#that it is OK to criticize show runners?

[funhouse-mirror-barbie]

I’m gonna be talking a little more about this later but straight up—if someone tells you “this is an important piece of my culture that is a closed practice and is not open to everyone”, your response should never be “actually it’s totally fine for us to use whatever we want from your culture you can’t keep us from it”.

Like this is a hard-line issue for me, and I’m not sorry about it. I think it can be one thing if a member of the culture explicitly invited you into their culture, but just taking whatever you want from other cultures and religions, especially ones that are closed or are already demonized and misunderstood is really gross to me.

So. I am white. I am not a part of the culture that’s being misrepresented in this case. But I’ve seen a lot of black people speak up about this, and it’s infuriating that no one seems to be listening to them.

I’m bringing this up specifically because it’s been revealed that, despite having 4 years to rework the character, Alastor still uses “voodoo” and Hazbin is still using vevé for “the aesthetic”.

Critics and fans of Hazbin Hotel have been saying for. literal. years. that having Alastor use Voudou signs is disrespectful. But the creators and show runners are ignoring Black people’s criticisms of this choice and how it depicts Voudou.

It’s very discouraging to see that apparently no consideration for these critiques was given while the show was in development.

People have also tried to argue that it’s ok for Alastor to use Voudoo because of Dr. Facilier in Disney’s Princess and the Frog. Which is a ridiculous thing to argue because there were people criticizing that film for its portrayal of Voudou after it came out as well.

Also, sorry, I really don’t think a movie that was directed by two white men should be used as an authority on what parts of black culture white people can use however they like.

Like. That’s just. Eurgh.

All of this is so disrespectful on multiple levels.

Representation is important, but it can be positive or negative.

It can glorify or demonize. And it is BECAUSE of this that you NEED to think critically about if you should be the one to represent another culture or not.

If your attempt at “representing” another culture includes shouting down or ignoring the opinions and beliefs of the people from that culture, then you are doing harm and need to take a step back.

TLDR—Representation is important but if you are trying to represent a minority group you are not a part of, and you ignore their concerns and criticisms and don’t consult with them or do research? You’re unquestionably doing more harm than good.

#funhouse convo #media criticism #media critique #hazbin hotel critical #media conversation #writing critique #hazbin hotel critique #helluva boss critical #helluva boss critique #hb critical

[canonicallyobserving911]

Overall Assessment of Season 6

I’ve completed 15 detailed “Constructive Criticisms” posts regarding season 6 and I wanted to wrap everything up with an overall assessment for the entire season.

Even though 17% of the season’s 18 episodes were ok, overall, the majority of it wasn’t anything to be excited about especially since 9-1-1’s had some awesome seasons in the past (season 3 was the best). There were three good episodes but the rest could have been sent in an email or yeeted to the sun.

6x3 “The Devil You Know” had great cinematography and the acting from the main and recurring characters along with the guest stars was superb but in my opinion the storyline should have been included in a different franchise.  Mainly because it was so dark and heavy that it seemed like it would have been a better fit for “Law & Order: SVU” especially since Tonya Kingston was a special victim.  One thing 9-1-1 did EXCEPTIONALLY WELL BEFORE SEASON 5 was balance the lighter storylines with the heavier ones but for the past two seasons they haven’t done a great job of it.  Season 5 was heavy enough with Maddie’s PPD and Eddie’s PTSD storylines, therefore the third episode of season 6 shouldn’t have been that heavy and dark.  On a positive note, it was part of Athena’s origin story regarding why she became a cop and it properly closed out her storyline even though it started back in season 2.

6x6 “Tomorrow” was good but someone didn’t fact check a lot of the details for it and they didn’t ensure the continuity was there.  At the end of 6x5, the promo for 6x6 included Karen calling 9-1-1 but that scene was NOT INCLUDED in the episode.  Also, in CANON it was never mentioned that Chimney orchestrated Hen and Karen’s blind date.  Finally, the closeout of Hen’s medical school storyline wasn’t fact checked either since in 2x6 she said the reason she became a paramedic was because she got shot when she was 16 and the paramedics who came to help took care of her.  Then in 3x9, she told Karen the woman they saw at the spa, Stacy Mullins, was the reason why she became a paramedic.  So which one was it or was it both?  The audience will never know especially since she didn’t mention either option at the end of 6x6 during her explanation to Karen regarding why she decided to drop out of medical school.

6x13 “Mixed Feelings” was my favorite episode overall because it included A LOT OF BUCK & EDDIE, BUCK & CHRIS AND THE BUCKLEY-DIAZ FAMILY.  FULL STOP!  Their relationship was missing for 99% of 6A; therefore to see Buck and Eddie side by side along with the Buckley-Diazes spending time together again like they did in 6x1, it was absolute PERFECTION.  I’ve already explained in post “#15 – Buddie” how Buck and Eddie’s relationship is the main reason why I watch the show so I won’t elaborate.

All the other episodes didn’t meet the expectations that 9-1-1 established during previous seasons.

6x10 “In a Flash” could have been one of the best episodes of the season but IT WASN’T because the Buckley parents’ and Sang Han’s presences ruined it.  It was supposed to be about Buck being struck by lightning (which was shoved into the last 5 minutes of the episode) but they spent the first 40 minutes showing more of his parents, Chimney’s dad and Albert’s mother than they did showing the 118, Athena, May and Chris.  Also they SPOILED the majority of Buck’s injury a month before it aired with all the stills and promos they released.

Overall, my biggest criticism about the season is the show didn’t commit to anything.  Everything seemed like it was a false start which is kind of sad since they "thought" (I still don’t believe they thought it was the last one) or wanted the audience to believe it was going to be their final season.  My false start metaphor can be compared with a “false start” in a track meet.  When runners are on their marks and one of them starts before the starter pistol is fired, everyone must go back to the beginning.  That’s how I feel about season 6 because every main character was sent back to the beginning instead of showing how far they’ve come.  No one, not any individual character or their ships were shown to have moved forward.  The finale was a rushed mess and none of it made any narrative sense.

