#probably shows my age and how i'm definitely not the target audience for this show lmao | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

swearyshera · 8 months

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Advance apology for the long ask in a likely sea of 'em. A lot of people talk about wishing they could experience something they love again for the first time, this series was genuinely as close to that as I've ever felt. Just given the span of time my attention flucuated on and off but once the latter half of s4/s5 began my attention was absolutely nailed to your feed. Its up with Dragon Ball Z Abridged as parody series that become so dramatically effective they become a valid or definitive way to experience the series. Goddamned sensational.

Your portrayals of the characters soar. They provide a hilarious, cruder take on each that still cuts right to the soul of who these people are and lays it bare, which I think is the mission of any good-natured parody. Adora, Catra, Glimmer, Scorpia, Bow, Prime etc. There is not one that does not shine. It tackled a ton of issues and misgivings I had about canon, and even elevated or clarified many scenes and arcs through addressing them a more direct fashion. You took full advantage of not having to dress up and dance around the dark subjects canon was sort of doomed to handle inadequately given its age bracket and thematic priorities. Many scenes were jawdropping. Ive raved about it before, but your scene with Glimmer actually talking about her mom with Catra still leaves me gobsmacked every time I reread it. Your big moments towards the finale btwn Adora and Catra are obviously sublime and tie their wonderful arc off fantastically, but in my heart of hearts that cell talk will be the crown jewel of this project. Loved seeing the LGBT message take center stage in way canon had to hold back. To paraphrase Tolkien, I'm can't count myself among those gifted people, and youve def got a target audience in mind, but if youve ever worried if your stories resonate on a quote unquote "more universal" level, I promise you can put those worries to bed. Since becoming an adult ive intentionally sought out more and more queer-inclusive/created stories and I havent regretted it a bit, and the rising tide of fascist sexist/homo/transphobic bile in politics gets more and more frightening. But I've also seen how strong and resilient LGBT people are in the face of it, empowering themselves in no small part thru stories like yours. Please don't ever give up on your art. The world needs artists like you. Sorry if I come off pretentious or condescending, I feel like that when I try to get everything I think out at once. I'll be among the first to come running if you ever start another project like this or make something on an even grander scale. Thank you a thousand times for this. Also writing a wholeass sitcom pilot based on an offhand quasi-joke I made is the most weirdly touching thing I think anyones ever done "for me" (at least nominally cuz of me), especially a stranger. So thank you for that too.

Aw, you'll make me cry, you know! I think you've understood everything I wanted to do with this strip (or at least, when I started thinking beyond just 'characters saying fuck'), and... yeah, it's been an incredible journey, both for the blog and for me personally.

I've always tried to keep the parody good-natured. You can often tell, particularly in parody, when the creator dislikes one particular character (I mean, Horde Prime was probably the exception here), but I love all of them, so it really comes from a place of love. It's quite odd because I never set out to "fix" the show, and I wouldn't want to, but some things I've done seem to have had such an impact that a lot of people think I have done just that.

The Glimmer/Catra conversation is absolutely one of my favourite things I've written from this. It's such a pivotal moment in both their stories and character development, and I am truly humbled that multiple people have called it 'better than canon'. Like... I'm just some person trying to be funny and occasionally serious, and people are saying something I wrote is better than what a team of experienced professional writers did? Give over, no... But it's still a moment I can be proud of.

I won't be stopping writing things. This whole blog has given me a new lease of life and something to aim towards. I've got an excellent pilot script pretty much finished, and I do want to bring Hellspawn up to that standard too (thank you for suggesting someone make a Sweary Frosta sitcom - I'm someone!). That may well involve a complete re-write, but I'll be sure to share it.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your kind words along the way. It really keeps me going :)

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moonypears-blog · 20 days

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Hi so I had ✨️thoughts✨️ on a concept for a stf episode/scenario/etc that I remembered tangentially related to your Papa story (so good btw) (also this may end up being long I'm so sorry)

It'd most likely be something geared towards an older audience (like not kindergartners lol, something for the spinoff whenever that happens maybe? Idk what the target audience for it will be considering we dont know anything about it) and framed as either a Father's Day or Halloween episode (I don't think we got any Father's day eps other than the one episode I hate with a burning passion)

Basically, Sofia is going through her things and finds something of Birk's, whether it be some sort of sailing gear or clothing or a gift or an image of them together (idk it could be anything, we know borderline nothing about this man) and she's hit with what I'm going to call the Rose Quartz effect. Missing a parent who you barely/don't know, having unanswered questions that won't/can't be answered, having all these conflicting feelings about this one person and feeling all of them yet none of them at the same time. Losing a parent at such a young age is rough and was just the tip on the iceberg of Sofia growing up far faster than she needed to.

Where am I going with this? Well, because of all of these unanswered questions and difficult emotions, Sofia wants to talk to her deceased father. Ghosts exist canonically in the series, who's to say they can't be summoned? Maybe she gets help from Cedric, or she finds a book on her own, or maybe she even gets help from Lucinda and the witches or that one ghost from the Ghostly Gala episode who's name I can't remember but I definitely had a crush on as a kid.

The main conflict of the episode would probably be all of these internal conflicting desires for Sofia, possibly also Miranda's own feelings about her belated husband (is this how you use belated? Idk lol).

Regardless of how it happens, the episode ends/has its final act with Sofia summoning her father, Birk. He sees how much his little girl has grown up, how brave and kind and smart she is. She gets to see and say goodbye to her father a final time and get proper closure. Maybe throw in a line or two there from Birk on just how grown up Sofia is, almost (definitely) too grown up for a pre-teen/adolescent girl.

The message of the episode would probably be something about grief and the process of it all, how it's okay to be angry that someone you love is gone, how talking about it opens old wounds but helps to heal them. It's bittersweet.

But yeah definitely not something suited for what the original demographic for stf was. Of course important to talk about, but with what I'm talking about it'd probably go over such young heads.

Sorry that this is so long! I had to get all my thoughts out and it got pretty rambley lmao

This is such a good idea for an episode!

I agree that Birk would be disheartened at how grown up Sofia is, obviously he'd know she's grown since she was five, but she's too far ahead, and not in the natural way that some children just emotionally mature quicker than their peers.

I think even though it's been a long time and Sofia doesn't really have anything to miss as she hardly knows life with him, she still really misses Birk, like I said in chapter two of "Papa..." some days she just wants to be by herself and lay in bed grieving him. I wish the show brought it up, especially for the potential children watching who lost one of their parents like Sofia. This would be a really good episode for that reason alone, honestly.

Honestly it wouldn't surprise me if this spin off went a more mature route, considering how a good deal of the fans are teens and adults, and there's going to be people watching who grew up on the show and are now older just out of curiosity. If I remember rightly something similar happened with miraculous ladybug, they started making the episodes more mature after the creators realised the main audience was teens and adults, not their original target audience. I've seen Craig interact with lots of older fans so he definitely knows they're a big audience!

#Also you don't need to apologise for rambling in my asks I love it!/gen #sofia the first #sofia the fandom #stf #princess sofia #sofia balthazar #moonypears asks #asks

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kimikoyukiart · 9 months

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Hey! Idk if you remember, I'd talked to you about making your aymeric x estinien housing art into ffxiv housing. Ever since then, I have really fallen in love with your art style! I am also a noob artist and opened comms recently, but I haven't gotten any yet haha do you have any advice and tips for me to help gain an audience and commissioners? Thank you and goodluck with your shop!

Hello again! Yes, I remember gosh thank you so much for enjoying my art! Also I'm always super happy to answer art stuff since I'm in love with it, but I will open with a disclaimer specifically for the growing audience bit cause for a long time I've primarily been an OC / original art artist and it wasn't till I became cripplingly obsessed with estimeric that I grew some semblance of a following so I'm a pretty small artist by most standards ;;; With that said, here are my tips and advice which I'll separate into 2 parts

Putting this under a read more cause it's LONG

Commissions (mostly about expectations, best practices, and organisation to make it easy on clients)

Have some kind of commission page (here's mine for example) to make it easy for your clients to be able to reference something and for you to direct new inquiries to. This can be anything from a website/carrd to even just a google doc/tumblr pg. Will there be clients who never read this? Absolutely. BUT it's also great for clients who are shy and/or who like coming prepared

Have a Terms of Service section!! In our current day and age of tech bros and assholes trying to exploit and scam creatives I cannot express enough how just having a TOS will deter these ppl! It shows you're serious and that you know what you're about, making you less of a target!

