#like violent and edgy for the sake of being violent and edgy

[mell0bee]

hmmmmmhmhmhmnbmMMHMHmbndnmm

#bee watches c3 #and that’s all my thoughts on the matter! #that’s all! #i am being quiet. i am not saying anything #10 more mins i can do it i believe in myself #ok an edit. nobody’s gonna see this but ppl who follow me so whatever #‘fcg killed their party’ being true is. SO BORING oh my god #it was way WAY too obvious and literally anything else would have been more interesting #besides the fact that it’s the same thing as ‘ooooo ash ketchum was in a coma the whole time or secretly dead’ or whatever #like violent and edgy for the sake of being violent and edgy #i also am really sick of amnesia and like two personalities or whatever. #imo amnesia is a trope that only works in really specific contexts (ie video games) #and i try to avoid it when making my own characters cuz it’s just. so easy. and lazy #and the fact that this campaign is leaning so heavily on it even though last campaign it got explored pretty thoroughly imo #its just too much of a trope i hate lmao #like if this was an fcg exclusive thing it would be fine. but it’s not. #re: the first thing. watch the video essay ‘every zelda is the darkest zelda’ by #by jacob geller #good video essay and puts into words why i don’t like this type of ‘dark and edgy for the sake of being dark and edgy’ stuff #am wondering if i need to take a break from watching cr. im having a really hard time getting through the eps lately #the fact that we feel like we’re hurtling into mid/endgame stuff and getting so many character revelations without any downtime is kind of #throwing me off #and i kind of don’t really buy that besides a few pairings this party is. close??? #like do they enjoy hanging out with each other? who knows? #but i’m also afraid if i stop watching i’ll just never catch back up again because i’m so busy #i have a hard time bingewatching things #like if i had stumbled across cr now and not in 2019 i would never be able to catch up #idk man #but also like the fact that they don’t have a GOAL. who is the villain. what is happening. #ugh.

[wereh0gz]

If I had a nickel for every time (in recent memory) that I've seen someone post weirdly violent scenarios involving Sonic characters I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice

#ramblings #it's probably been more but i don't remember any others besides the two #one being like one or two years ago where this one weirdo sent asks to ppl with graphic violent scenarios #the other being like right now as i went to scroll in the sonic tag #it's weird. don't like seeing it #like i can enjoy darker sonic content but with these specific ones it was just violence for the sake of it and it's Weird #i'm not really a fan of it. especially in that one situation i mentioned where the guy was Literally harrassing ppl #it just looks like ppl trying to be edgy but being creepy instead y'know

[coraniaid]

It’s always very odd to me when I read criticism of A Song Of Ice And Fire online (by which I mainly mean: on Tumblr) which takes for granted that this is some sort of obsessively dark and edgy and mean-spirited fantasy, because ... that's not what the series is actually like at all?  

I mean, yes, some awful (and graphically described) stuff happens in these books, but this is at heart a deeply optimistic and almost embarrassingly romantic story, full of a very obvious sympathy and tenderness for the unhappy and the hurt and the powerless.  The weird gritty-for-the-sake-of-it books that the series's detractors describe wouldn't have recurring POV characters like Sansa Stark or Tyrion Lannister or Davos Seaworth or Samwell Tarly or Brienne of Tarth.  They certainly wouldn't obviously empathize with and respect these characters to the extent the actual books do.  They wouldn't be so obsessive about the importance of hope and kindness and understanding in an otherwise uncaring world.  Whenever the text suggests the world isn't fair or kind there's always an unspoken "but it should be,and I wish it was". You are clearly not meant to think that characters like Roose Bolton or Twyin Lannister are being held up as role models to emulate!

I mean, maybe the TV show is more like that -- I gave up on the show after only a couple of seasons, it was a terrible adaptation of the source material, even before the final season that everyone apparently hated -- but so much of the open disdain for ASOIAF I come across on here reads like the people writing the posts haven't even read a single one of the books. Yes, the popularity of ASOIAF inspired a lot of "dark" fantasy novels that actually are bleakly nihilistic and seem to revel in their characters meeting pointlessly sad and violent ends, but Martin's books are just not like that.

Yes, lots of the world-building for ASOIAF is patently ridiculous, and yes, key parts of the plot are just cribbed from the War of the Roses (or, rather, from historical novels like Sharon Penman's The Sunne in Splendour)  and yes, Martin has said some very stupid things in interviews while busy not writing the series.  And no, I'm not sure I could actually bring myself to recommend the books to anyone who's not read them before (especially when it's so unlikely that the series will ever be finished, let alone in a satisfying way).  I haven’t reread them myself in years.

But honestly, back when I was a quietly miserable teenager these books really meant a lot to me, in part because they are the opposite of the caricature often discussed online.  Yes, they acknowledged that sometimes the world was awful and unbearable.  It is!  But they also suggested that it was still important to try to be fair and kind and to appreciate the moments when things were better.  They are books about trying to do the right thing even when it’s so hard as to seem impossible and nobody else will even know that you tried, written in a way that takes for granted that “the right thing” is also the just and the optimistic and the quietly heroic thing; that doing the right thing when you afraid is more praiseworthy than never being afraid at all. And it is baffling to me how often I see people talking about them now who don't actually seem to have ever even skimmed them but are still vocally passionate in their hatred of something that, as they describe it, simply doesn't exist.

#asoiaf #I would recommend The Sunne In Splendour though

[azulas-lightning-bolt]

guys I just want you to know that azula is my fav atla character (right above katara/toph/suki can you tell I like girls) but I’m actually going insane about mako right now.

also for the like,, five people who liked my last mako post please please please go look at @/jade-of-mourning’s blog. they’re so cool. they make such super awesome mako posts and his writing is really good and she also posts some stuff on ao3 so like. yeah. I’m obsessed with them.

anyway back to losing my mind over mako,, (a LOT more under the cut)

so okay I’ll admit I’m not typically a fan of angsty male characters (zuko is the exception. he’s too funny to not, and his character and development are really well done) because they all feel like copy-pastes of each other and they’re generally uninteresting.

but mako. mako is the female experience. not sure if I reposted it (as I tend to do with,, everything on here) but I saw a post talking about how what happened to mako’s character (all potential being discarded after romantic plot) is what happens to the vast majority of female characters. and as I’ve probably said at least fifty million times, he’s SO eldest daughter coded. I’m trans (they/he) but I grew up an eldest daughter and he’s like?? literally me??

as I was yapping about in a reblog—I just checked (lol) and it was in fact the post about mako having the female love interest treatment and tags about his eldest daughter syndrome—mako is somewhat made more ‘relatable’ than katara even when sending a similar message for the general audience. I think people should just be less brickheaded and appreciate my wonderful waterbending girl but mako being a guy makes people not immediately put his character into the lens of ‘ugh, dumb feminism’. (which, again, should not happen)

okay so why does this redeem him so much? I said I hate copy-paste angsty backstories meant to exacerbate a character’s edgy mysteriousness and mako is literally batman with a more violent aang for a little brother. he was basically the messiest character on the show, cheated on both his gfs with each other and fucked them up so bad they turned gay for each other (which was funny as hell of the writers by the way. his reaction to them coming out in the comics was GOLD. ik my boy was fighting back tears.) so, logically, I should hate him like 90% of the fandom, right?

well obviously 90% of the fandom HAS NOT WATCHED THE FUCKING SHOW is MISOGYNISTIC or HATES CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

I have. so much to say about this.

