#lw cast

[sun-3-160]

Found out that cary elwes was in a daily wire movie

#saw #cary elwes #boy what da heeeeellllll #why does all of the saw cast suck #we're down to LW and shawnee being the only normal ones

[1shirt2shirtredshirtdeadshirt]

Sexism in TOS: Worst Offender, or Progressive in Retrospect in Comparison?

I see a lot of folks claim that TOS was the most sexist of the Star Trek shows by a landslide -- and while I agree that it definitely suffered from the sexism of the times, I also have other perspectives to share to give some food for thought.

I am of course not insinuating that TOS isn't sexist -- it is, but I have to ask folks to consider the breadth and depth of Berman's sexism in his run and ask yourself: Was Gene Roddenberry genuinely more sexist in his storytelling and delivery than Rick Berman?

I'm not telling you to feel one way or the other, but all I ask is that you hear me out and consider some perspectives and make your own balanced assessments. Nobody is obligated to share my opinion, but it means a lot just to have folks hear it and see their thoughts on the subject. So here is what I was originally responding to:

Someone's response to this photo:

"Devil's advocate. This was a part of the popular form of cardio during the production time of TNG. Yes, it was heavily sexualised by men, but so is literally every other way women work out. Men have been caught taking pictures of women while trying to do dead lifts, running on tracks and working on sled machines. They post them online to share too. The fact is, there is no way a woman can be shown working out without it going there. And yeah,t hat includes the combat forms of workout they do in Star Trek. Just look at how Dax dresses when she spars with Worf. Yes, they're dating, but still, same goes when 7 does and any other female.

Aerobics routines like this were made dirty and cringy. This was what women wore then by and large. This is how the workout was done. We make it cringy."

My response to them:

"I respect your take, but I disagree on a few fronts.

The miniskirt was chosen by the TOS female cast, not the male cast, specifically requested by Grace LW and affirmed by Nichelle and Majel who would go on to vehemently defend the miniskirt over the years as comfortable and embraced by them.

Grace said it was comfortable and seen as a symbol of female sexual empowerment during the 60s and thought it would be a progressive garment (and turns out that it was, as it was later adapted and worn by male crew as a skant on TNG) -- FYI those were designed by a gay man and Gene approved them.

This was also supposed to be Spock's TMP outfit:

Literally lingerie.

We saw both Uhura (who saves Kirk in from Marlena Mirror Mirror) and Yeoman Landon (the first to initiate combat with a classic Kirk-esque kick to help the Captain being attacked in The Apple) carry out their combat training in their Starfleet uniforms without ever being made to change into any ridiculous workout gear.

In fact, I'd argue Jim Kirk was sexualized even more than the ladies of the week on the show and I saw his naked body more than anyone else's on a fairly regular basis. He wore red yoga tights while topless in Charlie X while the women wore full length gymnastic suits that covered their entire body. If anything, it went out of its way to avoid sexualizing women practicing fitness in those scenes and instead focused on Kirk.

Gene confessed that he asked to have Shatner filmed in suggestive/provocative ways to "give something to the ladies", so he -- as he said -- liked to "film him walking away" or have him conveniently busting out of his shirts in just about every episode as it were, because Shatner apparently had great assets. LOL

Gene made an effort to at least sexualize both if he was going to sexualize one, and he carried that attitude forward in wanting the m/m and f/f scenes in the background on Risa for TNG. He also insisted that the men and women wear skimpy outfits on THAT TNG planet. You know the one. LOL I mean the dudes even had on less than the women:

Gene also gave permission to K/S shippers to have their conventions back in the 70s when he was asked for permission. Gene and Nimoy felt with all the skimpy outfits they had the ladies wear, why not let the ladies and gay men have their fun, too? It's how we ended up with moments like this:

Yes, those are two people dressed up as Kirk and Spock's penises doing interpretive dance. Gene didn't give two damns. LOL

In my eyes, that was a very progressive take on Gene's part for the 60s. It was actually PARAMOUNT STUDIOS who had the big problem with K/S stories and vehemently tried to shut them down. Gene literally hired slash authors on his payroll and even had several slash stories/writers published in his official Star Trek books (The New Voyages & The New Voyages II).

I feel I saw Uhura and women in TOS engaged in more physical combat/altercations defending themselves that Troi or Bev were shown holding their own.

In fact, Kirk used to get furious when someone would "dress up" his female crew members without their consent (Trelane episode, Shore Leave episode) because like his male crew members, he wanted them to be treated professionally and to also have his male crew act professionally.

Berman brought some of his own personal biases into Star Trek that in some ways regressed it. While TOS had blatant sexism and was called on it time and again, that show was made in the 60s -- a solid 21 years before TNG. We as a modern audience understood why some of it was cringe/sexist due to the time period -- look at any other media coming out in the 60s and Star Trek was miles ahead of what other shows were doing.

Compare that to Berman who was churning sexist stuff out when women like Starbuck and Scully were simultaneously on screen on other programs airing, and we had already had Sigourney Weaver and other strong women in Holywood playing respectful roles.

In my eyes, there was no need of the sexism seen in TNG but especially VOY and ENT. There was no excuse for it when other shows were writing women far better and a number of those weren't even set in the future like Trek was, making it age even faster due to having those dated perspectives frequently highlighted.

In the Center Seat documentary as well as "The Fifty Year Mission" book you will find cast members, writers and other studio alumni who attest to this. Some discussions from "The Fifty Year Mission":

"First, Berman was supposed to have been a real sleaze ball . . . According to Terry Farrel, he would go on constantly about how her breasts weren't big enough, how she should do something about it, and how his secretary was a good example to follow as she had huge breasts. She even had to have fittings to get larger bras, and that was all done at his behest.

Later Berman and Braga developed a name for Jeri Ryan's character prior Seven of Nine. They originally called the character "perineum" which if you look it up it is the area between the anus and the scrotum. Later they floated the name "6 of 9". I mean, what does it tell you about where these two were coming from in the development of this character if they had names like that put forward in all seriousness for her?"

