as Sokka ACTUALLY being better. In the live action? He isn't. One lesson doesn't make him better, she transitions from actually teaching him to kinda flirting until she completely stops. She's not weakening herself for him, both of them are expressing romantic interest. How did Sokka, a boy who that morning was defeated by them, get better than SUKI in a spar she put genuine effort in? I think that's frankly more sexist than the live action take.

Additionally, Suki was meant to be a one-off character meant to teach Sokka that sexism is bad. She existed entirely to serve Sokka's character arc and had no independent motivation in season 1. In the live action, we see her talk about wanting to go into the world, and see her growing motivation through Aang's presence of wanting to not just protect Kyoshi Island, but the world. She became what she is only in season 2 and 3. Sokka's sexism arc didn't even pan out well because he never addressed the issue with Katara after that episode, the first and most affected victim of his sexism.

Sokka wearing the armor in the original, is a joke. Aang calls their uniform a dress while laughing (it's not, like it's not even constructed like one, the bottoms are loose pants called Hakama). He isn't put into the uniform to show solidarity, it's a joke, and we are meant to be laughing at Sokka for the most part. Queer fans have reclaimed and redefined that scene to be like drag, but that wasn't the original intention of the show because we get jokes on Aang's masculinity which never actively get refuted from Toph in season 2. Katara of all people points out Sokka wearing a poinytail in a demeaning manner multiple times, a supposedly girly hairstyle. If the original wanted to honor Sokka embracing gender fluidity, they wouldn't consistently mock him for being choosy about buying a bag and wearing a ponytail(which in-universe has cultural importance to him).

All signs of 'femininity' in Sokka are played for laughs in the rest of the show(down to the scene where he draws a rainbow, and his master Piandao simply rolls his eyes).

Sokka is also never once shown as a better warrior in the live action- his story is the opposite. Sokka yearns here to be an engineer, a scientist tinkering away with new inventions. His father Hakoda and the SWT discourages this because there is no value in that for them. Value is shown for them to come from physical strength, which Sokka NEVER has in live action season 1(him having biceps and being shirtless is not a glorification of strength). He's good, but he's nothing special. His true highlight is in his intellect and the show implies pretty well that Sokka doesn't need to be physically strong or a warrior to fight back against oppression.

That's his defining line in the show teasers "you do not need to be a warrior, to be a hero."

Point 2: The sexism arc isn't replaced by anything more nuanced.

It is! It's replaced by the biases against bending. Sokka discourages Katara from bending because the Fire Nation attacked the SWT to eliminate waterbenders. Both Katara and Sokka hold fear for waterbending, a part of their own culture, specifically because of the Fire Nation's hegemony and hierarchical beliefs. Waterbending = preservation of culture and Katara says these exact words in episode 1. Sokka stopping her is him being under the colonial hegemony of the FN because waterbending is what brought Fire Nation soldiers to their shores to kill their mom. That's the new arc and it has follow through to the end. Instead of Sokka telling Katara to kick ass because he isn't sexist anymore, the live action Sokka says it because he's embraced waterbending and his own culture now through seeing Katara grow and letting her choose for herself what's best for her (instead of smothering in his faux warrior persona, which they literally discuss when stuck in the cave). This arc is exclusive to the show, there's no comment on the cultural significance and erasure of waterbending in the original.

It's made more explicit in Katara's arc, where she needs to get past the fear the Fire Nation has put in her of the dangers of her own bending, and embrace that her people wanted to protect it (Kya sacrificing herself, Gran-Gran hiding the waterbending scroll).

Point 3: Showing the genocide of the Air Nomads is disrespectful

In the original, the Air Nomads are nothing but a memory. At all times. We never see the influence of the Air Nomad culture on Aang, or see them alive and thriving at any point. We see them fight back on the live action, and the actual genocide is a few short minutes, interspersed with Aang sinking. It's not a lingering process and it shows the abilities of Air Nomads. Jessie says this is purely aesthetic and to be cool, but there are significant moments that happen here.

Establishing the powers of Air Benders- this is the first and last time we'll get to see Air Bending on this scale and this shows what they can do

There's a scene where two air nomads nod to one another, and the air nomad switches from defensive to an extremely offensive move. It shows that this isn't typical for the Air Nomads, and that they are being pushed to their limits

This is a festival, they were defending themselves and it's important to show that the Air Nomads didn't just go silently without a fight and were ambushed on an important day.

To show the Fire Nation's cruelty and the extent of their power during the comet specifically.

To give weight to WHY everyone Aang runs into is so critical and hateful of the fact that he was gone, and to also show why Aang never refutes them and the weight of what he's lost (and also that even if he were there, he couldn't have done anything)

It's not just to be cool, it's honestly not cool to watch and taking Gordon Cormier, a child's quote to say that's what everyone's impression is, is disingenuous despite the disclaimer given. The kids' quotes always get taken out of context. Reviewers and Avatar fans who went to the premiere were disturbed overall by the violence. They did not think of the Fire Nation as "cool", they saw the Air Nomads like that. Like don't we want people to think of the Air Nomads in a positive light for fighting back?

Their culture gets little to no expansion in the original, and whatever Aang has left of them is actually slowly stripped away in the original.

Aang is made to okay the destruction and modification of the Northern Air Temple when destruction is shown as wrong during his rage and grief in the Southern Air Temple. The new settlers have used the gliders of Air Nomads to device weapons that fly, which were then sold to the Fire Nation. The Mechanist and his people continue this and create more weapons to fight the war in the temples(albeit this time agaisnt the fire nation but the cycle of violence continues using devices and cultures of a peaceful people). A once-peaceful place, is now a center for war innovation and Aang is told to accept this because he must let go of the past to look to the future.

The above, in comparison to Aang simply saying "I should let go of the past and look to the future" is FAR more disrespectful of Aang's culture and past. The live action keeps Gyatso's memory a constant companion to Aang, he is terrified of letting go of the past and it hinders him from simply living.

Point 4: Violence is shown as good and the cycle of violence is perpetuated.

She says Kyoshi demanding Aang to fight back and hit hard is showing that Aang needs to embrace strength and power. That everyone telling him to fight and be alone means strength is given importance, and that the same is shown when Zuko says "sometimes the weak can become strong, sometime you just have to give them a chance."

Kyoshi is wrong. She is willfully portrayed as powerful, but harsh. Roku(though his screentime was small) disagrees with her and tells Aang to find his own way of fighting and that is ultimately what Aang follows.

Kyoshi doesn't come off as correct, she's demanding and harsh, unforgiving. Aang initially lets her take over because he is scared of the power he holds and she promises she can control it to help others. Aang doesn't want power(he literally says 'I don't want these powers'). In the finale, he gives in to the ocean spirit and does what Kyoshi asks; save everyone, even if it costs his own life. But it is shown as a tragedy. Katara calls back for him and tells him he shouldn't have to sacrifice himself, that he has a place in this world as he is no matter what others tell him and he listens to THAT. He says he will save the world not alone, but with his friends, in the memory of the Air Nomads to ensure it never happens again.

Physical strength is only a priority to Katara's character. Sokka doesn't fight in the end, he's begging Yue to not sacrifice herself and is protecting her. He's not some macho man. Aang is also not embracing power.

Zuko says that line not to show that he can grow stronger, but that people should get second chances. He's a hurt kid wishing his father had the compassion to let him grow. But he doesn't and Zuko walks away from it thinking physical strength and bending prowess is important, crushing his compassion. That line on a meta level isn't even about physical strength. It's about mental fortitude and character, and the strength to be compassionate.

