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#I am usually very critical of my stuff
katamarigender · 1 year
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Mario movie review (and maybe im being too much of a Hater here, ill see how i feel after I've stewed on it): I liked Looking at the movie. It Looked really good and it sounded good in terms of music and sound effects. Jack Black and Charlie Day were fun in my opinion. Chris Pratt was not good but not as bad as i thought he was going to be. The story wasn't complex but i also wasn't really expecting any depth. Toad was there. and To Be Quite Honest mario and dk had more of a gay thing going on than bowser and luigi did, which is not saying much (not that i was expecting anything to be there in the first place).
Conclusion: it was better than i thought it would be, but not as good as i hoped it could be. If you're curious you can watch it just to appreciate the art direction. And there are some fun moments.
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AITA for exposing my sister-in-law's secret during a fight?
Ok, this one is going to need a bunch of context.
I (29F) started to date my fiance F (31M) when I was 26. While he is the sweetest person ever, his family is a bit difficult and it was hard for me to fit in. They are a very traditional family of Japanese descent, very rich too, and his mother MIL (60sF) had a dream of seeing all of her three sons married to other rich girls of Japanese descent. I am white and from very humble origins, so I was not very well accepted at first. The thing that bothered me the most was the constant comparisons to my brother in law BIL's (34M) wife SIL (33F), who is rich and of Japanese descent. I was deeply in love with F and decided to fight for my place in his family; I started to take Japanese classes and ended up really good at it, and I was also the one who took care of MIL after her appendicitis' surgery. She recognized my hard work and we became closer and closer, at the same time she realized SIL didn't make the same effort for her and the family as I do, and she started to be very vocal about how I was her favorite daughter in law and how SIL should do better and try to be more like me. Suddenly, the tables have turned and SIL was the one being compared to me, no the other way around.
Of course she didn't like that at all and started to antagonize me and criticize every small thing about me. She would complain my dog would bark too much (which she did, but SIL was a little mean about it), and when my dog died, she made a comment about how finally she wouldn't have to hear her barking anymore (that stung a lot since I loved my dog with all my heart and she was like a baby to me), she would also complain about my apartment every time she visited me, saying it was too cheap (as I said, I come from humble origins) and her newest topic of complaining are my earrings: I like to wear cute and funny earrings (only at work and family gatherings, I don't wear them at social events or anything like that) and she always talks about how I'm too old to wear them and how tacky it looks. F and I noticed she's been progressively meaner the closer we get to our wedding (three months from now) and think she's trying to scare me away before I become an official part of the family.
One last piece of context: some months ago, F told me in confidence about how 6 years ago SIL's brother and sister in law died in a car accident and left an orphaned boy of 4 years old. SIL was the little boy's only family, but she refused to take him in saying she already had too much work with her own son (who was also 4 at the time). That didn't go well with the family; MIL and my father in law (who was alive at the time) assured her they would help with the kid and she would have all the support, but she simply didn't want the boy, so he was sent to the system. That was something MIL never forgave her for, since family is everything to her, and it was something only MIL, BIL, SIL, F and his younger brother knew. He told me that in confidence and asked me to not tell anyone. I promised I wouldn't.
Now for the actual situation.
Our last family dinner was one of F's cousins' birthday, so all the extended family was around. No kidding, I think there were around 60 people there or more. SIL, once again, decided to mock me about my earrings (little cherry earrings, very cute) and talked again how I was to old to wear them, how they were kid earrings etc. I've been tolerating her bullshit for so long now and after her comments about my dog's death, I was more sensitive than usual, so I snapped back and said that it's not because she dresses herself like an old lady that I have to do the same. She got angry at that and a proper fight started; we saying worse and worse stuff to each other while everyone stopped to watch. It ended up with her mocking my upbringing and calling me a gold digger, accusing my of only being with F for his money. That really struck a nerve because I heard that before at the beginning of our relationship and it always hurt my feelings, since I genuinely love F. Before I could even think about it, I said: "At least I'm not a heartless bitch like you. How's your nephew doing, by the way? Oh, you have no idea, right? Since you put him in a fucking orphanage!"
She got speechless after that and left the place, went straight to her car with BIL and went home. I didn't hear from her or him since them. F is furious with me since he told me that in confidence and now all the extended family knows SIL's secret. MIL doesn't care at all; she never got over what SIL did to that little boy and it's been a while since SIL isn't in her best graces.
Now that I'm calmer I feel a little guilty for exposing SIL like that, but she was always so awful to me that I can't really feel that bad. Mostly, I feel bad for BIL, with who I always had a good relationship and even defended me back in the day when the family didn't accept me very well. Now he's not talking to me either and, as far as I know, he's also not talking to F.
So, AITA?
What are these acronyms?
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intheholler · 3 months
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okay. i'm up to episode five now, so, by increasingly popular demand lol:
my initial thoughts about old gods of appalachia
i think it's really smart in what it relays as "appalachian horror," because this is actually what The Appalachian Gothic is supposed to give
what i mean is it's not just like the usual spoopy mythical forest/"don't investigate the noises in the woods" stuff alone. dgmw, obviously i love the urban legends
but the gothic of an area or time period needs cultural elements tied in to really make it chilling, and this does it well. it stands out in the way that it incorporates the genuine horrors of humanity in appalachia with the supernatural element everyone is drawn to about these mountains. it's very creatively done
like in the barlo, kentucky saga i am currently listening to, it's the dangerous coal mines and the near-possessed preacher turning all hellfire n brimstone at the behest of the haints. it preys (i use this word positively here) on this mix of very specific but common fears, both existential and otherwise, held by residents of the appalachian south. love it
as an aside, i love the narrator's accent because it sounds like mine :') a lifetime of code switching means mine isn't quite as strong unfortunately, but our pronunciation habits and colloquialisms are next to identical, so there manages to be this like warm and nostalgic feeling to it, too
because it's honestly so nice to hear my accent and my family's accent as a critical part of a superb story being told, and not just as a vehicle for mockery and stereotypes :')))
all in all... it is Good Shit
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iuciferic · 2 months
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I usually don’t make text posts on tumblr because I use this site as an archive for the artwork I post online and I think keeping boundaries online is good. But it’s way too long for Twitter and I’m thanking people who use tumblr in it. But I’ve been self reflecting. Well actually, I’ve been reading the work of Nagata Kabi so it inspired me to write this. This is NOT a negative post btw.
TLDR: if I don’t believe in myself, I gotta believe in the people who believe in me
So. I’m my biggest critic, constantly annoyed at how slow my skills progress, unable to see the good or a single quality in it, basically just posting it the same way you’d hand over a test you clearly failed but at least you tried. Well, today I was scrolling my own blog and scrutinizing my own work. But in between all the work there were all those asks from people who made the step forward to come and express what they think about it. Usually when this happens I brush it off as “oh well, they’re just trying to be nice. I will thank them because I appreciate their kindness in trying to make me feel better”. But if it was the case, they’d probably just leave a like or, they don’t know me so they’d probably just ignore it. I kept reading everyone’s asks inbetween criticizing myself and it made me realize, while criticizing myself is GOOD (it means I see my past mistakes and I’m one step closer to improving), I focus too much on the negative. Some asks were pointing things I never notice about my own work. I think it’s like our own appearance. Many of us will think it’s nothing special but other people will like it. Actually this might be a bad analogy.
I wanted to thank each person (who was off anon so I could directly message them) individually but I’m actually a very shy person and I felt embarrassed like “hey, uhh, yeah that asks you probably don’t remember you sent? I read it 2 months later again and I’d like to thank you again”. I assume replying to old stuff is universally seen as weird by other people. The people might be weirded out. But in case any of you read it (anon or not, know that I am really thankful for everything and it’s thanks to you that I’m having this surge of happiness right now).
This triggered a lot of memories. Back in October, when I was drawing a lot of armored core stuff, I got an email in Japanese. At first I thought it was some google translated bot but, it was actually proper Japanese (if easy to make the difference, even if your level is low). The person was complimenting my armored core stuff and later they actually revealed themselves on twitter. It made my week to know that someone would write such a long email just because they saw what was to me a picture online I just felt “meh” about, saying that they wanted to learn to draw now. (The email was very long, I can’t just dismiss someone writing all that)
Also since I was laid off from my studio job last year, I still received freelance work doing concepts and IU for smaller games (and was even requested to do more work for the previously mentioned studio) and was able to live comfortably thanks to that. But to me it was nothing, like I refused to acknowledge my own achievements. I mean everyone has a job. Why would I congratulate myself? Because you’re doing the job you’ve always dreamed of. Yeah, it’s not a in-house permanent contract, sure I’m not working on AAA, but freelance work is still work and small indie games are often the ones doing unique and interesting things. Plus it’s not the 90’s anymore where you could have a part time job on something that would become a cult classic. The joy I felt the first time I’ve seen my name in the credits roll of a game felt like a victory after a long battle. So yeah.
I still DO need to improve drastically if I want to grow as an artist and get hired on bigger projects and have the career I dream of. (I also need to keep studying for my N2 haha). But I’m happy of what I’ve achieved so far and I’m thankful from the bottom of my heart for the people who voiced themselves to remind me to stop looking at a small detail instead of the bigger picture. We’re all works-In-progress so even if we’ve been shitters so far, doesn’t meant it’s over and we can’t get better. Also I’m conscious I’m lucky enough to have people voicing their feedback, while smaller artists don’t. If anyone has ever complimented your artwork, I would advise to read what they said again.