for one. did we watch the same show. mako is one of the most selfless, hardworking, and considerate characters, which he shows multiple times—it’s a major point of his character, actually. he’s the protector, the nurturer (*cough* the eldest daughter). down to his backstory, he shielded bolin from the worst bits of the underworld as best he could while still providing. from eight years old, all alone, he provided. that’s honestly what sets mako apart from literally being Batman (lmao) and why I don’t actually mind his backstory. he was put in an impossible situation, and told to figure it out. he was given no reprieve from the extremely traumatic event of watching his parents die by the element he wields, the one that he has to learn on his own to use to protect bolin.

the other thing is that a lot of his actions are selfish in a way. he doesn’t really care much about the street rats in the same position he was once in the beginning. but even that selfishness isn’t in his own interest—it’s selfishness for the sake of bolin’s well being. one thing that really hits me hard is the brothers’ relationships with food while on the streets. I’m going to make another post about that soon because I don’t want to ramble too endlessly on here. it’s really personal because. eldest daughter who grew up poor. yeah.

second, fandom misogyny. this makes like. no sense but I swear I know what I’m talking about. okay so misogyny is about gender right? but let’s step away from the cutout copy idea of gender, like genitals or fem/masc presentation or pronouns. think of gender as a set of inherent preconceptions, ideals, or societal expectations. that’s what it is but specifying that makes more sense. mako is a dude who is referred to with he/him and he looks like a guy but he represents a girl. mako is expected to be nurturing but not overbearing. present but not annoying. a provider, but don’t ask for anything in return. mako can’t cry in front of bolin, it’s not right for a little boy to look up to someone fragile. mako needs to work, but tiredness is not allowed. don’t be overly cheerful, it’s annoying and unfitting, but too much gruffness is just haughty.

did you feel like you were reading the transcript for that scene about how hard it is to be a woman in the barbie movie? good, because that was the intention. mako, to me, represents the idea of a sibling who is forced to also be a parent, whether or not they are the eldest, and often a girl to a boy. it could be because parents are absent or dead or bad at parenting or just foolish and inattentive. mako is hated (aside from that messy ass romance plot) for almost all the same reasons as katara and that just. infuriates me. like I have this one perfect representation that reminds me of my own background (sorry katara ily and you represent my rage) while aligning with my identity and everyone is shitting on it?? fuck mako haters he’s my special boy

last point. have you never heard of character development in your lives. did you not all love Zuko’s redemption arc, and then as soon as a dumb teenager who’s never had romantic relationships fucks up JUST AS BAD AS THE OTHER TWO PEOPLE INVOLVED (sorry korrasami ily but y’all were nasty for not asking to kiss mako) you’re all like ‘unforgivable’?? like he didn’t even have a redemption arc because HE WASNT AN EVIL CHARACTER. he was a poor kid looking for a sense of stability and he fucked up. he felt bad. I don’t think any of them apologized, despite the fact one was needed all around. he grew as a character because he let himself find stability and mature before seeking someone new to use as a life raft who was already sinking themselves. I truly believe that korrasami—had it not occurred at the end of the series—wouldn’t have worked out either.

all of them were unstable and lost and scared for their lives almost constantly. that’s not a healthy place to be in to seek a relationship and they none of them were good for each other until they gave themselves time to step away from romance and heal.

anyway stan mako to not be a bigot (im unwell about him)

#mako lok #lok #tlok #legend of korra #mako tlok #mako

[mpregfrance]

i saw you say that you’re take on spamano diverts from canon and honestly i’d love to know more about it, i feel like most spamano shippers do this and i love hearing all takes because i feel like they’re all interesting! and i love them so so much!! do you have any hc’s that you think are unpopular with the fandom?? or do you like they way spamano is represented for the most part??

Hi! Thanks so much for the ask 💕 If you're the same anon who sent the last one I'm working on it. To answer honestly, I don't interact with Spamano fanwork enough to know what is and isn't popular or accepted as fanon these days.

But I'll hesitantly say that no, I think my views on this ship differ from that of the fandom status quo, as they usually do. I don't say this for the sake of being edgy or a need to always play contrarian, but bc I have a unique perspective.

Disclaimer; long post ahead. my opinion was asked for and you're about to receive it. Everything stated is opinion and I'm not discrediting alternate headcanons.

So I'll start by saying I'm not an expert on Spain's history or characterization. I have mentioned this before but the way Himaruya chose to portray him is a bit odd to me. Then again, Hetalia nations aren't really direct representations of their government, but instead stereotypes of their people. If everyone was accurate they'd all be unsympathetic assholes.

Spain as an empire was once a ruthless colonial force, and as a nation in more recent centuries they have a history of fascist rule, violent uprising and general civil discord.

Spain as a character is a sunny, bubbly himbo after he lost his reputation as a global power. I think he has a tendency to downplay the harm he's caused in the past and manipulate others into viewing him as a shiny happy goofy airhead.

Don't get me wrong, I think Antonio is adorable. He's cute, right? Dude's main personality trait is having a GREAT ASS 🍑 and liking tomates 🍅 He loves to cook and dance and do fuck all. The Hetalia wiki describes him as a, quote, 'cheerful country bumpkin' and honestly, let's go with that for the sake of his personhood?

This is why I like human AU. I enjoy reading historical Hetalia, but writing it isn't for me. As a creative, I don't want to operate within the limits of real world events and not gonna lie I prefer writing them as people!! And that's where I exercise some divergence from canon.

So obviously there's the dynamic of boss and his underling that existed when Romano was young. We can't entirely ignore that that arc exists and is part of his character development, but when Romano grows up I don't see them that way, and there's no denying their romantic potential.

I hear, and understand the common criticisms of Spamano. I don't view them as related, and Romano is not Spain's territory anymore. To me it's fair game. Hetalia is complicated bc well... these nation-beings are hundreds of years old, therefore the case for morality in shipping isn't black and white.

Personally I don't believe any ship is 'too problematic' to exist. I'm of the opinion that we can explore just about any dynamic in fiction as long as we do it mindfully. I'm a multishipper, these characters are all so versatile.

This might sound silly to say about an anime character but my analysis of Romano's personality is more in depth. As someone of Italian descent I recognize his stereotypical traits; and feel pretty strongly about his mischaracterization.

For one, he has a small dog Napoleon complex and that's a big thing for Italian guys (more on that later)

In canon (i.e. world history and Hetalia itself) when Romano was young, Spain did spend a lot of money protecting and defending him. Now as an adult he feels guilty, like he has an obligation to him, and he doesn't want to be seen as weak, reliant or incapable ever again. I don't think he'd allow himself to be dominated, in any way, or even want to be.

Here's an unpopular opinion; he is very masculine, but I think people have a hard time comprehending what constitutes masculinity.

And I'm not saying Antonio is therefore feminine. They're both cis men to me, and switch in the bedroom, but I will admit I prefer Lovino as the generally more dominant partner - in a physical and hierarchical sense.

Ultimately I don't think they box themselves into heteronormative roles all too much. Maybe for funsies, because Lovino likes feeling needed and Antonio to me doesn't have the discipline it takes to wear the proverbial pants in the relationship.

In a comic strip, Spain proposed to Romano when same-sex marriage became legal, and he basically said yes as long as you cook for me?? They're husbands!! It's canon 😎

It's a bit hard to explain, but in my perspective, Lovino would protect and cherish Antonio like a man would his 'wife'. He's his Carino. His Tesoro. His Amorino. Toni might be taller than him, but he's always talking to him like a child - mostly affectionately, but we've seen otherwise.