Jet was mentioned as being portrayed as more wrong, but in the original he was ready to sink a village of innocents. in the live action he genuinely helped Katara with her waterbending and was justified in wanting to kill the mechanist(who collaborated with the fire nation) and King Bumi (who is neutral, incompetent and has let the Fire Nation run rampant in the city). He's more sympathetic here because he's doing it with a concrete reason, and he didn't even manipulate Katara the way he did in the original. She was genuinely charmed by him.

A big problem I had with Jessie's video was putting in clips from some right-wing channel between critique of NATLA....which....why? Huh? And these were used to say NATLA is leaning into fascist tendencies and smoothing out any critique of colonialism when it really isn't. I think NATLA is very explicitly saying the same message as the original. Not in the same way, but it is. The show actively engages audiences and the characters in discussions of cultural erasure and the problems of valuing power(the latter especially through Zuko and Azula).

There are million issues with the live action (Sokka's casting, ableism in Zuko's burn scar, the writing issues, pacing issues, the lack of screen time for Aang and focus on the Fire family). The ones Jessie Gender discussed though, are not it.

#natla #natla positivity #atla la #atla live action #avatar netflix #jessie gender

[kanzakurawrites]

Hi I really like your descendants fic and your posts, so I have a question. If descendants was a pg16 show that actually did it's worldbuilding what elements would you ADD, which elements would you remove and what would you expand on?

Oooh, this is an interesting question. I'm sorry it took so long to get this answered! (and apologizing in advance for any rambling that takes place)

First things first, I'd want the show to switch between the Isle and Auradon. I am PERFECTLY fine with the main cast staying the main characters from the first three films. So it would be eye-opening, and good for the characters, for the show to have switched between the Auradonians, the Core Four, and the Sea Three.

I'd also want at LEAST the entire first episode, preferably first two or three, to have the Core Four on the Isle. Working with THEIR gang. So we can see what it is like for them to live on the Isle, what its like for them to be around their parents, and how they interact with others, before going straight to Auradon.

Now, Isle-related things.

I definitely know I'd want to add more elements of abuse on the Isle. It's implied in the movies, but they also seem to backtrack at times. (Dizzy's "wicked step-grandmother" comment, and then suddenly portraying Lady Tremaine as caring - the Vk's running to the Isle to see their parents.) It would need to be shown that the Isle is a HORRIBLE place. Physical, emotional.... and other forms of abuse. These things HAPPEN, and they are going to happen on the Isle.

As much as I hate to say it, there is definitely teen pregnancy on the Isle. There's also a lot of death for ALL ages.

Remember Mal's comment about gang activity? Let's see it. Show us the gangs, the fights, the rules, the alliances. Show us the politics on the Isle, and how these are CHILDREN fighting for their lives. Which also means injuries and scars.

There are all sorts of HORRIBLE crimes that people get sent to jail for (I really don't want to type the words since it makes me sick to my stomach), and those people are ON. THE. ISLE. It's not just the villains from the fairy tales on the Isle, its all the criminals as well. There's a lot of reasons the VK's have gangs, and keeping each other safe is one of them.

With that said, not all the VK's are going to be good either. Some of them will end up bad in the end. Just like there are going to be bad people in Auradon.

And then with the barrier, are seasons a thing on the Isle or does the dome mean that the temperature stays relatively the same? Are the summers scorching and winters freezing and dirty, given the pollution over the Isle? Things can't even grow!

How DID the Isle get approved? Was it better in the beginning? Did they just not think that villains could have children? These are questions that need to be answered, because even without purposefully trying to make it dark, the things we know about the Isle are sickening to think about. Nothing can grow, food is always rotten, everything is crumbling, and there is horrible pollution.

What is illness like on the Isle? It can't be good, it would run rampant. I want to see how it's dealt with.

And finally, how does the Isle affect the magical people there? Witches could probably be okay being cut off from magic, but fairies? They are inherently magical. Magic is apart of them. Same goes with Ursula, Morgana, Hades (though he's probably not affected at all). Trolls, dwarves (there have to be some), goblins, pixies, etc. Any on the isle, and their children, how are they affected here? Does Uma feel a loss in her chest when she's near the sea? Does Mal mourn her horns and wings? (and will she ever get any?) Is it painful? Do they get sick when they're in Auradon and finally around all this magic? Because you can't just... get rid of magic. It's going to be there.

Auradon Things:

I would really want to expand on how Auradon came to be. Along with the, likely, war that happened when rounding up the villains cause there's no way that was peaceful.

Politics. I want the politics. How do all these kingdoms work? What political parties are there? How are views on the Isle handled?

Arranged-Marriages are a thing. Not everyone does it, but I feel like we can all agree that some people (*cough*Leah*cough*) believe that they are superior to "Falling in love." I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Audrey and Ben had an arranged marriage.

Abuse. It's not just a thing on the Isle, but it's in Auradon as well, just in a different way. While there's a lot more physical abuse on the Isle, there's verbal and emotional in Auradon. Leah and, though I hate saying it, Beast are perfect examples. Leah constantly puts Audrey down, she makes her feel inferior. Beast made his sixteen year old High King... I'm sure I could find more examples for him but I think that's a pretty big thing right there.

Another thing to expand on is the equality issue in Auradon. The "sidekicks" got the short end of the deal, even though Ben tried to make it better, as the dwarves and animals weren't being PAID. They just worked all the time for the Royals. Magical people have seemed to be pushed aside, like Beast wants them all gone. Jane couldn't even train her with her magic! And she's Fairy Godmother's daughter! The three good fairies and other fairies from Aurora's kingdom are actively having to not use magic. How do Kingdom's like Corona (Ruby has the 70ft hair, so some semblance of magic had to be passed down. Magic is also canonical in Tangled the Series, along with things like DRAGONS), Arendalle, Agrabah, etc. function?

How do things with the gods play out? What is there contract with Auradon, cause I am NOT convinced that they would just let these mortals walk all over them forever. It's one of my biggest issues with Hades on the Isle as well, and why I think there has to be some bigger reason he's on the Isle. (Whether its them waiting for Beast's term to be over, or perhaps something the Fates said)

I'd want to add in how religions play out in Auradon, because all these stories come from different places. There are characters who are canonically religious in their films, good and bad. It's not something you can just erase.

How did Auradon as a whole react when the VK's came over? Were there protests? Was Ben under a lot of heat, or was Beast for letting Ben do this? How were the VK's treated at first? Not everyone was going to be welcoming. Who stood beside Ben, who was neutral, and who went against him?

Then with relationships. Honestly, I really like Mal and Ben, but I'd want to see them develop a relationship. Maybe mention their dreams and hint to the true loves, have them work through the love spell issue, show them dealing with cultural differences. Give them a realistic relationship with more depth.

With Evie, show the expectations her mother would have put on her. Did she have flings? Was she pushed to try to be with any "higher up" Isle male?

Harry and Uma... yeah their together. With the rating up, there is no reason to pretend they aren't or only give small hints. We get to have this relationship and yeah, you know, they are just Harry and Uma.

And when the VKs do come to Auradon, who are their foster parents? Because they have to have someone, right? How is that handled? How are they taken care of?

Then with the abuse they went through, show us the hints. Flinching when there are yells, or when someone goes to touch them. Maybe blank looks, disassociation, just not knowing how to handle relationships! Friendship or with adults! How they see themselves. That stuff does a number on you, even after years. And I understand why Disney didn't go deeply into this, but it also shouldn't just be brushed away. Acknowledging it could have helped just explain some of the VK's actions. (Such as Mal in the third movie, wanting to please the ultimately parental figures around her.)