Gene Roddenberry also had some of his own more progressive ideas for TNG cut or watered down by Berman. Roddenberry agreed TNG should have homosexual relationships and representation at a con in the 80s and insisted on it in a meeting with his writers -- something Berman later would not honor. Gene wanted the AIDS episode, showing m/m and f/f in the Riza scenes -- these were some of Roddenberry's requests to include in TNG that Berman later stonewalled.

Berman's era was sadly dated by his own misogynist bias, IMO, to the point that it can somewhat hurt the shows he worked on through his cringe egoism and blatant disrespect toward his female cast.

There is a reason why Gene could keep female actresses working with him and Berman had a revolving door of women that he couldn't seem to keep working for him -- he was abhorrent to women, on and off set. Gene wasn't perfect at all, he had a lot of issues himself -- but Berman was a whole other level. Just look at what he did to poor Jolene Blalock, Marina Sirtis and his toxic commenting on her body weight which exacerbated her struggles with eating disorders, or how he treated and talked to Terry Farrell.

Anyway, just some food for thought. I'm not saying anyone is wrong regarding a take like that, but there are a variety of ways to look at this. Gene Roddenberry isn't a saint by any means, but it definitely bothers me how folks will tote the Berman era as if it were the lesser of two evils or the more progressive depiction of women when I felt there were far more concerning portrayals of women in his era with far less justification.

(P.S: I don't event want to go near the sheer amount of "creepy old dude/villain preys on innocent/naïve/scared young woman or little girl" stories there were in Berman's era, either. But that's a whole other can of worms I can write about in a part 2.)

#star trek #star trek tos #star trek tng #star trek voy #star trek ent #star trek ds9 was the one show that went above and beyond #1shirt2shirtredshirtdeadshirt #oc #octrekmeta #octrek #gene roddenberry #rick berman #brannon braga #kirk #spock #uhura #rand #nichelle nichols #majel barrett #grace lee whitney #tos #tng #voy #ent #marina sirtis #jolene blalock #terry farrell

[larspinfieldsboyfriend]

okay maybe im just obsessed with james acaster and lars pinfield but like... the ghostbusters franchise does not give a fuck about lars....

like he has almost no promo? and god dont even get me started on how little he's credited

ON THE OFFICIAL GHOSTBUSTERS.COM WEBSITE UNDER CAST HES JUST DEADASS NOT THERE.

PATTON OSWALT WHO IS IN O N E FUCKING SCENE IS NEAR THE TOP, BUT LARS, THE MAN WHO HELPED MAKE THE NEW WEAPONS, WHO GOT FROSTBITE, WHO GOT PUKED ON, WHO SHOWED THEM ALL AROUND THR LAB, DOESNT GET HIS NAME ON THERE??? (or well james acaster's name but you get it)

fucking insane. might genuinely write a crazy long post about how paul rudd in the promo and advertisements is framed as the main character and mckenna grace is hardly even there but right now im talking about lars and james acaster. LIKE WHY IS SHE FOURTH ON THAT LIST. WHY IS PAUL RUDD HIGHER THAN HER ON THE LIST.

i mean, i know it's for marketing. i know thats why bill murray is in some of the promo and the other ghostbsuters arent. they want recognizable faces. capitalism. duh. BUT STILL???

I MEAN THEY PUT WILLIAM ATHERTON ON THE LIST BUT NOT JAMES?!?!?w@?eq#lw"#>rfkwrsgvlegk

AND GOD HES NOT ON PRACTICALLY ANY OF THE POSTERS

I MEAN HES NOT A MAIN CHARACTER I KNOW BUT HES A PART OF THE SUPPORTING CAST!!!!! LARS PINFIELD DID NOT GET PUKED ON AND GET FROSTBITE TO GET TREATED LIKE THIS

#james acaster #ghostbusters #ghostbusters frozen empire #lars pinfield

[waltricia]

A list of what I believe are the main symbolic elements of Bridgerton S3

(I’ll try to keep descriptions as brief as possible)

1. Lighting. The first and last episode titles are “Out of the Shadows” and “Into the Light”. So, all lighting, particularly on Pen, will be very significant. Throughout seasons 1 and 2, she is often cast in shadow, while the Bridgertons shine in the light. In season 3, we’ll see more direct light on her.

2. Mirrors. Yes, I know, but it’s not just about sexy times. Mirrors have been used to tell us about Pen’s secret identity, LW. Her mirror self is the true, brave, witty, brilliant self that she keeps hidden. While you’ll often see the other ladies of Bridgerton checking themselves out in mirrors (in addition to the Featheringtons, I’ve also seen Daphne, Kate, Edwina, and Violet looking into mirrors), you’ll never catch Penelope doing so. That’s the deeper significance of the mirror sex scene- Colin encourages her to confront that self.

3. Greece. This is Colin’s big symbolic element. Greek mythology will be all over the costume and production design. Obviously, we know on a base level that he loves Greece. On a deeper level, Grecian symbols will be used to reference Ancient Greek stories and mythology that will add layers of depth to the love story. Ex) Homer’s The Odyssey is about a man who must journey throughout and around Greece in order to get back to his wife, Penelope. During his journey, Penelope has to fend off a bunch of suitors who are trying to get with her. Even though she thinks Odysseus is dead, she still loves him.

4. Yellow/Blue/Green. I mean, c’mon.

5. Swans. The Bridgertons are mute swans (the regular kind). Pen is a black swan.

Sir, that is a swan.

6. Flowers. Pen is a wallflower. And actually, the meaning of flowers have always been directly explained to us (lilacs, “symbolic of first love”, tulips “they symbolize passion”). Maybe we’ll get another quote about the symbolism of flowers in season 3?

7. Writing/letters/quills/journals. A Polin love language. 🪶💌📔 Literally though, when Pen first asks anyone about sex (yeah, it was Marina, awkward, I know but 🤷), she’s made to equate it with letters.

That’s all I got for now I think.