Basically, it appears there was no real purpose for season 6 and if there was one, it got lost in translation since things were discombobulated and all over the place.  Storylines were unequally distributed, recurring characters’ arcs were rewritten to make them likeable and the metaphors just kind of fell apart in the end.  If there really was a purpose, what was it?  The items below are overall assessments for the nine main characters.

Athena needed more storylines than what was provided in 6x3

Bobby’s AA sponsor storyline was atrocious and shouldn’t have been included

Buck’s gazillion storylines should have ended better

Chris deserves his own storylines.  He’s a main character but he never gets his own storylines even though Denny (bio dad) and Jee-Yun (Maddie’s engagement ring) had individual storylines this season

Eddie NEEDED MORE STORYLINES!  (I’ll keep screaming it because EDDIE DESERVES BETTER!)

Hen’s, Chimney’s and Buck’s quest for interim captain should have been handled better

Hen’s medical school storyline should have ended better

Maddie and Chimney deserved a better plot for their proposal storyline than that raggedy IRS Income Tax mess

May had one main storyline for the whole season but after that, she was barely there

After 6x18 aired, it seemed like someone had an idea about where they wanted the season to go but they didn’t know how to execute it in a way that would make the audience want to return after the HIATUS.  Additionally, a lot of time was spent copying storylines from other shows and it appears they didn’t think anyone would notice but it’s apparent from the comments that were left on social media sites, some viewers who watch similar series did notice and they were vocal about it.

In the past, 9-1-1 was unique but somewhere along the way they lost the thing that made them special.  In the wastelands of network TV, it was refreshing to watch a show that included everything instead of having separate shows for the police, firefighters and dispatchers like other franchises.

When the season ended, I asked myself the same question I asked after 15 of the 18 episodes aired; “Is that it?”  Maybe my expectations were too high but I don’t believe they were since I still watch episodes from seasons 2-4 (3x2 - 3x3 – the Tsunami were fantastic and 4x13 - 4x14; Eddie being shot still haunts me but I love Eddie so I'll watch all the episodes where he gets the screen time he deserves).

Was season 6 supposed to be their legacy? If so, then it was filled with a bunch of raggedy storylines that focused primarily on Buck while ignoring the rest of the main characters.  It was like they didn’t want to commit to anything risky or something that would have cemented the show as a groundbreaking TV series that would have audiences talking about it for the next decade or maybe even longer.

This is my overall assessment of season 6 and whenever the show returns, hopefully it will have returned to being uniquely 9-1-1 instead of some knock off version of the other 3 or 4 firefighting shows out there in the already oversaturated market of emergency television shows on network TV.

I’ve included links to all the “Constructive Criticisms” posts below along with their topics.

#1 - Lack of and/or inconsistencies with interviews, promos, stills, trailers, etc.

#2 - Recurring Characters OVERSHADOWED Main Characters

#3 - Undeserved and Unearned Parent Redemptions

#4 - Unequal Distribution of Storylines

#5 - Continuity Errors and Forced Narratives

#6 - Season Six or Season of Sex

#7 - Stereotypes in Season 6

#8 - Lack of Professional Development and Growth

#9 - The use of Metaphors, Themes and Theories

#10 - Bathena

#11 - Henren

#12 - Madney

#13 - Evan “Buck” Buckley

#14 - Edmundo “Eddie” Diaz

#15 - Buddie

#9-1-1 Season 6 - CANON Constructive Criticisms #Canonically Observing 9-1-1 Speaks #buddie #henren #bathena #madney #eddie diaz #evan buckley #maddie buckley #christopher diaz #athena grant #bobby nash #chimney han #hen wilson #911 fox #911 season 6 speculation #911 season 6 #911 s6 #911 on abc #911 meta #911 abc #911 on fox #911onfox #911

[chaifootsteps]

What deeply tragic about Viv as a content creator is that she comes up with objectively cool concepts but just can’t follow through. The premises for Hazbin and Helluva are both rock solid and in the right hands could be incredibly entertaining, even meaningful. Even Zoophobia wasn’t bad in concept, it’s the execution that failed.

Viv is a bad writer. That’s just an objective fact. She constantly fails to maintain the basic integrity of her own narrative. Forget what you feel about her. Forget your preconceptions. If you consider the writing in Helluva Boss on a purely functional level, it fails to check even the most basic boxes for building a functional narrative. To say nothing of her poor character writing.

It’s ok. Writing is really REALLY hard and it’s a skill that takes years of dedicated study to perfect. When it comes to animation, it’s very unusual to have only one or two writers. They usually have a whole staff of writers. Viv could easily have hired on professionals to help realize her vision.

But she’s just too proud to admit writing isn’t one of her talents and seems intensely possessive of her intellectual property. She wants control over and credit for everything related to her projects. So instead of hiring writers who could do each story justice she just flops around doing whatever idea first pops into her head, and most of those ideas have been underwhelming at best or deeply problematic at worst.

It’s a problem I see in a lot of creators who are artists first, writers second. They put all their time and energy into their art, which wouldn’t be a problem if it didn’t come at the expense of their writing. I think a lot of people assume that narrative writing is an innate human skill that doesn’t require any level of higher development.

It’s why so much of modern animation is hit or miss with its writing. Younger and younger people are becoming show runners and a lot of them are just not mature enough for that responsibility yet. Their writing skills haven’t been developed enough, if at all, and most if them don’t branch out with the writing staff to include actual professional writers. Steven Universe supposedly had no dedicated writing staff at all, but I’m not 100% certain on that one.

Oh, she'll admit that she's a bad writer in private. She admitted it outright to Ken, they helped her out by writing a very sizable chunk of the Hazbin pilot, and when they asked for credit, she cut them off and slandered them to everyone she could.

Her writing process is a mix of throwing in whatever enters her head and stealing from other people. Like you said, she won't sacrifice control and she won't accept criticism. She'd rather hunker down and feverishly like tweets from her fandom calling her writing brilliant and her critics morons.

#Anonymous #vivziepop critical #actual blog post

[elvenwhovian]

Thoughts on the criticisms for The Rings of Power

The negativity around ROP has been so disheartening and I need to rant/have my say. Below are the most common criticisms I've seen and my responses to them. 