One of my favourite Romano lines is from the April Fools episode, "No talking to me when you look stupid", that to me is a defining moment of their relationship 💖💖💖

So anyway, this attitude of his brings me to the topic of Maschismo. If you're not familiar with that term, it's a performative, arrogant, and fragile brand of toxic masculinity that's prevalent in men of Mediterranean and Latin American descent. Any man can be machismo but the term is associated with these cultures.

(Again I'm of Mediterranean descent, I have lived experience with this, please don't think I'm racist and if that's legitimately your takeaway you have the reading comprehension of a sea cucumber)

In machismo society, men are discouraged from showing any emotion except anger. They're expected to be strong, and are extremely affected by any implication of personal failure, or threat to their (imagined) role as top dog. When something upsets them, aggression is the default response.

Men affected by machismo are often possessive, competitive, and motivated by material success; because there's an expectation to provide for - and honor - your family. They will often talk over women, objectify or ignore them completely, like second class citizens.

Whether this was a conscious intention or not, Hima actually does a great job at displaying Romano as a machismo poster boy. He's simultaneously expressive and repressed. He's stubborn, defensive and argumentative, and if that doesn't say Italian dad to you then you're probably a WASP /hj

What the fandom might see as a little tsundere uke, I see as machismo tough guy. He's not soft, that's the thing, but he deserves space to be soft because so does everyone. Maybe Antonio does bring that out in him. But it's not easy and it's not for anyone else to see. He pretends to hate when Toni calls him cute because he doesn't allow himself to feel appreciated on that level. He actually has a deep, unspoken respect for Antonio. It's just easier to tease him.

And he actually does care. He just does it in a way that isn't instantly recognisable as caring because it's not 'gentle'. He's jealous of Feliciano because he's the 'nice' brother. He's concerned for Feli when others mistreat him. That concern and protectiveness translates into condescension and ironically, distancing.

Sorry for going so in depth on what is essentially old man land mass yaoi, if you've read this far thank you and congratulations I guess.

#ask and ye shall receive #hetalia headcanons #character analysis #aph romano #hws romano #aph south italy #hws south italy #aph spain #hws spain #spamano #romaspa

[ungodly-amounts-of-godly-trauma]

wotw round 2

propaganda under the cut!

espresso cookie:okay. heres the thing. espresso cookie is a badass mage who scraped his way out of poverty and literally invented his own form of magic from scratch. he is world renowned as an extremely powerful and reliable scientist. he literally created one of the greatest inventions of all time in-universe and helped strengthen cookies all across the world in battle.he's also really mean. there are multiple stories about him not getting along with this one dude (who's basically his worst enemy) and generally just being really mean to everyone. he can be normal (because he feels emotions like everyone else?) but generally he's just really sick of everyone's shit.you know what the fandom did with him? they took his character anD FUCKING RUINED IT. HE WAS REDUCED FROM A BADASS MAGE WHOS SICK OF EVERYONES BULLSHIT TO A SOFTIE TSUNDERE BOY WHO GETS SHIPPED WITH HIS WORST ENEMY. ITS SO ANNOYING. IT IS THE WORST CHARACTERIZATION. ESPRESSO HAS NEVER BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE A "SOFT SPOT" FOR HIS ENEMY. IT IS LITERALLY THE EXACT OPPOSITE. IF I SEE ONE MORE PERSON BABYIFY ESPRESSO AND REMOVE PARTS OF HIS CHARACTER FOR THE SAKE OF THEIR SHIP I WILL GET VIOLENT. I'M SORRY YOU CAN'T HANDLE MEAN CHARACTERS. BUT IF I SEE ONE MORE PIECE OF MEDIA REDUCING HIM TO A LITTLE SOFTIE INSECURE CATBOY I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD. IT'S SO BAD I'VE HAD TO STOP INTERACTING WITH THE FANDOM JUST TO ESCAPE ITwhite:

ok since his twin is like the super edgy anarchist biker guy, people then go "okay and this is the sweeter softer one of the two <3." it doesn't help that like his story arc is him going from like a socially liberal centrist who doesn't understand systematic inequality to eventually you know, being an official part of the anarchist biker gang, because that means at the start when the gang was doing some more morally dubious things he went "guyssss we shouldn't do those things" and then people stuck with that and forgot that his opinion on such things changes. like his whole thing is being strategic and subtle while Black, his twin, is about dramatic public actions. like by the end he doesn't disagree with Black's methods, he just thinks manipulating things in such a manner to raise public support that doesn't alienate their cause from more moderate folks is important. he has diplomat training and cares about pr, he's not a pacifist.

also I feel like people erase his bisexuality a lot too because he's endgame with Sean and then also go and make him the uwu innocent one in their relationship. like babes are we forgetting the opening scene of him as an adult is after he hooked up with his girlfriend in Russia (that he might have been living with? unclear, it was only one scene). also don't forget that he made out with Eugene. he didn't have to do that. anyways he's not an uwu so innocent gay boy who has never progressed pass kissing before.

#espresso cookie #cookie run kingdom #crk #white #not me #not me the series #wotw #round 2 #tournament poll

[hereforthefunnyguys]

Hey bro, if you don't mind me asking... What's the worst Yu-Gi-Oh take you've ever seen? I like seeing you rant.

God... I'm blanking right now but there are a Lot. There are just so many </3.

Later addendum: This went... all over the place. I have no clue what happened here but I stand by my opinions.

I realize I rant about Marik problems a lot (tis the tism) but I think the ones that actually tend to genuinely anger me the most in like a "oh, you genuinely did not read the same series as me" are the ones that attempt to villainize Atem over the whole series or make it seem like he only really cared about Yugi. That is just like. Blatantly incorrect.

First of all, I realize everyone really likes s0 "ooooOOO eDgY yAmI", but early manga Yami Yugi was only terribly violent for a few chapters. After that, he pretty firmly chillaxes, especially post-Death-T and definitely post-Monster World. And we are given a... pretty good reason for why he was like that originally! I would also be a little mad if I woke with no memories after being tormented in a labyrinth full of shadow demons for so long i literally could not remember being born and my first sight was someone trying to beat the shit out of the guy who was kind enough to release me from my Gay and Stupid Maze!

Literally guys, he's like a recently adopted stray kitten. He's just lashing out because he's scared. He's not evil you idiot he's 15 and incredibly incredibly confused and freaked out. Yes he still committed murder no I don't care we've excused other people for worse (take note of how these will often be the same people that uwuify marik or yb (but marik especially -> about to have a sub-rant its related i promise.))

ps. i don't get the marik thing he may be pretty but he is not a sniffling little kitten like people write him as (especially in comparison to his Big Bad Evil Personality and dangerous-bad-boy Yami Bakura who certainly never admitted to himself considering Marik slimy and weird and a dangerous asshole in canon no sir never). The man literally tried to drown Joey and (admittedly accidentally) got his own big brother fried like a fork in a toaster engineered by Elon Musk (and, I want to mention, he didn't seem to consider Rishid a genuine brother until much later after the psychological equivalent of multiple slaps upside the head). I think people just don't know how to write mental illness and/or emotions other than Horny or Sad and morals more complex than black and white.

This is actually part of I think a larger problem in the fandom with not tending to remember the whole storyline/point of yugioh was proving that people are not naturally evil and in fact often prove to be quite noble when they get taken out of a bad situation and worked on a little. Ppl don't quite get this outside of redeeming their favorite evil pretty boy so he can date around, so they either make everyone a sad little angel thats never done anything wrong in their life or a terrible demon whose surprisingly abusive qualities are only matched by his shockingly canon-inaccurate height and muscle mass increase. This is, imo, why people tend to do That to Atem. Either they interpret him as a perfect Good King that can do no wrong or, sadly more commonly, an evil serial killer that only cares about [EXPLETIVE REMOVED]ing Yugi and then pretty much nothing else.