If you’re just watching Bridgerton because it’s pretty and cute and sexy, totally fine. Watch it however you want to watch it. If you want to go further, really feel things, maybe get a greater sense of catharsis, or at least get more of the ‘oh, damn!’ factor out of it, pay attention to the above elements. They will be shown and not told. If you are stuggling to understand what the symbols mean, hmu. I’m happy to help. I’ve only been on Bridgerton tumblr for a week and a half, but I can say I’ve already seen great analyses from @bingiessm @ktbeets & @sea-owl .

And if there’s anything I didn’t include, but should have, please let me know. I want to learn more, always. 💛

#bridgerton symbolism! #yall already know about the candles #bridgerton #polin #bridgerton season 3 #bridgerton s3 #netflix #penelope featherington #colin bridgerton #shondaland #kanthony #nicola coughlan #luke newton #symbolism #mirrors #film studies #friends to lovers #romance #love #bridgerton parallels #lady whistledown #penelope x colin #colin x penelope

[spartazia-blog]

The Polin fandom (over)reaction and discussion around the Marina plot always blows me away because people are so over the top about it. Like, I also didn’t love it, but I sense for incredibly different reasons.

For me, the issue is more that it doesn’t treat Colin as his own character and rather just as the plot device that exists to develop Marina and mostly Pen. Colin gets basically zero POV and *that* bugs me. It could be a great story for his development but he’s essentially forgotten. He’s betrayed by the first woman he believes himself in love with and is exposed to that truth along with everyone else in highly public and humiliating fashion. That would rattle a person’s confidence in their ability to trust their own instincts to the core! And now it’s going to happen again! He’s going to fall in love with someone who is keeping a massive and potentially life-altering secret from him. How would he not see and have to grapple with that parallel? But none of that matters to the majority of the Polin fandom.

For a lot of people, it seems to be more about the fact that Colin is supposed to “belong” to Pen and him having any interest in someone else makes him lesser. Him and how he was impacted matters way less than that it made Pen sad to watch it.

Hence why so many want Colin to have to “watch Pen with someone else like she had to do” Which completely ignores the actual story that played out with Marina and how, while I understand and empathize with her, she was not an actual LI for him?

Side note: That also kind of reflects in how the fandom casts Marina so often as the villain/punching bag but rarely is that focus on her impact on Colin. It’s almost always about Pen and how *she* felt. People care more about one unkind moment, done out of fear and desperation, of Marina towards Pen than they do about the totality of Colin.

I also think, and this is the most controversial part, that people do know deep down that how Pen handled things with LW wasn’t great but, despite complaining that no one accepts her complexity, they don’t want to grapple with her choices or actually allow her that complexity. Hence, Marina bad but also somehow Colin bad so they must suffer for causing Pen pain (however indirectly) while we must brush past the impact that LW and Pen’s choices had on Marina and will continue to have on Colin. It’s also why Colin’s pain and how he was impacted only really seems to come up when people want to make Marina look like a villain so they can argue that Pen did nothing wrong. All initial discussions about the Marina storyline centre Pen and how it made her feel.

It’s why, again, people are so ready for Colin to “suffer” and uplifting some random plot device character (I have not and will not bother to learn his name.) Because, at the end of the day, even though the person actually most hurt and impacted by Marina *and* Penelope’s choices was Colin, he committed the ultimate sin of liking someone before Pen and that matters more to most of this fandom. Because, if most of us are truly honest, Colin doesn’t matter to this fandom other than as an extension of Pen. He is her prize and not his own worthy of development and complexity character.

P. S. If you don’t believe me, spend 2 minutes perusing the Ao3 page for Polin. How many stories are about Colin truly grappling with everything vs him being ‘punished’? And how often does that ‘punishment’ feature Marina cheating on/mistreating/abusing him but still focus mostly on Pen? Spoiler: it’s a huge chunk.

#polin #bridgerton #Colin does not matter to this fandom #and I will never stop banging on about that #because I am sick of being lied to #also #I see you #I see you Polin fandom #your exultion of the white guy Plot Device #vs the desperate and scared Black teenage girl #not the point of this post #but it always bugs me #Colin Bridgerton is his own character #and his pain and complexity deserve better

[ladykanthony]

I didn’t expect to like Queen Charlotte as much as I did. First because I don’t particularly like the queen in Bridgerton. Most of her scenes are about LW and I personally find that annoying. Second I have a love/hate relationship with Shonda’s productions. Some of her takes are really bizarre, she puts me off sometimes. 

That said, I thought Queen Charlotte was beautifully written, produced, filmed, edited and acted. The cast is definitely the best part, in my opinion. But, most of all, what I got from it is that is not about HEA, but happy while it lasts. Happy with what ones have. Whether it’s the queen, Brimsley, Lady Danbury or Violet. They lived, they loved, they thrived, they went through hardships, they lost and, you know, that’s life! They made and are making the best of it. 

In life, that’s pretty much all we can do.

#queen charlotte #queen charlotte: a bridgerton story #qcabs #opinion #charlotte x george #king george iii #true love is worth it

[stoat-party]

Canon/Headcanon ages for Fallout characters (potential spoilers)

I’m standardizing the ages to 2281, which is when New Vegas begins. (Fallout 3 is 2277 and 4 is 2287 but I haven’t played it yet). These are kind of estimations because obviously everyone doesn’t have the same birthday.

ED-E: 6. Literal toddler. Darling infant child baby.

Dogmeat (from Fallout 3): 12. (Not canon.) It’s on the elderly side for his breed (fanon pretty much agrees he’s a blue heeler), but I choose to believe that Fallout dogs have mutated to live longer. My version of Dogmeat either got too old or took too many hits by this point, so he’s retired to become Three Dog’s co-host.

Arthur Maxson: 14. I think it’s also canon that he became elder at 16, which I adore. Boy is way too young to look like that.

R.J. MacCready: 16. Mungo 😔

Follows-Chalk: 19. (Not canon.) Honestly, I’d be surprised if he weren’t a teenager. He’s very much finding himself and choosing who he wants to be, which you can still do at any age, but it’s a hallmark of your teen years. And he’s adorable.