MOST IMPORTANT! Be kind to yourself!!! Opening commissions is exciting due to the prospect of making money from something you love and it can be very disappointing and demoralising when you don't get any! It's also a very "feast or famine" type of roller coaster, so don't feel bad if you don't get any, even super large artists struggle!

Building a following (from someone who's doesn't actually prioritise this so take it as you will!)

You've probably heard this before but fanart is definitely better at drawing a crowd than original art so I feel obligated to mention it. (I'm a pretty classic case study of this imo lol) And the reason for this is that there's already an established audience out there that loves the content you're making unlike original art where you're starting from ground zero. Does that mean you should give up making original art if you want followers? ABSOLUTELY NOT! And honestly most of my advise will be from the perspective of growing an audience via original art because you can apply the same principles to fanart so here we go!

Consistency is key. Being a constant presence on your existing followers' feed means having consistent chances for them to share/engage with a piece of your artwork, which means more chances for new eyes to see them which means more chances for followers etc etc. But what's the pace? Well that depends on how brutal you're interested in being with yourself unfortunately....if you die hard want to grow as fast as possible then once a day (i've seen some artist do more;;;) but it's something I would NOT recommend for all sorts of risks. (you can mitigate the risk ofc but that's like a whole thing in itself) I'd advice you to figure out a pace that works for you so that you maintain a healthy relationship with your art

Join events/zines/bandwagons. Whether it's things like drawtober, ffxiv art parties, or zines, engaging with community/communal activities (especially those with hashtags/promos) can help you engage with people who might not have found you otherwise. If you're a social person it's a great chance for you to make friends who have similar interests too! Making art related to a piece of media that just came out is also great way of engagement since people are probably looking for it (for example spidersonas or dressing OCs in outfits to watch the barbie movie)

Make it easy to find your art when someone visits your page. It doesn't necessarily have to be a full portfolio, but giving viewers a place to see only your art posts is crucial imo. Tumblr is great since it's tagging system is fantastic making this part easy but places like Twitter for example only have a single media tab; so making a thread for art post or keeping your media tab clean is ideal. (you've no idea have many artists i've chosen not to follow cause their media tab is 1 awesome piece of art then just 500 cursed memes/reaction images lol)

HARDEST BUT MOST IMPORTANT POINT! Make compelling art. I follow artists who post a piece of art maybe once every....I dunno 3 months if even that, but when they do they get thousands of notes, why? Because it is a compelling piece of art. Something that touches the heart or makes you gasp in awe or swoon from it's vision or die laughing. And this is the hardest point because what that looks like is completely unique to you. Basically it is your answer to the question of "Why do I make art?" which artists everywhere all around the world, regardless of genre or industry, are trying to answer themselves. The one thing you MUST REMEMBER while you try to figure this point out is that it must involve Love. That means loving the journey; the grueling failures, steep learning curves, and all, because if even you don't love what you're trying to create other won't either. And that's not to say you have to be happy about a piece of art not turning out right (I still cry from frustration myself all the time) but it does mean be kind to yourself when you fall so you can pick yourself up easier when you stand again

THAT WAS SUPER LONG WOW! With all that said tho those 1st 2 points for growing an audience is what I would recommend focusing on! The internet is all about engagement and you can't have that if there's nothing to engage with! Also because it just bears mentioning that sometimes it is just a skill thing and you just have to get better at drawing BUT that is not to say skillful=complex! Nonono take a look at webtoons like "My Giant Nerd Boyfriend" by fishball or "Sarah's Scribbles" by Sarah Andersen. Or illustrator's like loonpflug or mmeiccaa. It's not complex but it's some FKIN GOOD ART!

Ok I will stop my ranting here GOOD LUCK AND DON'T FORGET TO BE KIND TO YOURSELF!! You are more than how many numbers you make on the internet and I hope that you always remember that 💖

#asks #oh as a footnote i guess #pretty promo posts for ur comms will prob help #if you see comm promo posts that look pretty u can save them as refs for urself #just make sure they're clear #also luck #so much LUCK #so don't feel bad if it takes awhile #just keep at it #AND HAVE FUN!!!#also also the risk mitigation for consistent posting rlly is it's own post #so feel free to ask again if u'd like to knw more #or wanna knw anything in general lol

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alphinias · 2 years

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I watched TSITP in one sitting and immediately devoured the first book (about to start the second one).

I can totally see now why people were saying the show was even better than the book which took me by surprise 'cause that's a bold statement I had never heard in my life before.

They fixed a lot of things in the series that were probably ok in 2009 when the books first came out but wouldn't stand a chance today, especially if the target audience is young women in 2022.

13 years isn't THAT much but sure things have moved and progressed fast in the last decade, so many nuances of the story would have been slaughtered if they sticked to the book step by step. I'm glad they smoothed Conrad's character and watered down some of the possessive ways he acted and same for Belly being 10 times more "I act for myself first" and less obsessed over him. Watching the show I'm 100% team Conrad but I'm not gonna lie a lot of moments reading the book I was like "mmmmh boy, no" (for example when he kept grabbing her by the arm at the bonfire dragging her away from Cam or how forbidding some of his statements sounded) and they sure fixed it in the script, show Conrad is definitely jealous but not possessive. Same thing goes for a lot of the female characters like Taylor and Nicole, in the books it's almost like Belly projects her insecurities despising other girls, none of her relationships with other girls her age seemed to matter or to be real and I'm glad in the show they actually said "no, this isn't happening 'cause in real life girls don't go around catfighting 24\7. They maybe won't be the best of pals but they'll be cool and respectful with each other" which added A LOT to Belly as character. I love how they also toned down a little the bitterness between Jeremiah and Conrad, it is definitely there on screen but it isn't as snappish as in the book (like Jeremiah showing off is new body to Belly and Conrad calling him out at the dinner table).

Overall they tried to make everything a little more healthy and easy for the people following the story to like the characters and empathize with them, I feel like in the show you can easily struggle with "it's so hard to pick a side 'cause I love them all, they're all great" while with the books you can easily think "it's so hard to pick a side 'cause they're all messy" (not gonna lie borderline toxic, ALL of them). With the show you pick your favorite, with the book you pick who you despise less.

This makes me hopeful about the next seasons, I yet have to read the next two books but I roughly know what's gonna happen in the story since it's been impossible to avoid spoilers and I have this belief they won't go there with the marriage proposal, it's too much and it probably would divert the audience from the empathy towards both ships and they'll probably scratch that replacing it with another big deal but not as drastic (maybe moving in together) 'cause considering how much of a big deal the ball was in the show and her already having to choose between one of the two brothers but not at all in the book I have the feeling they kind of used it as symbolism for the wedding storyline (I picked Jeremiah, I'm there in the white dress with him but SYKE it's Conrad in the end always been him) and letting it happen now while they're all teen and it's not so serious, I don't know maybe that's just my wishful thinking but I can see them fixing this as well and making it more acceptable.

Never thought I'd be saying these words in my life but so far season 1 vs. book 1? The score is Book 0 - TV show 1.

Like I’ve said, it’s been years and years since I read the books, but yeah. Definitely thought a lot of it would have aged poorly from what I do remember. It’s definitely a product of its time.

Hats off to Jenny Han and everyone who worked on the show, truly. They improved all the areas that needed it and made the good things as good or even better.

I am also hopeful than they will translate some of what’s coming better after what they changed in S1.

#the summer i turned pretty #ask

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inquisitorius-sin-bin · 1 year

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Where would you rank the SW animated shows, TCW and Rebels?

Against each other or with other things I've watched?

I like them both a lot. I remember going to see the TCW animated film in theaters with this girl I had a crush on in High School. At the time I guess we would have just met, so we were just friends then. Seeing it when I was the target age, like 13-16 years old basically, TCW hit differently, but I don't think I finished it or saw ALL the episodes when it initially came out. (TV schedules pre-streaming, busy High School schedule, sharing a TV with parents, and all that). I just remember really liking it.

I re-watched TCW and watched the entirety of Rebels in college. So like, as a 19-22 year old. A little older than the target audience, but not old enough to really connect with the found family message and whatnot yet either. ESPECIALLY as someone going through an incredibly difficult time and an abusive relationship with my family. I sometimes wonder if Rebels would have impacted me differently if I saw it as a 13-16 year old or now, as an ADULT adult at (nearly) 28.

A horny 20 year old with issues™️ is going to connect with media in a completely different way and boy did I. Not that I regret it, aha. I mean, the Grand Inquisitor is now inked on my arm forever and I'm still drawing/writing alien dicks. Just a curious, passing observation.

