#ES critical

[disformer]

What do you feel is more concerning for children with what is in the EarthSpark series; all of the clear terror and death, or having a they/them pronouned character?

Because the terror and death is seemingly entirely looked over but the ONE CHARACTER going by different pronouns is apparently nothing short of outrage.

Anon, I Am Nonbinary.

I’ll put a more thought out response under the cut

Earthspark drinking game take a sip every time an extremely young child has to emotionally support an adult or is put in life-threatening danger.

1. Steven Universe really ruined a generation of children’s media by making showrunners think they had to tackle issues like PTSD and trauma.

However, to give SU some credit, Steven was not 9 years old at the start of the show. It’s a really jarring choice that was probably made to capitalise on a more marketable demographic for TF and to keep the children’s play more lighthearted, but you get some really weird moments like (checks notes) a nine year old giving advice to an adult on how to handle trauma.

The issue with this is no nine year old should ever have to do this for an adult. They do not need to be wise beyond their years. They do not need to be a therapist for their caretakers. Grimlocks PTSD episode is one of the most egregious examples of this, where (not only is this depiction extremely one-note and weird) the narrative punishes Jawbreaker for not realising Grimlock is having a panic attack in the middle of their play.

As a framing device in a kids movie, what is a nine year old viewer supposed to take from this? The child brain is going to think ‘the adult lashed out and hurt Jawbreaker, it was his fault for being too rowdy.’ LIKE YOU WOULDNT SEE THIS IN PEPPA PIG.

And you do need to consider this when you’re writing children that young in your media, because kids are going to watch shows that have other kids the same age as them in it. There’s an almost instinctive camaraderie in seeing a fellow nine-year-old on TV when you’re at that age. So, the show is very likely going to be watched by 8-15 year olds which brings us to

2. JESUS CHRIST. THIS SHOW NEEDS TO CALM DOWN.

This show is way way way too interested in putting children in extreme danger. Constantly, towards the end of the series.

I’ll make a note first that it’s okay if kids shows have fun play-violence; kids like action. Children like low-stakes explosions. It’s not super serious and most TF media does this well, even if it’s tonally a bit more serious. This is not really an issue in a show like TFP or TFA which also had young kids.

Earthspark does not make its action low-stakes. Earthspark treats its violence extremely seriously; children cry, they scream, they get bruised, their parents wail when they see them in danger. Violence has a lasting impact, it has to because the show constantly wants to talk about trauma, so they can’t have video game rules. If they get hurt it has to impact them. Robbie and Mo are in consistent, life-threatening danger. They’re always being shot at or dropped off cliffs or almost killed and it always harrows them.

And kids can pick up on this. They’re going to realise that this is something that’s Serious, and Scary, and they’re going to be FREAKED out.

They’re also going to be freaked out when the children are fuckin. Tied into the bio-wall with tubes by Mandroid, or when Robbie has alien leukaemia and his parents are so so scared and has to rush him to the hospital and Mo is crying so much, or when their parents are seemingly killed and the kids are screaming and punching the ground and blaming themselves.

And that last part is important, because on several occasions the narrative reinforces this. The narrative. Of a children’s show. Says yes; Robbie and Mo have powers, and this makes them responsible for the well-being of the adults around them. Mo literally gets told this. By GOD. Before her parents proudly watch on without interfering as she fights in hand to hand combat with the villain (WHO IS, AS WE HAVE SEEN, FUCKING DERANGED AND WOULD LOVE TO KILL A TEENAGER JUST ONCE PLEASE PLEASE)

In conclusion, what this tells me is the showrunners are inexperienced. They didn’t consider what is appropriate for the subject matter of a children’s cartoon. They wanted to write about trauma, and war, and think kids are cute! And didn’t want their TF fanfiction to be narratively compromised by having to ‘dumb it down’ for kids.

The result is this is never a show I would ever put on for a 4th grade class in break time, at the risk of severely upsetting a lot of them. And it’s also a show I can’t enjoy as an adult, because it uses the language of a children’s cartoon to make nuanced topics more binarised and soppy.