Amata Almodovar: 23. (Pretty much canon.) Younger than the Lone Wanderer because she has no Pip-Boy when LW turns 10. Can’t be too many months apart, though, because they go to play with her when they’re 12 months.

Lone Wanderer: 23. They were born on July 13 and left the Vault at 19.

(my) Courier Six: Also 23. (Not canon.) I like having them be the same age. In terms of canon information, all we know is that they were well-established as a courier in 2277, so they probably wouldn’t be younger than about 21. It’s implied in one Lady Killer dialogue that they’re at least 36 (apparently had some sort of fling in Montana 18 years ago), but the dialogue is optional, so you can have them be whatever age you want.

Butch DeLoria: 24. (Not canon.) IDK where I got the idea that he’s a year older than the Lone Wanderer, because the only canon evidence I can find is that he already had his Pip-Boy at their 10th birthday, but I like it. Either he got held back a year, or Vault 101 combines classrooms due to low population.

Craig Boone: 26. Let the man be young pls.

Veronica Santangelo: 27. Older than she seems IMO.

Sarah Lyons: 27-28. Would be 30 if she were still alive.

Christine Royce: 28. (Not canon.) Because if you grew up with someone, I feel like it would be weird to date them if there had been a substantial age gap.

Nova: 29. A successful innkeeper living life and not being exploited, bless.

Charon: 30. (Extremely not canon.) I feel like most people would cast him as way older than that, but I’ve written his whole backstory and it requires him to not have been hanging out in Underworld for the past century. There’s no concrete information on this, so go wild.

Waking Cloud: 32. (Not canon.) Her third child is six, but she still seems pretty young. I imagine marriage age is a little lower in the tribes.

Vulpes Inculta: 34-38. (Canon is a passing shadow at this point.) Try as I might, I can’t figure out why people place the destruction of the Twisted Hairs as happening 25 years prior. Not only would Vulpes have to have been an adult then, he was a decanus before that. Which would put him in his fifties. He’s described in canon as a young man, though, and I’m also attached to this interpretation of him. It’s a mess, and I’m going with my gut.

Arcade Gannon: 35. Probably on the tail end of 35 since he says he’s in his late thirties. Happy birthday, Arcade, your prize is bandaging me up on our stupid adventures.

Daniel: 36. (Not canon.) In my timeline, he’s Joshua’s nephew, and he was a toddler when Josh left. I know that’s completely unsupported by canon, but I wanted to add personal drama to their ideological drama.

Rose of Sharon Cassidy: 37. Which makes sense because her father was in Fallout 2.

Benny: 40. (Not canon.) I’m a Benny-in-his-forties truther. He’s led the tribe for seven years, and he really doesn’t strike me as young. It’s also just funny that cosplay is his literal whole personality when he’s edging into middle age.

Lucius: 43. (Not canon.) Appears to be graying, still quite capable in a very physical job. He’s considered old in the Legion, but since it’s a young nation, most men are taken from their tribes as children, and death comes early and violent, I think old is a relative term. Caesar purposefully isolates men from their families so they’ll focus any filial loyalty on him, so I feel like he must be significantly younger than Caesar.

Ulysses: 47-50. (Not canon.) I’m even comfortable with casting him a little older. He exudes knowledge and experience with everything he does. He seems to have been an adult when he entered the Legion — which, as discussed, gets placed 25 years ago but IDK why.

Gob: 51. (Not canon.) Acts very young (could just be learned helplessness), so I’ve got his age frozen at like 20. He’d been a slave for fifteen years as of 2277, so I gave him about 12 years of being happy in Underworld with Carol.

James: 51-52, depending when you got around to the main storyline. He would be 55, but… yeah.

Joshua Graham: 54. (Not canon.) He says he was “young” 35 years ago when the Legion began. 19 is the standard age for Mormon men to go on their mission trips, and it’s also an important age in my version of the Fallout universe (i.e. the age I ruin my characters’ lives). I also like the idea of Joshua being a little younger and more sheltered than Edward, it makes his path to darkness more interesting.

Edward Sallow: 55. Again, this guy was my little brother’s age when one day he just decided to take over the world.

Star Paladin Cross: 60. (Not canon.) She’s a cyborg, so I think her cybernetics kept her in fighting shape a little longer.

Lily Bowen: 203. They turned her into a nightkin at 75! :((((((

Rex: 209. Ultimate immortal doggie.

Fawkes: 227. (Not canon.) I’m basing this on the cut Sheldon Delacroix logs, which would imply he moved into Vault 87 as a married adult.

Carol: 230. There’s some debate on this because she claims to have been a little girl when the bombs fell, but from her perspective I imagine everyone is a little child.

(my) Sole Survivor: 233. (Not canon.) Nora is a lawyer, and most American lawyers are 25 or older when they pass the bar. She also probably didn’t get married or have a child during law school (if she did… queen), so she’d have to be at least 26 or 27 during the prologue. I have her at 29 to make her the same age as my other two protagonists. Besties!

Raul Tejada: 234. By his dialogue, I had assumed he was a teenager during the Great War, but it turns out he was about 30. Multigenerational households FTW. Which probably means his age is frozen somewhere in his thirties and he’s not actually elderly. (Not that ghoul lore is actually consistent. Also, I’m not going to be the one to tell him it’s all in his head.)

Robert House: 261. Bro was born in 2020. Why, why would you do that to yourself?

Some of these are completely unsubstantiated so feel free to correct me or give your own opinion. I’ll probably edit if I think of more.

#fallout #fallout new vegas #new vegas #fallout 3 #fallout 4 #fnv #ed-e #dogmeat #arthur maxson #maccready #rj maccready #follows chalk #the lone wanderer #lone wanderer #butch deloria #craig boone #veronica santangelo #courier six #courier 6 #fallout charon #charon fallout #arcade gannon #rose of sharon cassidy #benny gecko #Joshua graham #sole survivor #raul tejada #vulpes inculta #ulysses fallout #Edward sallow

[skaruresonic]

Sonic is probably the only game series where fatphobia is largely absent. You'd think Eggman's weight would make him an easy target for mockery, but aside from "giant talking egg" and perhaps laughing a little too loudly at "Baldy McNosehair," Sonic refrains from mocking his foe's physical appearance.