Also, he was like... not a bad Pharoah from the exactly (checks notes) 72 hours he got to be one before dying a horrible torturous undeath. For the good of his kingdom, I want to mention. That was something he willingly undertook for the sake of his people. As far as autocratic dictators went, he was by all accounts a pretty nice one! Didn't even torture anyone to death! In fact he was so against the idea of torturing people to death we had to Specifically keep the bit where we were actually doing that secret from him!

also section B of this take then usually comes around to trying to prove he never cared about his friends other than yugi. And if I may be so spicy in the chat tonight. This is usually ooc puzzleshipping brain rot influencing critical thinking. Yes yes I get that your yami yugi 20k yandere fanfic (with a yugi that cries all the time for some reason and apparently refuses to just Take The Damn Thing Off) is hot but brother of mine that is not what Atem was like in canon. Like. At all.

First of all, even before Memory World he showed off caring about his friends. There was the whole "deadly yo yos" incident with Joey and then there was the not one but two Anzu hostage situations that he dealt with, one of which when there was literally no benefit to him or yugi to go and rescue her! In fact it put them in Active Danger to do so! And from what I remember, that was before even Death-T! So he has very much cared about his friends from the very beginning, individual of his aspect as an extension of Yugi's survival instinct.

Also. The whole point of Yu-Gi-Oh is the whole friendship is magic stuff. That absolutely applies to Atem as well. In fact it probably applies to him more so. The guy really depends on all of his friends for his sanity in a way that not even Yugi does. He likes Joey and he likes Anzu and he likes Honda (even with as little time as he got to shine RIP spiky haired king) and he likes Ryou! In fact one of the original conflicts in Battle City was that he cared about Ryou so much he wouldn't get rid of his age old archenemy because it would have hurt Ryou! But anyways. Anyways.

It feels like part of that can be blamed on the Orichalchos arc in the anime (which was certainly. An Arc. Not good not bad but a secret 3rd thing.) where they had him get incredibly depressed and ever so slightly unstable when Yugi went away. Which makes sense for him, but then people tend to overstate it to "Atem is inconsolable when Yugi isn't there to make it all better for him" and not "Atem feels incredibly guilty for falling under the spell of a literal magically evil-inducing rock and would likely feel similar if he lost really any of his friends in a similar manner."

"But steve. how are those last two things at all related to each other" WELL. YOU SEE. It always feels like people tend to make Atem evil and hate everyone else in order to justify a fantasy scenario where "Yugi" (read: writer's self-insert) gets to come along and redeem him and he gets to be their loyal attack dog. And you know what? I'm fine with that as a fanfic scenario! Let people have fun! Is probably very hot to people who are not stickily uptight bastards like me! But it annoys me like Hell when people try to canonize that particular bit of oocness.

Atem isn't evil. The poor boy is having his own problems. He's hanging out. He's doing his best. Leave him alone. He literally is just a teenage boy that likes to play games. Let him chill. Let him chill.

#I am AGAINST the evil atem agenda he’s my little man #yami yugi #atem #asks #ygo #ye. #hope this wasn't too... rambling.

[neon-moon-beam]

Emmet is NOT:

sadistic

unhinged

obsessed with Ingo

violent, a serial killer, etc

“a babey uwu” or an “angel” that can do no wrong (please do not infantilize adults!)

incapable of caring for himself

in need of Ingo to keep him in check

intentionally mean in or outside of battles (being competitive and unintentionally blunt does NOT equal being mean)

actually a Zoroark, or otherwise non-human (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon AUs and other similar AUs where everyone is a Pokemon/Submas is not singled out as being non-human are usually OK)

This is not meant to single anyone or any works out, nor is it saying all fan interpretations are bad. Please use critical thinking and judgement here, folks.

And bl*nkshippers--dni, I will block you. I shouldn’t have to say this but obviously bl*nkshipping is NOT something Ingo and Emmet do and is something Pokemon will NEVER do.

Here is a by no means exhaustive list of resources explaining how/why these sorts of depictions are ableist and how/why they are harmful. Please check these out.

And if you’re new here/haven’t, please go to Bulbapedia and read Emmet’s (and Ingo’s) pages, or otherwise engage with the actual source material. It might be hard to acquire Gen 5 games if you don’t have them, or make it to them in the Battle Subway, and/or you might have reasons you cannot get PLA, but YouTube is FULL of Lets Plays that can show you Submas in the games, and to make things easier, @1863-project put together a compilation of videos that contain their canonical appearances! Please do not only look at fandom interpretations and assume that’s how these characters are! Often times fanon has NOTHING to do with the source material, and as of late it seems Submas is getting a ton of works that just throw canon plot points and canon characterization out the window all for the sake of making Submas as miserable and/or unhinged as possible. All too often, despite what they look like visually, these characters are no longer Ingo and Emmet.

There’s is plenty of room for interpretation with Submas, considering what we do know about them in canon is very little compared to many other characters, but there’s a difference between an interpretation or headcanon such as the Nimbasa Trio (Submas and Elesa have only interacted in one cutscene in PokeMas so far), and something like deciding Emmet is intentionally mean and will physically/emotionally harm people if not kept in check by Ingo when in-game he’s just blunt and competitive, but otherwise very supportive of others, including when defeated!

If all you want to do is make Submas as angsty and edgy ooc as possible, you might want to consider creating an OC instead.

#Pokemon #Submas #Emmet #Pokemon Emmet #Emmet Pokemon #Ingo #Pokemon Ingo #Ingo Pokemon #I know I'm taking a risk by tagging this bc of how people can get over this sort of thing #For clarification: some fanon interpretations are perfectly fine! #Other are so ooc these are NOT Ingo and Emmet anymore and on top of that often the interpretations get ableist #Please don't come at me personally and ask me to interpret your work for you #I don't have the time or energy and you should be able to make an informed decision if you put in the research #thank you to the submas autistic joy server for input on this post! #cw: ableism

[itbe-jess]

I just need to get this off my chest.

I feel like so many fans give CL Rayman a little too much credit. They’re always praising him, but I’ve never seen one person who is reasonably critical about him. (Except the one who aren’t really really fans) Yes, Rayman doing explicit adult activities, saying fuck, abusing drugs, and killing people is fun, but he’s technically not perfect. I’m tired of fans pretending like he is. I like the premise of his character, and this whole new approach is very interesting to me. But I’m sorry, the edgy Flanderization is just really annoying.

Yes, Rayman is supposed to be edgy. He has always been edgy. Rayman 3 being a big primary example of this. However, Rayman in Rayman 3 wasn’t just some mischievous edgy frat boy. He had more variety. Aside from having edge, he was also this laidback dude who loved to relax, had a wholesome childish spirit to him, and overall shows he cares for others around him.

That’s what CL Rayman is missing: Variety. Hell, I wouldn’t be a Rayman fan today if Sparks of Hope only portrayed Rayman as nothing but this salty millennial who can’t let go of the past. There’s not one scene with CL Rayman, outside of work, that doesn’t involve him in anything vulgar or offensive. I’m not gonna count any scenes where he’s in his TV Persona, because that’s technically not him being himself. That’s just him doing his job. Look, I love edgy characters, but not when they’re oversaturated with the one thing they’re most known for. Angel Dust couldn’t even compete with that level of edge. I’m not saying Rayman can’t be angry and depressed. As a matter of fact, he has every right to. His feelings are completely valid. But would it kill the writers to show him being funny or wholesome for one minute?