Also I’ve been contracted to do creature/monster design on a console game starting next week so I’m going to go and beat FF7 Rebirth in 4 days before I’m unable to play it for the rest of the month. 🫡
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copperbadge · 5 months
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Hi, please ignore if this is too personal, but as someone with Jewish ancestors who is considering conversion, I'd love to know your reasons for converting? For me it's more about community and reconnecting with that part of my family (there's a complicated family history there) than about religious belief, but I'm worried that might not be enough of a reason, if you know what I mean?
I don't know, I think conversion to Judaism is hard enough that if you don't have "enough" of a reason, you'll find out -- but I also think that one doesn't have to have a "sufficient" reason to convert to any faith which allows it, just determination and respect. If you want a connection to your ancestors and community, that's a very powerful motivation. And if it's not enough to sustain you through conversion, that's still a huge self-discovery for you, and while some practice should remain closed, you can still connect through things like traditionally Jewish foods and appreciation for Jewish art and culture.
For me, it's not that it's too personal, but it's difficult to vocalize; often when I'm asked about converting there's an assumption that I'm marrying a Jewish person, and when I say no, I usually add, "I just hear a call." Which admittedly is much more often said by Christians joining a ministry, but it's the most truthful I know how to be in short. Something in Judaism speaks to something in me. I have very little Jewish ancestry (although every time the DNA websites reevaluate their calculations it ticks up a percentage point, which is hilarious to me; I'm up from 2% to 6% currently) but the attitude towards the divine, the strength of tradition, the respect for learning, they all speak to my soul.
Even the hard stuff -- content in Torah or Talmud that I find difficult to reconcile with modern sensibility -- is at least something to challenge me, and Judaism is a faith that encourages argument, so I'm allowed to have a critical opinion of it. I think a lot about a quote I read from someone (possibly a reader, if so I am so sorry I can't find your name in my memory) who said, "I keep kosher, but sometimes I eat bacon when I'm mad at G-d." I think a lot about my Methodist confirmation class, where I was almost kicked out because I thought the Parable of the Wedding Feast was stupid and continued to argue against it after, realistically, I should have stopped; if it had been a class for a Bar Mitzvah, we might have been allowed to really examine it instead of glancing across it awkwardly and moving on. (As I found out years later, it was basically about how anyone can be a Christian but Jews should be punished for refusing to convert, so you know. Even as a kid I was very Jewish in my approach to theology and knew anti-Semitic propaganda when I heard it.)
I like that so many of the traditions involve things that I find compelling: bread, fire, water, the written word, the cycle of the harvest. I like that there's a search for truth and precision in Jewish scholarship, and that scholarship often seems to reward a neurodiverse approach to faith and study. As someone committed to philanthropy and versed in radical compassion, the exhortation to care for others baked into every foundational Jewish text is also very attractive. Some of the prayers I find viscerally satisfying (particularly the Traveler's Prayer, for some reason).
I find faith in a single divine entity extremely difficult, but one of the first things that got me to seriously consider Judaism (something I'd already been interested in) was being told that you can be an atheist Jew. To be able to commit to a faith community while still struggling with faith itself feels special to me. Whether a divine entity caused the miracle of the oil we celebrate this time of year is immaterial to me; the beauty of the narrative, the righteous rebellion rewarded with eight nights of light, is enough for me.
I might never finish conversion; realistically while I've done a lot of studying I still haven't worked extensively with a rabbi on a conversion path, and I do not call myself a Jew and won't until I complete conversion (I do observe a lot of the holidays and prayers, but mainly because that's generally advice to converts, so they can understand the demands of the faith and the myriad issues with being Publicly Jewish). But that's fine too; Judaism has been around for thousands of years, it'll wait for me, and if I never convert I'm still enjoying the journey.
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fernsnailz · 7 months
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take this ask as a free ticket to freely hate on elemental (WE SUPPORT THE HATER GRIND WOOO)
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ok so to preface. i have only seen elemental once. it was in theaters. i did NOT pay money to see it (my friend worked at the theater and we got in for free). we also saw it in 3D (would not recommend). i chugged a canned margarita beforehand (WOULD NOT RECOMMEND). i sobered up halfway through the movie and had a terrible time. needless to say i am not a fan of elemental (2023)
below is an edited version of the review/rant i sent to the group chat afterwards. BE WARNED IT'S REALLY LONG.
much later edit: personally i think i did a very bad job of critiquing this movie in this ask, and some of the opinions i expressed below are some pretty bad faith takes. i still think this movie is worthy of criticism, but not in this form and not from a guy who chugged a margarita before seeing it.
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ok so the big point of discussion with elemental i've seen is usually around the allegory it uses to portray its themes of race, immigration, and prejudice. generally speaking, it's my opinion that trying to portray concepts of this weight and depth with an allegory or metaphor is already a terrible idea*. this isn't stuff that you can make simpler to understand by portraying minorities as fire people or predator animals or whatever great new idea disney is cooking up next, because this isn't stuff that can just be MADE simpler. if anything, allegory makes discussion about race more complicated because you have to explore why racism and prejudice, an inherently illogical belief, exists within said allegorical world. usually said fictional explanation just seems to justify prejudice - for example, the allegory in zootopia is straight up DANGEROUS to compare to real world racism because predators, aka zootopia's minorities, literally used to hunt and eat prey animals (the majority). with this in mind, elemental is already off to a bad start since disney has a bad history with allegories of this kind.
(*EDIT: this is gonna eat me alive if i don't clarify this because i realized too late that i spoke WAY too generally here. to clarify, i'm mostly talking about creating an entire allegorical world that lacks humans here - allegory can be a very powerful way to portray a human experience, and i don't want it to seem like i'm arguing that allegory and metaphor can't be used at all to create a powerful story about race and prejudice. for example, here's a short film that i really like called OverWeight. it's about losing one's culture and identity, and that theme is explored entirely through a bag of luggage. and it's really good! just want to clarify that i'm not advocating for only extreme realism and a lack of magic here, but instead against using huge, non-human allegorical worlds that replace these human experiences. thx bye)
thankfully, elemental never got as bad a zootopia in its portrayal of prejudice (at least in my opinion), but that's not saying much. it mostly just feels kinda confused - as far as i know, fire people are supposed to serve as a sort of "immigrant everyman" allegory which is. not how that works. immigrants of different races and ethnicities are going to have different struggles and experiences, and trying to boil everything down into four different elements that fit every kind of person under an allegorical umbrella is over complicating everything again through a veil of simplicity. it's almost like all of this would be fixed if they just told a story about real human people instead of turning them into water and fire people but i mean WHAT DO I FUCKING KNOW!!!!
oh also the worldbuilding of elemental is. kinda ass. to further explain: fire people are the only immigrant characters really explored in depth, and a good amount of the worldbuilding around them is actually pretty interesting. they have their own language that the characters speak every now and then, they have their own foods, customs, and culture that you can definitely tell a decent amount of thought was put into. which i liked! and then you learn that the country they come from is literally called Fire Land. just Fire Land. i doubled over when they said that because compared to everything else, it’s so out of left field and just. GAHH. it really reeks of "exec in the disney board room wanted to make part of the movie about prejudice easier to understand for The Kiddies" and i hate it. god.
this is consistent throughout the film, a lot of genuinely interesting worldbuilding is intermingled with surface level, bottom of the barrel ideas that just feel. so confusing. like a big theme the movie centers around is gentrification and how the city (called “Element City,” by the way (SCREAMS)) is not built with fire people in mind. i like this concept a lot and they show this in some interesting ways! a main conflict centers about how water is flooding ember's home, and there are multiple moments where high-action scenes are revolved around ember just navigating the city and trying to avoid water, something that most of the city’s residents wouldn’t have issue with. i thought that was really good! it was something that, surprisingly, was very relatable! and then the movie goes full zootopia and just like. has one of the characters call the fire girl a slur (the slur was “fireball”) which, reasonably makes ember mad, but then the character that did the slurring faces NO narrative repercussions for her actions because. ???????????????? i don't know??? you would think that a movie that turns issues of class and race into a fun cutesy little allegory would at least take the time to go "hey kids! let's not call minorities slurs" but instead the Slur Woman ends up helping ember and wade on their shitty little romantic sidequest and never once seems to express any remorse. cool! great!!!! WHO'S IDEA WAS THIS???????
by the way who fucking wrote this who put all these element puns in here. there are so many element puns in the movie i want to eat the writers of elemental. i’m mostly made of carbon but i do not walk around like “wow what a long workday we have fellow coworkers, i guess we have to CARBON diem, amirite?” please kill me
the varying quality in the worldbuilding and allegory of elemental just goes to show that this movie would have likely worked better if it focused on humans on earth rather than elements residing in a confusing elemental world - previous pixar works like bao and turning red show that pixar movies that focus on real experiences told from a human perspective with a magical realism twist can work really well! the allegory of elemental makes its characters and experiences feel distant, i spent more time trying to understand the world of the movie than the characters and their struggle. that could be a me problem, but the world was so goddamn broken in the first place that i felt like i COULDN’T focus on anything else. idk can we just tell like actual stories about actual marginalized people without turning them into The Trope of the Week i’m so tired
and by the way. i do not like the character designs in this movie one bit. ember looks like if you asked a middle schooler to design a fire woman. "ohhhhh we're pixar and we have to give all of our woman characters a pencil thin waist and big feminine eyes and skinny little legs" i want to explode.