I really don't think there's much about Descendants that I'd remove, I'd just want to expand on the world and make it... darker, I guess. More realistic vs. sunshine and roses.

(Also. Adding seasons. Seasons EXIST Disney.)

#disney descendants #descendants #my asks #my answers #mal bertha #ben florian #isle of the lost #auradon #i know i rambled #i just have feelings on this #i probably could have come up with more #but i really just need to sit down and sort through some of this #the isle #specifically #it could just #it is so dark if you think about it

[metatronhateblog]

Duck Duck what the Fuck pt. 2, Featuring Not to Be a Bearer of News

Okay in my previous post [link here] we talked about the appearance of ducks and ducks with accordions in the opening sequence. Now I didn't really have too much to say except fucking weird, right? But now I'm going to start digging around in this a bit more.

Welcome back to what is the big deal with ducks.

To start off, ducks are verbally mentioned in this show... 4 times. (I'm pretty sure it's 4 but it's highly possible I'm missing something.)

Our first case is in Season 1 episode 1. At approximately 26:45 we see a transition to the park where Crowley and Aziraphale are having a meeting. The quote here is stated by none other than our narrator God. She states...

"Everyone knows the best place for a clandestine meeting in London is and always has been Saint James' Park. They say the ducks are so used to being fed by secret agents that they've developed Pavlovian reactions to them. The Russian cultural attaché's black bread is particularly sought after by the more discerning duck. Crowley and Aziraphale have been meeting here for quite some time."

This quote has always been...a little sus to me. Now if you aren't entirely sure what Pavlovian effect is, I direct you to a situation that you quite possibly experience yourself. Have you ever heard the sound of an alarm clock, or the sound you set your own alarm clock as playing outside of a setting that isn't meant to wake you up? Have you had this knee jerk reaction where you feel yourself tense and need the sound to stop and maybe even feel a little bit more awake because of it? No? If not you are beyond lucky.

A Pavlovian reaction is a conditioned response to something, in my known knowledge I think it's generally accompanied by a sound (apologies for explaining this so poorly, if anyone wants to hop in the comments and explain better I will love you so much.) For example, some farmers ring a bell or something to let their cows know it's time to eat. The cows then associate that noise with food and will probably expect to be fed upon any point of hearing that bell.

So in this case...ducks hear the whisperings of secret agents and know that it means they get fed. The more recognizable the noise, the better the bread. Hence the line that the more discerning ducks go towards the Russian cultural attaché. Kinda fascinating right? And also a weird way to describe the ducks...

Moving on the second time ducks are mentioned is by Crowley in season 1 episode 2. He makes a comment in regards to suspicions about him saying something along the lines of suspicions slide off him 'like water slides off of....what does water slide off of?" And then later on at some random point (pretty sure it's in the same episode) yells 'DUCKS! That's what water slides off of.' (I'm paraphrasing here because this isn't a quote I needed to look up cause I knew it in my soul.)

Now the phrase 'Like water slides off a duck's back' generally tends to mean that someone is unaffected by something. Whatever it is, they are unperturbed. Okay...another interesting way to look at ducks.

Our third quote is in season 1 episode 3. Crowley once again speaks to us about ducks when he's talking to Aziraphale about ✨insurance.✨ No not that kind of insurance I'm talking about the Holy Water. When Crowley and Aziraphale meet in the park in their little top hats in 1862 the conversation goes something like this...

Crowley - "If it all goes wrong, I want insurance."

Aziraphale - "What?"

Crowley, handing Aziraphale a piece of paper - "I wrote it down. Walls have ears. Well ,not walls. Trees have ears. Ducks have ears. Do ducks have ears? Must do. That's how they hear other ducks."

That's...and interesting little throw away line right there that Aziraphale ignores to tell him no. And maybe it is a little throw away line...or maybe we're meant to pay attention to it. Why else would they continue talking about something if they don't want to emphasize it. Twice is a coincidence but threes a pattern.

Which leads me to our fourth quote (continuing our pattern) being from Season 2 this time in which Crowley (I'm slowly seeing a pattern of how it's almost always Crowley talking about ducks, and who's the one who tells Aziraphale when they're being watched???) yells at some agents not to feed the ducks bread. Shax then asks him what you're supposed to feed ducks, and once again it isn't until later on in the conversation that Crowley says 'Peas. You give ducks peas.'

Feeding ducks bread is not good. But I'm not sure there's any other little meaning in here.

Now that we've got that out of the way. I want to mention The Other times ducks are mentioned, and to me it only seems to get weirder.

The first appearance of a mention of ducks in season 2...is the first time we meet Mr. Brown (of Brown's world of carpets.)

In our second episode, Crowley and Aziraphale have a meeting at the PuB in which we meet Mr. Brown (of Brown's world of carpets) who corners Aziraphale about holding the Whickber Street Traders and Shopkeepers Association monthly? meeting. Buuuuuuut. We actually first see him BEFORE he comes over to Aziraphale. (Don't even get me started on the weird shit in the PuB)

Even here we can see he's got a something in his arm, which we quickly find out is a newspaper.

But notice how....whatever angle we're seeing him from, we can see the front of his newspaper? It's like a big flashing sign that says 'HEY LOOK AT ME!'

We even see him right here, moving towards Aziraphale while Crowley orders drinks. And what do we see? The front of the newspaper.

And he

spends

every

moment

showing us that newspaper.

And even better, tell me why it appears that Aziraphale is looking at the paper and not him?

And I know this shot is blurry but even as he leaves the PuB, he's still holding that newspaper towards the camera.

And then he's literally holding it in front of his face

Even when we see him days later!

So for starters. Why...why does he have the same newspaper over a span of multiple days. And more importantly. Why on Earth does it say 'Nebraskan Woman Taught Duck to Play Accordion.'

Now you might say it's dumb and unimportant. And normally I'd agree...if he wasn't flashing that newspaper around like a billboard.

It leads me to believe it's really important, but why I don't know. @lady-of-the-puddle and I are still agonizing over ducks and have yet to really figure out what significance there might be.

The only thought I have had....which seems so far-fetched I'm embarrassed to say it almost, is who, off the top of your head is the one person you can think of that would have the power to teach a duck to play an accordion considering they don't have posable thumbs....or hands for that matter?

If you said God then I feel a little less ridiculous...but also why would God teach a duck to play accordion. So not having anything to back that up or anything to further explore it with....But I feel like that might be thinking of the duck thing from the wrong angle since our most common discussion point about ducks seems to be them hearing things and all around being suspicious little feathered friends.

I have to say I am quite clueless on the matters of ducks but I feel they have to be important....

And don't get me started on newspapers...

#good omens #good omens 2 #ineffable husbands #good omens season 2 #good omens meta #accordion ducks #guess what though #the next part of this post series is ALL about the newspapers #because theres some fucky shit going around

[that-nerd-who-writes-fanfiction]

I read somewhere that Merlin BBC (especially Merlin and Arthur's relationship) is subtext mlm like Hannibal NBC & Good Omens, do you agree?

Yes I do. The subtext is font size 20, bold and more consistent than the actual plot. /hj

In all seriousness though,

I don’t know anything about Hannibal NBC but Good Omens is a canonically queer show, I can’t remember the book enough to comment, it’s been a while since I read it properly more than skimming, but for the show but I’d definitely recommend season 2 to see more about Crowley and Aziraphel’s relationship. There’s also Maggie and Nina for lesbian rep, Muriel being canonically non binary and none of the angels or demons have a gender despite how they’re perceived.