His least edgiest scene in the whole show has got to be his interview with Bullfrog. While it still presented an angsty atmosphere, and the vomiting moment was unnecessary, I’ll admit it was a breath of fresh air seeing him take a break from all that swearing and accept a juice box. My favorite part of that scene has got to be seeing a smile on his face. A real smile. You know, something tells me that Ubisoft doesn’t want Rayman to be happy in his series.

Rayman doesn’t feel like Rayman, either. Or even a character for that matter. In my opinion, he feels more like an early 2000s’ Newgrounds parody. Yes, I KNOW he’s supposed to be a whole different take on the character, but you know something? You CAN make an already existing character entirely different! It’s a really bold move to experiment more depth with that character. However, it’s also important to let them keep a tiny bit of their old, familiar charisma, so that they’re still recognizable to the fans. Familiarity is the key. Without that familiarity, that character might as well have a different name and appearance. CL Rayman doesn’t have Rayman’s charm, his humor, or even his good heart. Just his looks, and identity.

He does get struck by guilt after learning the truth about Eden, and he sacrifices his entire career just to fix his own mistakes. However, those don’t count as being kind. He’s killing fascists out of good intention, but in the end, it’s just violence. Not kindness. It’s really hard to see Ramon as the type of guy who would give me a hug when all I’ve seen him act is angry, depressed, and violent, not to mention he has snorted coke and ate sushi off of prostitutes in the comfort of his million dollar penthouse. If they want me to believe he truly is a sweet guy, THEN I WANNA FUCKING SEE IT! Have him, ya know, interact with kids! Comfort Dolph on his loss! Maybe even form a dorky, yet wholesome friendship with Bullfrog! There are many ways to have him express kindness, and not just through violence!

I’d also like to add that Rayman’s heel turn moment just felt kinda forced. We don’t even know how he got access to firearms. In the last episode, he was so whiny and weak. Then all of a sudden, he’s strong? C’mon, the dude has been loyal to Eden for years. They could’ve at least shown him reflecting on the impact of his actions first, and then figure out a way to resolve the problem at stake. I would have rather the show end like that so that the writers could give themselves time to build up a climatic story for season 2, not just get right to the point. Six episodes or not, it’s a poor writing direction.

I don’t care what anyone says: A 100% serious role does not work for Rayman. Don’t get me wrong; You can take Rayman seriously, but we’re also supposed to laugh at him, and with him. He’s not Spider-Man (a character that blends realism with lighthearted comedy), he’s a freaking Looney Tune! Even a game as dark and serious as Rayman 2 had moments to make us giggle. Humor plays an important role in Rayman’s character. Michel Ancel also intended humor to be one of his most defining traits. Just by looking at him, you know he’s someone you can’t take seriously! A Rayman that isn’t funny makes as much sense as having Crash Bandicoot talk.

I beg the writers to PLEASE flesh out Rayman’s character more in season 2! He can still swear, kill, snort coke, I don’t care, but at least bring out his sweeter side! Maybe make him a little goofy, too! For Polakus’s sake, make Rayman do something “Rayman-like” for once!

#Rayman #video games #Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix #I’m not saying you should stop loving CL Rayman. I’m just saying that you have to accept that he’s flawed. #I have a fair share of criticism with the Raymen I love dearly #I’ve always been afraid to speak this out cuz I was worried it might sound too controversial. #Please don’t disown me fans.

[lc7703]

Artwork by Yeimi Villegas

Banana Joe = Monkey D. Luffy (both are goofballs who aren't the sharpest tool in the shed, and fit with Ocho/Zoro and Tobias/Sanji as a trio, which we see little snippets of in the Gumball episodes like "The Moustache" "The Worst' and "The Pact")

Ocho = Roronoa Zoro (both are violent and edgy, and are humorously shipped with Tobias/Sanji by their respective fan-bases)

Tobias = Sanji ( both fancy themselves "ladies men" but never get anywhere with it; they primarily simp for Masami/Nami also, and shipped with Zoro/Ocho quite often as already stated; also both Tobias and Sanji tend to be the butt of the jokes)

Masami = Nami (both are materialistic, Masami comes from a wealthy family, and Nami loves money; they have atmokinetic abilities, and are scary when angry)

Clayton = Usopp (both have a habit of lying, and it's attributed to their insecurities and low self-esteem)

Anton = Tony Tony Chopper (admittedly the similarities are kind of scarce, but Anton has a cloning ability which is somewhat like a devil fruit, and both are susceptible to being in large bodies of water for too long on account of being a devil-fruit user, and Anton is a literal piece of bread and becomes soggy when left in the water for too long, also it fits aesthetically as their both small, brown little guys with high-pitched voices and both can occasionally be a little gullible and ditzy)

Clare = Nico Robin (both of them are gloomy and reserved, that's about it)

Bobert = Franky (not much to say in terms of personality, but both are pretty daffy; then there's the more obvious similarity in that Bobert is a robot, and Franky is a cyborg, those two things go hand in hand for obvious reasons)

Razor = Brook (They're both the undead, and have skull-faces; Brook is a musician and Razor is in a band called "Soldiers of Pain")

Rocky = Jinbei (Admittedly, I know that you could make a case for Darwin being Jinbei given that Darwin is a goldfish, and Jinbei is a fish-man, but Darwin is too cutesy for somebody like Jinbei; Rocky & Jinbei are like big brother/mentor figures to the Students and the Straw Hats; (yes I know Brook is technically older than Jinbei, but Jinbei’s the most mature) Also, Jinbei is the school’s bus driver, while Jinbei is the Thousand Sunny’s helmsman; Rocky is often seen hanging out around the school’s pool, has cosplayed as Darwin in “The Genius” and this is just speculation, but Rocky has similar mannerisms to that of a stereotypical surfer, so perhaps he does a little bit of surfing as a hobby? granted, Jinbei doesn’t act like a stereotypical “surfer” the point is I’m trying to describe how Rocky could be loosely associated with water for the sake of finding more connections between him and Jinbei)

Penny = Nefertari Vivi (They’re both just sweet and kind girls. nothing more, nothing less; also Penny has a pet spider Mr. Cuddles, who you could say he’s like Karoo)

#crossover #gumball #one piece #anime #the amazing world of gumball

[midnightkolrath]

Oh boy, its thinking time again.

Though this time, I'm thinking about Mainline Dante and the "Black Sheep" for most fans, DmC Dante. Personally, I don't mind him and he grew on me in some cases. As much of a mess DmC is, playing through it recently after several years....I've seen crumbs of what could've been better than what we were given.

Of course, there's other things about the game that fairly rubs off on hardcore fans and I'm not gonna excuse the bad parts...[ahem] but there's things I like. The world building, parts of the lore....what they were trying to do with Dante as a character in the world setting...alas, I'll probably go on a talk about that stuff another time.

On topic of what I was going to talk about though. I was thinking back on the common reception of DmC and the fanarts of Main Dante beating the shit out of DmC Dante and I got to thinking...what if they actually DID meet each other? Would they respond similarly to these fan vent interpretations accordingly to their characters?

The answer, I think, would be a yes.

Not in the violent and aggressive "I hate you immediately" way, though. For this, I'm going to use DMC5 Dante for Main Dante, for the sake of how I've proccessed this inner question for myself.