ok we're getting into just batshit insane rant territory here now. so with that in mind I FUCKING HATE WADE. from the moment he appeared on that screen i knew i had it out for that motherfucker. the first thing he does is start crying over a situation that HE CAN SOLVE. he’s a city inspector that gets caught in the flood overtaking ember’s home, and the FIRST thing he does is start writing up violations he sees in the basement of ember’s family home. and then. he has the audacity to CRY ABOUT IT because it’s sooooooo tragic that her dad’s shop is going to be shut down because of HIM. the movie frames the water people as overly emotional because they cry alot (because they’re made out of water, of course!!! isn't that so funny!!!!!!!), but wade’s actions make it clear that those tears are FAKE because he does NOTHING to help ember in the first scene they meet. then, only after ember explains to him that there’s LITERALLY NO OTHER WAY her family can survive if the shop is shut down, does wade agree to help her out. kill me
oh btw wade being very emotional and crying a lot is NOT a bad thing and imo most modern stories need more emotional male characters. but. elemental treats wade's crying mostly as a running gag more than anything. which just kinda doubles around to being misogynistic again
wade continues to be a fucking nuisance to my psyche, even after leaving that theater. i did not enjoy the romance between ember and wade because i hated 50% of that duo. ember was ok i liked her enough bUT I WANTED TO KILL WADE. they try to spin him like “ohhhhh hes a little bit clumsy and goofy and a little bit dorky ahah don’t you like him?” as if that doesn’t describe most of the male love interests in every movie released after 1990. the two sit on a beach where ember is on the verge of a meltdown because they haven’t been able to save her dad’s shop, and one of the things wade says to comfort her is “i think you’re beautiful like this tho uwu” HUH????????? who tf is trying to make moves while someone is having an anxiety attack i SWEAR to god. i want to use wade as bong water i hate him so much
and then. ember gives him some glass that she sculpted to look like a flower she likes. it’s a nice sculpture. later in the movie, wade is like “hey ember i have something for you” and then just. gives her the sculpture back. and they treat it like he gave her a gift of his own like bro SHE gave that to YOU WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT????
the one act wade does for ember before the big climax revolves around taking her to see some underwater flowers - it’s a nice sequence, but it’s not a gift that’s exclusively from him. they have to get the cloud lady that called ember a slur to help make an underwater bubble to contain ember. fucking. come ONNNNN
wade dies in the climax of the movie. straight up he evaporates from heat and they’re like “awww he’s gone :(“ and they manage to bring him back but i really wish he stayed dead. would have been worth it if he died. but no. there's so. many weird little things in this movie that make my blood run a little too hot. can the genre of kindergarten racism movies please stop here. i am begging i can't do this again please
completely forgot to mention this at the beginning: my friends and i refer to elemental as "The Movie of All Time" because the concept of "element people" or general element-based characters is such a common story trope within young animators and storytellers (at least in our experiences). the number of pitches we've seen about "this character is made of water/has water abilities and this one's made of fire/has fire abilities and they need to find a way to work together/it's a love story!!!" is uncountable. we could not believe this movie was a real pixar production when it was first announced we thought it was a joke
in conclusion. i wish i had another canned margarita halfway through elemental. might have been bearable that way
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gentlebeardsbarngrill · 3 months
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02/10/2024 Daily OFMD Recap
TLDR; Long Post is Long. Cast & Crew Sightings; David Jenkins; Matt Maher; Clowning; Rhys Darby; Rosie; Samba; Max Trolling Reminder; Coyote Vs Acme Cont'd / Articles; Watch Party Reminders for Feb 11; SafeSpaceShip; Art Director's Guild Nominee; We Need to Be a Lighthouse! Game; AdoptOurCrew Choose Your Own Adventure; Love Notes; Daily Darby / Today's Taika;
= Cast & Crew Sightings =
Well as you can imagine, the David Jenkins IG is the big news of today. The clowning forecast has gone up significantly. Dad posted one of the late-blooming SaveOFMD banners in NY and attached Elton John - Candle In The Wind to the post. This song has some very specific significance to our fandom.
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Apparently back when we lost Lucius in Season 1, Chaos Dad posted this song to Nathan Foad. Src @cptn_brightsky's Twitter Post
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Now ADD to that... David Jenkins ALSO added this picture of Matthew Maher standing in front of a saveOFMD flyer found out on the street.
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NOW OF COURSE, we are all clowning, but I think as usual Chaos Dad is trying to give us info without giving us info since the fandom pays so much attention to every little detail.
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@saltpepperbeard has a theory that I'm down to clown with until I turn blue in the face. Src.
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So yeah, as always take the clowning how you will, but I'll be honest, this looks like great news to me. It really does. CLOWN ON MY FRIENDS.
= Other Cast & Crew Sightings =
Rhys Darby's going to be at The Bourbon Room Hollywood next Friday, 2/16 at 8 PM PT.
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== Rosie ==
Since doing cute stuff just doesn't stop in the Darby houshold, tonight I wanted to make a special shout out to Rosie Carnahan Darby, Rhys' Wife who has been active the last couple days. First and foremost, she knit a little blanket and hat for Samba's baby!
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Second apparently she's restocked the Awesomeness Comedy website with more Buttons McGinty books and Comedy Special DVD's in case you're interested.
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Oh and by the way, Samba loves the blanket:
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= Vico Ortiz =
Tonight Vico was out performing with Them Fatale Drag Kings at their last night at their home bar Redline! Just some shots from their IG stories, feel free to check out more.
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== Max Trolling ==
Gentle reminder luvs, if you're going to IG, or Twitter to troll Max posts, let's try to remember not to post OFMD/Negative comments on any posts that are celebrating underrepresented groups. We want to support those groups. Please note however, if you'd done it previously and didn't know, don't beat yourself up! We all make mistakes, just please try to keep it in mind going forward! (If you can delete your previous posts, great, if not, again not the end of the world).
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== Coyote Vs Acme Cont'd / Articles ==
Why Deleting and Destroying Finished Movies Like Coyote vs Acme Should Be a Crime
This article is from yesterday but this blurb was pretty damn specific so I wanted to make sure if you missed it you got to see some of the reasons why Max did cancel OFMD.
"Some of the company’s tactics post-merger were garden-variety ruthless, like eliminating 87 series from its streaming platform Max, so that they won’t have to pay union-mandated residuals to the talent that created already-existing programs or pony up funds to produce more seasons of existing ones (such as “Our Flag Means Death,” one of the company’s most popular and critically acclaimed comedies—canceled after just two seasons)."
= Watch Party / Event Reminders =
Feb 11: Q+ and AdoptOurCrew Season 2 Live-Rewatch Party
Times: 2PM GMT, 9 AM EST, 6 AM PST
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Watch Party Hashtags:
#OurFlagMeansBBC 
#OurFlagMeansRewatch
#SaveOFMD 
#AdoptOurCrew
= Feb 11: Relax I'm From the Future Watch Party! =
Sunday February 11th, 1 PM PT. 4 PM ET, 9PM GMT
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Watch Party Hashtags:
#PiratesFromTheFuture
#SaveOFMD
#AdoptOurCrew
== In Person Events: San Diego CA ==
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February 11, 2024 at 4 PM at Maritime Museum of San Diego
Costumes & Cosplay Encouraged! Location: Maritime Museum of San Diego 1492 North Harbor Drive San Diego, CA 92101
Hashtags:
#SafeSpaceShip
#SaveOFMD
#AdoptOurCrew
= Art Director's Guild Award Nominee! =
Sorry, I forgot to add this one yesterday!
Ra Vincent - Nominee for Half-Hour Single - Camera Series. Src: @AdoptOurCrew and ADG
Check out the Design Presentation: OFMD_s2_art.pdf
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== We Need To Be A LightHouse! ==
Have YOU heard of this awesome new Monkey Island Inspired Point and Click Adventure Game by @blueberreads and @eldawee? They've been working on it for months and it's FINALLLLLLLY HEEEERE!
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These folks are so incredibly talented! Please go check it out here! https://dawee.itch.io/lighthouse If you're using a MAC OS you'll most likely need to download an executable at the bottom of the main page. Just FYI! If it prompts you with the "you downloaded this from the internet" error just click OK. I already started playing with it and I'm in love.
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I pushed Ed and he asked if I wanna do something weird xD Okay no more spoilers, GO CHECK IT OUT!
== AdoptOurCrew Choose Your Own Adventure Game!==
In honor of the s2 watch party with Q! tomorrow, @adoptourcrew did a really adorable choose your own adventure game on twitter today! They did polls and let the majority pick which direction they wanted the story to go!
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Since it was a lot of pictures I made a separate post so you can see the whole story: @adoptourcrew Choose Your Own Adventure here on tumblr. Please check it out!
== Love Notes ==
Alrighty lovelies. It's been another busy day. Lots of clowning, lots of hope, lots of emotional roller coasters. I hope you had a good time and generally it was more positive than negative. I have a lot I want to say, but my brain is still pretty foggy. So I'll make this short.