I like to think the implication is that Sonic regards a person's character more than their appearance. It's actually kind of funny too since he's likelier to make fun of Eggman being old or loud than fat. In Battle he remarks "the old guy sure seems excited about something."

I suppose... there are a few moments in the Pontaff era where he skirts the line, but they're not really anything more than fleeting moments. He rubs his stomach when looking at his Classic self in Generations and recommends "diet and exercise" to Zomom. I think that's one of the few times he actually mocked someone for their appearance. While getting hit with a huge sandwich. Lol though I thought we don't talk about LW anyway.

As a matter of fact, I'd argue Eggman acts as positive fat representation. He subverts the trope of fat men being portrayed in media as unintelligent and lazy by serving a role as the series' villain. By being the most cunning, persistent, and intelligent character in the cast. That's a part of the reason why this insistence on downplaying his intelligence via his supposed inability to plan bugs me. Why are you in favor of taking away that which makes him unique?

I usually mention Eggman in this regard, but we mustn't neglect his grandfather. Gerald is not treated like a buffoon for his physique, but a brilliant and tragic figure in his own right, responsible for some of the greatest and most terrifying advancements in his world. The games rightfully grant him the gravitas he deserves. He was a deep thinker and a philanthropist, with a surprisingly more complex character than other series would probably have afforded him. The games have Shadow's respect for the Professor extend even as far as continuing to call his grandson by his title of "Doctor." ShTH pays his memory further respect when the Commander and President agree to work toward a brighter future. I love it.

Unleashed features NPCs of all skin colors and body types. Fat characters are presented without fanfare, simply existing as ordinary human beings alongside their thin counterparts.

In addition, there's a sidequest where you can get a Spagonia student, Dora, with her crush, David, who reciprocates her attraction. The situation is not treated like a punchline or a joke. Dora looks like this:

I was actually rather shocked because that almost never happens in games.

[bengiyo]

Hi! I have a few questions I hope you don't mind me asking. Would you say that you like Lovely Writer more than I Feel You Linger In The Air considering the LW is a 9.5 in your book but IFYLITA is only a 9. And even though IFYLITA is only a 9, do you think you would include it within your Queer Cinema for BL Syllabus considering other notable aspects about it

Hello! I don’t mind questions at all.

Ratings are Recommendations for Me

Before we get into why each show got a different score, I think it’s important to explain my ratings system again. I come from the land of media criticism, and the primary question for me is “How easy is this to recommend to people?” I secretly use a five-stars system (5 Great, 1 Terrible) that I simple double for the 10 stars of MDL that basically works as such:

No one should watch this. It is incoherent, poorly made, and offensive.

Only genre fans could appreciate anything happening here, but it’s still offensive and/or poorly made.

Genre fans can appreciate this show, but it has major flaws in execution, narrative, or themes.

Genre fans will love this. Strong execution overall but requires some familiarity to truly appreciate.

Everyone will love this and is a fine entry point for the genre. Excellent execution and strong storytelling.

Bad Buddy is a 9.5 for me because, while it is an excellent project, the episode 12 first half sucks so hard

So why does IFYLITA get a lower score than Lovely Writer?

IFYLITA is a beautiful show with strong performances across the entire cast. However, it is a time travel show in which I don’t exactly know what the point of the time travel is, other than to enable a historical romance and enable the storyteller to play with that setting from the modern perspective. I don’t know why Jom is being dragged around the time stream or why he’s doomed to fall in love with and be torn from Yai repeatedly.

Additionally, this is a slavery romance. I am a Black gay man born and raised in the South. Solomon Northup’s autobiography is required reading, as are other first person accounts of chattel slavery in the US and the way the North surrendered Reconstruction to the South. I also watched Kindred this year after having not read Octavia Butler’s work in a long time. I am not a person who typically enjoys the power dynamics of historical romance, and I really don’t like slavery romances. I was talking with @lurkingshan yesterday about how much I didn’t like Jom and Maey sitting on the floor as Eaeang Phueng says goodbye to her family.

Finally, I think Lovely Writer is more coherent. It’s a single-season story about a potential romance between a BL actor and a BL writer. The show goes on to unpack all of the complexities surrounding these two as they are forced to collaborate and cohabitate during the filming of a show. IFYTLITA muddles its ending, and we have been reliant on spoilers from book readers to make sense of what the hell happened at the end of the episode. I don’t like that. I hate when we’re reliant on commentary from the source media to understand what the hell happened in an adaptation.

So, because of these particular issues, Lovely Writer is slightly easier for me to recommend to people over I Feel You Linger in the Air. Despite how Nonkul and Bright delivered on what may be the most accessible romantic chemistry of the year, and how much I loved the way this show tastefully approached m/m intimacy and sex, the show has some stumbles that I think diminish it slightly. I think episode 11 is incredible. I think Episode 10 is too pat. I think Episode 12 is hedging too much on a potential second season and doesn’t close off season 1 in a way that’s satisfying for me.

These are all bigger or smaller issues than others. I also very, very rarely go back and change my ratings for shows based on modern circumstances. Lovely Writer was special when it released. We don’t get IFYLITA without Lovely Writer. When I finished Lovely Writer, I thought it was one of the best shows of the year and I thought every BL fan needed to watch it. It doesn’t get a 10 because so much of the drama is about BL itself, and so there is some explaining that’s needed for people who aren’t in genre.

So, to be clear:

For me, Lovely Writer is easier to recommend to people than I Feel You Linger in the Air. That’s the .5 difference between them.

I hope that all made sense. Thanks for the question!

#answered #i feel you linger in the air #lovely writer #thai bl #bl series

[kairunatic]

Sooooo

Since valentine's Crossroad event is done

What did you guys think of the event what are your insights?