1. "They butchered/desecrated Tolkien's story! They changed the story too much so I won't watch/ will only hate-watch." 

Some of you are too young to remember, but I was there 3000 20 years ago when PJ's films came out. He changed A LOT. And I was surrounded by homeschooler book purists who had a lot to say, both good and bad. Here's my thing ... if you don't like ROP because they changed things, fine. You do you.  But don't tell me that PJ's films are perfection if you say you can't handle major changes to Tolkien’s works. 

Arwen didn't rescue Frodo. The elves never came to Helms Deep. Faramir didn't take Frodo and Sam captive. And Frodo never sent Sam away before Cirith Ungol, just to name a few. These were SIGNIFICANT changes that PJ made. But they didn't ruin the story ... dare I say, they made things more interesting. 

2. "The story moves too slowly." 

Bro ... have you read LOTR? Its a slow burn at the start. And then half of TTT is just Frodo and Sam simply walking into Mordor. Just like Tolkien, I feel like the show runners are laying a foundation and then in season 2 things will pick up. Also they have 5 seasons planned. Also its television. Its meant to be in installments to keep you coming back. Honestly, compared to some modern TV, it is refreshing to have a show that is taking its time and not beating you over the head with info dumping and action set pieces every single week. We are back in Middle-earth. Enjoy the ride, my dudes. 

3. "The Harfoots are annoying/cheesy/unnecessary." 

I'll admit that I was leery about them including proto-hobbits in the show, but I think they are delightful. They have their flaws, but Hobbits always have. They are quirky; the refreshing contrast to the darkness of war just beyond their borders. Yeah, Nori royally screws up A LOT. Reminds me of another hobbit who Gandalf used to berate for his stupidity. 

I also saw one comment complaining about "Wandering Day" and that the montage/song was too much like a Disney movie. First of all, how dare you? Do you even Tolkien, good sir? His books were full of songs. The hobbits had walking songs in the book. Tolkien loved songs and poetry. It is very VERY in character for Hobbits to have a song with their storyline. And honestly, that song is perfection. I've been singing it as a lullaby to my 6 month old son and he loves it. 

4. "Galadriel is too manly/angry/vengeful ... Also the men are weak." 

Perfect people are not interesting. Flaws make characters realistic, engaging, and worth watching. Galadriel is a flawed character in ROP and I LOVE IT. She is prideful, ambitious, and strong-willed ... all stuff Tolkien wrote about her. She is also very athletic/physically skilled. Tolkien also wrote this ... I have references. And yeah ... if you believed the evil who killed your brother was out there and no one believed you, you would be miffed too. 

And as I predicted, she is undergoing character development that is helping to temper her vengeance. She literally gives up her sword. 

The symbolism is spot on. 

Also, those saying she is too manly... bro, what the heck? Her costumes and armor are so beautiful and well done! My two favorite looks are the dress she wears in Numenor and her armor design.

I think they did a fantastic job making her a strong yet flawed female character. 

And the men are weak? Elrond and Durin have a rock breaking contest. Arondir fights for his girl ... doesn't get more manly than that. Also, Elendil is just fantastically done and oozes that stable yet compassionate masculine energy Tolkien's male characters are known for. 

5."I don’t like that they cast people of color." 

Don't be racist. Its 2022.

6. "The elves aren't done right/have short hair/ aren't like PJ's elves." 

Ok first of all, while many of the elves in the legendarium are described with long hair, its never defined as a standard for elvish culture. Second, if you are going to expect any and all Tolkien adaptations to conform to PJ's films, then I guess we can toss out all the cartoons that are beloved by so many people. Also, I don't see anyone beating up the legendary painter and Tolkien illustrator Ted Nasmith for his depictions of elves with shorter hair. 

Also, let's be real ... Elrond was described as "kind as summer" in The Hobbit. I love Hugo Weaving's portrayal, but he's never seemed particularly warm or kind to me. I adore Elrond's portrayal in ROP! I even like his floppy hair. He's a young whipper-snapper of an elf and he seems like the kind of person who would create a place like Rivendell. I mean ... look at this precious cinnamon roll:

Also Celebrimbor has that wise old British dude energy that reminds me of Bilbo or even the professor himself. Tolkien's elves were complex people with varying personalities and passions. They weren't the stoic, almost vulcan-ish, people PJ made them out to be. I love the PJ films, but if we are going to make them the standard, then I guess the room for creativity is gone(?) 

7. "The writing sucks/ is fan fiction." 

I'll admit, the writing is rough in a few places. Galadriel jumping ship was kinda dumb. But its not Rise of Skywalker level dumb. And I'll fully admit that this is fan fiction. All television writing based on an IP is fan fiction. Its fiction written by fans/writers based on already established characters/worlds. 

And frankly, the term "its fan fiction" is not an insult to me, because I've read some darn good fan fiction.  Next argument please. 

8. "Its a cash grab from Amazon so we should hate it." 

It’s not. Read the article by The Hollywood Reporter. Also, let's remember that lots of passionate people worked on this series and it shows. Punishing them because Amazon's name is on it is unfair. I know, I know ... Amazon is not squeaky clean. But if we boycotted every company who had stains on their record, we would be living in cabins in the woods eating squirrels. 

7. “Galadriel couldn’t have survived the volcano/ she does dumb over the top stuff ... this show is not realistic.”

You guys do realize this is a fantasy series, right? Also the way she stood their was so bad@$$. 

And yeah, she did this:

You do know that horse acrobatics is a real thing right? 

Also, need I remind you this over the top elf:

He did dumber stuff and we loved it. It was cool. If we are going to take the time to pick apart the “unrealistic” story full of wizards, elves, and magic, then we are gonna be here awhile.

In conclusion, there is only one episode left and I can’t wait! Even if the finale is “just ok”, it’s been a blast to be back in Middle-earth and that means a lot to me. If you are not a fan of ROP, that’s fine. You don’t have to watch it. But some of us are really enjoying it and I can’t wait for the next 4 seasons. Be nice.

Rant over :P Thank you for listening.