Sometimes when things go well, our brain gets excited and then they overcompensate when we calm down. It starts to think a lot more negatively because it had so much extra dopamine for a time. When that happens, little things can be really devastating. I just want you to remember that we all make mistakes and YOU, you beautiful imperfect being are not your mistakes. They hurt, and we learn from them, but they don't define us. Try not to listen to your brain if it's telling you otherwise. You are so very wonderful.
Anyway, I hope that makes sense.
Here's a picture I found today I thought really applied to all you wonderful people. Thank you to all the folks who reached out to me and checked in and sent me love when you knew I was struggling (there are too many to list and I don't know if you want to be tagged so please just know how much I appreciate you). I love you all so much, and I'm so lucky to how found people who make me feel like it's ok to be me.
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== Daily Darby / Today's Taika ==
Tonight is once again animal themed. I wish I'd made that Taika gif last night for the lovebirds theme, but here we are.
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latenuitrambles · 4 months
Note
Self-aware AU for Kaeya?
Note: Sorry this took time I had college stuff and I also wanted to complete Kaeya's hangout first? and I think that was the right move because it actually has a lot to do with fate and I think that inspired me a lot while writing this!!!!!
CW: nothing much?? a bit of yandere? minor spoilers for Kaeya's story. not proofread so might have spelling and grammar errors
As usual criticism and reblogs and highly appreciated ! please guys if you genuinely think some part can be a bit better i would love to know as i am trying to improve my writing!!
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The day that kaeya realises that he was part of a video game, I think he would be very conflicted.
All his life he has tried to defy the ‘Fate’ of Teyvat and tried to overwrite his destiny and to suddenly discover that all his life is essentially planned from beginning to end for other people to ‘play’ and seek enjoyment?? Something about it infuriates him so much
But once he calms down and reorganizes his emotions, I think he would slowly start planning ways to break out of the prewritten story.
Subtly trying to get you to make certain choice in the story, trying to influence your actions.
If he cannot write his own destiny then he will make sure you will do so for him.
In his obsession to influence you I think he might slowly even start to get attached to you.
It feels wrong yes but slowly he realise you are essentially the only person in this ‘world’ who knows all about him, his conflicted family background, his relations with Khaenri'ah, the choice he would have to make, the sometimes questionable methods he uses to enact justice.
You and the only person who can see through his mask and maybe eventually when youre playing with just him he would slowly start letting his guard down.
However complicated the relation between you guys might be with him being trapped in a game and all, there is something so comforting about you knowing all parts of him and still loving his character or him being your favorite.
He doesn't want to admit it but kaeya actually do longs for genuine affection, especially after his father abandoned him, his adoptive father died and his falling out with diluc, the only person he was truly close to, you have one again ignited that warm feeling inside his chest.
Now depending on the scenario I can even see him becoming slightly obsessive, maybe if he sees you take his artifacts for some other character, or playing with someone else more.
Maybe he would try to force your game to choose him so that he gets to spend more time with you.
He might look for ways to reach you outside the game, after al he is slowly getting impatient having to wait everyday for you to log in. He thinks he he can become aware of you and of the game then there might be some way to escape the game reality??
He might also try to use your outsider knowledge of the games secrets to change the fate and basically use it to his advantage??
He might even add new voice lines in your game as if trying to talk to you, slowly changing his idles maybe even try to comfort you if you are sad. You would be confused at first, but Kaeya will not let you get away from him now.
You have given him a new purpose and advantage in his life and he will make sure you never leave him.
Self aware kaeya would both be angry at the predestined nature if the game and also grateful because now he can use it to his advantage to try to change the fate of Teyvat using knowledge from your archives. He is unsure about how to cope with the fact that he might be essentially just a fragment conjured by someone's imagination but at the same time meeting you was the best thing in his life and one day he will find a way to break out from the simulated reality of Teyvat and this game. After all Kaeya is nothing if not unrelenting and ambitious.
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tinydeskwriter · 1 year
Text
Dirty Tricks
A/n: Just something I had in my drafts… it’s kinda of angsty…
word count: 974
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After what felt like a lifetime she raised her eyes from the dark wood table, eyeing the people around before her eyes landed on the man sitting next to her boyfriend of two years—fiancés, she remembered looking at the emerald ring on her finger— she never had na kind of feelings against him… until now. She couldn’t even look at the other woman siting at the table with them. She felt… ambushed in that position, all by herself, with no one on her side—this wasn’t about her career after all, she was there only as Harry’s significant other—not even the man with whom she shared a private life.
She narrowed her eyes, the big eyes the world seemed to love so much, and looked at the member of the team who had voiced the idea with disdain—which everyone seemed to have been previously briefed about, but her— she scoffed before giving them a predatory grin.
“So… the movie is so shitty that it has to resort to dirty tricks to sell?” She asked no one in particular.
“Y/n…” She held up two fingers at her boyfriend’s manager, fixing him a medusa glare.
“I’am talking, Jeffrey, wait your turn.” She said with bite, her eyes finally going to Harry, she was furious with him for being put in such a position. “Let’s talk H, is this what you think is best for your career?”
“Maybe this is not the place…”Jeff tried to say.
“He’s a grow ass man, Jeff, let him talk for himself.” Her eyes didn’t move from her uncomfortable boyfriend. Harry hated confrontation, worst of all a public one. “I am going to repeat myself: Is THIS what YOU think is the best? Pushing ME to the background of your life, for a bullshit stunt you don’t need? Is it what you honestly believe is the best your career?”
“Jeff believes…” Harry started, finally looking at her.
Y/n rolled her eyes scoffing at his answer.
“I am not asking for Jeff’s opinion Harry.” His face fell as he looked at her, his usually calm fiancee looking livid, properly furious, in a way he only had seen her while acting. 
“Babe, this isn’t what I want, you know that, but the team believe is going to be good for the movie and for my image, and I trust my team.” He tried to appease her, placing his hand over hers, only for her to take it away. “It’s fake, Y/n, not that different from you flirting with your co-stars in interviews.”
She looked at him shocked. “It’s very different Harry, and if you can’t see it…” She was done being there, it wasn’t her career, it wasn’t her choice, she had a photoshoot to attend and a interview to give.
She git up from her chair and gave them all a diplomatic smile, she took the emerald from her finger, placing it in front of Harry on the table, ignoring his shocked expression, “I have the shoot for my Vanity Fair cover, and later I am going to a meeting with Mark, I will either stay at his guest house or the Marmont.” She said looking exclusively at Harry. “You have till tomorrow to make a decision, if you want to go forward with this, fine, as I said, it is your career, but I don’t want your stuff at my place when I get back, Jeff can help you finding a new place.”
She adjusted her jacket over her shoulders and placed her Dior sunglasses on her face. “Jeffrey, it was good seeing you.” she said sarcastically, before turning her back and leaving. 
She was followed out of the room by Harry. He grabbed her arm, preventing her from entering the elevator.
“Lovie, let’s talk about this…” He tried, his hand going up and down her arm. In her heels they are almost the same height.
“There is nothing to talk about Harry, you know where I stand, I won’t stand by and watch my fiancé acting like he’s in love with some other woman,” She looked him in the eyes. “it is hurtful that you’re okay with keeping me a secret like I am a embarrassment to you,” Y/n let out a sarcastic laugh, “honestly, I am a critical acclaimed actress, and your management treat me like I don’t matter, she’s a B-list actress no one cares about, and they are dealing with her like she’s gold, and you agree! Because you’re willing to keep me as your hidden dirty little secret, and show her off to the world pretending that you love her, and you know that we won’t be able to be seen together in public while it is going on, and I will be the man-stealer no matter what when this shit ends.” Y/n refused to cry in front of him. “And you knew this is what was going to be talked about, and you let me come in blind, you let them ambush me.”
Harry was at loss of words.
“It hurts when the man you’re planning to get married to, treat’s you like second best…” She paused for a minute to control o sob that threatened to come out. “You really showed me were I stand in your list of priorities.”
She pulled away from him and pressed the elevator button.
“Treat me like and option and I will leave you like a choice.” She told him with a bitter smile. “I love you H, but I don’t need you, it will hurt like fucking hell, but in a month I’ll have moved on.” She said getting into the elevator, feeling sad that that may be the last time she sees him. 
Harry always let himself be controlled by his management, he wasn’t a push over but he didn’t enjoy confrontations and ‘Jeff knows best’.
PART II
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yellobb · 4 months
Text
Had book club discussion about Carry On today! Here’s some of the highlights:
People were mostly a big fan of the Magic system. Main criticism about it was that it would sometimes take them out of it, like the snickers spell while ebb is actively dying
There was much discussion over Penny and Baz kidnapping the dog, which was very entertaining to me
One of my managers asked if Agatha was in the rest of the series. I told her “she is, but I don’t think she wants to be”
People loved Baz lol. There was a bit less love for Simon (that’s okay, that’s what I’m there for)
I explained the lore behind Fangirl and why the titles are the way they are. Thoroughly confused some people
Someone had to leave the zoom call halfway through because his neighbors called the cops on his van???? Idk that was just wild
One dude who showed up also didn’t even finish the book yet, which I didn’t find out until partway through, so that was fun
They noted some Harry Potter similarities, but agreed it was a very different book
Number one complaint was that “nothing happened”. They were really interested in the politics of the world, how relationships were formed and were pretty disappointed that a lot of that was exposition
One coworker was confused as to why Nico couldn’t do magic anymore, since they mentioned he used to be able to use Ebb’s staff and honestly I don’t remember the answer, so help here would be great if anyone knows. He should be able to even though they snapped his wand, right?