Did you enjoy the Main cast screen time in the event?

Did you like the Visual novel choice style LW did for the new event where your Dialogue will affect the ending?

I'm curious to hear your guy's thoughts since I made a summary of the event so I'm positive you have an idea about the events plot lol^^

#housamo #tokyo afterschool summoners

[observers-journal]

just saw some of the recent anon asks about TH and LW. I think a lot of us are just reacting to the blasphemy/slander of the summer and wishing for something pleasant and nice to see (myself included). I don't think anyone will disagree that they definitely had a strong bond and he just sings praises of her at every opportune moment (saying that she is a queen/royalty in multiple interviews.....with her sitting next to him). I think that he just seemed so giddy when she is around and we all just wants to see him happy at this point :)

We all do nonnie 🫠but it's pretty clear their relationship was platonic. Both Tenoch and Letitia have incredible chemistry with whoever they act with! It was an extremely important movie for both of them. And they have spoken about how they helped each other. Letitia spearheaded the movie, and was visibly shaken from the loss of Chadwick. Tenoch has always praised and said he felt like the "Mexican cousin" when he joined the cast. Letitia had a big role to play in making him comfortable.

I think he's in a content and happy place all by himself. 😊 the recent events might have shaken him, but this man has never backed down.

To me, this interview is the perfect summary of their bond and the reasons behind it

#tenoch huerta #tenoch huerta mejia #jose tenoch huerta mejia #letitia wright #wakanda forever

[7deadlycinderellas]

Am weirdly curious about the status of the movie Ghostbusters in the Lockwood and Co world.

Like, I don’t recall the books mentioning too much about how the Problem was handled outside the UK.

Is it plausible that in NYC a solution was worked up by three guys working fringe parapsychology at Columbia?

...Is LW&C verse Ghostbusters a humourous pseudo-documentary with a way-too old cast?

#lockwood & co #lockwood and co #ghostbusters

[thekatebridgerton]

Okay the bridgerton break ups are killing me, can we please see how they back together cos I need some hea’s here

Okay, I get it, you convinced me, I should stop being lazy and finish the piece lol

First of all Kanthony gets back together the same way they do in the books. Kate has a car accident, the hospital calls him because he's still Kate's emergency contact, and Anthony runs, he doesn't even finish hearing the voicemail from the doctor, he just drops everything and races out. Kate turns out to only have a broken leg, but all the while Kate is getting her cast on Anthony is having the most major freak out of his life, because Kate could die! she could die! and he keeps repeating it to himself and Kate gets really worried about how he looks like he hasn't slept in ages. The next thing he knows, Anthony is hugging her, telling her he loves her so much, that he's been afraid of turning her into his mother who basically stopped functioning when his dad died because he was her world. But Anthony would rather live every day of his life loving Kate than waste another day without her. He lied to protect himself!! he does love her, he doesn't want to think of a world without Kate. And Kate decides to take him back, after he finally convinces her that all this time he did hear her her confession of love and did reciprocate her feelings, ever since they met, he was just lying about it. Anthony does do a 180 because he can't get over the fact that he could have lost Kate and she never would have known his feelings. Meanwhile Kate is pleasantly surprised at how much more free Anthony acts now that he's not lying to himself about loving her

Benophie, well, you guys probably already guessed it, Benedict makes a scene at Violet's birthday party, he gets into an argument with Araminta for harassing Sophie about the breakup and making it sound like it's all Sophie's fault, when he's the one who never deserved her. Finding out that Araminta and Sophie's dad sucked and that Sophie had a terrible home life. When Sophie thanks him for defending her like that, Benedict realizes that after knowing the terrible family Sophie came from, and hearing her talking with Roger about building her true family and raising kids with love and care, that his so called freedom means nothing compared to that. Because he's been trying to fill the void with meaningless hookups when all this time, he could be having something real and lasting with Sophie. the whole thing of having a nice house, doing chores. It suddenly hits him that building a future together with someone as brilliant as Sophie Beckett, sounds like a dream to him. So he apologizes to Sophie profoundly and goes all out to show her he's changed, he gets a permanent job at an art gallery, stops the random hookups, if he needs a date he only asks Sophie to go, and shows up alone to events if she says no. And when Araminta has her arrested on false theft charges, Bendict pays her entire bail out of his own savings, only asking her to give him another chance, this time, with the intention of getting married one day soon, if she'll have him. Sophie says that yes, she'll give him a chance, because she loves him, and eventually after a lot of persistence on Benedict's part, they do get back together.

Polin. I think these two got really angry at each other before the reconciliation, they both try to move on with their lives, but keep coming back to each other. Colin tricks Penelope into the 'we can still be friends right?' thingie that guys do when they're trying to change. But I think what does it for them is that in the dramatic moment when Colin doesn't run when he finds out that his ex, Penelope is the famous anonymous columnist LW. For the first time in the relationship he stays in England and faces her directly, because he's sick of running from his problems with Penelope. And he's sick of her expecting him to run. So he confronts her and they just have the big explosive angry argument they should have had before they broke up. Throwing blame, recriminations, hurt, every verbal weapon every bad memory, everything they hated or hid from each other fearing that their relationship wouldn't survive, they throw it there, out in the open. And then, by the end of the argument, both realize that they still love each other, that even trough all the dirty laundry they mutually aired, they both still think that the other is the best thing to happen to them, so Colin asks Penelope to be his girlfriend again, because he can't live without her, and if this is the worst they can do to each other, then they're going to be fine after all, so he will work hard to earn her trust, and since she also loves him, she agrees to try again. (Makeup sex was probably involved in this)