I really should try to do a re-watch at some point. I'd definitely be a lot more sympathetic to Ezra and Sabine now than I was then. Like when you're 19 I think that's probably when young teenage characters are at their MOST annoying to you, but now, I have like, nieces and nephews that age and I hate seeing how they're treated as a nuisance by other family members. I'd probably relate more to Hera and Kanan than I did then, being "parent age" and having friends with kids and all, being very involved in actively working to make my community a better place, etc.

But obviously not going to lie Imperial characters still uhhh... they do it for me. Seeing Dedra's little face twitch when she was interrogating Bix? Ohh. Yeah that little twisted fucking cycle path in me still wants to get fucked silly by the Inquisitorius and I DOUBT that's going anywhere. Those neural links are deeply ingrained.

I don't know that I answered the question. But thanks for asking!

#i also have thots about tarkin as well but not his rebels look #marshall cant ever remember dedras name so he just calls her dommy mommy and that about sums it up tbh #my/my husbands mommy issues 🤝 imperial tv villians 🤝 my daddy issues

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darcyolsson · 2 years

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☕️ i think maybe its just because im getting older but i havent been able to get through heartstopper the show yet like i love the osemanverse and n&c but when they say things like “i wish id met you when i was younger” im just like... youre like 16 bro how much younger??? i think its just the fact that im in my 20s and watching shows about teens doesnt appeal to me as much... idk its not a bad show though

oh yeah i talked ab this a bit earlier, i can definitely tell i'm kind of outside the target audience. i've been out of high school for a few years now so i've kind of strayed away from the school-based media because these children... are children!!!! theyre just kids!!! i think that when you're 16 you feel old but when you're 20 you think of 16 year olds as literal babies. i love the show but i would probably have loved it in the way i loved the comics if i was younger, in the sense that it was a lot more relatable to me when i myself was nick and charlie's age. the story just hit a bit harder back then than it does now. however alice has had me in a chokehold since 2017 and she's not letting go anytime soon i fear so i really did enjoy the show a LOT <3

#also you age so fast as a teen like 14 is so different from 16 so i didn't mind that line actually #crackbabymp3 #answered asks #alice don't see this #hstv

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commanderbuffy · 9 months

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The movie is rated PG-13, and while the whole ratings system isn’t perfect, the target audience is women age 20+ i think. I wouldn’t suggest bringing a 6 year old but the 12 y/o is probably fine. I’m going to take a wild stab and say the reason you say you dislike Barbie is actually something that comes up in the movie.

I honestly have no clue what all comes up in the movie... Like I honestly don't want to hate the movie. I've disliked Barbie since I was 5 which was back in the 2000's. I guess part has to do with my parents trying to force me into likeing "girly" stuff because i was/is a tomboy. But now being in my early 20's I'm trying to get out of the this is only for girls and this is only for guys mindset if that makes sence? Because it was drilled into my head and I absolutely hate that mindset. I've noticed since I'm getting older I'm starting to actually like all the what would be considered "girly" now. Because how I see everything now, everything shouldn't just be considered either "girly" and "boyish". Everyone should be able to enjoy what they like without being judged. Because I've been judged all my life because of being a tomboy and wearing nothing but "Manly" clothes but to me it's just clothes. But once I actually started showing that I've actually enjoy watching Nicholas spark movies and one tree hill and all that. Hell i was made fun of by my best friends for actually showing how much i like Taylor Swift and how much a Swiftie i actually am. But I guess that's part of living in a small conservative town why I love visiting the twin city's because there's so much diversity and I can fully be myself. Sorry this is long and got a little carried away... But I honestly don't want to hate Barbie and very much considering on going to watch it.

Those are totally valid feelings and experiences! I’m not going to post any spoilers or big plot points to the movie because…spoilers lol. Also it’s definitely a movie you’re better off going in blind to

If you don’t mind the investment of the price of a movie ticket, then I highly recommend going and going in with an open mind.

Because it’s so freaking good.

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shadowthestoryteller · 2 years

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I have finally made peace (somewhat) with the Bad Batch show

I still am unsatisfied with how they did things, namely Crosshair's dechipped reveal and the over abundance of cameos. I also feel like most of the time and effort went into the animation. Which admittedly is ASTOUNDING compared to Season 1 of the clone wars. The pacing is still a bit odd, and I feel the Infested ep should DEFINITELY have come before Ryloth.

But all that aside, I've come to accept something

It just wasn't made for me

Let me explain

TLDR at the end for those with ADD like myself

I felt often that the episodes lacked the deeper "omph" that some episodes in the clone wars had. There was angst, yes, but it wasn't really explored or fleshed out. Things kinda happened more for shock value (ex. civvie BBQ, dechipping, ect) and then weren't ever... mentioned again??? Crosshair, forced against his will to brutally murder unarmed civvies alive, only to never have it mentioned again. That's no small incident. The Crosshair from tcw would definitely have felt deep rooted and visceral horror at what he'd done, even if he didn't say it aloud. Because he's not evil.

You don't just brush something like that off. Admittedly, we do see him reflect at the end of that episode but then we just... move on. It is never brought up again. His abandonment gets a bit more spotlight, with that absolutely gut-wrenching speech in episode 15. Even still, it doesn't go as deep into it as I feel it could.

Ultimately, much of my issue boils down to that; things weren't really addressed in-depth like I felt they should be. Many of my fellow Bad Batch stans have the same thought. There are many fans out there who have, in my opinion, written the Batch better than the show-writers. I myself have gotten the same praise, which is not to brag but to point out that even those writing for purely hobby's sake go in-depth with the characters and their issues.

Thing is... we go deeper into these issues, into what should be broken men, because of one critical factor.

Our target audience is NOT a bunch of kids.

The Bad Batch show, per IMDb, is rated TV-PG. PG. That's for kids. Just like the Clone Wars.

I was eight when the Clone Wars movie came out. EIGHT. Why did I watch it? Cool lightsabers, neat character designs, kick-ass action sequences, and intriguing plots. NOT deep and intricate characterizations. Hell, half of it probably went right over my head. Because I was a KID. Kids aren't really gonna get the deeper meaning of things. Ask a eight year old to read Shakespeare and see what happens. They don't care. They care about action or cool visual effects.

The Clone Wars, and by extension Rebels, did mature as the seasons went on, but that's probably because the audience who started with Season 1 was also more mature. They could better understand the death. The corruption. The deeper, more adult themes.

Many of us fanfic writers, or at least those in my circle, are 17+ verging on 18+. My material is not for kids. Or even teens at some points. I can delve into things like PTSD, abandonment, perfectionism, trauma, abuse, and so on. Because I'm not targeting young kids; I'm targeting people around my age. Those who too grew up with the clone wars and deeply yearn for a different outcome. A different outcome where the galaxy didn't fall. The clones got their freedom. And the musty crusty dusty raisin choked on a grapefruit.

My audience is different. As such, I'm going to tackle topics a completely different way. Ways that no kid, or sometimes even teen should be exposed to.

Writing is an art, and a hella difficult one at that. Especially when aimed at kids. Even if you want to explore the character on a deeper level, you can't. Not if you want the rating to stay the same. A kid will look at Crosshair's speech and go "yeah he's hurt". But they probably won't think too much of it.

I didn't realized the true terror of the mind control worms. I didn't think too much of Pond's death. Umbara didn't horrify and scar me. It was only when Ahsoka underwent the hell that she did that I really felt impacted by the show. Because at that point, I was 12 almost 13. And I'd been attached to Ahsoka for years, so saying goodbye to her was saying goodbye to my childhood. But if you showed me that exact same scene at 8, I would have just "noo!! she's leaving!" and then jumped to something else.

Because that's how kids are. They don't really get the deeper "what's happening here". Looking back they will, just how looking back we all are like "bro what were those early kid's movies ON that is NOT child friendly" (Pink Elephants in Dumbo, the entirety of All Dogs Go to Heaven, ect). Another example? That scene in the Patriot (2000) where the surrendering soldier got shot in the face? I remember very vividly my seventh grade classmates laughing. Kids and very young teens aren’t exactly gonna take dark things seriously.

The Bad Batch isn't meant to be a deeper, thought provoking show with convoluted and twisted morals, showing the horrible and dark reality of war.

It's a kids show.

For kids.

Hence Omi. She's the tether for the kids. As such, the topics cannot get overly dark. But when they do, they can only be shown at surface level. Something that, to an older audience (such as myself) comes across as shallow and lazy.

Do I still wish they did things differently? Yes. Do I prefer my/others version over the show? Yes. Will I still grumble about things? Most likely yes. Will I make shots at canon in my fics? Hell yeah, its fun.