#ask #earthspark #critical #like there’s also. more. abt why i don’t love it that much #but this is the part that struck me. #used to be a kindy teacher btw #ES critical

[cycle-hit]

milgram prisoners "fur"sona hcs

haruka - rhetus periander butterfly! i think his dislike of animals would lead to him not really being comfortable with having a mammal, so i gave him an insect 1. because of muu 2. i think the colours match him 3. the butterflies in all knowing and all agony. 4. theyre found around forests and water :) (TO BE READ EVILLY)

yuno - rabbit, mantis, or lamprey! for rabbit it's because people tend to see them as just cute pets but theyre actually quite mean at times and a lot of effort has to be put into genuinely taking care of them. also the reproductive cycle theyre known for whatever. praying mantises yeah its the "eating their mates" thing, also because of her covering "sticky bug"! she also just generally reminds me of a mantis for some reason. lampreys because of "the vampire" and because draining blood, draining warmth etc. they also slightly resemble umbilical cords! fuuta - fire breathing dragon. its bright red. self explainable (salamander, fire...) but also because of his knight motifs! ive also considered a wolf for him bc i think it'd be funny if both kotoko and fuuta had wolves but i think him being a scalie fits more muu - wasp. she thinks its a bee that she's designed. she is wrong. wasp because of "its not my fault", the fact wasp species can be "social" or "solitary", and the fact wasps kill bees. i can also see the argument for just a bee though! especially since once bees sting you they die afterwards shidou - a bird of paradise :). double meaning with the fact it shares the name with a flower. also because i think being one of those rly fancy birds is just like him. "birds of paradise" also has origins in "birds of God". like "aesculapius"! and amane! some birds of paradise also drink nectar from flowers. i hope he flies into a window (ive also considered vulture, crow, raven, and dove (just because of 0507- shidou sees kazui tear a dove apart with his teeth and goes "god i wish that was me", changing his avian instantly)) mahiru - capybara!! friends with everyone even crocodiles. just having fun. classified as rodents (if i was mahiru's boyfriend i would have just eaten the rat rip to him but im different). those images of capybaras with citrus fruits on their head. also she just reminds me of a capybara generally kazui - cat! i dont think i have to explain anything for cat. he would have a nebelung cat specifically though. also hey did you know cats hunt birds- amane - cat as well. sorry. i actually dont really know what breed of cat amane's fursona would be- maybe abyssinian? some sort of tabby? mikoto - has two or three fursonas depending on if you're into the trikoto theory. theyre all very bright neon colours. mikoto has a greyhound, john has a jackal, "green" has an ibizan. all three of these canines are thought to be the inspiration behind anubis, egyptian god of taking care of the dead and acting as a protector for them. anubis is also described as a "gate guardian"! hey. hey wait a fucking secon- (i also just think itd be rly funny for mikoto to be able to merge fursonas with john + "green" and make cerberus) kotoko - i dont think you need my input for this one. go watch deep cover and skip to the end idk. i DO associate her with the hyper realistic 4k hd most beautiful art youve ever seen werewolf images specifically though. i like to think she'd be like "my wolf fursonas colours and design have to be REALISTIC. not like MIKOTO'S or FUUTA'S" and then she turns around and gives it red eyes and her exact hairstyle

#this took WAY too long. this is my magnum opus though #if its anything i wanted to be remembered in the milgram fandom for it would be this post specifically #milgram #haruka sakurai #yuno kashiki #fuuta kajiyama #muu kusunoki #shidou kirisaki #mahiru shiina #kazui mukuhara #amane momose #mikoto kayano #kotoko yuzuriha #sorry es. creating 10-12 fursonas took the brainpower out of me i didnt have enough left for you. i just know itd be sick as hell though #i want to tag furry but i feel like itd be intruding #little guy posting #im open to criticism i want to hear ur opposing takes on what fursonas they'd all have #not open to criticism in the “furries/fursonas are CRINGE” way though. ill just straight up block you for that. shut the fuck up

[yashley]

"She's so charmin', y'know! She's just so--"