#rings of power #lord of the rings #rant #this show is dope #and no one can convince me otherwise

[box-dwelling]

*around 2 years ago in Cardiff*

Intern: So Mr Davis, we are looking for your opinions on the script of the first special of the 60th. It should be fine. It's an adaptation of an old fan favourite comic with a deeply beloved character within the fandom who has yet to be put on screen

RTD: Yes I have read it. The only issue is how to we appease the gays...

Intern: Mr Davis, what do you mean appease the gays? Surely we shouldn't make that our target audience given how small a percentage of the population -

RTD: No. No we have been targeting the straights for a decade now and look where that's got us.

Intern: I understand Mr Davis but the climate is so different now. Your two major corporate partners are Disney and the BBC. Disney tried to shy away from anything controversial and the BBC has been actively distancing itself from queer movements. I recognize that pushing the boundaries of gender and sexuality was an important thing for you during your last tenure as show runner but we have to take into account the current political landscape. England's other biggest export other than doctor who is spear headed by a major voice in the gender critical movement-

RTD: You're right, we have to show queen TERF who's boss. Hmmm, ok here is my final treatment for the star beast script.

Intern: you just wrote "being trans makes you magic" over the conclusion.

RTD: no no, you're right. Too tame. Give that here

Intern: now it just says "being non binary makes you magic"

RTD: yes much better.

Intern: But Mr Davis that doesn't make sense...

RTD: Do you know what show you are working on? This thing hasn't made sense in 60 years and I'm not about to ruin it by forcing it to now. Build for the gays and the straights will come.

Intern: But this is the first episode. Are you sure you don't want to hold out on saving the day by being magically non binary until the era is more established?

RTD: No, they should know that the gayness is back as soon as possible. It vital that we appease the gays for the very beginning. I expect the final draft on my desk tomorrow

#doctor who #star beast #rtd #i did like the special in case anyone is wondering #does a dw episode have to make sense? is it not enough that it makes me feel things and has rtds entire pussy put into it? #we're so fucking back #doctor who 60th anniversary #14th doctor

[dragynkeep]

No really, "divorce-coded" freezerburn thing in the fndm is hilariously ironic considering it's bb who never talk about the obvious issues in their relationship, whereas Yang & Weiss have never been afraid to speak their mind and vent to one another when there's something they're not ok with. They remain honest to themselves without being afraid of conflict or that the other one will leave her.

it's been said before & will be said again; many of the "criticisms" of freezerburn are absolute projections by bee shippers who were extremely insecure that for the longest while, their ship was not the sapphic front runner in fan spaces.

which is why eddy explicitly chose freezerburn for the projection of his own failures in life regarding marriage, choosing freezerburn over bees because it was a smaller ship now in fanspaces & would "incur less ire."

when there are like 3 - 5 canonically divorced / divorced vibe ships on the show at current that didn't need to involve any of the mans. a chronically unfunny, divorced man.

#rwby #rwde #freezerburn #ais.txt #answered #q

[olreid]

Ok I promise I literally don't even mean this in a mean way but what is critically interesting about shameless lol

TONS OF STUFF but i think at least rn the main thing for me is the racial dynamics.. idk shameless is such an interesting and deeply flawed project to me because obviously the conceit of the show is to investigate and humanize poor people but the show's cast is so glaringly white that it's like. who is this for. the poor people your characters are based on are not white so why did you make them white.. the show is set in north lawndale. north lawndale!!! any chicago residents know that is a black neighborhood. if you google the demographics, north lawndale is literally 90% black and 3% white. three percent!!! so who tf are all these white people that not only star in shameless but make up the background of all the scenes? who are these people shopping in the stores and sitting at the bars? what is going on??? it is so transparent and crazy,, like it's more work to erase black and brown people from a story about south side chicago than it is to include them but that's translation work the show was willing to do. i guess maybe more work is not the right way to frame it but it really says something that in a show dedicated to humanizing people who go to great lengths to survive, the show runners and writers only felt that humanization/the creation and of nuanced and complicated and most importantly sympathetic characters was a worthwhile endeavor if the characters were white. as a result all the really interesting stuff that shameless has to say about literally countless issues -- most salient for me are child abuse, debilitating labor conditions, street violence, cycles of incarceration, mental illness, etc. -- all ring hollow because it’s a show that makes constant claims to realism and grittiness all while laundering their political points through whitewashed characters and communities that are completely divorced from the geographic reality of south side chicago and detached from reality even as the show persistently claims 'realism.' it simultaneously has so much and so little to say about our current political moment because it explores issues that are so relevant but does so by pinning them to characters who do not accurately represent the demographics most affected. why did they do that. like we know why but also what the fuck

#asks #anon #shameless tv

[arch-loebster]

Posting thoughts on the new special because I'm interested to see where RTD takes the show now that he's back as show runner. I thought the first two specials were super effective but I think the third one had a LOT of trouble living up to its own themes. I liked whole premise of the toymaker hypnotizing the world of 2023 through screens because everyone is playing their little internet games now but i dont think its actual effect made sense ? Everyone just thinks theyre always right? Like that may be a symptom of everyone being online in echo chambers and that could have been an element of the toymakers plot but its not the game of the internet. Thats in the algorithm and the discourse machine. It maybe would have been cliche but like i think just emphasizing the addiction to meaningless shit, hate obsessions, polarization, lack of media literacy or critical thinking, and more shit adjacent to the attention economy.

I think the ending was really where the themes didn't work though. The whole thing i think it was trying to do was like okay the doctor is gonna beat the toymaker by beating him at the oldest game. Contrasting the internet with a good old fashioned game or whatever but thats really not how the doctor as a character would approach that issue and it doesn't really effectively address how to fix the issues with the internet. The doctor should have beaten the toymaker with empathy and compassion and a little bit of outsmarting to really line up with the themes imo. Maybe for like canon reasons that would be hard to do because the celestial toymaker can really only lose if you beat him at the game but like, man FUCK the canon make your themes work first. The only way to beat the game of the internet is long form empathy, not more meaningless games.

Ok rant over.