Here's the thing.

You're allowed to complain! You're allowed to hate something! You're allowed to wish they did something differently! Welcome to media consumption!

But you can't go into a kids' show with adult expectations and then be surprised when it doesn't meet those expectations. If you want a animated series catered to adults, watch Arcane. The Bad Batch show, a show rated PG, is simply not for you.

Additionally, you most certainly cannot bash others who like the show/characters. The amount of hate I see towards Omi, a literal child, is sickening. Do I like her within the context of the show? Not really, no. I feel like her presence limits how dark they can go, and I also feel like she replaced Crosshair as the marksman. But do I hate Omi herself? NO. She's the new generation's Ahsoka.

TLDR;

The Bad Batch is made for kids, and judging it by adult standards will just leave you disappointed. I know, because I did the exact same thing and have suffered for it.

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potteresque-ire · 3 years

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hello, ily metas! thank you for taking the time for them. i hope you dont mind an ask with two follow up questions to your metas i'm curious about: 1) has mxtx rly been sentenced? i have seen others also share this news but other fans have quickly dismissed and gotten pissed at these reports for being fake news that are bad for mxtx, and as fearmongering. 2) for those who want to support yizhan but not the ccp, do you have advice how to navigate fan support and interaction with their media?

Hello! I apologise for the late reply! You’ve brought up some interesting points, so please forgive me for responding with an essay.

First, about MXTX — This is a follow-up to this post.

Unfortunately, this is all we got—all everyone has got about MXTX’s current situation: on 2020/11/10, she was sentenced in Hangzhou Shang Cheng District’s People’s Court (杭州市上城區人民法院). No details were given on her verdict, due to “人民法院認為不宜在互聯網公布的其它情形” (“The People’s Court decided it inappropriate to announce further details on the internet”). Here’s a link with the screenshot that showed all the information released about the case that day.

There are enough copies of similar screenshots to this one online, with the differences dependent on where the publisher pulled the information from the same website: 中國裁判文書網, an online archive of verdicts run by China Supreme People’s Court. There’re few reasons, therefore, to believe the information on the screenshot was fake. The link I used was Sina’s Financial News, which I believe is trustworthy enough for China’s standard.

It is also important to note, of course, that two scenarios may still render this screenshot irrelevant. 1) The verdict, which was not mentioned in the screenshot, was “not guilty” and 2) the name listed in the case, 袁依楣, was not MXTX at all.

Few have seemed to suspect 2) to be a possibility. Her real name might have been prior knowledge among some fans, or the combination of her surname and city of residence. 1) has been the where the concern / debate is.

I included China’s rate of conviction in the original post for this reason: acquittal is exceedingly rare (<0.1%) for the arrested in China. This short article discussed some reasons.

So, is it possible that MXTX is now a free woman? Yes. Is it likely? Not at all.

Still, since the probability that MXTX is imprisoned isn’t 100%, is spreading this news smearing her name? Fear-mongering?

I can only answer for myself, Anon, but my answer is no for both questions, which is why I’ve felt comfortable posting about her case. MXTX’s alleged “crimes” are things we already knew she did, or common practices among Chinese IP writers. We know she penned MDZS and other BL works; we know MDZS, in particular, has an 18+ element. She was said to have sold merch based on her works, but that wasn’t unusual at all for writers in Jinjiang, where she published her writing. Even those who don’t like her have seemed to agree that it was her writing that got her into trouble, not some other crimes she could’ve committed.

IMO, a guilty verdict doesn’t tell us as much about her as it does about the judicial system, the business practices of her country. It’s worth re-mentioning that media giants such as Tencent are closely tied to the government; Tencent’s WeChat, for example, is part of China’s Great Firewall and is used for surveillance, for censorship and removal of political dissidents. What MXTX’s case hints at is this: the government has (very likely) convicted her, while its close allies are continuing to use her works—works that got her into legal trouble in the first place—to make money. Some fans of MXTX have questioned if the courts have censored the details of the case to save the embarrassment of the rich and powerful, calling what has happened to MXTX 人血饅頭 (“human blood steamed buns”), an idiom used to describe the act of profiting out of someone elses’ life.

As for fear-mongering, here are my thoughts ~ it would’ve been fear-mongering if the public has access to the facts, and not years after they happen. Specifically, it would’ve been fear-mongering to leak the rumours of MXTX’s sentencing, when the judicial system is transparent and the case details will soon be published for all to see. Why? Because “fear” comes from the unknown, and “-monger” is the unnecessary promotion, stirring-up of this fear.

To promote, stir up anything, one needs a reference level. The reference level in this scenario is this: what is the level of fear if the facts about MXTX’s (and other BL writers’) situation are known? Of course, this knowledge doesn’t make MXTX’s experience any easier or more just; it doesn’t cause her less fear. However, she isn’t the target audience of this likely-to-be-true rumour. The target audience is the public and in particular, those who consume and/or generate BL material online.

What is the level of fear among this population if the facts about MXTX’s (and other BL writers’) situation are known? It’s the (relative) comfort in knowing the government’s stance on what they do: how the administration feels about BL, 18+ BL, and their distribution methods. The comfort comes from having the right information to decide how to act accordingly. For example, if I’m a BL writer based in China and I know the court has found MXTX guilty of bypassing publishing houses but not of writing M/M romance, then I’ll know to not produce paper versions of my writing, but I can keep writing.

This reference level of fear is unavailable here, however, since the government has decided to withhold all details about the case. Without this reference level, fear-mongering becomes a ... difficult to define concept.

Are these likely-to-be-true rumours agents of fear, or are they hints on how to survive in a country that lacks transparency?

Continuing with the example of I being a Chinese BL writer, since I cannot expect to hear more facts about MXTX, this rumour is all I’ve got in choosing what to do with my hobby, in deciding whether it is safe to continue. As I’m aware that a rumour isn’t a fact, I first research on the rumour’s likelihood of truth (similar to what I’ve done for MXTX’s case), and cross my fingers that I don’t get it wrong.

By doing so, I’m turning these rumours into my survival guide.

Is it risky? Yes. Is it exhausting? Absolutely. But this is the way of life for people who live under secretive, authoritarian governments—the authoritarian element making it impossible to demand more facts. It may take people outside such regimes some time to get used to—to the lifestyle, and to the idea that, in a place where news is often synonymous with propaganda, rumours are breadcrumbs of truth that should be sieved through with equal care as one would sieve through the news. Heeding, considering the probable truth of what the authority has deemed to be fear-mongering rumours can be a matter of literal life and death.

Take...COVID. (I apologize for bringing up this unpleasant topic!)

I shall link to an article about the early spread of COVID in Wuhan here and ask: were Dr. Li Wenliang and the seven other doctors fear-mongering? Wuhanese chose to believe in the government, but at what cost to them? What would the world be like today if they took the early COVID rumours as true and masked up like Hong Kongers—Hong Kongers who weren’t any smarter or better, but had simply learned their painful lessons from the 2003 SARS epidemic?

(Why hadn’t the Wuhanese learned? Because the government has long changed the narrative of SARS, taught their people that the illness originated in Hong Kong.)

(How can one learn from past mistakes if one pretends those mistakes never existed?)

You must be wondering, Anon, why I’m talking about COVID when your next question is about YiZhan. The death of Dr Li Wenliang on February 7th, 2020, sparked a demand for freedom of speech rarely seen in internet-age China. Its fury, its ferocity forced the government to change its stance on Dr Li, again an unusual move. Since January 2020, Weibo had been censoring COVID news and opinion pieces that shedded a negative light to the central government; after the death of Dr Li, the censorship apparatus stepped up, making way for the propaganda machine to kick in later and change the narrative of the pandemic.

Here are some questions without definite answers, but may be food for thought for YiZhan fans:

1) While the Chinese government’s censorship apparatus (including Weibo) might have silenced the voices of dissent, of mourning on the surface, was it more likely to pacify, or fuel the anger of netizens, many of whom had lost loved ones, many of whom were still under quarantine?

2) Less than three weeks after the death of Dr Li, a group of fans demanded even *more* censorship from the government—the closing of an internet website that had been seen as a relatively free space to express oneself. How would these netizens react, even though they knew little about these fans or their idol?

(It was, in the context of the massive silencing of COVID discussions in China, that I learned about the ban of AO3. There had been rumours that the government would censor more websites on 2020/03/01. When I read about AO3′s ban on 2/27, my thoughts were 1) Hmm. This came two days early. 2) AO3? Really?)

(I wouldn’t watch The Untamed or know who Gg was until several months later.)