#critical role #imogearne #imogen x fearne #ygifs #IMOGEN GETTIN LOST FOR A SECOND IN FEARNE'S GAYZE AND SHE STARTS STAMMERING Iiiiiiii #fearne making imogen blush but imogen JUMPS on the FIRST distraction from that is SOOO good 2 me it's like ooook #she literally literally immediately is like ANYWAY and it's SO good y'all just had a moment and you literally are like UH SO WHATD YOU SAY #I just want to chew on it I just want to study it I just want to take out a mortgage with it and really have holiday card memories with it #you have a 6ft faun you keep reminding everyone is hot leaning towards you teasing you to choose between her and you what - don't lose it?ok #being able to fluster even stressed out imogen like that power trip alone I hope she starts to chase that feeling #the FOREVER GONDOLA RIDES is what I'll title the fic of fearne constantly flirting with imogen just to try to fluster her #and imogen's just like I don't think I should be alone with fearne and everyone's like all right makes sense #and she’s beetred cos she wanted them to ASK WHY so she could try to have a dialogue about Thinking? Fearne is Flirting #but she's like that with everyone!!!!! and they all are like yeah that's true and imogen just is like . of course ! ! ! and they squint #like you knew this why do you seem disappointed all of a sudden and imogen vax-es out of the room #it's NOT that she LIKES her LIKE THAT it's NOTHIN I'm watching it cos it's like this is happening while also not happening pretty gay

[sparring-spirals]

historically a great sign when your very powerful friend/mentor/personal uber cuts off your communications with a "Shit" and goes silent.

#critical role #cr spoilers #c3e48 #cr liveblogging #the bell's hells who have had some issues with their mentorship figures going silent and dead: hm. shes dead. rip. #planewalker ryn #y i k es

[based-haruka-anon]

What if you wrote es and fuuta sibling shenanigans? That would be pretty cool :D

Okay i know you probably meant current ages, but the thought of two very loud violent toddlers has plagued my mind so im writing them as little ones!

0311 sibling stuff, Fuutas 8 and Es is 3

Fuuta and Es are at the beach together, and Es is being an annoying little sibling, this is in an odd au where they're implied to have the same parents, whether they're adopted or biological siblings is up to your interpretation, story under the cut!

The sun glares down on the beach, heating the sand and lighting the water.

Fuuta pays no attention to this sun, patting down the top of his bucket. He pulls the bucket up; which reveals a broken, half completed castle. He holds the bucket over his head, and stares into the dark bottom, yep, there's the rest of the sand.

Despite this roadblock, using his skills as the resourceful and mature eight year old, he shoves his hand into the bucket, and proceeds to hand apply the remaining sand to his castle.

He shakes the remaining sand off of his hands, and throws the bucket to the side. Fuuta smiles rather triumphantly, admiring his bucket mold castle. While he quite enjoyed his castle, it was off center, and looked about ready to tip over any second.

The castle never has a chance to tip. Es runs towards Fuuta, not seeing the castle. Their little legs trip over themself, and they lookat him with big eyes, laid across the once mighty castle, "Ow.." they cry, reaching for Fuuta. Their eyes water and little grubby, fat toddler hands trying to grab at him. Fuuta's brow furrows, he crosses his arms with a rather girlish pout on his face.

"You don't get to complain Esuu!" He exclaims, seemingly fine with these consequences, "you destroyed my castle, so you get to fall!!" Es makes a pitiful expression at him, then they started to cry.

In true three year old child fashion, Es is very sensitive. In true Fuuta fashion, he is also very stubborn.

He looks around anxiously, making sure their mom was no where around and pulls Es off of his once mighty castle. Their clothes are now covered in damp sand, Fuuta thinks he can almost see the exact imprint of the castle. He stares solomnely at the flat mound of sand that was once his castle.

He looks at Es and glares at them, "you crushed my castle Esuu," he scolds, they nod and cry harder, flailing as they plead their innocence.

"Accident!" They exclaim while flapping their arms, they make a pitiful expression at Fuuta. His glare softens and he groans. Es makes kitten eyes at him, which quickly discourages his anger.

Fuuta looks at Es, before shushing them, "okay I accept your apology," he says, patting their back slowly. He makes a face of distain, before spoting Es' bucket right next to them.

With two buckets, they could create an even mightier castle! With his new evil plan in place, he whispers his schemes to Es; who eagerly brings their bucket over.

Es happily starts to shovel sand into both the buckets when instructed. They also manage to get sand absolutely everywhere, especially on Fuuta.