One coworker was frustrated that Simon lost his magic because he thought that was the most interesting part. I told him that he was not alone in that, since I remember so many people being upset back in the day
Everyone saw the plot twist that the Mage was the bad guy coming. Tbh, I read it so long ago that I can’t remember if I was surprised
Everyone also saw snowbaz coming lol. One guy said “I knew by chapter three that those two would be fucking” (oh just you wait my friend. Soon the issue will be that they’re not fucking)
They found it very entertaining that the endorsement was from Lev Grossman because “The Magicians is the polar opposite of this book”
I brought in Skee’s ABC’s of Carry On, Venessa’s art book, the whole series, Fangirl, Scattered Showers, MRB, and various pins from Selkie and others. Also wore my dragon wing earrings and Kris’ shirt :P I let myself be unhinged about it because this is my time to shine. I also have the Wayward Son poster pack at my desk that I pointed out
Overall reviews are positive. Most people didn’t love it quite like I do, but they enjoyed it well enough. I am lovingly forcing two coworkers to finish out the series because they made the mistake of being my friend lol
One guy’s review was “I liked it and I don’t know why. I hate Harry Potter and stuff like it usually.”
Very happy that this is done though, since I can finally hang back up Kris’ Carry On poster. It has too many spoilers, so I’ve had it on the ground hiding for two months for when people came over 😭 it’s going back in its place of honor next to my TV
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lurkingshan · 11 months
Text
Kinou nani tabeta/What Did You Eat Yesterday?
You should know that I attempted to start this write up about half a dozen times before I managed to get a single word down. Every time I tried I just ended up staring at the wall. I don’t think I’ve been this emotionally stunned by a show since I Told Sunset About You, and I don’t say that lightly!
So, is this a good show? My god, YES. What an understatement. Let me tell you, as my MDL can attest, I’ve watched nearly 300 dramas. I’m sure I’ve watched even more Western shows since I had a 30 year head start on those. And I can say confidently that I’ve never seen anything quite like this gem.
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Kinou nani tabeta, or What Did You Eat Yesterday?, is a drama about two middle aged gay men living their everyday lives, making and sharing food, reckoning with their identities and expectations, and figuring out how to be together in a long term relationship. That’s it, that’s the show. If that sounds boring to you, I gotta tell you: YOU ARE WRONG.
We meet Shiro and Kenji when they’re in their mid 40s and already a couple years into living together. Over the course of the show, we learn more about their relationship - how they got together, how they differ, where they struggle, where they shine, what they are still figuring out - and we see them work through it all, together. We see them at work, with friends, with their families, out in public, and in the privacy of their own home - we get a full and complete picture of their lives. And we are invited in to experience it with them and get up close and personal with their relationship in a way that feels both cozy and thrilling.
Now, I am not going to go into detail about everything that happens in this show, or attempt to provide deep analysis about its story, its characters, or the various cultures it depicts. This show was released in 2019, the manga began its run many years before that, and there are folks on this website - like @isaksbestpillow and @bengiyo - who have been at this a hell of a long time and thus have a broader context and lived experience from which to critically examine the show and its messages as they relate to Japanese familial values, life as a queer man from an older generation, and building community while living in a culture that is actively hostile to who you are. I implore you to go read their thoughts and learn from their wisdom. But what I will do is mention a couple (3… no 4, okay 5!) things that really made it stand out to me, a lifelong romance reader, avid media consumer, and drama enjoyer (I’m going to keep plot stuff vague because I hope if you’re reading this, you will be watching very soon!):
Let me repeat: this is a drama about a middle aged couple in a long term relationship, and the ongoing growth and deepening of their relationship is the main plot. Do I have to tell you how unique that is? The romance genre is rarely interested in what happens after the couple gets together, and even in other dramas featuring a couple in a LTR, the plot is usually about something else with the relationship in the background. And I’m fairly sure this is the only show of this nature in the entire bl genre (@absolutebl please fact check me if I’m wrong). In this show, the relationship is the point. It’s a rare look at what it actually takes to learn to deal with your baggage and share your life with someone, and I found it deeply moving.
My god these actors. With all due respect to the many fine actors in the bl industry, these two are on another level. We just never get to see seasoned actors of this caliber headlining ql dramas. If I have one tiny critique of this show, it’s that I found the moments when they let us listen in on the characters’ internal monologues mostly unnecessary - every emotional beat played out in their faces and body language. There’s this one scene I can’t stop thinking about, where the main pair are fighting, and one of them says something he doesn’t mean, and you see the regret on his face instantly, followed by a quick aborted movement as if to take it back, but his partner has already turned away and doesn’t see it. Just perfection. And the acting was so good in the finale (@waitmyturtles informed me my absolute fav moment was improvised for fucks sake) that it actually laid me out for like an hour, I was just sitting there in a crying daze.
The writing is so fucking smart. What’s absolutely brilliant about this show is that it’s structured like an episodic slice of life drama, but there is a deeper long term emotional arc at play and the writers forget nothing. Just like in life, in each episode something will happen, it won’t really get fully resolved, and the characters will move on. But on this show, it always comes back around, usually when your guard is down and they can inflict maximum damage by sucker punching you right in the solar plexus. I can hardly believe how many times this show managed to sneak attack me with emotional realness (official Shan cry count: 8/12 episodes caused me to burst into tears, sometimes more than once).
This show will take you through every possible destination on the spectrum of human emotion. I was so emotional while watching this show, in every sense. Crying both happy and sad tears. Swinging wildly between giddy delight, deep sadness, low key anger, and belly laughing. Sometimes the switch happens literally one scene to the next! And yet, there is an evenness to the tone and assuredness to the filmmaking that makes it all feel smooth. You never feel jerked around by the narrative. This is a credit to the writing, acting, and editing all coming together with perfect precision. The people who made this show are masters of their crafts.
OBVIOUSLY I MUST MENTION THE FOOD. Every episode of this show features at least one instance of a character making Japanese food that looks like the best thing you’ve never gotten the chance to eat. I do not recommended watching this without feeding yourself first, because it will have you salivating. And they don’t just show you the characters making the food (even narrating the recipes for you!), they always show you the characters actually eating and enjoying it. Some real foodies were involved in this production and as someone who loves to eat and absolutely was raised to view feeding people as a love language, I loved it.
So now that you are obviously dying to watch it, you must be wondering: where can I find this show? Let me point you to this post on @kinounaniresource, where the amazing Siiri has compiled all the video files and English subs you need. If you’re not familiar with how to use these, you’ll find instructions on her blog (if you get confused come ask me, please don’t bug her about it). I know sometimes shows being a little hard to access is a big deterrent to watching them, but please trust me that this is absolutely worth your time and effort, you will not regret it.
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absolutebl · 9 months
Text
Wedding Plan Trash Watch!
You ready to snuffle-kiss the burn? 
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Before I start...
Find out about Mame and the Mameverse here.
Find my other trash watches of her and others here. 
We all know what we are getting in for, 7 episodes of BLduggery. To crane your neck as you drive by the car wreck or not... that is the question. Me? I'm wallowing in the guts. 
Episode 1 - In which I craft an ode to Dumpster Fires Everywhere 
I am sorry, but they opened with Battle Hymn of the Republic for PrapaiSky’s wedding? I busted out laughing. 
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Also, you KNOW I can’t just let that go. 
Ready?
LET’S SING! (Bet you’d never thought I’d type those words). 
Battle Hymn of BL Tumblr
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the burning of the trash This is barely even BL it’s just Mame writing slash  She hath set ablaze such garbage in pursuit of all our cash But the trash watch must go on! 
 (Buh buh ba buh) 
Glory, glory hallelujah!  Mame hit us with a sewer.  Spoiling all our fun, Oh the shit storm has begun, But the trash watch must go on! 
I have seen the dumpster-fires of a hundred BL tropes She will sacrifice her ukes ’til they’ve lost all of their hopes We will watch in righteous anger while the refuse burns and smokes But the trash watch must go on! 
 (Buh buh ba buh) 
Glory, glory hallelujah!  Life’s rough for a BL reviewer.  When OG BL fans run afoul of Mame stans  But the trash watch must go on! 
 Buh buh buh buh! 
Thank you, thank you, I’ll be here for the next 7 weeks. Yes some of my rhyming conventions are awkward af but I never claimed to be a filker. Now where was I?
Oh YES, 
STILL AT THE VERY BEGINNING. 
Where have I seen this seme before? Oh! Top Secret Together. 
Micky D sponsorship? Nice. I’m impressed. 
Too many sound effects, abort! Is that the sound tech from Lovely Writer I sniff? Someone please fire his ass. Yes, it must be him. Only a straight dude misuses buttons like that. 
I feel Nuea’s pain I too hate the gym. 
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This better not be in one of those situations where after instalove our seme arranges for the wedding planner boy he likes to plan his own wedding so that he can marry him at the end. 
Lots of pronouns going astray in that sentence, but you get my meaning. 
Drag baby around. Locker room. Kabeldon 
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Honestly? And this is not usually a criticism I lob at Mame ( I know is there anything I have lobbed at her?) but the leads seem a bit stiff and uninspired. 
It is just me? 
Episode 2 - What’s this? Oh is that boredom? 
What are these boys in these office BLs doing behind their desks on those computers? They never actually seem to be working at all. They’re like brochure stock art ads for boys on computers. 