Philoise, well, that's just Eloise showing up in the middle of the night at Phillip's house, hugging the oversized stuffed animal Phillip got her for Christmas, during a thunderstorm, mumbling the most pathetic excuse, of being in the neighborhood, which basically boils down to a tearful 'Phillip I really really miss you' that just shoots Phillip's defenses to the ground. Because how can he not take her back when she's being so vulnerable and obviously in as much pain as him. He shows her that he built her a home office in his house, for her to use and she cries again, because of course he would, that's the type of idiot he is. Phillip is still angry at her for just breaking up with him without an explanation, but once Eloise does explain herself, and he has a chance of talking about his own trauma, they both agree that being single is terrible when you're inlove with someone this stubborn. The next day Oliver and Amanda find out Eloise is in the house and absolutely snitch on their father about what a pathetic downer he's been and how she needs to come back and 'fix him again'. So Eloise promises she's back with their dad, and here to stay. Although in this case, they do agree to take things slower (And by slower I mean Eloise will be proposing next week, because she saw Colin do it and it felt like a good idea)

Saphne, Ohh this one is the typical party girl x bad boy get back together, Daphne is partying hard till she drops for the third month straight, when Simon just can't take it anymore, because ofc Anthony was like 'Let Daphne make her own choices Simon' when Simon told Anthony to rein her in and watch out for her crazy celebrity friends. So Simon himself starts showing up at the events where Daphne is acting out, and just brining her home before she can be taken advantage of. Because for some reason he's now frequenting the bars she likes. At one point, he confronts her, tells her that she's better than this, Daphne tells him that so is he!. And they have a heart to heart, that brings them closer together. They decide to quit pretending they're okay, and do get back together after finally accepting that the other is not going to change and that relationships mean compromise, and it's not until Anthony has his first child a year later, that Simon revisits the children and marriage conversation with Daphne. Because after thinking about it for so long, he's ready to become a dad, not because Daphne wants to have kids, but rather because he finally healed enough to feel confident that he deserves to be loved and that he's not going to turn into his abusive father.

Franchel: Michael comes back from his travels, he admits defeat, he grovels, Francesca does not take him back, he spends way too long being Violet's plus one to family events just to get close to Fran again. Until literally half her family is begging Francesca to put him out of his misery and either honestly go no contact or take him back. She does finally take him back. But with much more healthier ground rules. (Oh who am I kidding, he seduced himself into forgiveness, because she sure was more forgiving after round 10 of seduction. That man has got a superpower only Francesca can tame. She was brave for holding him off for so long)

Hyacinth and Gareth did eventually find common ground after Sophie took Hyacinth out of the videogame room and made her see the underprivileged side of town so she could appreciate the privilege she was born into. Truthfully Hyacinth still the materialistic younger sibling all the Bridgertons love, but she does make an effort to help people who have less opportunities than her by participating in more activism, when Gareth sees that she's trying to be more sensitive to human issues that don't involve her personal self interest, he falls inlove with her again. Hyacinth asks him if they could start over and Gareth agrees, knowing that he was inmature too and that the best thing they can do is leave the past behind and get together under a fresh start.

Gregory and Lucy. Pretty sure they got back together because Haselby got sick of them and staged an intervention. Haselby made it look like Lucy was being blackmailed by a criminal and had Gregory think her life was in danger, when really it was just Lucy's creepy uncle locking her up at home and not letting her go to school because he found out her relationship with Haselby was a ruse. So Gregory bravely rode to the rescue, practically blew up the door to Lucy's house, and Lucy's bedroom where she was locked up by her uncle, and as an added bonus, Gregory had Lucy's uncle arrested for child neglect. Gregory also asked Simon and Daphne to pull some strings CPS and had Lucy placed with Anthony and Kate temporarily until she turned 18. Even after all this, Gregory was insecure about where he stood with Lucy, but once she was not restricted by her uncle and didn't have to fake her relationship with Haselby, Lucy was free to be honest with him and ask Gregory out for Prom herself, Gregory is obviously over the moon. Because she never stopped loving him and that's all he needs. And although Hermione Watson gets the title of Prom Queen, Gregory gives his own Prom King Crown to his beloved Lucy, because she may not be the diamond of the season for their fancy private school, but she is the Diamond of the season to him. (Bonus of their story is that they do get accepted into the same Ivy League College after graduation)

And that's the tea

#kanthony #benophie #polin #philoise #exes to lovers au

[justlarkin]

Unpopular housamo opinions since that trend is back?

I don't know how universally unpopular these opinions are tbh, I've just seen a couple people disagree with them here and there.

-I like the fucked up bastard characters and I would prefer if LWs let them be unapologetically fucked instead of trying to justify their actions with a sad backstory.

-I like that there's children in Housamo, it brings some variety to the cast and I like the little sibling/kouhai dynamic they have with MC. Remove the nonce bait, but keep the kids.

-Probably the hottest take here: This is more spurred on by the reaction to the recent Kouki alt, but some of y'all do realize that swimsuits and fundoshis aren't inherently sexual and little boys wearing them isn't sexual right? Visible cock and ass? Sexual. Little boy just existing and his private areas aren't even noticeable or detailed? Not sexual. I believe that some of y'all are just so chronically addicted to porn that you automatically view swimwear and fundoshis as fetishwear. Could you imagine how much of a degenerate you'd be if you saw a real kid wearing a fundoshi and went "kinda sexual innit?"? Straight on the registry with you.

-BomBom should draw more women. His characters have cuter faces due to the way he draws eyes and it suits the female characters. While I'm at it, Gomtang and Dai-XT too. That's some wasted potential right there.

-I don't care for the way the recent events are structured. It feels like we're getting less time to delve into each of the event characters because shit just keeps happening.

#ask

[astro-in-prog]

Had a random idea for Bridgerton season 3

Book spoilers I guess?

So I recently read that Colin is quite the matchmaker in the books and we know that Dankworth is going to be in season 3. From what I know (?) Dankworth and Prudence end up together in the books and so I would love it if it played out this way:

Dankworth approaches Penelope for a dance at a ball and since he is good-looking but dim (as described in the casting announcement) Penelope will probably consider him an as option so she can continue to run LW without him figuring it out. Colin will definitely be all hot and bothered about it and so set Prudence up with Dankworth instead. (He probably saw them talking earlier and thought they looked good together at least that's what he would tell himself)

Portia would be ecstatic that another daughter is married and thank Colin for making the match while being a lil sus about what his intentions are (because it's Portia and she isn't stupid).