He grumbles, but decides to create their base and moat, digging through the sand. Once the base is finished, the moment of truth has arrived! They both place their buckets down, tap the tops, and pull them up.

And both of the castles only come out halfway, sand remaining in the buckets.

#annabel lees writing #i do take requests btw #Es milgram #fuuta kajiyama #alternate universe #milgram #milgram fanfic #I will be fr I am kinda ass at writing I take (polite) constructive criticism #ill be fr idrk how to tag lmaoo

[09lover]

my reaction after ()’s attempt to gaslight me for the uncountable time into trying to repair this broken relationship that they ruined

#es talks #no because why………… #you ended it i didnt do… anything…. (head in hands in disappointment) #story time here.. click for more if u wanna read..? #ill call them (). one day they texted me about our friend who ill call koru who unfollowed(?) them on twt because they kept #commenting (more of in a critical way..) about how their art was missing fingers despite it being drawn correctly. so they tried to somewhat #force me to stop talking to koru and shit talks about them to me…. which i still remained in contact with koru and told them everything #so we stayed as besties and eventually () came by to visit me and eventually found out i was still friends with koru then decided to throw a #temper tantrum and ignore me to the point their mother had to get involved… which still didnt work out after their mother helping us 3 times #then our … like 4 years or longer relationship just went down the drain… all because of that. #unfriended me and also started shit talking me to their friends then just yesterday which i found out today #<- discord btw -> she then sent me multiple messages in some gcs we were in… calling me disgusting & said i shouldnt ignore wtf i did in #an attempt to gaslight me thinking what i did was gen wrong and also guilt tripping me to crawl back to her to beg and apologize as i always #do… but i just had enough ehfjejdje #well ill most likely delete this later just needed to get this out of my system!

[malaismere]

I think one of my favorite things about EXU Calamity is that it really enhances the vibe of modern day Exandria as post-apocalyptic - which, all D&D pulls on a little, it's a staple of fantasy, but beyond the ruins just the vibe that...the evil of the calamity never left.

Zerxus has never felt a fiendish presence before; everyone barely knows who the Betrayer Gods are and no one worships them. The only real major conflicts and fights we hear about are the looming threat of Aeor - against mortals, not monsters.

versus modern day Exandria where like. these forces are an ever present threat. that it's not just ruins and relics of an age long past that signals the apocalypse, but that the very world is still dangerous.

#critical role #cr spoilers #exu calamity #most fantasy but especially the types that inspired d&d #(which is actually mostly not lotr but that does apply here) #heavily pulls from post-roman europe and the sense of a fallen empire that was more advanced than you and is now ruined #and its one of my favorite things to get talked about explicitly because its so fun #edit: sadly the the reblog that blew up had the typ but in my defense #i was trying so hard not to type Xerxes with an -es I completely forgot it was Z not X

[mihai-florescu]

Fanfic writer to "greek myth retelling" published author pipeline (both types of writing involve an unspoken agreement with the reader that they have a base of knowledge, the worldbuilding is pre-made. It works for fanfics, but not for published novels...)

#being critical about something is how i ground myself btw i think youve seen me swing from breakdowns to es quote webweaves #it's how i distract myself #not critical always sometimes just the process of gathering screenshots and seeing a commonality or comparing them to smth else #is enough #and other times im straight up a hater

[heartbrake-hotel]

I will say this; when it comes to Scotty, Lamar and the rest of the Memphis Mafia, always beware of what the "boys" say. I tend to take their stories with a grain of salt. According to a 2008 article,

"One would think that the various members of Elvis’ entourage, having worked and socialized closely with him for years, would be convincing sources of information. However, over the years several of the “boys” have proved themselves far from reliable when recalling their times with Elvis. Back in 1977, Red West, Sonny West, and Dave Hebler’s book, Elvis: What Happened?, was filled with bias and inaccuracies, Lamar Fike was a main conduit of misinformation for Albert Goodman’s deeply flawed 1981 Elvis biography, and Byron Raphael’s article about Elvis’ sex life in a 2005 issue of Playboy is completely spurious.

Of course, not all those close to Elvis have proved unreliable. Joe Esposito and Jerry Schilling are two who seem to have told their stories about Elvis with honesty and balance. The lesson here is that when reading these “I-was-there-books,” the reader must keep an open mind when it comes to accuracy, honesty, and bias.