For those who've played DmC and know of that Dante (and have paid attention to the story despite the icks), we know he's a fighter. He's been raised in the world that way due to his tragic and shitty upbringing. Same with him having anger issues amongst other things. He shares the impulsive nature Dante used to have back in Pre-DMC1 and DMC3, but cranked up abit.

He'd likely see Main Dante and purposely try to start shit cause he is a little shit like that. He's a teenager who's been through so much shit that he does not meld with people at all at first. He hates authority, is full of spite...yeeeeah....

I think Main Dante would entertain him and be willing to throw down with him because hell, man also loves a good fight and knowing this kid is another version of him? He'd be all over that to see just what the kid's made of.

Though I'd take this fight as Main Dante also trying to help the kid let off some steam, similar to how he handled Nero back in DMC4 when he was steamed and keen to rescue Kyrie and helped him regain a cool head before continuing on his quest.

The big difference between Nero and DmC Dante though, is that DmC Dante has even BIGGER anger issues. He's more violent. More spiteful. Fueled by how much worse he had it growing up. Had to watch his mother's heart get ripped out by Mundus, got seperated from his twin brother and had his memory sealed away....then he also had to deal with being in an orphanage ran by demons, in several foster homes and correction facilities (also, no surprise, ran by demons) so he went through alot of abuse growing up. Its how he knows the usual procedure of being detained and tries to give Kat advice as she's being arrested later on in the game.

He spent his entire life basically having to fight for it with no other choice.

As much of an edgy mess DmC is, it had so much messed up backstory for Dante himself...like aside from all the painfully forced edge of the setting most of the time....I can appreciate what they've molded in the cracks for the setting. Its fucked because the world he's in is fucked.

Anyway. Main Dante would probably let him get so much venting out through fighting, maybe try and try and help him work out his issues. Especially if this is seasoned DMC5 Dante. He's done it with Nero, he would do it again. It'd take alot and I mean ALOT of time I'd feel and I think Main Dante would even snap at DmC Dante over a few things, buuuut....I also feel like it'd eventually simmer down to a mutual understanding. Hell, Main Dante would likely see abit of his Pre-DMC1 and DMC3 selves in him. Kid's just abit more messed up and would need things drilled in more, but it IS stated that DmC Dante has a big heart buried beneath all that he displays. Hell, he shows it a few times in the game. He has a few moments.

I won't try and change minds on how people see him because I know DmC is a touchy subject for most hardcore fans and I get it, but you know. Personally, with it being an alternate reality at this point now that's still recognized by Capcom officially, I see it as harmless nowadays. We got mainline DMC swinging back, so its pretty much just there, haha.

I won't go into powerscaling (because that's a whole other beast of a rabbit hole I don't wanna poke into yet, even if I do think our Mainline Dante would win...the details of it will be thoughts for another time), but considering the circumstances of their characters and how situational it may be.....its just a thought. I dunno, the braincells just decided to think about this topic tonight, lmao.

#devil may cry #dmc devil may cry #leo's DMC analysis #dmc #YUP I'm talking abit about DmC Devil May Cry tonight for once #pardon if I repeat a few times and stumble abit I'm running on low sleep and sickness atm #Might talk more about DmC devil may cry one day but here have some crumbs of thoughts

[pix-writes]

They also said David was right that he and Ellie have a violent heart and then compared Joel to him like a parallel. Like its purely to justify the second game/season beacuse he knows audiences wont receive it well in the first one.

Like its not in the first season beacuse it would ruin the story which is why they try so hard to justify their position to trick us into thinking seeds of violence were planted when they clearly weren't. If anything the actual show makes the second game look even MORE unrealistic.

And Neil recently reaffirming he does not care for people who dislike the second game. Like im sorry thats not a valid opinion he unironically based this game around Palestine and cycles of aggressive violence and promoted it through sabatoging beloved characters in favour of his new actual facist fave youre forced to play.

A good game is not devisive amongst the fanbase like the sequel was. Thats bad. And I think he will be in for a rude awakening at the reception to season 2. Beacuse general audiences will watch the show more then go out and play a game. Gamers paid already it doesnt matter if we stop playing half way through.

But TV shows with audience drop offs are much more brutal for a shows reception.

The amount of people already who refuse to tune in for a future season just from what ive seen on here is staggering.

Its a bad, brutal, punishing story with no mercy. And it'll be an even worse show.

I agree with these senitments, mutual!

I find it intersing making Ellie more used to violence (or using violence) in the TV series - of course she is a girl who's grown up in a miliatry school in a post-apocalypse, so it would make sense for her to be used or more ready to utilise violence in terms of survival. But I don't like the idea that she is violent like David is, or comparing his version of violence to Ellie's (or Joel's, for that matter) because its totally different - especailly as neither of them seek violence as a way of abusing people or to gain power like David most certainly does.

When I think of Ellie I don't think of her having a "violent heart" I think of her as a scared and yet feirce girl. I think the only thing David ever got right about her was that she is very loyal. I'd say that she has a loyal heart and one that puts loyalty into people who she cares deeply about & that show her that she can trust them/that they won't abandon her/that they can protect her.

^^^ I mean???!!!!??!!!!!! looook! the sweetest <3

Its intersting to hear Neil said that, I haven't seen much about what the creators have spoken about since the first game came out (/little snippets from the podcasts), to be honest, but its very disheartening. (And as a writer myself, I can't imagine having that perspective or lack of thought for fans by saying something like that publicly!)

I could go on about how I don't trust a lot of the men involved in this story (Pedro excepted ofc), for the way they treat David, like he's not an obvious predator, and how I didn't like that Joel doesn't intercept Ellie during the restaurant scene, but I'd just end up getting mad! ^^' and on top of that, the mentioned narrative that Ellie is 'forever changed' by what happens to her in her run-in with David & his cannibal crew (according to Craig/Neil). I've always taken issue with such things, as much as Ellie is a wondeful well-fleshed out female queer character (mad props to Ashley Johnson for being pivotal with that <3); and it makes me feel that tlou 2 was just made to be a rug-pull type story (as has been used in GoT and TWD) like 'oh you thought this? haha, well think again! your fave is dead because of tragedy!' --> its edgy for the sake of being edgy and missed out on being a meaningful additon to the first game & DLC and its themes...

I'm thinking the same, that the second season is going to be just as divisive - all the people who haven't been spoiled by the gameplay etc., are going to have a similar rude awakening to fans when tlou part 2 was released, and I don't think they'll get the reception they were hoping for (but then again, perhaps the writers don't care?). BUT it'll probably affect viewership dramatically, especiallly if (as I've heard other fans say) that they will sequence it much like in the game where it jumps back & forth in time/perspective (meaning *spoilers* - Joel 💀 in the first half of the series, most likely). I just can't fathom that going down well with general audiences. That's a recipe for a tv series bomb if ever I saw one.

... ... ....

Its probably kinda bad I do partly want the second season to bomb, isn't it? 😅 don't get me wrong, I love the first game/season, and the actors etc who've worked on it - but I just have so much issues with how they've handled the story since then/their interpretations of it, like I do with a lot of other tv series/tv in general right now, that I would just feel pure justified satisfction from it if it did!

#waffling #rambling #just a long answer bascally saying I agree to your v well thought out ask! ^^ #anti tlou2 #tlou part 2 critical #(That said #dont come at me if you read this & do like tlou 2 #I may criticise it but it doesn't mean I hate on those who do like it) #i probably got too attached to the first game to feel about this story and series casually so #i don't trust neil craig troy or nolan ok there i said it they're on thin ice from now on #ellie and joel

[trust-and-jump]

The name Robin in Reverse Robins AU...