I had to skip most of the humiliating stuff with the food in the car and whatever was going on because… aargh. 
They keep ordering food in this episode of nobody’s eating it. And it looks really good and I’m hungry and this is very upsetting to me. 
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Lom is just totally jerking Nuea around. Just tell him what your relationship is with the bride. 
There’s no need to be so fucking coy about it. 
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I love the flaming yelling fit from Nuea tho.  
It was also a good kiss. 
But that’s what we expect from a Mame. 
Mame giveth and mame taketh away. 
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Somewhat dull episode frankly. Even with the kiss.
Sigh. What have I become?
Episode 3 - WHAT IS THIS? There is nothing about this episode that pleased me even a tiny bit. Except Noel’s hair. But that wasn’t part of the script. 
Buckle up, I got A LOT to say. 
It’s a pleasure to welcome you back to your normal and expected ABL meets Mame interface where... ABL LOSES THEIR TINY MIND. 
Right on schedule it feels like. 
Ready?
Oh who am I kidding, you sadists life for this shizz. And you can’t tell me you don’t. 
Lom is so frustrating. 
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I wanna punch him too. Sing it, sister! 
Random water sports. (And not of the kind one might expect from Mame. Stop it. You know she would go there. She’d think it was edgy.) 
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Peeps! 
We need a name for when a BL reviews itself. 
It keeps happening. 
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Should you tell him everything? 
Yes. 
1000 times yes. 
I’m basically screaming it at the screen. 
TELL HIM!!!! 
You tricked him into a date without telling him a single thing about what’s actually going on. Are you insane? 
What the hell. 
You keep kissing him but he is planning your wedding. How fucked up are you? You monster 
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A Mame show calling out its own exploitive sexism is so fucking awkward. 
Mame. Sweetheart. Snookums. Sugarbeans. Shaken-baccon. You don’t have enough fucking talent to go meta. Leave it to the better BLs to follow trends. Your shizz is old fashioned and that’s why people like it. Don’t try to be classy, it makes this whole shit show just look even more shabby. 
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Poor baby. 
Now he’s doubting himself completely. 
What are these assholes doing to you? 
Come with me. 
I’m going to transport you to this other terrible BL trash watch happening right now, where there is a LOVELY adorable boy named Max and I think you would be perfect together. 
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So it’s basically just Narnia-level closet cases we are dealing with here? 
THAT’S IT?
THAT’S THE EXCUSE FOR THIS LEVEL OF MANIPULATION?
WHAT IS GOING ON? 
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Nuea is such a cutie.
I want to punch Lom all over again.   
Noel looks v pretty as a blond. 
The proposal sequence was unnecessary. But at least I don’t wanna punch anyone. 
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THIS IS NOT AN EXCUSE for lying. For manipulation. For not understanding how you’re betraying another person’s faith in himself. 
Especially not if you’re in the position of power: social, cultural, employer. 
Why doesn’t Mame EVER understand this? 
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You can’t have a character that is sincere and earnest in love and yet entirely lacking in all forms of integrity. 
This is driving me crazy. 
No one is in the show is as crazy as this show is making me.
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I started this episode wanting to punch Lom, and I’m ending this episode wanting to punch Lom.
That’s a mame plot for ya. 
No character development at all, on any side of the screen. 
And someone, mostly me, is always left with a mad desire to punch something. 
Frankly, I kinda want to punch the screen.
Episode 4 - I Am Going to Start Drinking
I like consent especially when “no” is activated. But this being Mame she shoe horns it in and then the seme ignores it. 
It’s so awkward. She’s actually incapable of making any non-problematic tropes sexy. It’s like there is only one lane for her shows and that lane is...
the WORST 
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My “Punch Lom in the face 2023” campaign continues.
I don’t see how he can ever become a sympathetic character. He just trundles along lying by omission (when speaking up would make everything better). I hate him. 
I’m glad we get to see Nuea suffering, now show Lom what he has done and make him lose the boy. 
No? No.
Instead Lom gets rewarded with sex for being a sleazy lying gutless jerk? Well terds to both you fine gentlemen. 
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I mean, very gay of you, Nuea sweetie. 
“Because just SOOOO hot” being the #1 excuse in my personal “I slept with WHAT?” experience. (Heh, to be fair I’m often the WHAT? in that equation. I live to be someone’s bad mistake... just not Lom-level-bad. 
Where was I? 
Oh yeah, Gaga has the sex scene. FYI. Came outta nowhere, that sex scene did. Very disjointed... not that kind of joint. Not that kind either.
It’s not a particularly impressive sex scene, which is disappointing. Because WHY ELSE WOULD WE BE WATCHING?
I mean, if you’re going to have your characters (and by extension us) forfeit all integrity and taste in order to watch your stupid show, the least you could do is give us decent chemistry. 
I’m not saying this is worse than LITA but at least LITA was hot.
It wasn’t anything else. But it was hot.
This this is 
not hot. 
In conclusion: if Nuea’s baby bro doesnt’t punch Lom in the face next week I will have to start drinking on Weds...
oh wait!
BMF ends this Friday! I can switch to drinking mid week!
YES
(I have a new rule: only one BL a week is allowed to drive me to drink in any give rotation.) 
Imma preemptively point out that I am aware that bearding and lavender marriages are still quite common all over the world. I would whole heartedly support a good depiction of it. (Even one where it stays fix in the beard position.) This is NOT a good depiction. 
I shall draw your attention to 2017′s rarely discussed (not really BL) We Are Gamily out of... you guessed it... Taiwan. You can argue with me about this only AFTER you have watched that. 
Okay, back to the trash watch. 
Episode 5 - I Neglected to Drink and that was a Mistake
Ate a lot of crap traveling home today (feel gross) + tumblr new desktop UX has me pissed + Mame & alcohol? I’m not sure I’d survive. So no alcohol. 
Here we go. 
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Poor Nuea feels so guilty. 
Please save me from ever feeling that way after sex. *shudder* 
Before you ask, to the best of my knowledge, I have never slept with a married person. I’ve slept with married people... married to each other mind you... but I hope that makes it clear everyone was consensual. (I recommend it, by the way. Being a unicorn is lots of fun.) 
Where was i? 
We were dealing with punching Lom not my misspent youth. 
(looks at calendar. wait, that was last month.) 
PUNCH LOM 2023! 
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Queen! 
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I love her.
It wasn’t a physical punch but a verbal one is almost as good. (And can be more damaging in the long run.) 
Could we please still have an actual punch?
Pretty please?
Mame punches her characters all the time. And no character ever deserved a punching more than Lom. 
I do wish there was a nice boy back home to scoop Nuea up. 
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That line of boys wanting him, could we see it, not be told it? 
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I do like the random sinshine hyung side couple. 
Omg. COLD MICKY D?! 
That might just be the most objectionable moment in this whole show. 
And that’s a tall order. 
Pun intended.
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(straight, HA! pun not intended but still very much THERE) 
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Was I pleased we got multiple characters who are just outright gay? Yes. 
But representation has not been one of Mame’s issues. 
I mean Tharn was one of the first openly gay seme leads in a Thai BL, and she also had rep for lube and condoms in that show. That’s not the issue with TharnType. Or Mame. 
Her issues tend to revolve around story structure and audience manipulation. 
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Was I pleased that Nuea knew what was going on? Yes, I’m glad he’s not totally clueless. 
I still want Lom to be punched in the face and I’m still mad at this show. 
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Episode 6 - Too hot to drink, still a Mistake
I finally figured out my real problem with Lom. It’s not that he was closeted and manipulative without good reason (although he is). It’s not that he lied and strung Nuea along for a lot longer than was necessary (because he did). It is that he basically does everything for himself and his own ends. Even when he’s confessing his love it comes off as flat because it isn’t about Nuea and what Nuea wants or needs, it’s about Lom wants.
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Hanging a lampshade on it doesn’t make it right. 
It was good bridge kiss. And car kiss. And sex kisses. 
There is something corrupted grunge romantic asking the person you love most in the world to hide that love and climb back into the closet with you for the sake of your nasty arse family (is that a queer taboo, hum). I’m not saying lavender marriages are necessarily wrong, I’m just saying it’s an interesting plot twist in a BL. 
I think we HAVE to hold this up and examine it in stark contrast to the final ep of Bad Buddy. It’s interesting how the closet retreat didn’t bother me at all in BB, and I thought it was quite a clever and elegant ending twist. Whereas here it’s just annoying. It’s not making me as angry as it probably should. But it is annoying as a narrative conceit and denouement.
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Can I ask a question.
 It’s not a serious question, of course. 
What is up with all of the shows this year having dates on lakes featuring that thing where you ride a funny little floaty-boat while being dragged behind a fast boat. I’m sure it has a name, but I could not care less. New sponsor? 
The sex scene was fine. But I have to say, I wish they had leaned into the fact that Lom is a virgin and Nuea has more experience. It would’ve been a really interesting dynamic to see honestly represented on screen.
In conclusion, Nuea is a saint and next week everything comes to a head that didn’t already get head this episode.
Episode 7 - Finally I’m drinking! 
I am having a tiki beverage this evening to round out this show. Coconut rum and mango popping Boba are involved. Don’t judge. I have the alcohol palate of a 7 year old. 
I’m ready! Let’s shave this beard!