Now, Anon, this is a good time to get to your CCP (Chinese Communist Party) question.

The very short answer is no. There’s no way to support YiZhan without, to a certain level, supporting the CCP. As mentioned above, the media companies are all part of China’s surveillance system. Weibo is where freedom of speech is curbed. Our two boys have been part of the propaganda machine; the BBC article linked above had a tiny picture of Gg on it, as he was a performer in the Hero in Harm’s Way (最美逆行者), a “real-life based” drama on COVID. DD just did a show glorying the Chinese police force (and here’s a video of the same force welding doors to lock in COVID-stricken residents).

Nonetheless, here’s my first advice: please do not beat yourself up for supporting YiZhan!

Gg and Dd are people who live within the system, inside the Great Firewall. They understand the world the way their government has taught them to—not only in school, but also in the news and media. Like most youths in every country, they’re patriotic—and to expect them to be otherwise, especially because of information they don’t have, is both unrealistic and unfair. Even if they do know about certain things impermissible within the Firewall, in China (as in many Communists countries), openly expressing / performing one’s proper political leanings (ie. loyalty towards CCP) is among the most important pre-requisites for any job. This has been especially true for c-ent in recent years .

They, like most of their countrymen, are doing what they have to do.

In this case, it comes to us, our decisions on how to interact with their works. How should we deal with them, their propaganda elements?

The answer, of course, varies from person to person. Personally, I’ve chosen the approaches of “immunisation” and “restriction”. By “immunisation”, I mean learning about as much historical and sociopolitical facts from non-CCP sponsored sources; this is understandably difficult for someone who doesn’t already have some familiarity with the culture and politics of the region, and/or cannot read the language.

Restriction means limiting my consumption of media produced by China. I avoid shows (dramas, documentaries, variety etc) featuring topics that are likely to contain heavy propaganda, such as the military, the police, Hong Kong/Macao/Taiwan, and of course, anything pertaining to the CCP, from its rise to its governance of the country.

In general, I’m wary of all information presented about the post-monarchy years (post 1911), even though CCP wouldn’t begin its reign until after WWII (1949). Why so early? 1) Because CCP was formed in 1921 and so its glorification requires a change of narrative since then; 2) because the Nationalist Party (Kuomintang, KMT), which governed China between 1912 and 1949 (the so-called Republican Era 民國), would end up exiling to and setting up a new government in Taiwan.

How much propaganda should one expect in shows depicting the country post-1911? The current TV and webdrama directives (previously discussed in this post) offer some hints. Here are my translations of the relevant items:

D7) Dramas about the Republican era: Glorification of the Republican Era, the Beiyang Government, and Warlord Era requires strict control.

D10) Crime drama: crime drama is the focus of content auditing. The Ministry of Public Security (Pie note: in charge of law enforcement, ie, police) will be involved in the audit. The process of crime solving cannot be exposed; criminal psychology and motivations can however be depicted in detail. Undercover police cannot use drugs or kill, or damage the image of the police force. Criminals must be punished by law.

D12) Dramas featuring realistic topics: realistic topics must adhere to the correct world view, philosophy of life and moral values. They cannot place too strong an emphasis on social conflicts, must showcase the beautiful lives of the commoners. Regular folks should display larger-than-life sentiments and aspirations; they can pursue wealth, but must use proper means to do so; they cannot damage the public image of specific employment types, groups and social organisations. Do not preach negative or decadent world view, philosophy of life and moral values. Do not exaggerate, amplify social issues; do not over showcase, display the darker sides of society; do not preach affluence, avoid things that have no basis in real life.

D16) Dramas featuring the Revolution (Pie note: CCP’s coming to power): 2019 is the publicity period of the 70th Anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. Although the “Three Importances” (important revolution, important people, important events) are still encouraged, the National Radio and Television Administration requires all departments, at all levels, to strengthen the control of content and the overall management of the industry, and focus on the auditing of content pertaining to the Sino-Japanese war and espionage dramas.

These directives (as those translated in the other post) are as vague as they are restrictive, and to err on the side of caution, production companies tend to “overachieve” to avoid going against headwinds at the censorship board. This means their products have a tendency to malign the Republican Era (D7). It means they will likely twist history in trying to depict the CCP as faultless heroes (D16). It means they'll probably present a utopian-like society and call it reality-based (D12), a society in which the good guys share the same values as the CCP and always win (D10).

Yes, my “restriction” means I skipped Hero in Harm’s Way. It means I’ve never listened to Gg’s version of 我和我的祖國 despite my absolute adoration of his voice. It means I just missed Dd’s performance in the law enforcement celebration event. It means I don’t plan on watching Being A Hero and Ace Troops.

So here’s where I’ve drawn the line, Anon, but it doesn’t mean that’s what anyone should do. Only you alone can decide where your own comfort zone is. I write these metas in the hopes that it can offer a … gateway for those who’d like to understand, with a more telescopic lens, Gg and Dd’s country—a country that holds a particularly strong hold over its citizens’ fate including, yes, their romantic fate. It’s not my wish to impose my opinions on anyone.

If I have other hopes… It’s this. Please, as long as it’s safe for you to talk, do not self-censor—especially about facts, especially on sites like Tumblr or Twitter that have long been banned by the Chinese government. I don’t mean one should go about and confront those who insist on a different version of reality. To undo opinions rooted in years of education, IMO, the process has to be voluntary, and the information is already at the fingertips of those who’re surfing these sites and wish to learn more. More importantly, open discussions of these topics may be risky for those who still have close ties to China, and keeping them safe should always be the top priority.

What I mean is simply this ~ please do not feel obliged to agree with every perspective presented in YiZhan’s work just because you support the leads. Please do not feel you must remain silent about the CCP—its good, bad and ugly—just because your favourite stars happen to come from the country it’s ruling. And please remember: “Chinese”, as a term, has always included people who live outside CCP’s control, many of whom still fully embrace the culture, traditions and values of Historical China, a 5000-years long string of dynasties with shifting borders, ethnic makeup and customs. The Untamed is a mainland Chinese production, yes, but its genre, its manner of presenting certain traditions, wouldn’t have been developed, or flourished, without the diaspora. The CCP has only been the ruling party of one country, the People’s Republic of China, for 71 years, and as a party with foreign (soviet) roots and a record of destroying the pillar of the country’s tradition, Confucianism, it doesn’t own a monopolistic say on how every Chinese should think and act—no matter how much it insists it does—or how everyone should think and speak about China and its people.

It isn’t qualified.

#Anonymous #pie metas #pie answers #BJYX #yizhan

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chicoriii · 3 years

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Season 4, Episode 10 - Sangsure (Mega Leech)

I'm not very willing to write a post about this episode, but I need to try, as I decided to make ones for every single season 4 one. I can't say I liked it, since it felt more childish than any other episode (I often had a feeling like I'm watching a show for preschoolers) and the whole situation there was just absurdy stupid. It's great that they wanted to draw children's attention to the environmental protection, but they could make more of an effort while writing its main theme. Even those worse season 1 episodes haven't been that stupid. Sorry, it's Miraculous, not PJ Masks, we have full rights to expect something at least a bit more reasonable. Even for target audience (that's kids at age of 5+ according to Thomas Astruc) this episode could be seen as ludicrous. My almost 11 years old nephew likes to point out some illogical things in cartoons, so I'm sure this episode would make very little sense to him as well, if any. I said that Guiltrip felt too childish to me, but now I should say, that episode seems much better in comparison to this.

I don't want even say what's absurd in this episode, it should be obvious for everyone. No one would cut down the trees only to build towers that will produce fresh air to sell in the bottles. And a examination of committee of experts would be done before startig the project, not after. But even if, there would be a lot more activists who would protest agains that, than just one teen girl and her boyfriend. Paris is a big city with two millions of citizens, I'm sure there live thousand of environmental activists. But I need to say that real-life commercials are sometimes even more stupid that the one from this episode (I feel bad for Adrien for being involved in something like that), so that aspect was actually realistic. :P

Poor Myléne, she deserves better than just two episodes with very cheaply written lesson about overcoming your own fears. I think Horrificator was one of the weakest season 1 episodes, but even that was better than Mega Leech. Myléne is a such sweet girl and her role of a environmental activists is really great, especially these days when educating people about need of the environmental protection is crucial for our planet. But I wish they would use her character better.

But I very, very like her superhero costume, it's my favourite hero desing from this season till now (I know that all, or most, of the Miraculous users have been spoiled some time ago, but I'm trying to avoid seeing pictures of them). I've always thought Mutlimouse is so sweet, but Polymouse could be even cuter. I like that he has a hood with mouse ears, it makes her stand out from Multimouse even more. I only wish they would show her using a weapon in the battle (which is the jump rope). Also that was nice to see her how her real hair looks like exactly in the transformation sequence, that's really great and has more orchestral music theme which doesn't sound too cute or corny.