...doesn't exist. In mine, at least. You see, Talia used to call Damian her little shrike. The thing is, she did it in Arabic. The problems is that I write this AU in Russian and... In Russian shrike is сорокопут (if the wiktionary doesn't lie, it is pronounced as [sərəkɐˈput]) and it's a.... long ass word. So in the field it's totally useless as codename. And if i just put Shrike in it as Шрайк it sounds not edgy but funny and clumsy. And if you pronounce it fast it kinda sounds as Shrek, and, well, it's not what I want, obviously. Because I don't want vigilante name sounding ridiculous. I mean, more than they all already do. So... Sardu, yes. Or al Sard. I asked my father (who knows Arabic a little, i hope it was enough) to confirm, and, well. Sardu. Al Sard. Or, "as Sardu", "as" instead of "al". الصرد. the "r" not being english sound here. So. The Gotham mostly knows their little carnivous Bird as Shrike (well, some media tried to call him Shadow, hm). (and yes, still Сорокопут in my Russian text) But, well, in most stressful situation, or when Batman needs Damian to calm down, or get attention, or as the last method to stop from doing something (*cough* killing *cough*) he would use Sardu. Сарду. Сард. Not the 'Sardinian language', guys xD sorry for bad english and everything shjskdkdl

Also, Batman didn't fire him. Damian just outgrew his role of Shrike the Gotham's Shadow, violent sidekick of Batman; they were starting to argue a lot, Damian being always angry like he was when he just got to Bruce; and our dumb boy B didn't realize what was the problem. So, no real kdrama, just Damian being pissed because of his father not acknowleging him as equal. Because, you know, in the League by this age (16) he would be already a rightful Hand of the Demon, like his Mother was. And, well, an adult. Lol. So..... He dissapears, leaving only a note with 'freedom' in Arabic (he is his dramatic father's dramatic son, after all), Cass stays home, Bruce doesn't panic because Damian is far too good to easily get in trouble even in anger and alone, but he is, of course, worried. That is, until he finds out that Damian is still talking to Alfred and just ignoring his father. Also Alfred acting rather cold towards Master Bruce, and Bruce is like: "What did i even do wrong?????!!! He left himself, I didn't make him!"

Blüdhaven gains its own Shadow when the Gotham's one dissapears. (Some time ago he heard his father making plans about spreading Bat's influence and his trustworthy allies across the world. But before that, he was talking about trying to clean up Bludhaven. Damian doesn't become a symbol in this city like he was in Gotham. He just continues to silently terrify and catch criminals. He also realizes that without support of the police it's a little harder. Considering that there is no Gordon to fight alongside him, Blüdhaven police department is a nightmare to deal with, more corrupted. Infiltrating as a policeman would make it easier to purify the city, but Damian is not that desperate: he's not going to actually work with people, for god's sake!.. Yet. Also, would Jon Kent a. k. a. Flamebird stop trying to sell him a name Nightwing already?! He's not going to wear a Kryptonian legend just to humor him!..)

Bruce is also a little bitter, even if he doesn't let himself think about it much. Because, well, his partner left him alone. And for what. For Blüdhaven! Unbelievable. What is his son even trying to prove, living in that hole...

But, ah, well. It doesn't matter, because before Damian arrived, Batman kept everything under control, he's strong enough to do it alone, right? Right. If he's not focused enough to work all by himself, trying to get done the same amount of work they used to do together, getting injured more, exhausting himself, it's only his problem. No one else's.

Then why, after all that shit, does Tim Drake still show up at the door with diagrams, graphs, and PowerPoint presentation?

#reverse robins #reverse robins au #batfamily #batkids #batfam #Batman #batman fanfiction #fic writing #damian wayne #damian al ghul #tim drake #bruce wayne #batman au #headcanon #Bad english #or should i say #BAT english

[locklylemybeloved]

i can sort of understand why ppl are calling lockwood kaz brekker dupe, but like,,, think abt it. they have their similarities but in NO WAY are they “same character, different font”. like at all. (bear with me, this is gonna be long asf, dont say i didnt warn you) DISCLAIMER THIS POST IS BY BOTH A SOC AND A LNCO FAN I LOVE BOTH WITH ALL OF MY HEART

yes, they both are edgy white boys who have dead parents and were left to be taken care of by an older sibling whose death scarred them forever. yes they both wear suits. yes they both call the girl they love some form of financial holding. yes they have ungodly amts of trauma and mental issues and are now the assigned leader of their respective found families. thats all valid. but.

kaz brekker is a child yes (well, like, seventeen but whatever. still a child.) but hes not a teen in the sense that lockwood is. hes hardened, cruel, and quite literally a dangerous crime boss. he is a criminal mastermind, hes super smart, always has a plan, almost always seems to be controlling everything.

and then theres lockwood. yes lockwood seems dark and mysterious, but thats partly just cause were seeing it from lucys pov for the most part. hes insanely charming tho, always smiling and outright showing his love to george and lucy (and holly) even tho, yeah, he could do better when it comes to romantic love for lucy. but hes not a mastermind. hes smart, yes, but hes reckless. hes impulsive. kaz mulls over things a million times, starts planning with each teeny step, lockwood takes one look at a problem and thinks quick little thoughts in his brain and formulates a plan. and then does it. like, way more often then not they are extremely dangerous and in many cases borderline suicidal.

lockwood relies on charm for the most part when it comes to living beings, but when that doesnt work, when he cant get someone to do what he needs, hes almost lost. look at barnes, winkman for gods sake. when hes hit a million times, he breaks, and he shows it. and he isnt always outright violent. and in that way, he just seems so much more like a kid than kaz brekker.

again, i totally understand why ppl think theyre similar, they def are, i mean on top of the stuff i already said, theres also the fact that they both only do what they do with the amt of zeal that they have bcs they are seaking revenge in their own ways. and then theres the cane/rapier thing, and ofc like i already said but im saying it again, jessica/jordie. and theres probably more.

but my point is, THEY ARE NOT THE SAME CHARACTER. THEYVE MADE THEIR MISTAKES, THEYVE DONE SIMILAR THINGS, BUT IN THERE DEPTHS THEY ARE SO DIFFERENT. yes i see the similarities, but i can also see all of the differences. and yes, saying kaz brekker dupe can be funny if its a joke, but it also feels a little bit like ppl are trying to mash lockwood into something hes not. and it bugs me sometimes.

#yeah. idk man. i should probably go touch some grass or something. #lockwood and co #lockwood & co #anthony lockwood #six of crows #grishaverse #kaz brekker #mae-rants

[projecthipster]

Pulp Fiction

You've seen this on a hundred t-shirts, but why?

“Whether or not what we experienced was an According to Hoyle miracle is insignificant. What is significant is that I felt the touch of God. God got involved.”

Somehow, I turned 26 without ever having seen Pulp Fiction. I guess I vaguely knew that this was some sort of violent, amoral movie that college freshmen (emphasis on the men) loved for being subversive. And committed as I was to some sort of soft-revolution folk-listening bike-riding Wes Anderson form of hipsterdom, it wasn’t that I hated the idea of Tarantino, but he was never on my radar aside from watching Inglorious Basterds on cable one night. And now that I’ve actually sat down and watched Pulp Fiction in one sitting after years of posters and memes, I have to say whta I didnt fully expect to say: I get it. I think I totally get it. My persona’s not going to be uprooted by this movie, but if this was the first thing I ‘d seen that wasn’t, like, Michael Bay, I can see how it would have that impact.