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And, well, that was a pink saturated drama of the mothers in law. Enjoyable lakorn style scenery chewing. The ladies seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Lom pretending to be sad and pitiful. Also funny. 
Using his evil against his mom is acceptable. Suddenly his manipulative lying ways are working in the right direction. 
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Honestly? 
This was a fine ending, I’m not mad at it. 
They managed to keep Lom in character until the end, he remained deceitful.  I would never trust him, but clearly Nuea is willing to ride that dragon. 
I guess 7/10? 
If you can tolerate Mame and liars (kinda the same thing) you’ll be fine with this show. 
But, frankly? Lom as a character would sit better amongst the drama bananas of Only Friends.
In summation: 
A lackluster Mame offering with less of her usual stellar chemistry, but all of her usual manipulation. An innocent wedding planner falls haplessly and hopelessly in love with a groom who relentlessly pursues him, even though he’s about to marry someone else. 
(source) 
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jazeswhbhaven · 4 months
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Huge Announcement from PrettyBusy! 1.10
First, this is quite long btw, if you'd like to read it for yourself please look on their website! They haven't uploaded it on their social medias just yet, but also check WHB Updates on twt in case I miss anything. I'm really only going to highlight the stuff I care about and wish to speak on! But overall there's a lot they're changing up and giving us in the future so this shows promise.
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So! I like the timing of their pacing of releasing new chapters. I want them to take their time, the writers especially to give us some good stuff to read because I highly doubt they're gonna change the amount of battles between each story node. .-. And if they do then great!
They do give some info about friend systems (getting materials and items by having friends etc.) the Minhyeok mini game and additional chats being added.
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So it seems here that we will get to battle the angels for additional items. They say you can loot them from their realms...so I wonder how this is going to go! Though it sounds like these battles are going to be harder than usual so make sure to beef up your teams/cards since the conditions need to be met.
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SKRUNKLY MAMMON („ಡωಡ„)
But yay birthday stuff! I'm hoping they do it before my birthday date which is later in that month...because otherwise I'd have to wait until next year :(
Also they say that we will get to decorate the lobby with a single theme, icon packages will be added in the future, but they will give us icons for all the devils for the ones we have it sounds like.
Stickers of Ppyong are rewarded, they say 'line' so it makes me think of the messaging service LINE but I'm not sure if that's what they mean.
Now here's the big one
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So now when we hit the pity threshold we will be able to select the character we want instead of just hoping we get whichever one we want. This is a big thumbs up from me because I think if ppl are throwing in that much money they should get what they want.
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Now to address the 500 monthly Solomon Seals. They are letting us collect this by attendance and quests. I'm fine with that because I already do this with the Solomon Tears. I did peep some complaints (very few though) that didn't like the fact that they had to do stuff in order to get it. Come on now guys, you didn't think they were just gonna give us paid currency for free each month. Even I know better.
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AND the Pancake Shop change. This one I am a bit worried about simply because what they highlighted sounds like it may or may not turn out to be what we expected in terms of spending and using our Pancakes to get items/characters we want. Also peep that in the future when we pull, when we get duplicates of Devils and cash them in for currency it will reward us with Gold and Tomes for the lower grade, and Nightmare Pancakes for the higher grade devils.
They did say that they are OPEN to criticism once the shop releases, so be ready to email them if this new Pancake system does not work for you. And a quick thing about the Nightmare Pass is that they did listen that other countries have to pay much more in pricing for things like this so they are open to lowering the price in the future. But this statement made me laugh ->
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idk about any of you, but this read to me as "Yeah I'm tired of ya'll asking us for stuff when we do so much"
Like aight PB I hear you...I see you... (btw this isn't meant to be negative, I know very well what they mean)
So for Enviroment Changes (I'm assuming for gameplay) here are the highlights
-Reducing the Ultimate scenes by half (meaning it will be on the screen less during battle) -adding illustrations from past events into the album -boss skill window (idk who asked for this but cool) -faster annoucements about new characters and release schedules
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So for January no new characters (bummer, but I understand) They say they are doing this because it takes them about 2-3 weeks to get the characters approved or any additional events and stories approved before they can confidently announce when we will see them.
It is crucial that we as players give them grace on this because given the nature of the game they have to jump through a lot of damn hoops to get things approved and the industry is realllllyyyy against NSFW stuff lately especially the higher up the ladder folks and will reject just about anything they don't like. I've seen people literally have to pull projects because the big man said "Nah not in this house" But PB is trying and that's what counts. They at least were transparent here that they don't want us to get our hopes up until things are certain.
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And just a little message from them. Reminding us that they are a small production crew and that they are trying their best with all the resources they have at hand.
We all may have our thoughts about how they run things and it's natural because we're human, but the devs are at least listening and showing that they are willing to change and work around our needs the best they can for a better gaming experience. Now I do forsee some stuff is gonna piss us off, but that's a given. All we can do is give them feedback when it's due!!
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beauty-and-passion · 4 months
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Two last words on the future of Sanders Sides
There is one last thing I wanted to talk about and I would like to do it in a separate post, so you can add your thoughts and we can talk about it here.
However, I also would like to avoid explaining the basics to children - i.e. why criticism is useful, that you can criticize something you love and that doesn’t mean you’re entitled, that constructive criticism is different from complaining, that criticism isn’t a personal attack on you/your loved ones and so on. I already explained these things in the past and I don’t want to repeat myself.
So if you’re old enough to understand all of this and accept to listen to some criticism, you’re welcome here. If you cannot bear it, just ignore this post. Don’t worry, I won’t get offended: we live in a free world, after all :)
So.
We all know Mr. Sanders is taking a lot of time, before releasing the season 2 finale. And we also know he’s doing other stuff, posting other videos, working on other projects and doing things in his real life too.
And that’s perfectly good. He’s free to do whatever he wants, both in his life and his work.
There is only one thing I am asking for regarding Sanders Sides, something I think he owes his followers too: transparency. Honesty. Not content, not to work on Sanders Sides only, not to follow my headcanon. Just pure, simple, free-of-charge honesty about the project that gave him most of the popularity he has today.
It took Thomas three years to finish three parts of a four-part finale: that’s the last official information we got about the SaSi main storyline. And we got it not because Thomas talked about the creative process behind the series, but because he threw this information first in a tweet talking about finishing part 3, then in a cryptic Instagram post about finishing the draft of part 1. Chronological order? Never heard of her, apparently.
But let’s put the organization problem on the side, because that’s not a novelty coming from Mr. Sanders. And let’s ignore the 200th red flag of him not wanting to talk about Sanders Sides' finale and throwing info around instead. Let’s focus just on the information that, as a writer, I find the most concerning.
If Mr. Sanders needed three years to write three videos, that means he needs one year to write one video. So he will probably need another year to write part 4. And then he has to film/edit everything and that means he will probably need another year - or more.
Therefore, in the best-case scenario, that means we will get the first part of the season 2 finale in 2025. And that’s the best-case scenario.
Okay, you may say, that doesn’t sound too bad. I mean, we waited three years, we can wait more.
Sure we can, we can wait forever if we want to. But there are two big problems: one regarding the finale itself, the other regarding the future of the series.
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1) The writing is taking too much time
From personal experience, I know that if writing something takes years, it’s not a good thing. And I’m talking about the specific writing part here, not the research or planning part: research/planning can take a very long time and that’s perfectly fine and normal, but the actual act of writing shouldn’t take this long. If that happens, then there’s something wrong. And usually, this shows in the final result, which is never worth the wait.
The thing is: the longer it takes to write something, the more time/memory problems will occur, i.e. inconsistencies, missed elements, personality swings etc. You know, like the ones we saw in the last Asides. And these problems become 10x bigger, without a clear outline to follow.
But hey, you may say, maybe everything is already planned! Maybe it’s taking this long, just because Thomas doesn’t have enough time to physically write!
Well, that opens another box of questions and (imho) bigger problems:
if he doesn’t have enough time, then why is he the only writer? Can’t he share his writing responsibilities with someone else?
if he’s not the only writer, then who is the other writer - or writers, if they exist? A competent expert or one of his friends? And if it’s one of his friends, then why can’t an influencer with his numbers hire an expert, who will be faster at writing, better than him and, most importantly, bias-free and not influenced by the fandom?
how does the writing process work in his team? Is there even a writing process or not?
how does his team actually work? What do they do? Is there at least one expert hired by Thomas or is the team made of just his friends?
seriously, why doesn’t he hire an expert? What did experts ever do to him? Is it so hard to find experts in the US?
And before any of you say “but he doesn’t have money”… please. Please. I saw people with way fewer numbers, followers and influence making better decisions. And they always start by hiring experts, whether they are managers, editors, cameramen or creative team members.
Also, he lives in the US, not on an island in the middle of nowhere. He can find experts if he wants to.
_________
2) The passage of time
In 2025, Mr. Sanders will be 36 years old. And if he needs even more time to release all four parts of the season 2 finale, he will easily reach 40 by the time the fourth part is out.
Age shouldn’t be a problem, everyone should be free to do anything whenever they want. But that doesn’t apply to Sanders Sides, because Sanders Sides isn’t animated: this series has real faces - Thomas’ face. And Thomas is getting too old for the roles he’s playing.
Sanders Sides’ main theme is knowing more about yourself. The theme is relatable for all ages, so the problem isn’t the theme per se. The problem is the type of characters, which cannot work for a man in his 40s.