I said before that Ladybug should not call backup heroes those have been exposed before, but in this episode it made more sense, since it was late in the battle, it happened fast, and Ladybug already had a plan what to do with them. It was nice to see them, especially that there was no Rena Rouge among them (although it's definitely only because it's a pre-Optigami episode, I expect to see her in every single one since she's the permanent heroine), even if their roles were minimal. But is Ryuuko ever going to get a full transformation sequence and music theme?

I realized that this season have barely any completely new characters that are akumatised. There are more new sentimonsters. As for now it was only Zoé, but I'm pretty sure that the scientist seen in Rocketear will be one of them and I remember Thomas saying something about a football player. I understand that's for saving money and because the characters need to get their own protective charms, so I won't be surprised if we will see all of them akumatised one more time (it might mean another akumas of Luka and Kagami). At least more important of known characters got the new forms.

Oh, the end of it is obviously a reference to the Gabriel Agreste episode that should have been aired just before Mega Leech. Now we can clearly see that it's theme is probably: "Adrien is unable to stand up to his father", Guiltrip suggests that as well.

--------

I love that this time we finally got an episode which wasn't a part of annoying Alya's arc, again. Sadly, it wasn't a good one. Maybe Crocoduel will be decent (and yes, I'm avoiding spoilers, so I know nothing about that).

#miraculous ladybug #ml mega leech #ml season 4 #ml spoilers #ml spoiler #ml season 4 spoilers #chicoriii about S4 episodes #chicoriii #original post

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revchainsaw · 3 years

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The Crow (1994)

Alright Cult of Cult. Do I really need to introduce this one? Let's get all 90s and gothy and maybe brace ourselves for a bit of cringe, but like in a fun way. It's the Holy Grail of Hot Topic, 1994's the Crow Starring Brandon Lee.

Sermon

Apparently before the auto industry totally crashed Detroit was already a total fucked to death pile of burning shit, or at least that's what the crow would have you believe. Sorry Bruce Campbell, and other people from Detroit, but mostly Bruce Campbell. According to the Crow the city of Detroit is the kind of place where gangs of warlock anarchist arsonists will bomb buildings, and murder and rape whoever they feel like and then walk around bragging about it the next day with absolutely zero consequences. Funny then that if Detroit was so bad they had to go to film this movie in Wilmington North Carolina which is definitely a fucked to death pile of burning shit. I can say that, I'm from there and I got the fuck out. My brother is going to kill me if he ever reads this. (It's okay, these are all jokes people). Did you know they also filmed the Super Mario Bros movie there ... also cuz they needed a really shitty looking distopia. Moving on ...

The ludicrous criminality of the Crow's Detroit is particularly on display on Halloween. In Detroit (apparently) Halloween is known as Devils Night and it's legitimately just a night of pure lawlessness and chaos and kids aren't even safe to get candy, except later when we do see trick or treaters. Eric Draven, hunky goth rocker who sort of looks like he could be Bruce Lee's Kid and his fiance are murdered by a gang of vicious criminals. One year hence, Eric is resurrected by a mystical crow (that is actually a Raven), to exact his revenge on the gang that murdered him.

He paints his face like sad Alice Cooper and refuses to listen to Joy Division, just covers. He murders Tin Tin (a knife guy) just for his long gothy duster, he murders Fun Boy and forcibly ejects heroine from her arms and tells her "Go be a good mom now" which actually works. (have I told you about our Lord and Savior Sting? He gave me the strength to get off drugs), he blows T Bird up dick first, and then comes for Skab? Scraap? Scooby? in a meeting of all of Detroits villains and just about kills them all.

He is supported by the most 90s little girl to have ever graced the screen, and I am here for it, and Officer Albrecht, who's played by Ernie Hudson but I like to call him Zeddemore: The Most Underrated Ghostbuster. The leader of the bad guys, who I cannot beleive wasn't played by Brad Dourif or Tom Waits, is pretty interested in the occult. He keeps his witchy girlfriend around and she makes him fun dishes like smoked eyeballs, and her main use is that she knows that the Crow is the Crows weakness. They set Tony Fucking Todd on the bird, and I guess you just have to hurt the bird and not kill it, and Eric loses his healing factor and other macabre undead powers.

The Crow, Jimmy the Raven, pecks out Dr. Girlfriends eyeballs, I honestly forget how Tony Todd gets offed, and Top Dollar gets Gargoyled (that is impaled on a gargoyle). Funnily enough that is more Gargoyle related impaling on screen then in the actual movie Gargoyle: Wings of Darkness where a Gargoyle is supposed to have impaled a guy.

The Benediction

Best Feature: Injustice League

In the Crow we have not only a set of super memorable villains but they are played by the bad guy all stars. John Polito as the most lowly of the bad guys as a kind of sleazy pawn shop owner who buys ill gotten gains. Tony Todd, who's size is really on display here, the freaking Candy Man is in this movie. T Bird is the head of Top Dollars goons and is played by David Patrick Kelly, you might know as the "Warriors Come Out and Play!!" bottle guy from the Warriors, or as Jimmy Horne from Twin Peaks, and of course Top Dollar himself is played by Michael Wincott. Wincott is not a particularly celebrated actor but has played villains effectively in Robin Hood, the Three Musketeers, and Dead Man.

Best Set Piece: Detroit Style Hot Dogs

The Set design of the Crow is perhaps one of it's most fantastic features. It's very moody and ethereal. It's just real enough to not take you out of the film, but fantastic enough to set mood and theme above realism. From Eric Draven's apartment, to the church where the final battle occurs they are all fantastic. I think that's why I really wanted to shine the spot light on a very minor set piece that would get nary a mention but just as effectively represents the qualities I was just talking about and that is the Maxi Doggs Hot Dog Stand, where a lot of the films exposition for audience surrogates takes place.

Worst Effect: Freeze Frame

At a few points in the movie the film makers made a strange decision to do these freeze frame transitions. I only noticed it twice in the movie where it was particularly stupid. I'm sure the film makers at the time thought it was a moody and atmospheric choice that highlighted the suffering that Eric Draven was going through, but it didn't age well. If you don't have the sensibilities of a goth girl from 1994 then it's very very hard not to laugh at just how self involved the movie is about it's super sadness.

Worst Feature: Tragic Accident

Solely based on the film itself, it is that very gothic and dated sensibility that hurts the Crow. The little sarcastic dance he does when he flees the police, quoting Edgar Allen Poe, and bowing to Albrecht. These affected behaviors that I'm sure seemed snarky and right on to the target audience only serve to make Eric Draven seem like an unbearable neck beard edgelord and not the troubled dark soul he's supposed to be. I'm sure at the time it seemed unique and gothy but that shit went out of style for good reason, people could see through it. It's a shame that the Crow himself was some of the cringiest parts of this movie now that I'm seeing it as an adult and not a 13 year old middle class boy with no real problems.

This however is not the low point of the movie. It's not news now and if you're reading some dudes review of The Crow on Tumblr then you probably already know the story. The worst thing about The Crow is that Brandon Lee was horrifically killed on set while filming this movie due to some negligible prop malfunctions. A series of unfortunate events that lead to the actor spending 6 hours in surgery fighting for his life before eventually passing. It was not a quick or painless death and it's really impossible to watch the movie without an appreciation for the fact that this kind of fun dark adventure was going to be a vehicle for Brandon Lee's career wound up taking his life. He was 28. I really wish I could have just bitched about the goofy goth stuff and moved on, but that's not the world we live in.

Best Effect: The Gargoyling

Maybe I should have called this best kill. But I'm not sure which it is. The slaying of Top Dollar at the Climax of the film was just super effective. The pointed wings impaling his chest and that horn coming out of his mouth, it was morbid and excellent and just fit the tone of the movie perfectly. I mean how many other movies can you say Cause of Death: Impaled on a Gargoyle.

Best Bird: The Raven

I tried very hard to look up the name of the bird that primarily performed in this movie and could not find anything. There was a Raven once upon a time called Jimmy the Raven, but that was in the 50s and I don't think birds live that long. There was a team of Ravens performing as the crow, they were chosen over crows for their larger size, and more imposing silhouettes. I just think it's so wonderful to see these often maligned birds get a chance to show off their talents. Corvids of all kinds are incredibly intelligent creatures. Im a sucker for animals, if you haven't already figured that out. I really liked seeing the ravens hit their marks, particularly the one whos job it was to drop the wedding ring into Sarah's hand at the end of the film. You can see that greedy little bastard do his trick and then look of camera at his trainer like "treat please!". It's very cute.