Edit for the girls: Ok so there was another issue that i couldn't put my finger on and i figured it out. The punishment for losing the game just being kill the evil guy was really lazily written non-doctory behavior similar to Chibnall era stuff. I think I could've understood the doctor challenging and beating the toymaker in the oldest game as thematically coherent IF the punishment had instead been punishing the toymaker to a mortal life as a human. If that was the case then you could interpret the toymaker as this person so deep in the internet that hes totally irony poisoned and can only be freed from it by being beaten at a game, shown compassion by the person who beat him, and then forced reconcile with his own humanity and a truth outside of winning and losing. This makes a lot of sense for toymaker's characterization because truth and meaning are unimportant in his world AND THATS BASICALLY A PERFECT ALLEGORY FOR IRONY POISONING. And the only cure for that is allowing room for meaning in your worldview.

Ok rant actually over now.

#the giggle #doctor who #fifteenth doctor #david tennant #ncuti gatwa #russel t davies

[honeywithrose]

this might be a hot take but i literally do not care whatsoever that people are criticizing hotd for focusing too much on Alicent and Rheanyra instead of Aegon and Rheanyra.

like they have stated from day 1 that they’re choosing to focus on the female relationships within the show. i mean, just watch the first episode again and tell me it doesn’t set up the alicent/rheanyra dynamic as the beating heart of the show. it would be disingenuous to the whole project to change that now

i know it’s not fucking 100% accurate to fire and blood but fire and blood is an in-world text! it’s not the bible of the show, it’s a biased take written by people with their own motivations within the world. the show runners have every right to take liberties and in my opinion they have only served the greater themes and values.

ok sorry my partially stoned rant after watching the s2 teaser and reading the comments is over now

#rant over #hotd #house of the dragon #tagging this and posting it might be a bad idea we’ll find out

[letmelickyoureyeballs]

Beta Reader About Me

This is going to be a more in-depth post about me as a beta reader, which will be linked in my pinned post.

First off, hello call me Shark! I'm 18 and go by he/they pronouns. I am open to beta reading for people, whether that's stuff on here or AO3

What I'm willing to do:

Grammer/Capitalization/Punctuation

Cheer reading(pointing out what you did well and what I'm excited to see)

Identify plot inconstancies/where something needs to be clarified

Help with canon/characterization(if I know what/who it is)

American/Midwest information and more specifically Wisconsin information

Pretty much anything else you wish me to help with

*Depending on the fandom and length of fics, some of these will differ in doability*

I am generally ok with any kind of content that you write, but I do have some fic turn-offs. *Note that not everything on this list means I won't beta read for you, but I would like more info/details around them if they are in your fic to see if I'm still comfortable helping*

Mpreg/Anything pregnancy-related

Kid fics(when the main pairing has a kid, not kid-focused fics)

Really dark stories with no happy endings(depends on the story, but I'd prefer a happy/fulfilling ending)

Major Character death

Anything that is meant to hate a certain group/subgroup of people

Really long fics over 100k words

Some things that I am comfortable reading. *Not a comprehensive list*

Omegaverse

Reader Insert

G-E rated fics

Original characters

Canonverse

Alternate Universe

Gore and violence

Potentially triggering topics

I will again read pretty much any fandom you write for including original works, but here are some fandoms that I would be able to help more in-depth with:

The Witcher(Show, Third game, Most of the books), The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Halo(Game series), Marvel, Venom, Star Wars/The Mandalorian, Transformers, Call of Duty, How to Train Your Dragon(I hate the third movie, I'm sorry), Spider-Man/Deadpool(Spideypool), Percy Jackson/The Heroes of Olympus, The Hunger Games, The Divergent Series, Maze Runner, Narnia(Movies only, I don't know anything in the books), Pride and Prejudice/Emma, Disney/Pixar movies, The 100, NBC Hannibal, Rise of the Guardians, Good Omens, Our Flag Means Death, Beastars, Titanfall 2, Red Dead Redemption 2, Baldurs Gate 3, Divinity Original Sin 2, Hazbin Hotel, Critical Role(I've only watched Campaign 1 and 3, and the TV show), Once Upon a Time, Anne with an E, Harry Potter, Six of Crows, Twilight, Star Trek, The Conjuring series, Descendants/High school Musical, Guardians of the Galaxy, Oceans Trilogy, Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man, Top Gun, Stranger Things, Game of Thrones(I've only read the first 4 books though), Fast and Furious, Moon Knight, Bridgerton(Show only)

I will read WIPs/completed works, multi/single chapter works, original works, and anything in between.

If you are interested or have any questions you may DM me. If you do, please provide whether I would be helping with a WIP or completed work, and whether there are any deadlines I need to be aware of. Please also include any warnings I should know about, and what you would want me to help with. I would also prefer to work on Google Docs.

*Even if you are not interested, please reblog for others to see*

Edited May 11, 2024

#beta reader #beta reader here #writing fanfic #fanfic writers #fanfic authors #ao3 fanfic #ao3 #ao3 writer #ao3 fic #writers on tumblr #writerscommunity #writers community #writers on ao3 #call of duty #the witcher #marvel #how to train your dragon #hazbin hotel #baldurs gate 3 #the hobbit #lord of the rings #fanfiction #bridgerton #bridgerton netflix

[orionsangel86]

About the twinklify the twink? That's why I don't go full Dreamling. I have nothing against it, but they way they get twisted 90% of the times is just "uhh that not my Dream" for me. And same with all the Dark Morpheus x f/m reader. "That's not my Morpheus" and it's ok, because a) fanfiction keeps the media alive until the next piece we can get and b) fanfiction keeps people alive too, no matter what they picture. So, it's ok to feel like this, I guess.

I think that's the main takeaway from this. YKINMK after all. I'm a firm believer of "do what you want always" though of course, that doesn't mean you should be free from criticism, it just means maybe don't take criticism to heart ya know? This doesn't mean people should go onto others posts and fanfics and complain! God no! But people should be allowed to complain in their own posts - so long as anything particularly harsh isn't put in the main tags or is tagged accordingly. Like of course people aren't always gonna love everything you do, and sometimes when certain headcanons and ideas get bastardised by fanon echo chambers they become so far removed from canon that you are basically writing an OC with your fave characters face, but that's okay if it brings you joy. Just don't expect everyone to love and adore it ya know?