As for BBC Merlin, they’ve confirmed it was intended to be a gay romance in the series finale commentary.

“In all seriousness, we did very genuinely think of the episode as a love story between two men” -quote by Julian Jones, the show’s director and producer with Katie McGrath, who played Morgana. There were also jokes about Merlin and Arthur being together throughout the commentary, comments about “there goes the last vestiges of his heterosexuality” “can’t have a show without lesbians” and “Merlin can’t have a love interest without you killing him off.” “Or her.” “Well,”(Last 3/5 quotes are paraphrasing, I don’t remember them word for word but you get the idea)

Contextually, it was before a time when gay marriage was even legalised in the UK and queer baiting wasn’t a thing because queerness wasn’t spoken about to begin with. There’s definitely something to be said for magic as an allegory for queerness and I can go into my opinions on that at length and in great detail if asked.

Merlin and Arthur’s relationship is canonically a friendship, there’s no denying that and as an aroace person it means the world to me that they weren’t together officially romantically, whatever you want to call it, even if they acted like an old married couple the entire time. In that same vein, as a queer person growing up in a very homophobic household in the UK, seeing them on tv as a kid was everything. I genuinely thought they were together for years until I started watching the show because I’d only seen a few bits and then fan edits of that moment by the river in season 2.

And this got longer than I was expecting so to summarise; I love merthur in all formats, be it romantic, platonic, or otherwise. But there is definitely subtext throughout the show, and a turning point for their relationship at the end of season 4/beginning of season 5.

#anon ask #ask me anything #thanks anon! #send asks #bbc merlin #merthur #i’m bad at tagging #magic as an allegory #merlin meta #sort of #i don’t know how to tag this #merlin and arthur

[theghostbunnie]

favorite David headcannon:

Okay this is a long one so just hold on: I HC David at first loved the *concept* and "legacy" of Camp Campbell rather than what it actually was. He idolized Cameron and he idolized this experience he had as a child rather than having a love for the reality of it. He wanted these kids to relive that same experience rather than have a version of their own. This isn't to say he's malicious or something and he's all "it's my way or the highway" it's actually just him being blinded my his emotional attachment. Although these kids were rude and cursed and often were unengaged or hard to deal with, Season 1 David I don't genuinely believe was willing to hear them out on what THEY wanted and just wanted to give them that same "authentic, on brand camp campbell experience" he had. He loved doing his job to work TOWARDS that, to spread this good feeling this he realized this place brought and make them see it to.

Actually working with these kids? was actually a hassle. If season 1 David was given the option to trade them out for a different group that was more willing to participate in his activities I think he actually would've stewed on it and rationalized to himself how "I'm sure these kids will be happier spending their summer elsewhere and they'll probably all come back next year anyways after I do such a great job with this new group that camp campbell gets put on the map as the best summer camp ever" Because David occasionally DOES act selfishly he just never acts so INTENTIONALLY. Being blind to his flaws is one OF those flaws.

It takes him awhile to even remember these kids' names. He has a different situation with Max, this favoritism, bc he wants this "realization" for him to happen more than the rest like he had at his age, because he reminds him of himself. He remembers Max's name bc he's been there more than just that summer, one of few if not the only repeating camper.

This all sort of comes to a head at order of the sparrow. David is at a very low point in his goal and he doesn't know how to get through to them. He doesn't even think about asking these kids what they want. His big fix-all plan, this great idea he has to bring everyone together and get them to have the same spark he went through is to repeat a big camp campbell tradition.

Reiterating his emotional attachment to it's "legacy" rather than the reality of the situation.

I also believe, at the end of the same episode, when everyone dresses up and starts the bonfire, it's the start of the turning point for David.

During the parent's day episode, David is ENTIRELY preoccupied with pleasing Cameron. Covering up for Cameron. Helping. Cameron. Ect. Max has been kinda a little shit here or there, (comments on Gwen's weight, ect) but when they're about to go on stage he's?? actually not?? No, he's setting a firm, clear, boundary. This kid is yelling "I don't want to do this" and David actually yells back at him, and even if Gwen never found those papers, he still would've been somewhat in the wrong for that, and wouldn't have even realized.

He would've made Max put on a show to save Cameron's hide and he wouldn't have saw problem with it. Not out of anything malicious, again, he's just blinded by emotional attachment.

So when there's soild proof in his face, he has this moment of realization that comforting and listening to Max is the more important thing to handle. That's the end of the turning point for David. The kids' are not important just to help the camp be a camp, the kids are important to him.

When Mr.Campbell comes back for revenge (and David has to take an entire episode to have that spelled out for him bc, again, he's blinded by this idolized version of him) He even says this to him.

"All you care about is these stupid kids!" "That's. That's the job. You really don't get that, do you?"

After that, from season 1 to 4, David goes from prioritizing his memory-made idolized fantasy to prioritizing the kids. He went from struggling to remember their names and not bothering to be polite about it, to having an itemized list on each of their individual needs because he's gotten to know them so well and has really grown to care about them. (If you're wondering what I'm talking about when Cameron gets left in charge for the night he tries referencing this list basically, specifically Nurf being the one who needs a tough-love approach)

Max may have started out as the favorite but as time went on his affection and attachment to the rest of the campers' grew aswell and YES David is going to cry at the thought of parting ways with all these kids at the end of summer from Nurf to Spacekid and everyone in-between.

#head canon #character headcanons #cc david #david cc #camp campbell #campcamp #camp camp #fandom headcanons #hcs #my hcs #camp camp hcs #camp camp headcanons #fictional characters #writing #character analysis #camp camp fandom #rooster teeth

[bloogers-boogers]

Do you have any South Park hot takes/unpopular opinions? 👀

Both for the fandom and the show itself

Hmm... well I haven't like thought of it too much cause I don't like to get involved in the fandom itself when it comes to discourses! I suppose my unpopular opinion is that I truly don't take south park seriously! I see it as it is. Completely satire with the purpose of making jokes about real world problems and getting out some laughter from it. That's how I see the episodes with no shipping goggles until after when I can actually just enjoy the content people make out of it and go crazy with theories and hcs for fun and enjoyment jhshqhsjs

I also see it meanless to pin people down when it comes to fictional ships nothing justifies a person sending d3ath threats/harassment to a REAL person over something that ISN'T real. And I dislike how people disrespect others when it comes to them actually liking the show for what it is. Technically when fans take fanon as legit from canon! fans shitting on people who don't go by their fanon/ship over them going with canon.

The other day I was reading a post about fans shitting on cryle. Dude it's fictional they're not doing any harm whatsoever! Creek is canon shipping that specific ship is not gonna take that away just like it won't take away stendy for shipping style:)

Please, I just can't. I cannot comprehend when fans take fanon too seriously.

Also— when people make Kyle ultra feminized. I'm sorry for those who do and like, idc if you do but I just personally don't like it. Same with Tweek. I just keep my distance and mind my own business. There's no need to be disrespectful for those who see/take things very differently than you and that's okay as long as you don't cause any harm or force anyone with them:"D

All the kids are assholes. Actually the whole town is! Cartman is an ass, yes. His character is intended to be an antagonist but that doesn’t take away the other shit anyone else from the show has done:)

Butters is a dick! He ain't no pure uwu boy he has his moments and IS friends with Cartman even if some say he's a victim. Like, it's shown in the show when Butters can't take Cartman's shit anymore he stops playing around! (In his own way he gets back at Cartman. Like that video tape of him dancing with a cut out of Justin timberlake, taking his hotdog business away or dragging cartmans ass back to the bus refusing to let go of his hand.) And he also finds Cartman bigoted comments funny too.