Best Actor: Top Dollar Performance

I'd love to take this opportunity to just put praise upon Brandon Lee, he truly gave everything for this role, but unfortunately with what was put to film we actually have very few character moments with Eric Draven. Stuff happens to him, and he does killings and fights. There's definitely some personality, but I felt like I walked away knowing almost nothing about who Eric Draven was. He was clearly a good dude but that and a few hobbies and a relationship and you don't really have a character yet. He's unfortunately not given a lot of acting to do, instead just relegated to stunts and action sequences. That were notably cool.

The bad guys in the Crow have a lot more character and among this who's who of character actors, Michael Wincott takes the cake. Hell he was standing next to Candyman himself, Tony Todd and still stealing the scenes.

Best Character: A Few Good Apples

Is the best character in The Crow really going to be the cop? The commissioner Gordon stand in? yeah, it is. Not to be political, but I don't like cops, but I guess in a world with magical birds and eyeball smoking I can suspend my disbelief and let Ernie Hudson be #1 cop dad. His character is really the heart of the film, since all Eric can do is brood and fight, we have to care about someone in this movie.

Best Sequence: Halloween Party

The best sequence of the movie is of course the scene where Eric Draven busts in on the Devil's Night party planning commission. I think Top Dollar brought Scrappy Doo there just so he could lure out the crow, knowing the baddest assholes in all of Detroit would be gathered it was likely that somebody was going to kill the beast, or if they couldn't at least Top Dollar could get a feel for his enemy. It's a bullet flying action sequence with a ton of weight. I can't put my finger on this all to common weightless third act problem that big budget super hero and action flicks have nowadays, but whatever that issue is, the Crow does not have that issue. From this point on the Climax feels earned and I am invested. For that reason, The Crow is honestly better in spite of its awkwardness, than many of the super hero movies out today.

Worst Sequence: My Guitar Gently Weeps

Speaking of brooding or fighting. The best sequence was fighting, the worst is brooding. I get that Eric was in a band or something, but didn't he have shit to do. It seemed like it was a cool idea for a shot, but for like a whole seen, watching somebody play an 80s guitar solo, that stood out so brazenly from the choices of music in the rest of the movie was extra corny. It felt like someone's( dad trying to relate to their kid. Oh you like Music. The Dresden Dolls eh? Oh man, then you're going to love Slash's Snake Pit!

Summary

The Crow is dated. It is iconic but I wonder how many of the people that hang that poster on the wall have watched that movie since they were kids. It's interesting how what i've liked and disliked about this film have changed so much sense I was a kid. It's a cheeseball fiesta. If you have matured at all beyond thinking that being sad is the same as being deep then you're going to like it a little less than you did when you were younger, but it is still solid. There's not much to hate on. I'd watch it over and over again. I was really afraid it would not hold up at all, but returning to The Crow was a completely positive experience.

Overall Grade: B

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person-personified · 3 years

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✨ Tag 9 people to learn more about their interests!

i was tagged by the lovely kay @holyshit <3

MUSIC

fav genre? alternative rock, some indie, a bit of pop punk...a bit of pop. these days I go by artist rather than a genre since I don't actively search out new music anymore. so. anything that plays in a show and then stuff I know I'd like by an artist I like.

fav artist? taylor swift. I haven't listened to any other artist as constantly as her.

fav song? don't let it break your heart by louis tomlinson is my go to comfort song so that?

most listened song recently? cowboy like me by taylor swift for swaying in the kitchen reasons.

song currently stuck in your head? stockholm syndrome by one direction, specifically harry doing the echo

5 fav lyrics? these are current because I'm so far from a headspace to have a fav anything rn

and let all your damage damage me/ and carry your baggage up my street/ and make me your future history - renegade ft. taylor swift by big red machine

wondering headshake/ tired eyes are the death of me - sunflower vol 6 by harry styles

and there will come a time, you'll see/ with no more tears/ and love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears/get over your hill and see what you find there/ with grace in your heart and flowers in your hair - after the storm by mumford and sons

don't want no other shade of blue/ but you / no other sadness in the world would do - hoax by taylor swift

meray yaar, meray log/ meri kainat madhosh/ sab kho gaye hain kahan/ meray log - meray log by noori

radio or your own playlist | solo artists or bands (I'm refusing to choose okay)| pop or indie | loud or silent volume I slow or fast songs | music video or lyrics video | speakers or headset | riding a bus in silence or while listening to music | driving in silence or with radio on (I can't drive actually but I love to quietly daydream when someone else is driving)

BOOKS

fav book genre? I think usually character driven books.kinda tender discussing the human condition while also being slice of life-y. I also like chicklits and a lot of ya for coming of age-y reasons. Like I'm definitely not a target audience but I feel like i have a lot of coming of age to do yet.

fav writer? no one, I'm a bit all over the place so

fav book? aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe

fav book series? percy jackson and the olympians

comfort book? aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe.

perfect book to read on a rainy day? the song of achilles so the rain can mask your tears.

fav characters? percy jackson (percy jackson and the olympians), adam parrish (the raven cycle), lily evans (harry potter)

5 quotes from your fav book that you know by heart? (This is a mix of by heart and just favourites)

okay this poem by robert frost in the outsiders is the quote I know by heart : Nature’s first green is gold/Her hardest hue to hold/Her early leaf’s a flower/But only so an hour/Then leaf subsides to leaf/So Eden sank to grief/So dawn goes down to day/Nothing gold can stay.

neil's blazing speech to riko in the all for the game: you know, I get. being raised as a superstar must be really, really difficult for you. always a commodity, never a human being, not a single person in your family thinking you’re worth a damn off the court— yeah, sounds rough. kevin and I talk about your intricate and endless daddy issues all the time.

demon pox oh demon pox just how is it acquired? one goes down to the bad part of town until one is very tired (from the infernal devices series from my teenage days)

that bit in the raven cycle when blue says 'i don't want to hurt you' and adam says 'i'm already all hurt up'

okay this one is big time cheating but ' 'here is my hand' he said/but that was long ago/'here is my hand that will not harm you' from a poem by louise gluck. it's a quote, it's probably in a book, I remember it by heart so thats 3/4.

TV AND MOVIES

fav tv/movie genre? drama/slice of life/ coming of age. are those even genres?

fav movie? I love the testament of youth.

comfort movie? clueless or legally blonde.

movie you watch every year? it used to be tangled. but none for the past couple of years.

fav tv show? I thought anne with an e was done amazingly well. cinnamontography, story arcs everything was off the charts. rip to s4 though.

comfort tv show? criminal minds. I like the fact that it's methodical in figuring out the minds of the criminals😌 but to be fair I don't really comfort myself..I just suffer.

most rewatched tv show? I don't really rewatch properly. But I watch random merlin episodes so that.

ultimate otp? I don't think I have an ultimate but currently it's buddie from 9-1-1 (not canon as of the most recent season </3 pray for me guys)

5 fav characters? kay I'm you but the tv/movies category😂it's a struggle. so: spencer reid (criminal minds), aimee (sex education), maddie buckley (9-1-1), buck (9-1-1), anne shirley cuthbert (anne with an e)

now let's see if I can manage to tag 9 people

@throughthecurtains @absoloutenonsense @sunsmile-lou @zouisbreakup @zouis-exes-to-lovers @whaleharry @bus2 @nouisgf if you guys want to :)

#i think i got pretty close to 9 so im counting this as a success story #tbh I can't keep track of if someone's a mutual or not (#or if i just really like their blog #this was a lot of fun though. i had to scrape into the back of my mind for when i consumed so many media..rip to current reeba #tag games #my post #mine #about me

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lokewolf-father · 3 years

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So I Listened to the First Five Insane Clown Posse Albums...

And I really enjoyed myself! I tried this post already, but the Tumblr app is a piece of garbage and lost it somehow, so here goes again. To make a long story short, even though I didn't really enjoy the first two albums, Carnival of Carnage and The Ringmaster, I found a lot to enjoy about Insane Clown Posse, and can safely say I like them. Death metal guitar mixed with heavy bass, carnival sounds, and lyrics about necromantic clown sorcerers, killer toys, and cartoonish depictions of murder make their concept albums something that is both novel and undeniably cool when it isn't too crude or juvenile, which is more frequent than I would like.