The problem I have with the extra twinkification of characters in ship dynamics is that I have a problem with m/m ships being twisted so far away from their canon counterparts that one party becomes obviously "feminine" and the other obviously "masculine". By which I mean one character is made extra skinny frail and delicate, submissive, virginal, pure, and always ALWAYS the bottom. The other character becomes huge and muscular and hairy and masculine, and take the role of protector and dominating and experienced and is ALWAYS the top.

Do you see what I mean? This has been prevailent in fandom culture since day 1 of course, and its a huge pet peeve of mine. I do view it as somewhat problematic because it feels like trying to fit a mlm ship into a heternormative box. Its a layered mess of misogyny and homophobia wrapped up in a fandom bow. It was worse years ago, during the SuperWhoLock days, and I will forever be grateful to Misha Collins for beefing up so much he enabled Cas to beat the effeminate twink allegations (knowing Mollins he probably came across a particularly bad fanfic or fanart and then spent several hours staring at himself in a mirror before throwing himself into an intensive gym routine).

I don't think its too prevailent in Dreamling fics, though I guess when you have a whole episode devoted to showing how Dream is pale, thin, beautiful, ethereal, completely hairless, and trapped, its easy to see why fandoms minds went to "twink" and then to "we need to find him a saviour". But I do wish the power dynamic would be a bit more balanced. Dream is no wilting flower. He is all pure lean muscle. He is no frail delicate thing. He has the body of a long distance marathon runner. He is power and self righteousness and fury and control. Yeah, he may be submissive with his lovers, but he's hardly inexperienced.

Hob is also in no way a macho man. He's hairy sure, but that's basically it. He actually isn't all that more muscular than Dream, he's only slightly broader, and he's not taller - I think they are the same height? Again, to stress, people can do what they want always. But please do take time to branch outside of the fandom echo chambers and refamiliarise yourself with canon once in a while. Especially when those echo chambers are leaning towards problematic dynamics like those mentioned above.

This is by no means a dig at any individuals, at any creative works I have come across or anything else of the sort. I just sometimes find the fanon echo chambers and widely accepted headcanons a bit irritating, especially when they don't fit with canon. It's fine on a small scale. I am not the person who is gonna comment "he would not fucking say that" because its mean and those posts are mean. It's when the whole fandom seems to adopt certain ideas, and suddenly any deviation from those ideas seems wrong to fandom at large. It becomes difficult to counter those ideas without suddenly being labelled a hater. Look at all the ridiculous discourse in Good Omens fandom because of how deeply far removed from the original source material the fandom took the characters over the 4 year gap between seasons? They were literally going into Neil Gaimans inbox complaining when season 2 deviated from widely accepted fanon headcanons! To the point that Neil had to clarify that what they were complaining about was never canon to begin with!!

Anyway, this post is probably controversial enough without me prattling on any further. Let me stress one last time that you can do what you want always, and everyone should be able to play in the sandbox however they want - just please check yourselves and your prejudices and do consider if the tropes you are encouraging have any harmful implications before throwing yourself into them.

#fandom problems #fandom discourse #the sandman #asks

[malk1ns]

25, 30?

25. besides writing, what are your other hobbies?

i'm theoretically a runner (i've had a fucked-up knee for about a year and a half now but when it's better i'll be back, in the meantime i'm walking a shit ton), i recently picked up hot yoga and i love it (read: i hate it and complain but really it rules), i read a lot especially nonfiction recently, and does a pet count as a hobby? my dog takes up a lot of time and energy and money and brings me much joy so i'll say yes.

30. share a fic you're especially proud of

ok so i'm proud of all my fics, even the ones that aren't as good or maybe don't get much of a response taught me something and helped me hone my writing abilities, but i'm going to highlight a few here in no particular order and say why i picked them....

miracle aligner i think for this one i did a really good job balancing messy feelings and reveals in a way that feels realistic and in-character while still being properly fic-ish, if that makes sense? i also really enjoy the mini epilogue i wrote, from geno's POV—i think it adds a lot to the fic and wraps it up well, showing a sliver of the other perspective at a critical point in the story that gives the reader context and, idk, works as a satisfying ending? i dunno i just really like this one.

talkin' bout sometimes chauvinism is sexy. no, not sometimes, a lot of the time, and i'm not sorry. gender roles are hot when explored and played with as a kink, and i had a ton of fun writing geno in a very particular way (that....i think might be closer to true to life than any of us realize haha) and his behaviors and attitudes lining up exactly with what sid likes. i think i did a good job showing how geno kind of already treated sid that way, and the relationship progression felt natural.

puckbunny i've written a lot of smut in my life, but in my opinion this is the hottest i've written in this fandom. idk what it is about it, but i've returned to re-read this one a lot, and every time i think to myself 'damn that's good'. sometimes you just have to appreciate your own way with words, right? plus i love roleplay fics in established relationships, they're so fun!

dress me up, make it tight this one is simply the best premise i've ever had. bimbo sid who's hot as hell and doesn't have a thought in his pretty little head? yes please.

fic asks here

[heliosthegriffin]

Bad Advice

Jaune slouches over the table, angling his head to Nora: I don’t get it,

Nora, scientifically testing how much spaghetti one fork can hold: Get what?

Jaune: Why my flirting never works.

Nora still swirling spaghetti: Go on.

Jaune: Well, my dad says never to back down, my sisters say girls like strong and dangerous guys, and my mom says women like men who won’t hurt them.

Nora, still twirling fork, it creaks in pain: Hmm, I think I need a full pictures here. Describes to me your methods, Fearless leader.

Jaune nods: Alright, well I always try to get they’re attention so that way I don’t surprise them and scare them off.

Nora: Of course.

Jaune: So, I yell at the top of my lungs at, “HEY, I SEE YOU OVER THERE!”

Nora: Then what?

Jaune: Well sometimes they run, or just freeze up, but I’m always make sure to say, “DON’T MOVE I”M COMING AFTER YOU!” That way they know I’m going to over to them, and It wasn’t someone else.

Nora nods: Sounds like standard procedure boss.