In the end, I’m not suggesting we should all be cynical about everything that has been and will be written about Elvis. And I don’t think there is anything to be gained by arguing over isolated facts. However, the legacy of Elvis should be important to all of his fans. And if it takes setting the record straight once in awhile, then sign me up for the crusade."

hiya nonnie ! i'm guessing you're the same person who sent this same quote to norah about the palm springs girl a couple days ago- if so, howdy! (if not, also howdy 👋)

but yes, i think this is a really good point to make again ! (i had that post in mind when answering this ask today, lol)

it's important to remember that not just the mafia, but virtually every figure in elvis' life wrote a book or otherwise sold their story (whether marketed as a personal memoir or not) after his death - there is a tremendous wealth of information available about elvis and it is almost in its entirety anecdotal and virtually non-verifiable bc of that... only made more difficult by the fact that so much of it directly conflicts.

and of course that can be intentional (like in the case of elvis: what happened?, where explicit scandal was the selling point) or not- its been almost 50 years since elvis died, after all. its possible and even likely that information is misremembered!

i think it's a difficult but necessary task for us to wade through sources and decide who to trust, and the basis by which that trust is given varies for every fan, im sure! personally, i don't trust any of the stanleys, ever, or the wests for a significant period after his death (altho ill give more credibility to their more recent documentary appearances before their deaths). i do trust jerry and larry, and for the most part joe, george, and the smiths. scotty, marty, and lamar can go either way depending on what you're reading, etc etc turtles all the way down.

and remember, too, that none of these guys were academics! even removed a few layers from those original sources, when we're looking at further literature written by elvis historians (pietro, dundy, or nash, for example), their information traces back to someone who says something like "i remember-" or "im pretty sure-". (guralnick is the only one im willing to give a tentative pass on this front- and that's only cuz content-wise the majority of his books are about people and situations adjacent to elvis' life at the time! and that information is much more conducive to credible research. we all remember how many pages of last train to memphis is took for elvis' birth to even be covered 😅 but all of his interview-based elvis factoids fall prey to the same criticisms.)

on a primary basis, this isn't peer-reviewed amd intellectually-neutral research, it's the lives and memories of an amalgamation of people, and they can all be unreliable narrators. it's important to factor in how each one viewed elvis and which parts of him they understood, because they all loved him, but they all knew him differently.

the spirituality point is a big one here, for instance- for the, shall we say, stoner mellow types like larry and jerry, they can speak about this facet of elvis' personality very positively! but most of the rest of the mafia doesn't do that. their personal convictions color their recollections and interpretations thereof in a way that's not really about elvis at all, but about their own upbringing/values/etc.

and it's hard, too, not only objectively but emotionally, for us [junior historians? elvis enthusiasts? fans?] to acknowledge these facts, to accept that the people we want to trust most- the people elvis trusted most- aren't always very good sources and didn't always have either his best interests OR the truth in mind (whatever that may be).

when it all comes down it it, a lot of elvis lore can and should be taken with a grain of salt! so watch your cholesterol 🤭🧂

#ask #i think its veritably impossible to get any kind of 'true' picture of es life this far on #read: completely accurate #there are literally hundreds of books on the subject and more being published all the time #and it goes all the way back- we all know the controversy surrounding his goddamn birth certificate lmao #if your interest is purely intellectual none of this matters #but if your interest extends to personally maintaining his legacy on the other hand.. #you have a responsibility to think critically while doing so #the unexamined life is not worth living etc etc

[elbiotipo]

Estaba viendo un video sobre la historia del Nostalgia Critic y no es tan divertido como pensaba (fun facts: nació en una base militar de EEUU en Napolés así que técnicamente es italiano) pero lo que más me llama la atención es lo berreta croto trucho que es todo, o sea sí es entendible para videos chistosos de youtube en 2008 pero el tipo tenía la idea de hacer series y películas EN SERIO, y esto es lo mejor que podía hacer...

Miren, he visto pelis hechas con 2 pesos y un choripán que le pagaron al tipo para que sostenga el micrófono y tienen mejor cinematografía... Estos tipos facturaban en su época, no podían no sé, alquilar una casa para filmar mejor?