Besides, Victor was not a creation by being abused from Cartman in PC. Butters created that person for himself as a copping machine from taking ALL of the boys shit (bullied from everyone) (he literally points out all the other main boys issues in that Hawaiian ep atleast Stan and Kyle. Not just Cartman.) and IS a victim from his parents. It was a choice Butters made for going the Victor route being influenced by the environment he had to endure.

Also Liane is a bad mother she is no sweet angel. She has been shown to be more stricter in recent seasons but that doesn’t erase the fact that she has done shit to Cartman just as much as he has done to her. Maybe even more:"D

People who want Cartman d3ad is like asking for Garrison, Randy (and anyone that goes against their fanon) gone. It takes the essence of the show entirely. Cartman is literally south park.

Besides, if Cartman isn't there who do you guys think would be pin as the new asshole in town? Everyone there is shitty, the possibility is endless:)))) (main three?? Stan, Kyle, Kenny:333)

I dislike the fatphobia in this fandom. No more take on this cause this is a sensitive subject I do not want to take part of!

Main boys ARE Cartman's friends. It's as obvious as day those three care in their own way. That one percent episode they literally went to ask the kids they thought were the cause of the fire to stop harassing their friend. People who don't care wouldn't even bother to intervene.

Liking a bad character doesn't make you a bad person! I personally like Cartman, he's my favorite. I can admit he has problems and is very problematic! And I would never follow by all the shit he says, realistically I would NOT be around a person like that. However the way he's written drove me to like him and the fact that he's just a fictional character~ also PC has proven that Cartman can change:)

Just a reminder that these are just my takes! No one has to follow them or am I attempting to shove my opinions onto anyone. And they're not always consistent. My views on things change a lot.

I love reading diffrent opinions on things, hc's, ships just as much as I like to read when it comes to character analysis, lore, theories. I'm opened to listen and take diverse opinions from the show/fandom.

This is fictional it's not real! So I would never take it to heart:) <3

Sorry this is mostly about the fandom I truly have nothing against the show unless being tired of the tegrity farm gag 😭🤣

Also my bad for the long rant malu (I did not intend for this to be long) 💀

#asks♡ #hopefully no one hates me after this 😭😭

[greenqueenhightower]

Anon back again with more rumours/leaks from twitter to make (un)substantiated claims🫡

Okay so one of the people that went to the premiere in NYC was answering some questions also in regards to Alicent. They said it is implied that the first sex scene we see between Alicole is not the first time they have sex, but they made clear that the implication don't seem to be that it was something that happened pre-Viserys death. Which would put their relationship starting after 1x09 and before 2x01. That would make sense to me.

This also lines up with some other leaks I heard where they said Alicent and Criston's first scene of the season was a sex scene, so it is more an established thing that is happening. The same previously mentioned leaker replied in regards to Alicent's character that mainly she seems confused, which we know as she is looking for a sense of self.

Some people theorized that the large number of sex scenes (3 rumoured for first two eps) and the fact that Alicent's story seems to start there in s2 (also Olivia mentioning sexuality as something that is explored) could be written as hypersexuality as a response to her trauma manifesting after Viserys' death. Others theorized that it could be comphet and her figuring out sexuality in a place that is so deeply repressed. It could also simply be that she is having sex because she wants to (good for her) and then because it happens during B&C that the guilt of that is so great she simply represses it all again and the relationship falls apart after that. In any case I can see various routes in which this could be explored in a way that makes sense for Alicent's character.

Now for Criston's character: we saw some leaks and early reviews (watched either ep 1 and 2 or 1 through 4) saying that he gets more "bitter" as the season progresses and would become "the most hated character on tv". Now I take the second one with a grain of salt because people tend to dislike him way more than for example dae/mon who is uhm worse idk. But the common conception seems to be that he gets worse as the season goes on. So seeing as ep 1 starts with Alicole together and then B&C happens at the end of ep 1 start of ep 2, it seems like they skip the getting together stage and instead show the falling apart of this relationship. This would make sense if they are paralleling rhaenicent (as Ryan said) because at the same time dae/myra also seems to be slowly breaking apart.

For now to me it seems this relationship is mainly to show Alicent's headspace she is in of being confused and feeling purposeless. An Alicole rift after B&C as a result of this would make sense and would leave Alicent even more alone (save my girlie). We'll have to wait and see. Also glad you like my thoughts I'm just spitballing here and honestly need the episodes immediately.

Thanks, anon, for keeping me updated! 💚

Okay, actually the idea that Alicent and Criston consummate their relationship some time after Viserys' death and before the Dance of the Dragons sounds good to me. Again, I would have liked to have seen the entire pathway of their relationship that culminated in that, but hey--as long as it is well-written I won't mind.

Your comment about hypersexuality manifesting itself as Alicent's post-traumatic response to her marriage is very interesting! I also see it as a manifestation of agency in the sense that she no longer has to be summoned to perform a sexual act upon request, but she can seek it and want it herself. It most definitely can be comphet too, because she is not as free as per Westerosi patriarchal and heteronormative standards to contemplate and realize any relationship apart from the norm.

When it comes to Criston's character development in S2, your theory that the writers might have Alicole parallel Daemyra to showcase how the Dance has devastated all kinds of relationships: familial, conjugal, erotic, etc., is quite plausible. Watching Alicent and Criston's relationship suffer to the point of breaking would be heart-wrenching but angsty and spellbinding at the same time. I just wish we get to see more of them together before that happens.

And as for Alicent's battle with guilt and her quest for agency and self-worth, I am all for it as long as the show does not victimize and wh!rify Alicent. I assume that Alicloe will break up after B&C, but will at some point get together again (maybe after Aegon is injured at Rook's Rest?). And for all the time they are apart, I hope we see more of just Alicent crying and being miserable and Criston being ruthless in war and battle.

#please writers give us some insight into their psyche as well #thanks for the ask! #alicent hightower #ser criston cole #criston cole #alicole #hotd #hotd s2 #hotd season 2 #hotd discourse #hotd discussion #hotd thoughts #hotd speculation #hotd spoilers #hotd leaks #house of the dragon #greenqueenhightower #daemyra #greenqueenasks #team green #hotd meta

[howtowhumpyourhiccup]

As for Hiccup's downward spiral in the post-Httyd 2 comic trilogy, really makes me think back to Stoick instilling the message in Hiccup to not seek vengeance in RttE's "The Longest Day."

"I won't lie to you, son. A good measure of vengeance can go down a treat-- But that feeling is short-lived and the violence only gets worse-"

This is what Stoick tells Hiccup in that episode and these words come from a man who has led himself be taken by vengeance. To the point even that he was almost named Chief Stoick the Vindictive.

And then a little later in that same season, in the episode "Shell Shocked: Part 1," when Stoick is face to face with Viggo for the very first time, his first instinct is to strangle him.

"You come after my son. You come after my home. Now you get to deal with me!"- Stoick

"Dad, wait! Revenge is not a plan. Remember." - Hiccup

"That was for you. For me, it goes down a treat." - Stoick

That is the interaction between father and son as Stoick is seconds away from dishing some of that famous cold dish on Viggo after bringing both his son and his people harm. It's very obvious that these lessons Stoick has been instilling into his son don't seem to count for him.

And probably for a good reason, too. Stoick makes a comment that Hiccup "is just like his mother" when it comes to stubbornness, but I would make the unsurprising argument that Hiccup takes just as much after his father as he does his mother.