Jaune: Well, anyway, if this is when they start running, so to make sure they know I’m not a quitter, I run after them as fast as I can. Keeping pace with them as fast as I can, and I usual catch up after a minute or two, after they run out of breath, but sometimes the chase lasts up to an hour if they’re athletic, but I always catch them.

Nora’s fork breaks.

Nora: What do you do if they freeze up?

Jaune: Oh, I go up and grab them by the shoulders and turn them around to see me, that way they know who they’re talking to. I’ll introduce myself, and ask they’re name. But, sometimes they give me a fake name, or suddenly pepper spray, or tase me.

Nora; Ouch.

Jaune: Eh, you get used to it. I make sure to not let that deter me, Saphron always said self-defense is the first step to love. So, I keep my grip tight and stare them in the eyes, and ask if they have anything going on later.

Nora: Guess they say no?

Jaune: That, or scream. That’s usually when they’re dad, teammate, or brother shows up.

Nora: So, what about the runners?

Jaune: Oh, I usually corner them in a alleyway or chase them into a deadend, the usual.

Nora; It’s what I’d do.

Jaune: I always makes sure to point at them when I finally catch, and say “You’re not getting away now,” Before I walk up to them, and slam my hand on the wall or whatever behind them. But to make sure they know I’m not a danger. I’ll tell them. “I’m not a threat! You can trust me!” Before giving them my best smile.

Nora: Hmm, *Stares at her broken fork*. Then what?

Jaune: Well, that’s when I usual wake up with my head throbbing and a restraining order.

Nora; Oh.

Jaune: Haaa, Nora, what am I’m doing wrong? It’s ok, I can take my some criticism. You can let it rip.

Nora: Really? Well... You’re being too passive! You can’t just let a concussion or a piece of paper stop you! You got to let the ladies know that nothing will stop you, not walls, the laws, pain, or even they’re consent!

Jaune: Yeah! Wait, what was that last one?

Nora: Don’t worry about it, there’s Velvet go get her champ!

Jaune: Damn right, Velvet! Don’t move I’m coming for you!

Velvet see’s Jaune, seizes up, pales, then bolts: AHHAHH!

Jaune: Don’t run, I’m not a threat! *Proceeds to chases her at racecar speed*

Nora nods her head, see’s Ren: Don’t move! I see you Ren, mama’s coming for you!

Ren: AAHAHH *Runs aways, while Nora pursues!

#Jaune Arc #Jaune Arc crack #Nora Valkyrie #velvet scarlatina #Lie Ren

[matan4il]

Buddie challenge question because honestly these 2 things bug me to no end of things I wish I saw. And if the writers said I could only have one like gah I can't choose one. Would love your tie breaker in my head.

1. The conversation that ever happened when Buck explained absolutely everything about the tsunami, from picking up and running with Chris. The keeping him safe from bodies floating. Him diving in to save him. Bonus points if we got Eddie telling him the Chris version. Just the tears. But also I sometimes want to really have seen Eddie see fuck this man went through hell for my heart.

2. The conversation about what Buck felt and saw when Eddie was shot. Explaining just the determination of his actions. And in turn Eddie revealing his fears of why is Buck covered in blood, is he hurt, how did he wake up near Anna? Did he search for Buck right away. Bonus points for Chris Explaining it all to Eddie later.

Also I'm not against all of the above being in the Buddie Begins episode if I'm being honest. Please flashback to these moments team. But if you had choose your fighter, which one is it?

OMG, Nonnie, what are you doing to me? XD Those aren’t just fighters, those are super-fighters you’re asking me to pit against each other!

Let me just say I adore both. The tsunami was the first time when I thought to myself, “Oh.” As in, “Oh, they can’t back away from this. What just happened isn’t an elf lady scene that the show runners can write off as a joke or a gesture for the fandom. This is intense. And it’s the emotional climax of a three-ep major arc! They can’t pretend this didn’t mean something more.” But then the shooting arc is an even more blatant play on romantic tropes, which means it’s another one that’s undeniable. Another critical moment in the evolution of Buddie. So how can I possibly pass up seeing more of either one?

Hmm. OK. We can assume that the first happened. That Buddie must have talked about everything Buck and Chris went through during the tsunami, because Eddie explicitly comments to Christopher’s therapist in 304 that he's still not sure what his son saw that day. The most likely source of info for that would be Buck and Chris themselves, so I’m sure Eddie talked to both of them about that day. But the second. That hasn’t happened canonically as far as we’re aware, right? I guess I’d like that, because it doesn’t have to play out just in flashbacks, it can happen in the here and now, and give Buddie some critical insights for realizing what their relationship is actually all about. And yeah, I would sell a kidney for that!

I hope I managed to answer you, Nonnie? Thank you for this! xoxox

(and if anyone’s looking for it, here is my ask tag! xoxox)  

#buddie #911meta #buddie meta #911 meta #9-1-1 #evan buckley #eddie diaz #edmundo diaz #evan buck buckley #christopher diaz #ask #anon ask #911 headcanons #911onabc #911 on abc #911abc #911 abc

[lara-prisma-avm-ask-blog]

Well if you want to gain followers, give them a reason to follow you. Its that simple. No one will follow you because you are complaining that you dont many followers.

right now all you do is complaining and give bad vibes in general. All you will gain is probably petty followers at best and most likely from your closest friends only.

also your blogs are confusing. this is supposed to be an ava/avm ask blog but you also talk about other fandoms as well as if it was your main blog. if i was an ava fan, i wouldn't follow you.

and you seem to do the same thing with your henry blog. i dont understand how your organisation work at all.

like it is often said, those are your blogs, you do whatever you want with them. but dont be surprised if they dont attract as many people as you wish they do.

personal blogs like your prisma project are even harder to get followers because no one will follow you just because you have pretty OCs or decent concept for ideas. everyone have those. Only your friends and closest mutual will follow you for your personal project. thats how it works.

you want more followers? then go make more actual arts and complain less.

good luck.

ok, thanks for the constructive criticism.