#cosas mias #y Doug (el nostalgia critic) parece que no es un mal tipo solamente muy muy boludo pero parece alguien semi-decente #los demás...

[cloudjumpervalka]

ive had hyperfixations over the years that i always thought were cool and shit but tsw*ft is the first hyperfixation ive gotten that im like. so embarrassed to admit. it wasnt intentional. idk what happened lmaooo. it just also feels like. 😬 bc every time i wanna gush about lyrics or whatever i also have to remember shes so cringe and no one else in my immediate circles likes her the way i do LMAO

#maybe its the while im transitioning its like a way to heal my inner girl child but eh #maybe im just posting to be like. yeah ill reblog these funny true statements about her #like she needs her jet taken away she needs to make a stance on palestine she needs to just be more charitable and worry less about vinyls #but also ill hear my tears ricochet and ill be crawling on the floor screaming the lyrics bc it hits to hard LMAO #its such a bizarre stance to have in sw*ft*e culture bc #real sw*ft*es will prob harrass me for being critical at all #but people that dont like her will think im cringe or basic or whatever #i need to find a bubble of wherever i fall lmao

[disformer]

I really like your analysis on ES and the way the children are dealing with the adults’ problems. Quick question though, do you think that kids’ cartoons CAN deal with mature topics on a healthy way, like Batman the Animated Series did (esp since Batman is an adult helping people and not a child)?

VVVVVV

Sure! It helps a lot that BtAS is also written for an older audience of kids (early-late teens)

I think that it’s important to understand that ‘children’s cartoons’ are not a monolith. The level of social development in an 8 year old is not the same as a 14 year old; the older child is going to be able to handle more nuanced and complicated depictions of emotion in their characters (and in fact will start seeking it out as they age) while the younger child is just not going to be able to grasp it yet.

And while it might feel like ‘adult problems’, you’ll notice pretty quickly that shows like Teen Titans or BtAS depict a very stylised form of character drama, abstracted enough alongside the plot to be more digestible for younger teens. Darker themes get a kind of pop-art abstraction, where perhaps certain elements of that darkness are obscured in order to highlight what a young teenager would be able to relate with without forcing them to relate to it in an adult way (hating your dad because he sucks ≠ we need to depict explicit abuse/ I’m angry and sad bc I lost someone and lashing out ≠ we need to depict substance abuse used to cope)

And you hit the nail on the head when you said Batman is an adult! There’s a whole discussion out there on maturity levels and the age you need to be to be empathising with characters who aren’t also children, but it’s safe to say that a show like Justice League or BtAS provide a natural kind of interest check at the door, where it’s more adult tone and older characters will ward off a lot of younger (5-7 yr old) kids who aren’t explicitly seeking out a more mature tone.

My issue with ES is that it feels very confused in this regard, and blurs the lines between what’s tonally appropriate in a way that’s probably quite upsetting for young 6-10 year old children (which it’s trying to appeal to) but doesn’t commit to the other end of the spectrum and artfully depict an abstracted form of adulthood that both kids and adults can enjoy.

And, like, I do also enjoy a lot of media that is marketed towards kids! I love animation, and I’m aware that there are a lot of good kids media out there that are Kind Of Fucked Up Actually, but you’ll find that those shows aren’t trying to appeal to the same age demographic as, say, Bluey. And also very rarely ever actually kill/hurt children, or put very young children in traumatising situations that elicit an on-screen mental breakdown.

#this seemed like it was in good faith thank u anon #ask #es critical

[effervescentdragon]

beyonce's pathetis girlboss wannabe feminisim in butchering jolene will NEVER outfuck shakira's bzrp music sessions #53. perdon que te sal---pique :)

#i take no criticism #effervescentdragonrants #eso es MI REINA

[some-anonymity-preferred]

real talk

Coffee in bed this morning, brought to me by my Stede-coded partner. ☕️👩🏽💖👱🏻‍♂️☕️

Sitting here catching up on y'all's posts, and at the same time fielding texts from my sister.

She took her very white friend to the ER in Austin this morning with presumed gallbladder issues. Staff did intake on the friend without asking for ID or proof of insurance.