That sense of duty to his village as he grows older? His father. His patience and ability to hold back? His father. His pride? His father. Even Gobber says during the battle with the Red Death; "Every bit the boar-headed stubborn Viking you ever were." So while Stoick likens Hiccup to his mother, Gobber likens Hiccup to his father.

So what about that vindictive streak in Stoick that has popped up in Hiccup from time to time in the franchise?

Tl,dr: Hiccup has a history of getting back at people in some way or other and does it more often when he's under stress. Stoick knows about this side to his son. This side of him gets cranked up to 11 after his father's death.

The long story is under the "keep reading."

RoB

The very first example that comes to mind is; "In Dragons We Trust."

In this episode Hiccup and the Riders have this exchange:

The episode then cuts to the next scene and, lo and behold, Astrid is wearing a sash that says "Dragon United Monitoring Brigade," a.k.a "D.U.M.B." A name a Berkian woman points out, to which Astrid says "Yes, that is correct. Not my idea." and this is then followed up by Astrid giving the woman to instruction to yell "DUMB" at the top of the lungs in case of dragon problems.

"Permission to shoot first and ask questions later!" - Ruffnut

"Permission to skip the questions!" - Tuffnut

"We're just patrolling! Nobody is shooting anyone." - Hiccup

"Okay, I have a question; what's fun about that?" - Tuffnut

"It's not supposed to be fun it's a Hiccup idea." - Astrid

"Exactly- What?!" - Hiccup

So after calling all of Hiccup's plans boring, he got back at her by having her wear an embarrassing sash and give out embarrassing instructions.

Want more evidence? Then I suggest you look back at that episode and see who's actually wearing the sash.

Astrid, we've already established that. Snotlout, but Hiccup always finds a reason to be upset with him at this point in their friendship.... And that's it. Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Hiccup himself? They're all on patrol, but only two of the six Riders are wearing a sash that says "Dumb."

Then there's RoB's "Portrait of Hiccup as a buff young man," in which Hiccup's search for Hamish's treasure is entirely because he wants to prove that skinny smart Hiccup is better than buff Portrait!Hiccup. He even asks at some point; "How's that for a Hiccup?"

You could make the argument that's what Httyd 1 is all about. Hiccup proving once and for all that he's just fine the way he is, that he doesn't need to be their ideal of a Viking, but that was about acceptance and not vindictiveness.

In this episode, this feels very much more like a "oh, I'll show you!" type of thing specifically because of that line and because Hiccup chose to one-up his father in something he failed to do. A.k.a find Hamish' treasure.

Then there is the famous "Thawfest" episode, which is entirely Hiccup getting back at Snotlout for past Thawfests during the dragon portion until Snotlout's fears of failing in his father's eyes snap him out of it.

Another episode that comes to mind is "When Lightning Strikes," in which Hiccup gets himself hurt in a desperate attempt to prove Toothless' innocence when Mildew has everyone convinced that he's to blame for the recent massive storms on Berk.

This is more of an act of vengeance on the part of Snotlout and the twins as they blame Mildew for the harm that befell Hiccup. They were the ones to come up with and enact this plan, but Hiccup certainly didn't stop them from getting it. He just gave them a "I'm not sure that's what my dad had in mind, guys" and just leaves it at that.

Another good example is "Defiant One," in which Hiccup is once again getting back at Snotlout, this time for getting them crashlanded inside enemy territory and for doing everything in his power to be a nuisance. And what better way to get back at him than to give him a bowl of Toothless' spit and tell him that Night Fury saliva has healing properties after Snotlout has a reaction to eating berries? Again, this is reminiscent of "In Dragons We Trust."

And then there's a part 2 to this particular example as Hiccup brings it up three years later in RttE season 2's "Snotlout Gets the Axe."

"What about flying us into the waterspout and crashlanding us on Outcast Island? That was terrific." - Hiccup

So yeah, great at convincing people to let things go, not so great at letting things go himself.

And who can forget "We Are Family, Part 2," in which Alvin's heckling of Hiccup convinces both him and Toothless to attack him, almost ruining their escape as an ambush was lying in wait. And the specific comment that did it was "That's what I would expect from Stoick's little runt," referring to leaving their business unfinished.

Interestingly enough, it's once again Stoick who tries to stop Hiccup from going, reminding him that they got what they came for (saving Hiccup and Toothless) and that they should just leave. He even tries to stop Hiccup before he even made a move to climb up in Toothless' saddle, because he knew Hiccup was going to go after Alvin for that comment.

Alvin makes his comment, Gobber says "Oh boy," followed immediately by Stoick looking at his son and calling his name. Stoick knew.

DoB

After that two-parter, I think Hiccup must've gotten a scare, because the vindictive streak that was very present in the first season is almost completely absent here.

You could make an argument for "The Night and The Fury"s "You don't need a lot of help with that, Dagur," in response to Dagur's "By making a fool? Out of me?!" But otherwise, very little avenging going on here.

As a matter of fact, I can't remember anytime in which Hiccup makes an attempt at getting back at Dagur, certainly not in DoB. That season he spends more time trying to delegate and even spends time trying to keep Astrid away from the Flightmare that ruined her family's name until she convinces him to help her cut them of before they reach Berk.

This is similar to how Hiccup was also the one to tell Toothless to leave the Whispering Death alive in the RoB episode "What Flies Beneath," long before his conversation with Stoick in RttE.

RttE

Three years later, Hiccup's streak makes a little bit of a return.

For example:

Astrid asks him what "he's up to" when Hiccup suggests they should all make a design for the dragon base and vote on it. Literally she asks him "what are you up to?" as she wasn't expecting Hiccup to agree to any of their ideas. Not a vindictive sign, perse, but definitely a sign that Astrid always expects him to be up to something.

He almost preferred to let the twins burn down their island just so they could see what it's like to be a leader.

He reminds Snotlout of the time he crashlanded them on enemy territory.

Almost takes out Heather for siding with the enemy, not knowing she's acting as a double agent.

Biting sarcasm, which was also very much present in RoB/DoB.

But all of this is pretty low-level, nothing like making a friend wear a sash that says "Dumb" for the entire village to read.

And then Viggo comes along and he gets to Hiccup to the point that he grows obsessed with the need to one him up and take him down.

The Riders call him out on it, Dagur calls him out on it, Stoick feels the need to give him that piece of advice in season 4 that I've stated at the top of this post.

Dagur even has a conversation with Hiccup about how revenge changes a person in season 3's "Enemy of My Enemy."

"Hmm. That stuff can kill you from the inside, Hiccup. Revenge. Anger. Obsession. Trust me, I know. It can make you do things you never thought you were capable of. Cause you to take chances, make mistakes. If that doesn't end you, it'll eat away at you slowly."

Dagur is basically telling Hiccup to let his obsession with Viggo go. But he doesn't. He certainly tries to lighten up when he notices that his obsession at getting back at Viggo causes him to work his friends to the bone. (Which they do. Because they love him and they can see what this obsession is doing to him.) But the need for vengeance doesn't disappear until Viggo's supposed death during the Shell Shocked two-parter. The only one he holds a grudge against then is Gruffnut.

The most notable episode left to talk about then is "No Bark, All Bite." In this episode, Stoick projects his frustrations with Johann onto Hiccup, who gets the brunt of it and who in turn gets frustrated and angry as well. At some point, he even calls his own father a complete idiot. Beyond this episode, nothing of note.