I would love to see Colin on Prudence and Dankworths wedding day just beaming and unable to figure out why. (He is in his future mother in laws good graces, gets to spend the day talking with Penelope AND gets a suitor out of the way? He would be on cloud nine)

Bonus if we get Penelope walking down the Featherington steps looking drop-dead gorgeous and Colin just staring. I see it playing out like this:

Colin is chatting with someone or the other waiting to escort Penelope to her sister's wedding. He notices her coming down the stairs (because his Penelope radar is nothing if not attuned to her presence) and is STUNNED into silence by Pens beauty.

He keeps staring at her and she finally has to look down because his gaze is too intense. He offers her his hand and stutters through a compliment (his brain is totally overheating). Penelope jokingly tells him that he was supposed to find her a husband not her sister and their playful banter ensues.

Knowing Colin he'll want to escort her or talk to her privately but will use the 'let me tell you about the other eligible gentlemen of the ton' as an excuse to do it. Theyll definitely spend the entire day gossiping and laughing in the corner at the Featherington shenanigans. He'll be all happy and giggly when he gets back home and his siblings will definitely clock it.

Added Bonus: He has a Pen fantasy the same night and his brain finally starts putting the pieces together.

OR

He has his first dream the night before and his brain just shuts down when he sees her. He's fighting his thoughts because he's supposed to be a gentleman and Pen is his friend but he can't tear his eyes away from Penelope the entire day.

(I just know Luke Newton will slay this because his microexpressions are IMMACULATE)

LIKE JUST IMAGINE THIS LOOK..... THE ENTIRE DAY

i would pass out.

#colin x penelope #polin #polin bridgerton #bridgerton s3 #colin bridgerton #penelope featherington

[spartazia-blog]

Listening vs Obeying

Something I’ve been mulling over since seeing another round of discussion about Penelope and her choices specifically around the Marina and her children and Eloise LW publications is the notion of listening to someone vs obeying them. When we talk to people or provide advice, what is our expectation and goal in doing so? Are we helping and being a sounding board or are we trying to give marching orders? And, at the end of it, do we respect that ultimate decision maker in someone’s life is and should be them?

I ask because a common theme I see pop up is the idea that Pen “had” to resort to Whistledown because “no one listens to her.” But is that true? Did they really just close their ears and go “lalala” when she spoke to them? Or, is it that she was heard but she just wasn’t *obeyed*? And why do so many Penelope stans seem to have this absolute conviction that if she expresses something to someone or gives them advice, she is entitled to unquestioning compliance?

Colin listened to her about Marina loving someone else before him, he just didn’t go along with what she wanted him to do which was be horrified and cast Marina aside. In fact, he quite maturely expresses that it would hypocritical of him to do so given that he also has a past with other women. That’s really cool of him! It shows that he’s a solid and reasonable man who doesn’t judge others against a bar he wouldn’t use for himself.

Eloise listened to Penelope about she concerns (which Penelope was mostly lying about to outright gaslighting Eloise with to keep from getting caught as LW. Not to mention the hypocrisy over lecturing Eloise about going to ‘bad parts of town unchaperoned’ while Penelope was doing the exact same thing), Eloise just decided that her conversations and friendship with Theo along with expanding her mind at the rallies she was attending were worth the risk. Which, again, very cool. No matter how people try to spin Eloise as some selfish asshole, her pushing back against the box the patriarchal society she exists in and wanting to reach beyond the arbitrary barriers of class and gender placed on her is very brave and admirable.

Even Marina listened to Penelope about her objections to the Colin plan but was in desperate straits after Portia (whom the fandom never seems to want to blame for her part in that whole debacle or who does get to be applauded for doing whatever she needs for her children…hmmm…qWHITE interesting that point) locked her away, put the fear of God into her, and tried to sell her to a man who INSPECTED MARINA’S TEETH, so forged ahead. Marina’s choices are definitely murky and unfair to Colin but the idea that she was doing anything for some sort of diabolical and cruel reason and not out of desperation and fear driven by the terrible way society would treat her and, more importantly, her innocent children, is just not borne out by the narrative. And anyone trying to claim otherwise is not someone I can take seriously. Marina’s first choice being her children should be more admired than Portia’s choices but somehow, Marina is a villain while Portia is “complicated and flawed.” I cannot talk about Marina without wanting to wrap her in blankets and protect her from both the fandom and what I fear the show has in store for her. I admit this bias freely.

Penelope is never fully honest with people and then, when they don’t follow her marching orders on how she thinks they should operate, she goes nuclear and takes their choices away from them. Penelope is not the god of the people in her life’s lives. She is not *entitled* to being obeyed (even if you think she is 100% in the right when giving advice, this is still the case). People have their own minds, their own free will, and the right to make their own decisions and mistakes. Penelope needs to learn both to fully be honest and speak up as herself AND to accept that she is not the boss of the people in her life. There is no way she can be a healthy partner in her relationship with Colin (or anyone!) if she operates under the theory that if someone won’t take her advice willingly, she will just force their hand. And her stans need to learn the difference between being listened to and being obeyed.

I think she can. And I think, if her arc is done well, that will be a big point of growth for her. She will learn to use her words and her voice, as herself. She’ll learn to trust the people in her life - because she doesn’t really trust anyone right now - and she’ll learn to see the people in her life are entitled to autonomy. I just hope the fandom can learn the same.

P. S. This is all coming from someone who is a Polin fan desperately hoping their season gives me the growth and story I desire while dreading what I think is actually in store for them so miss me with the “hater” bs I can already sense coming.

#polin #bridgerton #penelope featherington #marina thompson #colin bridgerton #eloise bridgerton #advice vs orders #listening vs obeying #meta #thinking thoughts #not hate #just…thoughts #I’ve been mulling this for some time #the idea that one must do as told when given advice #is not actually how life works #autonomy