I should probably state, especially considering I'm writing off the first two albums, that I am not the target audience for ICP. I do not consider myself a Juggalo in any definition of the word; I don't really listen to rap, and couldn't define hip-hop without looking it up. I do however enjoy horror movies and low-brow entertainment like comic books, and consider Marilyn Manson to be one of my personal heroes, so believe me when I say that I really do like aspects of the cavalcade of crazy that is the Insane Clown Posse.

Riddle Box is awesome, and I find myself wondering if this is the album where people feel like ICP came into their own. Part of their mythology is that if the Dark Carnival, where sinners are judged by a cavalcade of characters before being killed and sent to their souls ultimate destination. Several albums are designated as Joker's Cards, and depict characters and elements of the Carnival.

The intro is awesome, introducing the Riddle Box, which is a magic box that either gives the slain a vision of God, warming their souls and sending them to Heaven, or a demonic fog that drives them insane and sends them to Hell.

One of my favorite songs, "Chicken Huntin' (Slaughter House Mix)" is on this song, and demonstrates ICP's understanding of their audience. A song about killing dumb, ignorant hillbillies, I have to assume it's cathartic to people who left behind wacky rural families behind when they left home. "Toy Box" is about a guy with murderous toys that turn on him, and makes me laugh. It sounds hokey, and that's because it is, hokey and worth a listen. A lot of this is appealing to me because I don't listen to rap music, partly because I don't care for the subject matter.

I like rappers like Kanye West and Eminem because I can't identify with or enjoy a lot of the gangsta-macho stuff that mainstream rap can't seem to get away from. With ICP, their personas are over the top killer clowns, and that's awesome! Because they're so goofy and have been pretty much rejected from pop culture, their music appeals to social outcasts and others who are down on their luck, something that Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J recognize.

That being said, before I move into the next album, I should probably mention "Ol' Evil Eye", ICP's own adaptation of Poe's "The Tell-tale Heart". Good shit, even if it makes the master turn over in his grave.

The Great Milenko is fantastic, and is a Joker's Card about an evil necromancer clown that tempts you into damning yourself. I'm told this is more of a hip-hop album, but as someone who isn't that familiar with this kind of music, I can't tell the difference. What I will say is there are more songs here that I like than on the previous three albums. The intro, which is read by none other than Alice Cooper, is excellent, as is the title track and "Hokus Pokus", both of which are sufficiently creepy and dark.

"Piggy Pie" is a song about murdering dickhead cops that uses a very, um, clever three little pigs motif. As a funny aside, this album was initially put out by Hollywood Records, and had to be approved by Disney, who forced them to change this song. The album was pulled from shelves anyway, making the whole exercise of censorship pointless anyway. It's just funny to think that Disney read associated with ICP at one point.

"Southwest Voodoo" is another effective song, featuring a black magic chant for chorus, which is to say nothing of "Halls of Illusion", which has Slash on guitar!

One of my other favorites off this album is the existential "How Many Times", which puts you in the mindset of the type of person ICP is talking to. Broke, down on your luck, arrested, your stereo stolen, it's hard to imagine things can ever really get better; in a world that rejects you and shows your no respect, why not remake yourself as a psychotic clown? As Manson says, "They'll never be good to you/bad to you/they'll never be anything at all". Any aging goth kid can understand where ICP is coming from here.

The Amazing Jeckel Brothers is the first album I listened to, and probably my favorite one. "Terrible" and "Bring it On" have the heavy sound that I love, and "Assassins" is just an awesome, badass song in general. If hip-hop is just another word for tough guy music, these songs definitely fit the bill. The bass lines make the songs positively rock in a way I didn't think was possible for ICP. "Everybody Rize" is a cool Juggalo anthem, as is "Fuck the World", calling out a culture and industry that rejects and hates them like a boss. If you're on the fence about these fuckers, this is another great album to start with, especially considering the touching final song, "Nothing's Left", which reflects on the broken nature of the world, and wonders if there can be any real salvation for anyone. Considering ICP are Christian and ultimately incorporated they're religion into their music, I know what their opinion on this is, but just begging the question gives the song a universal appeal that even an angry atheist like myself can identify with.

At the end of the day, I have to figure that getting to know the Insane Clown Posse was rewarding for me. I'm not a Juggalo, but I understand their world a lot better and get how they can be kind to others and have something special with their subculture. I plan to listen to more ICP and write about them, but I'd like to write about Juggalo culture first. If you're a Juggalo or have any thoughts, I want to hear from you! Have you met the Insane Clown Posse or been to their shows? Have you been to the gathering of the Juggalos? An I wrong about anything I wrote above?

#insane clown posse #hip hop #rap #music #music review #blogger #gothic #rap rock #subculture #new poets society

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my-mystic-messenger · 7 years

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Hi, I'm a big fan of your writing (it's so realistic and you have such a good understanding of all the characters 😍) but what I didn't get was when you said MC was different in every route. If it's not too much to ask for, could you give a couple of examples? Because as far as I'd noticed, she was pretty much the same towards everyone + a reflection of ourselves.

Thank you so much for the compliment! It’s not too much to ask at all! So let me begin this by stating that obviously the game has a lot of flaws. One of my main issues being that while the men in the game are 20-26 years old - obvious adults with rather adult issues and problems - their target audience is much younger. I’d say that the majority of the player is somewhere between 14-16 and then another chunk somewhere between 20-30. I feel like that already creates certain issues as well as a difference in how you play the game. When I think back on when I was 14-16 years old…well let’s say I changed quite a bit. You’re probably wondering wtf is she talking about, how does age count into this? Well, as someone who is grown up - or more grown up than the audience the game was supposed to be targeted at - I see certain things from a perspective of someone more similar to the characters than the younger audience. Now that we’ve established that, some of the reply possibilities are definitely not a reflection of myself and I know that some of my friends who also fall into the ‘older’ category of players agree with me. The ways you can reply are sometimes very pre-mature and might seem alright to younger audiences, since they really would act that way, but for older’s just make them roll their eyes. It also makes it easier for someone older to see certain nuances in character change but that’s not that important.As for how your character changes, I most certainly can give you examples:With Yoosung the MC has to be much more firm while at the same time pampering him. Compared to the others he is a huge child and you basically have to raise him for the better part of his route. You also have to sugar coat a lot of things and while you attempt to explain to Yoosung that you are, in fact, not his dead cousin you never say it directly. I for example would have just told him straight out to stop comparing me to Rika, but instead Jumin and Jaehee took over that job, as they are the oldest and most mature characters in the group.With 707 you have to be very cheery and persistent. He even complains to you about how the hell you can still be so happy and chat him up/flirt with him while in the same room with a bomb. To even get to know him you have to break through 707 layers of messed up and for that you really have to push certain buttons and boundaries which is something the other guys neither needed nor would have appreciated, if you ask me. You’re also much more reckless in his route than you are in others as well and later on more obedient and submissive than in other routes. With Zen you basically have to kiss his ass at every chance you get. Like don’t get me wrong I like him and he’s dreamy but if I ever had to basically kiss the floor someone is walking on to gain their affection I’d be hella out of there. I’m not his groupie, I’m his girlfriend. Basically in Zen’s route you really have no other function than be a more feminine, lighter version of Jaehee so he can bone you instead of her. I mean all you do is constantly agree with him and during a call you even have to say you’re allergic to cats so you can talk about your mutual disdain. With Jumin he actually likes the feisty type. I mean there is already a difference between bad end MC and good end MC within just his route, without wanting to spoil too much of either endings. He likes that you can dish out and he also needs you to. He needs you to call out his controlling behaviour for him to grow in the only aspect of his life he is lacking. At the same time you also have to be very understanding and rational about the entire situation. Sure it sucks to be locked up, but it’s the safest way and you have to understand that. Basically you have to copy his way of thinking.With Jaehee you have to be super fun and carefree. Like you have to constantly remind her how work is not more important than her health and how she has to let go and have fun in life and do the things she wants. You yourself have to be rebellious to make her rebellious to further the plot. Without your help she just ends up stuck, unhappy and even sick.Anyway, in conclusion, there is already a big difference in behaviour just from the fact that the main conflict in everyones route is so different. All of them have different flaws and issues and to fix them you obviously have to treat them differently. I mean you can’t screw every screw with the same screwdriver, you know what I mean? Different problems can’t be solved with the same solution. I mean that is precisely why there are so many people having completely different favourites. Like for example while I loved Jumin and loved his route other people hated the decisions they had to make to get a certain end. That already shows that there is a big difference. I know this is a little all over the place, I’m still in movie mode, but I hope it cleared certain things up :)

#ask #asks #answered

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