Httyd 2 and Comics

It's in the second movie that we can see that war after war has taken a bit of a toll on Hiccup. By the time he's 20 years old, he has ended four to five of them, so naturally, when Drago comes knocking and immediately proves himself a threat, all Hiccup wants is to avoid conflict as much as possible.

Unfortunately, this original path ends in Stoick's death, even though Hiccup implies a change of mind just before Drago's attack, a diplomatic approach as a last resort ended up fatal for one of his loved ones.

Interestingly enough, something Viggo warned him against in the RttE episode "Triple Cross." The ruthlessness to deal with his foes is there, but so is his goodness, his purity, and that inevitably holds him back.

Until after his father's death and Hiccup falls into a downward spiral in the post-Httyd 2 comic trilogy.

In "The Serpent's Heir," he burns Calder alive, a very brutal way of dealing with a comparatively harmless villain. He also basically shames the Nepenthe's young King Mik into actually working for his village by shoving a shovel in his hands.

"Dragonvine" comes along and when said Dragonvine poisons Toothless and Silkspanners attempt to eat the vine off him and suck the poison out, Hiccup is so petrified by the idea of losing Toothless again that he almost kills the very young Silkspanners in order to save him from more pain.

A clear-headed Hiccup most likely would've noticed what the Silkspanners were trying to do, but this Hiccup didn't. He's mourning his father, angry, afraid. And he is especially afraid of someone taking Toothless away from him like Drago did when he took Toothless' mind and turned him on Hiccup and killed his father.

In "The Fire Tides" it would turn out that Drago had survived when Hiccup is forced to face him once again and pretty much alone as none of the other Riders are there. I don't remember if the interview directly mentions what was going to happen (I think Richard Hamilton left that out on purpose in case the comic ever got published) but I know that whatever happened in this comic was going to be the conclusion to Hiccup's downward spiral following the death of his father.

Either way, Hiccup went from giving his friends dumb sashes and saliva bowls to get back at them to burning an ill man alive. Viggo knew that ruthless was in there and Hiccup sure found it after Httyd 2.

And just like Viggo noticed that, Stoick has been seeing this vindictive streak inside of Hiccup for a long time now. And it's probably a side he's very familiar with as it's one Hiccup probably inherited from him. This led to the lesson he tried to impart to his son in an effort to keep him from going down that same path, but whether that worked or not... Calder would probably say "no."

Anyway, I guess here is where I'll conclude my analysis on Hiccup's more vengeful side.

#long post #httyd movies #rob #riders of berk #dob #defenders of berk #rtte #race to the edge #httyd 2 #how to train your dragon 2 #hiccup haddock #stoick the vast #the haddocks

[ssilentcharlie]

i've been trying to see how Buck and Eddie's seasonal arcs could lead to anywhere but each other... but i genuinely can't.

their storylines are more intertwined than they ever have been.

here's just a quick run down of 6b buddie alone:

6x10 - Eddie watching Buck be good with kids when he should have been doing his job. (it's background but you can clearly see Eddie in the shot)

6x10 - "alright cowboy, go get 'em" (added to their endless list of flirty moments)

6x10 - Eddie being thrown from the ladder but immediately getting up when he sees Buck. screaming his name, trying to pull him up even though down makes more sense.

6x10 - Eddie pushing Bobby out of the way to get to Buck... he pushed his boss to get to Buck (gotta remind the people that Bobby is Eddie's boss)

6x11 - Eddie being the one to restart Buck's heart (Chim had been doing it for 3 minutes btw)

6x11 - "do more" to medical professionals saying they'll try and save Buck.

6x11 - Eddie being the first thing Buck remembers in his coma dream (literally remembers being flirted with by his best friend before anything else)

6x11 - Buck being a teacher of kids about Chris' age in his coma dream (sounds very familiar to someone Eddie dated...)

6x11 - Eddie and Chris not being together being Buck's worst nightmare

6x11 - Eddie not being able to even look at Buck in a coma without crying

6x12 - Buck wanting to be alone so he goes to Eddie's and immediately falls asleep on his coach (COUCH THEORY)

6x12 - KITCHEN SCENE. talking about the shooting and Buck finally listening to someone when they say he died. (also avoiding the conversation on how them dying/almost dying affected each other)

6x13 - Eddie "the sceptic" Diaz being all for Buck having "superpowers" and even encouraging them (all whilst they're just casually hanging out at Buck's as Chris does his Maths homework. domestic as fuck)

6x13 - POKER DATE. Buck didn't even question what they were doing, he just went with it.

6x13 - "3 minutes and 17 seconds" Eddie is the ONLY person to mention the exact time Buck was dead for. every one else (including Buck's own Sister) have said 3 minutes, never mentioning the extra 17 seconds.

6x13 - Buck and Chris baking cookies for Chris' class whilst Eddie is somewhere else (once again, domestic as fuck. also solidifying that Buck is a PARENT to Chris and not just his Dads friend)

6x14 - the queer coded Eddie of the entire episode... that's it. that's the point.

6x14 - Buck being so obviously jealous and knowing Eddie better than both Chim and Hen (e.g the "you're not good at that" comment)

6x14 - Eddie not once mentioning that his home life also involves Buck. (6x13 does exist for proof)

6x15 - Natalia hurting her left hand, paralleling Ana (this will come up again when Eddie hurts his RIGHT hand in 6x17. we don't know what's going on there but it's good for thought)

6x15 - THE CEMETERY SCENE. Eddie showing Buck he knows him and sees him but Buck not seeing Eddie (in that moment). the clear jealousy and hurt from Eddie after Buck says "she sees me"

6x15 - Chris falling asleep in the exact same way Buck did (that scene is almost frame for frame, that's not a coincidence) (also putting the power of 3 thing in there with it being 3 episodes after Buck sleeping)

AND WE STILL HAVE 3 EPISODES LEFT

this is too much to be a "coincidence"

#English isn't my first language so sorry if some of this doesn't make sense #i've probably missed some stuff because there's SO MUCH #this is just 6b #this is just 6 episodes #we have years worth of the perfect set up for friends to lovers #buddie #911 fox #eddie diaz #evan buckley #911 speculation #s6

[mdhwrites]

The Take On The Owl House I Hate the Most

Kind of because I see it WAY too easily. I probably wouldn’t actually make a blog about this because I could see it landing me in hot water but... Well, I keep talking TOH not liking the fact that it’s a kid’s show, that it’s a fantasy show, etc. like that. It doesn’t like comedy of kid’s shows, it doesn’t like the moralizing, Dana explicitly chose Disney because they would give her 22 minute time slots unlike other kid’s shows right now. It does create a show that feels different but also feels like it’s not wearing the skin it wants to be wearing.

That’s not the take though. That’s all stuff I happily agree with and have talked about in the past. No, this take is one I wish I agreed with less but that the show possibly supports and I REALLY wish it didn’t at ALL. The show wants to be a CW-esque, teenage/adult oriented, drama. And if it were... Luz would be wanting to fuck Eda.

Now normally I would hear someone pitch me this and go “Okay, you can go do your edgy AU. Have fun.” I’m not interested but fandom will do as fandom does. It only makes me cringe and recoil into myself because... How else do you explain the complete and total worship and obsession over Eda that Luz has? The first episode explicitly makes it clear that if Luz doesn’t want to do something, she won’t. In fact, the first THREE episodes, all reinforce that. Someone tells her to do something mundane and she goes off to have her own adventure. To have her own fantasy. Meanwhile, Eda is CONSTANTLY shitting on her and belittling that fantasy and that doesn’t really stop until post Once Upon a Swap. EIGHT EPISODES IN. And Luz and Eda have ONE more episode that has them together in a major way, Adventure in the Elements, after that for the entire season. That is the basis for Luz deciding to throw away her mom and not only go save Eda but destroy the portal. That’s not who Luz is, even in S1. She is too self interested in her own fantasy. It’s part of the problem with the Found Family as I’ve discussed before.