A few years ago I might have filled this review with thoughts on whether violent crime in movies, perpetrated by the protagonists, was problematic. But truth be told I’m a bit tired of the vaguely neo-puritan concept that a story’s quality can be evaluated with a sort of demerit system, by going over a script with a comb of fine moralistic teeth and dropping points for every problematic aspect. I could easily do that to Pulp Fiction, and in the interest of fairness, let’s do that briefly here. Few strong female characters:  debatable, given how memorable repeat Tarantino collaborator Uma Thurman is as a nostalgic-fun-chasing gangster’s wife and washed up actress, but let’s say point off. Every time Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, and Bruce Willis gun down people in cold blood: point off. The entire ending to Bruce Willis’ segment: several points off. Tarantino writing a speech of a white guy standing in his kitchen spouting racial slurs like Pitchfork writers spout baseless comparisons to earlier albums, and then casting himself as that white guy: many, many points off. You can decide for yourself whether you want to take points off for the foot fetish. Was that fun? Are we purified? 

I couldn’t say exactly why I’m over this neopuritanism. Maybe it’s the algorithms, censoring anything with naughty bits for the sake of greater appeal and therefore greater profit, forcing a sort of childish doublespeak. I don’t think there’s a single scene in this movie that could survive unedited on Tiktok. No one in Pulp Fiction is unalived. They die. What’s more, they fucking die. Working around that even for progressive reasons all smacks too much of more classical conservative censorship. There’s a classic interview from around the release of Kill Bill that I found before I queued up the movie. A fusty-vibed pundit does her best to take down Tarantino with accusations of corrupting youth through senseless onscreen violence. He rallies back, more convincingly, that even kids can separate movies from reality better than the moral crusaders tend to assume. Why all the violence? Because it’s so much fun, Jan!

And as I watched this apparent frat bro classic, as I was swept into the sheer style of it all, with the classic music and the funky directing and the whip-quick dialogue that swings between incredibly casual and over-the top theatrical, while I didn’t feel myself turning into a frat bro, I felt my inner Jan wither away somewhat, because, yeah, it IS fun! Pulp Fiction is two and a half hours long, and it feels both longer than that for the amount of stuff in there, and shorter than that for its headlong galloping pace. No, the gangster protagonists aren’t good people. They shouldn’t be role models. They don’t need to be. They’re lurid, florid, edgy clowns, and it’s fun to laugh at them while also being a little scared for them, because if they’re shot, then the fun ends. That was the appeal of the pulp fiction of a century past, of cheap crime novellas sold on tables outside train stations that crumbled quickly into paper dust. As in that namesake fiction, Tarantino’s characters navigate a world divided into Their People and shrieking innocent bystanders, with the ratio tilted rather more to the former than you’d expect. Their stories branch and weave together, wrapping back into a thematically cohesive nugget where it all began. Each of them is a little movie in its own right, introducing us to characters in scenarios that spiral into wild climaxes.

One of the problems here is that not every branch of the tree is created equal. We start with the bits  I’ve seen in memes for decades. Vincent and Jules, buddy hitmen, talk about burgers and track down some dudes. Jules taunts one, plays linguistic games, and recites a fictional bible verse before shooting him through the head. Vincent takes his boss’s wife, Mia, out to a fifties themed diner. Until I watched Pulp Fiction for real, it should be said, I had this impression that it was a period piece. It’s not, it turns out. It’s set in the early nineties, when it came out. It just so happens that every damn thing onscreen throws back to decades previous. The screen itself feels soaked in nostalgia. Maybe that’s part of why it feels timeless. What’s timeless when it’s created will always be timeless. What’s timely fades. Going back to the diner, for example, Vince and Mia enter a dance competition that feels right out of Grease, which yes, I know, was a period piece too. That leads to this climax involving a big adrenaline syringe.

You  see why this is all hard to summarize in a linear manner?

The chemistry of Travolta, Jackson, and Thurman is a great source of the aforementioned all-important Fun through all this. It’s a drop down to suddenly turn to Bruce Willis’ corrupt prizefighter and his character-free doe-eyed French wife, even if that segment does climax the last way you’d ever possibly expect. It mostly all wraps back together at the end, though, with a truly tense final standoff. One thing I like, a closing grace, is that all this blood and swearing and needless slur-dropping ends not in the most violent shoot out yet, but in a  calm and simple act of mercy. It’s like the end of The Catcher in the Rye, where you can see a little bit of character development start to seep in, colouring everything previous as explanatory preamble to this little bit of worthwhile change. 

There’s a touch of hinting at the role of the author as God in fiction, too. The main catalyst for this all-important change, the change that structures the whole rambling multi-threaded movie, is a coincidence that saves Jules’ life. He calls it a miracle, views it as an Act of God. That’s supposed to be Against The Rules of screenwriting. Acts of God, which within worlds of fiction are obviously Acts of the Author, show the hand of the author, and so inherently call attention to the unreality of the story. But maybe, this movie is saying, that’s sometimes ok. There’s a confidence to rapping on the fourth wall a bit. By making the audience aware of the unreality of the story– something even done as early as the title in this case, it has “fiction” right there in it– the work makes them aware of the craft inherent in creating the fiction they’re watching. You only want to do that if you’re damn sure the craft is good. Thankfully, in this case, it is. 

One of the great defining factors of Hipster Fiction, I’m finding, is an appreciation for the auteur, for a story as a product of a singular mind even when, as in the case of a movie, it’s really the product of hundreds of people working together.  That stands in contrast to fiction pushed out of homogenizing studios and record labels and publishing houses, eager to erase the most dramatic and therefore potentially polarizing flourishes of the author into a marketable mainstream. That’s why I don’t mind the quirks, even the weird ones, as much as I might. Tarantino is singular, and the weird foot shots are a signature because he’s a weird dude about that. That’s the sort of thing that would be ironed out of a focus-grouped, less auteur driven, less hipster movie aiming to satisfy everyone. 

That ending, and the touching on the author’s Godly hand, cements Jackson’s melodramatic gangster Jules as the closest thing this all has to a bit of heart. A bit of heart is nice. It’s not why we’re here, though. We’re here to watch John Travolta talk about burgers, dance the twist, and shoot people.

I give this hipster movie four dorm room posters out of five.

Project Hipster is a futile and disorganized attempt to dive into the world of things that the internet has at some point claimed "are hipster," mostly through ListChallenges search results.

This review comes from the eleventh list, The Greatest Films For Hipsters.

Stay deck.

Next up: a book you’ve probably read.

#pulp fiction #hipster #quentin tarantino #movies #films

[taptrial2]

a lot of the comedy in viv's stuff is just MEAN, too. it's all nihilistic indulgence in edgy teenage impulses. excessive violence and characters insulting each other just for the sake of it doesn't make an enjoyable show. nobody likes each other and all the characters are tropes. jesus

the most memorable parts of helluva for me were the fight scene in the govt building where the demon characters actually got a chance to shine as a trained group of assassins working together to get out of a jam in creative and violent ways, and the part where richard horvitz's dad richard horvitz decorates his kid's party with a bunch of dildos because he thinks his kid is gay. the rest of it was crying about dads in the tropiest ways possible and being needlessly mean or sexually charged. for those who haven't seen helluva boss, there is a literal "you're not my real dad" scene that is meant to be taken 100% seriously, with "you're not my real dad" said verbatim with no sense of irony

it's just tropes and shock humor that just reminds me of 2000s/2010s shock cartoons on adult swim. its not new or edgy its just embarrassing and poorly designed garbage and the aspects that make it garbage are so layered i could write a fucking essay on this shit i hate it so much

#exoticbutterstxt