Now she's waiting for the friend, and she's watched two Mexican (Texas speak for brown; they could be from Texas, Mexico, Central America) patients come in and be asked for multiple forms of ID, their SSN, and so on, before anyone will even look at them. They sent one of them away and he came back 20 minutes later with ID. 20 minutes.

And I start remembering last night, and the little queer gaming con I went to in support of my partner and his young teen.

While we were registering, an attendee came up to me and said I looked like someone they knew, and what was my name?

I answered with my government name (I'd considered using my stage name on my badge, shoulda done that), and they recoiled. Looked me over for a beat and said, "So you're Israeli?!?!"

(Whoa, my person, that's several long leaps to a wrong conclusion, though I support what I guess is your anti-Zionism.)

Taken aback just long enough to keep my sigh and eyeroll internal, I corrected, "No, my name is Mexican."

And they recoiled again, "You're from Mexico."

"I... yeah. Sure."

I didn't manage to keep the sigh internal that time. No matter. They'd already turned away to my white companions to invite them to play board games with them.

(I saw one other person of color, likely Native, at the con. Two of us out of maybe 40 people in the room. We're in a large city in the Upper Midwest, but this all could have happened anywhere in the US.)

Anyway. These are the things on my mind as I drink my Princess Coffee and read all your comments on @tfemteach's post about Izzy's missing apology, and I just want to say that I love each and every one of you who has also been feeling ill and ill-served about it. Whatever your reasons. I see you and love you.

@scarrletmoon @daria-meoi @naranjapetrificada @jaskierx @cursedgaysuit @tfemteach of course, and many others. 💖

#ofmd #ofmd season 2 #real life #cw racism #cw microaggressions #cw racism in healthcare #izzy critical #being a fandom is suffering #izzy x the consequences of his own actions #his own racist queer phobic abusive sell out actions #this redemption arc is a fucking trust fall for me #apparently into a pit of despair #fandom racism #la vida es dolor

[sparring-spirals]

Watching Deni$e snipe at Prism- she sniped at Bor'dor but not quite the same. Is so interesting. Im not opposed to characters actively clashing and just not getting along by virtue of who they are, thats just how it is sometimes. But some part of my brain is so sitting here going...... oh but if they do end up liking each other a lot, if they grow WAY close, the pay off is gonna be SO good.

#critical role #cr spoilers #c3e59 #cr liveblogging #im almost certain that at some point prism will do something to earn deni$es respect or save her or vice versa and its an old trope but #i LIKE IT OKAY #deni$e #prism cr #oh i just realized- this isnt intended romantically. i mean folks are welcome to think about it that way but i wasnt thinking that when i #wrote it

[marmolady]

You know what BUGS me... (ES Book 2 edition)

RANT INCOMING.

The Valinorim chapter (Bk 2, Ch. 8). Where in the heckity heck was Estela? She only shows up at the end to be invited to brunch... which is a cute-ass moment, but there's been no real build-up of her finding a place in the group and connecting with the other Catalysts aside from MC. This chapter should have been that.

An event that's all games of strength, skill and intellect? She would smash the first two of those, and be pretty damn good on the third. This was the perfect opportunity to have Estela actually playing (for the first time in god knows how long), and have her bonding with her new friends in the process. The diamond scene with Jake and Sean was nice and all, but there needed to be one with Estela (and preferably with Quinn... I mean how gorgeous would a vulnerable post-miracle-recovery Quinn be teamed up with protective weapon-on-two-legs Estela be?). But she doesn't make an appearance in ANY of the games, even if MC is dating her.

Did the writers just think 'well, it'd be boring if we just brought Estela out 'cause she'd whoop everyone's asses no question, better just have her out on an extended toilet break or something'?

We have been robbed of some good old ass-whoopin' of the Estela variety, and the best placed opportunity to have her getting close to the other Catalysts and begin to question her priorities and whether actually, she might have a different life open to her if she just decided to take it.

Aside from my Estela-ry whinging, I also think Varyyn was handled poorly. Suddenly he's just one of the gang? His mother just died, like yesterday, give me a little angst there? No room for any hints from Estela that his losing his mom might touch something in her? No?

#so guess what my next fanfic is gonna be #endless summer #playchoices #es criticism #estela montoya #varyyn