So this raises the reasonable question of, if Luz doesn’t find Eda’s normal work interesting, won’t listen to her, isn’t getting properly taught and barely has anything to do around the house, why does she stick around? Well... In episode four, we get this.

And that comment isn’t really new for the show. Eda’s attractiveness is just a blatant fact. She is made out not only to be attractive, but sexually attractive, MULTIPLE TIMES in at least the first season. Her looks get more attention, including by Luz, than AMITY, who is easily the next character who’s looks are even mentioned or glorified. In fact, her being on the market is a topic that crops up more than once in the series. Hell, it’s one of the first things we know about her, that people want to fuck her, as it’s in the fucking pilot. Warden Wrath finds her SO ALLURING as to drop his job to get a DATE with her.

And yes, Raine exists. Does Raine make sense with how Eda is portrayed in the first season, as someone who is happily on the market but also tired of how many assholes she meets on it? No. Admittedly, Eda’s relationship with... Relationships doesn’t make a lot of sense in general but she absolutely doesn’t feel like a character who is mourning the loss of their soulmate, which is absolutely how the show tries to portray it in S2.

She feels a lot more like she fucks around and finds out a lot of guys are assholes. There’s a reason why it was REALLY popular to ship Gruncle Stan and her when S1 was all that was out.

Worse yet, if you want to say Amity proves Luz isn’t into older women or the like, we get this chestnut from fucking First Day.

“And maybe meet a hot, yet vulnerable, upperclassmen.”

There’s... A lot of problems with this line but it also would fit WAY better in, you know... A CW drama and not a kid’s show. Especially from your MAIN FUCKING CHARACTER. She CANONICALLY, because TOH doesn’t think about its jokes WHATSOEVER, has unhealthy, fucked up relationship fantasies. Especially with school. After all, if it was to make them better, she could have said angsty, hurt, troubled, etc. But it’s VULNERABLE. Vulnerabilities are explicitly to be TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF.

*eye twitch*

Now, I do want to say that Eda did take her in and gave her a chance. Luz doesn’t do well with that chance, it’s less than one episode before she tells Eda to shove it for not thinking she’s not special enough, but you can maybe make a case there. She also gets with Amity. So if you wanted to, I dunno, prove that Luz was written in a way that made her seem more interested/cared about Amity more than Eda, especially since S1 does not earn that sort of interest, are there examples of that?

*dead eye stares the camera*

“Don’t you want to go save your girlfriend?” “I do but I’d rather be here and be prepared for if you guys need help.” This is from Clouds on the Horizon. Admittedly, her fear is warranted... But she literally would rather do NOTHING in order to support Eda, because she is explicitly not a part of this plan, than go help unstick her girlfriend. This is also the episode where Luz blatantly ignored Odalia threatening Lumity’s existence so that she can focus on saving the white boy there and get into a position that better, you know, helps. Eda. With the specific motivation that Eda is in trouble, despite the fact that she hasn’t made a plan for how they’re not all about to DIE! Like if Alador didn’t step in, Luz’s plan didn’t mean SHIT. At least Amity was actually dealing with the current problem while Luz was only focused on “Eda is in trouble. I need a way that gets me to Eda.” I personally vouch that the fact that it saved Hunter was tangential as Gus is MORE than powerful enough to make Hunter disappear and replace him with a clone and that’s an even less complex plan than what Luz made up on the fly.

Don’t like that? How about her desperate need for Eda’s approval, to be seen as a peer of hers, STILL, instead of being willing to talk to her, in Titan Where Art Thou? Or that Luz specifically needs to make sure Eda is okay in King’s Tide while her friends, who do not know the human realm or have connections there, are being forced through a portal? Including her girlfriend. How about the simple fact that Luz is WAY more honest with Eda than she literally ever is with Amity?

It’s all just REALLY awkward. But in the context of a CW show, it’s still not good writing, but it’s in line with those absurdities WAY more than with a kid’s shows absurdities. In fact... That’s kind of true in general for TOH. Having the twist that a relative ruined your life because you were better than them and they only became successful because of that choice? That’s in line. The comedy styling leaning more on either pure misery of a couple characters that the writers obviously hate and have there to make mean statements on? Yeah, that sounds right. The refusal to resolve plotlines, especially happily, when it could instead be milked for drama for the next three seasons? The fact that it obviously set itself up to go on for eternity? That sounds about right too. And I will admit I could be wrong. I don’t watch CW shows. Degrassi, Glee, Riverdale? They hold no interest for me because I don’t like mean spirited they often feel. But... with time, TOH absolutely feels more and more mean spirited. And even early on, that ridiculing of other media and fantasy and wanting to have fun all feels in line with that sort of spirit. Including the lack of interest in its fantasy elements.

Eda and Luz aren’t even the only ones that frankly make more sense like this. Lilith’s break with reality almost, and constant need for validation (including from Luz, including as a teacher which is uncomfortable in Escaping Expulsion in general, LET ALONE IN THIS CONTEXT) fits more in line with the sort of ‘insanity’ that those shows might give a character who’s life collapses. To add a chaotic element. Speaking of, that also fits the Bad boy of Hunter, who gets shipped with all the girls who are his age. Not in fandom BUT IN THE SHOW. All three of his introductions to Luz, Amity and Willow work as the start of a relationship arc, INCLUDING WITH THE LESBIAN. And... You know... Luz is Bi... And there are TERRIBLE plot lines you can do with that. *shudders and gags*

Meanwhile, characters like King, Gus, Willow, frankly Belos and his regime, and all the one off villains that other kid’s shows would embrace... Are kind of pushed to the side. Pushed to the side for characters who would feel entirely at home on something far more adult oriented. Something that was trying to be edgy and shocking and constantly have twists that prove how terrible these characters are. It even commonly sets it up. All of the reasons why Lumity WOULDN’T happen were part of why Lumity was so interesting between S1 and 2. But a lot of those plotlines admittedly felt more like this. Tackling racism, classism, Amity’s need to be the best, Luz’s flighty personality, etc. like that. Not helped of course by the fact that Hunter IS older than Luz and so IS a “hot yet vulnerable upper classman’ as he’s really only missing the BIG muscles of the dude Luz thought was “questing in all the right ways” back in episode TWO.

And if you’re wondering why this take has lingered with me... It’s because I keep asking why creative choices were made for The Owl House. Why are characters like this? Why is it a kid’s show when it obviously doesn’t like that it’s a kid’s show? Why is Luz so obsessed with Eda when they spend such little time together? Let alone POSITIVE time together?

And the idea that at one point it was meant to be an adult oriented cartoon, like Helluva Boss or Hazbin Hotel, but was just jammed into a kid’s show sized hole so it could be on broadcast television does help explain some of it. Do I think it’s actually true? NO! God no! Absolutely fucking not. Not for a second. Or bare minimum, I REALLY hope not. Also, I do want to point out that I don’t think the show would be GOOD like this, just that it leans weirdly on these sorts of tropes and writing styles and that it accidentally gives really awkward ways to interpret these characters, especially when what we’re told doesn’t match what we’re shown.

But ever since the concept was introduced to me, I could never quite get it out of my head. And I guess I just needed others to suffer with me. I’m sorry.

=========

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I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead, If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

#the owl house criticism #TOH Critical