It's just that my other blog is more focused on a variety of topics, but I don't talk about them much due to lack of ideas of what to talk about T-T

But I already have plans of what to do! I want to talk about games like fnaf, undertale, hollow knight, danganronpa, phoenix wright , etc. Shows like the owl house, arcane, tales of arcadia, ninjago, Monkie kid, rwby, Miraculos, winxs club, Meta Runner, Murder Drones, etc. And several projects like one of magical girls, learning to make my own games, fanfics, comics, who knows even animations! I just want to be able to expand my horizons of what I can do! And this other blog of mine, Projeto Prisma is the beginning!

I don't like to complain, I know it's really annoying. I just feel frustrated ;-;

I'll try to stop anyway, I just want to say that I have a lot of plans ahead!

Once again, i really appreciate everyone's support for what i do, i love you guys and i really want to show you what i want to do for the future of my blogs! I still have a ways to go, so wish me luck. the images above are related to future projects that try to which will be more elaborate on my other blog, Comic projects, AU's, and other stuff. I appreciate your feedback on everything I've ever done, and thanks for your critique anon.

[gothiclover13]

Interview With the Vampire Episode Five Review: Some Thoughts

*Spoilers

TW: Discussion of SA and DV

Ok. So I normally don't write reviews for episodes, but last night's episode of AMC's Interview with the Vampire: "A Vile Hunger for Your Hammering Heart," has understandably been pretty controversial with fans and I just wanted to share some thoughts.

First, I have really been enjoying the series so far and the direction they have taken this adaptation. I have loved how the series has incorporated its changes into this adaption. I also think the show has stayed true to the spirit of the book and the characters. One thing I really appreciate is how well-casted it is and how much the actors clearly cared for Rice's work and bringing these beloved characters to life. Sam Reid is clearly having the time of his life, Bailey Bass has been so moving, and Jacob Anderson OH MY GOD! Louis was the character I was least interested in seeing and Jacob's acting has been the highlight of the series for me. It really speaks to his talent that he can imbue a much less "showy" role with such subtle nuances and pathos. There is such a difference in "early vampire Louis" and "interview with Daniel" Louis and Jacob's acting has conveyed that so beautifully. I also adore the beautiful rendering of New Orleans and my hat goes off to the entire production.

So...episode 5. I knew this one was being talked a lot about based off of what fans who had had early screenings said, but I was still not prepared. Holy shit.

Before I get into THE scene, I will say the rest of the episode was really good at establishing Claudia's hopelessness and frustration, Lestat's growing impatience, and Louis' ennui. It also seemed like a natural progression from the previous episode and I knew the episode was going to inevitably raise tension between the three characters in order to have an effective buildup of resentment that would plausibly end with Lestat's "murder." Also. I finally got to see Louis in his Mr. Roger's grey, cable-knit sweater. Points for Louis' cozy-core aesthetic.

My first main criticism is the decision to have Claudia's character be assaulted by Bruce/Killer. It just feels like another example of a series using SA for shock value. What did it add to the story? For Claudia to find out vampires can be really mean? Was there no other way for her to find that out? Why have her meet Bruce/Killer, other than for it to be an easter egg for Vampire Chronicles fans? Bailey Bass's acting has been so incredible and I absolutely love her Claudia, so to see this happen to her was pretty upsetting and it felt like a disservice to the character. The whole thing just seemed like another problematic example of writing using SA as a way to make a female character "stronger," or more worldly. Thanks. I hate it.

Now. The final sequence in the episode. Whew boy. When I first watched it I was pretty much in shock. Lestat and Louis's fight is undeniably intense, visceral, and brutal. So much of it also felt uncomfortably close to similar real-life instances of domestic abuse. From Lestat saying he's "trying to restrain himself," to Louis trying to protect Claudia. I completely agree with Sam Reid that the episode should have had a trigger warning and I understand why this scene was upsetting for some people.

Lestat flying with Louis into the sky (which, ugh, this is the context for their first flight!) begging him to say he will, "never love him," all seemed like it was meant to be one big crescendo to this entire sequence and the series, thus far, with Lestat finally snapping from his fear of abandonment and inability to make Louis love him. Lestat dropping Louis back down before finally hovering before Claudia and Louis all seemed like pretty deliberate framing to put the characters, and the audience, against him.

So, did I hate this? No. Was it out of character for book Lestat? 100% I emphasize book Lestat because while I believe the series' show-runners and cast do care about respecting the spirt of Rice's works, adaptational changes have kind of necessitated these characters take on a life of their own separate from the books. Louis is waaay different, but also similar to his book counter-point in a lot of ways. Claudia is essentially a new character with new issues and obstacles to overcome. Lestat is actually pretty close to his book counter-part and the series has kept the fact that he and Louis's relationship was initially toxic and abusive.

No, I don't think Anne Rice was at her typewriter in 1973 visualizing this abuse as a Dragon Ball Z-level fight between these two, but they were also never the healthiest relationship (initially). Would book Lestat ever brutally beat Louis and drop him a mile back to the Earth, heck no! Again, the Lestat in the books would never have done this and I completely understand why this scene may have been too much for fans. I do, however, feel like the scene is in keeping with the characterization we have gotten thus far for series Lestat. He has been shown to be a lot more violent (he punched through a guy's head in the FIRST episode), disdainful of humans, and is given to fits of angry outbursts. Louis considering leaving with Claudia seemed like the plausible final straw based on how they had been setting his character up. It's funny how the series showrunners emphasized telling the story with the context of the rest of the Vampire Chronicles in order to make Lestat less villainous, when this is, arguably, more horrible than anything he did in the original book.

So in short, I feel like this scene worked within the established context of this series, but I understand if it turned fans off. My only question is how the series will handle the fallout now that Lestat has committed such unforgivable abuse. How will the series justify Louis ever forgiving him? It's a lot and I am very curious to see how the next two episodes will handle it. Hopefully with sensitivity and care.

So those are my two cents! I'm still very invested in the series and these characters and am curious to see how this episode will situate itself in the overall series down the road.

#interviewiththevampire #amc interview with the vampire #the vampire chronicles #lestat de lioncourt #louis de pointe du lac #claudia de pointe du lac #iwtv 2022 #sam reid #jacob anderson #bailey bass #iwtv amc