One example: Virgil. He was still credible as an emo adolescent when he was 20 and he’s still more-or-less credible now that Thomas is 30. But will he still be credible, when Thomas is 40? Or will he look like a cringey grown-up playing the “I’m young!” part?
Sure, some men have that superpower of cutting their beard and looking immediately 10 years younger… but it cannot work forever. Thomas is growing up, he cannot revert the biological clock and look just like he was at 20.
And that’s perfectly fine, because everyone deserves to grow up, change and become more beautiful. But that also means getting too old to portray these characters and make them look credible.
So either Thomas ends the series before he reaches 40, or he shifts it into a much more mature direction, to keep up with his physical growth.
But doing that means a) losing his younger followers and b) switching from a more carefree approach to heavier episodes. And right now, I doubt this is the direction he wants to push his work to. He’s clearly more interested in small, low-effort videos and in pursuing carefree stuff like Roleslaying. And I completely understand why. Small videos don’t take a long time to make and he can talk about anything he wants, while Roleslaying has an already written story and Mr. Sanders doesn’t have to act it: he just listens to it and plays along with his friends. Also, Roleslaying has different, animated faces, so when Thomas is 40 or 50, Roman of Reston’s face will still be that of a 20yo guy. It’s much more convenient, compared to a series with a continuative plot he should keep up all by himself and heavy themes to discuss.
If I were him, I would close Sanders Sides' main storyline with the season 2 finale. Introduce Orange, wrap everything up the quickest/simplest way possible, solve all problems, the end: the series is done, you can move on/focus on the Asides.
If Thomas truly ends Sanders Sides' main storyline with the season 2 finale, I wouldn’t complain - and I highly doubt others will have much more to say. Sure, we can always complain about the abrupt end, the pitiful disorganization and the writing, but at least the main series will be over and no one will be left hanging around for eternity.
However, I don’t think Thomas will ever take this route either, because it would require enough self-awareness to realize he’s not able to handle this series and, most importantly, that he doesn’t love it as much as before. Oh, and let’s not forget that Sanders Sides is his golden goose and he clearly doesn’t want to give up the profit he makes from it.
That probably means he will never be transparent either. He will never sit down and make a video, to explain his feelings about this series. He will never clarify how the writing process works. He will never admit he doesn’t consider SaSi important anymore. He will never give proper answers. After all, he had multiple chances to do it and he never did. At this point, I doubt he will ever do it.
This is, deep down, the reason why I wanted to write my take on season 3. Because I know Mr. Sanders will never do anything of this. He will never talk about religion so openly, show something violent like a punch or normal like a kiss. I doubt he will ever address any mature topic at all. Or that he’ll be able to wrap up all the loose threads in a satisfying way, considering that, in the last Aside, he basically ditched them all.
So, I decided to write this. And by writing this, I proved myself a couple things:
That you can write something in less than 3 years. And no, that doesn’t prove I’m better than Thomas: it just proves I committed myself to this project until the end. And, in order to do that, I didn’t need to undergo 24-hour-long writing sessions either: I wrote a little bit every day, even just one single page. It was a daily effort, not a tour-de-force. And I focused on that project only, not on 20 at the time.
That you don’t need money to write. I didn’t spend one single cent to write FSS3. All I needed were a pen, some paper, a computer and willingness to commit. The computer might be a bit more expensive, but I can assure you the other things are all very cheap.
That an outline should always be the top priority. Sanders Sides has so many themes and loose threads, that closing them all without a proper plan would be insane. Heck, it was difficult for me even with an outline, just imagine without it!
But most importantly, I needed closure. After three years of nothing but empty promises, I wanted an ending. Or rather, a satisfying ending. An ending without loosened threads, an ending that wraps all these characters and gives them the growth they deserve.
And I know this probably wasn’t your perfect ending. You probably would change some things here and there - and that’s great, because you can do it. You can use FSS3 as a base from which you can start building your own ending. Now you know it’s possible to do it. Now you know you can do it, if you want.
So if you need closure, if you feel sad and angry or if you’re just full of ideas… do it. Write your own ending. Get your own closure. You deserve it.
While speaking of the canonical main series, I really REALLY hope to be proven wrong, but all Mr. Sanders is doing proves how much he doesn’t care about this series as before. He doesn’t even want to mention it anymore. Instead of acting like an adult, accepting his responsibilities and apologizing for taking this much time, he keeps showing the series under the rug and complaining every time someone lifts said rug and makes him watch what he left under it. And he does it in the most pathetic, childish, manipulative way possible.
That’s not what an adult does, let alone an adult who doesn’t feel guilty. And that proves he knows he’s not doing the right thing with SaSi. He knows he’s taking too much time and he's aware he doesn’t know how to handle the main series anymore.
So, instead of facing the truth, he ignores it, refers to the series only once in a while, uses it for jokes, flattens the plot and the characters’ personalities. Every anniversary, he talks about SaSi as if it’s something in the past. He doesn’t even mention it as part of his projects anymore. On the contrary: he started 2 whole new projects, instead of finishing the one most of his people want to see.
And that’s even more sad, considering how great the concept of SaSi is. This series has a ton of potential and wonderful characters. It can delve into deep, dark and mature discussions. It can explore relatable aspects of life and present themes people can discuss about. It’s perfect for a fandom.
But hey, if Mr. Sanders fell out of love and/or isn’t able to handle it, I do not blame him. Everyone can fall out of love with a project or not being able to handle it. No one is an expert on everything, after all.
The only thing I blame him for is the lack of transparency. It’s his inability to be open and honest with the public. It’s the lies and omissions, his hiding something and pretending it doesn’t exist anymore.
So, since Mr. Sanders seems unable to move on, I don’t want to get stuck waiting forever for him to grow up. I have other things I want to talk about, other stories I want to criticize and some I want to explore with you.
Starting from 2024, my blog won’t be just Sanders Sides-themed anymore. I will still follow this series and its fandom because I love them both (also, I might end up writing a new fiction in the future, because I love these characters too and want to give them a mature development), but I want to expand as well. I want to talk about a hilariously bad webcomic, a meaningful manga and explore a whole new series. And those are just the first three projects!
(And yes, I want to talk about the Book of Bill too, this summer. So... four projects)
If you’re a fan of Sanders Sides, don’t worry: I will still be around to talk about stuff, episodes and details of the series. And when the season 2 finale comes out, I will be there to analyze it and, if necessary, criticize it. Sure, it won’t be a full analysis nor a full critique, because I will need all four parts to do that, but I can give my two cents on each part. And I will do it even if I’m not invited, as always <3
If you do not care or do not want to follow me anymore, you're free to go. I do not want to keep you on a tight leash forever.
But if you're curious and still want to follow me, get ready: 2024 will be a busy year ;)
Thank you all for this beautiful year, thank you for your time, your appreciation and your nice words. I can't wait to meet you all in the next one.
Happy 2024
❤️
( Support me on Ko-fi )
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alexlovesfanfics · 3 months
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Things I would change about HOO if I had the chance
Disclaimer, I am not suggesting that I am better than Rick Riordan, BC while I do have issues with certain actions of his, what he has created is extremely impressive and without a doubt amazing. I am not suggesting that his books need to be burned and that they're terrible, but it’s important to note that no book is flawless and every book can have criticism levied against it but that should not necessarily affect your enjoyment of a piece of media.
With that out of the way, let’s get into it
The debate on whether or not to save Nico is my least favourite part of the entire Riordanverse. I despise it with every fibre of my being. Look I get why they were arguing against saving him, and I do think there's value in the scene and it shouldn't be removed, but Percy should not have accepted it. Percy and Nico may have had problems (points to Nico’s internalised homophobia + probably religious guilt, the misplaced blame of Bianca’s death, the betrayal of Percy to Hades, and probably many more examples) but Percy’s fatal flaw is loyalty. He literally took on the great prophecy for Nico. He could have asked his dad to idk. Turn him into a dolphin until Nico’s 16th birthday or something. But he didn't. Also, Nico was the one to get him the Achilles Curse which probably saved his life countless times, and Percy should at the very least want to return the favour.
Speaking of the Achilles Curse, how did they get rid of it? Are we forgetting that Percy can swim without getting wet? (Also it seemed a bit contrived to me). And before you go arguing that it lowered stakes, no it didn't! There’s a great fanfic I once read that showed what it would be like if Percy kept the Achilles curse, while also delving more into the curse aspects of it! In the end, you could clearly see why he wanted it gone! It could have been an extremely interesting plot point!
I made a post about it before but the Percy Jason rivalry was contrived. It should have been an Annabeth and Jason rivalry while Percy and Piper were the friends. Like. Both Annabeth and Jason were used to being the leaders, and while Annabeth can give up control, she doesn't usually do so. They’re both also the competitive ones so they would definitely clash a lot more than the usually laid back Percy. Honestly Percy and Piper would both be really good friends.
The Jason and Annabeth rivalry would probably be exacerbated if Jason acted like he had been raised by y'know. Wolves. To me personally it never really came across that he had been with Lupa since he was 2. He should have been more. Wild ig? Like in Caffeinated Flummiddle’s ‘Decendents of Olympus’ (I butchered their name, I’m sorry) he literally ripped out someone's throat! That’s more wolf like behaviour! And while I don't want him to be all Alpha and stuff, I would like more wolf characteristics please. Maybe a preference for raw meat, lending to the irony of him dating a vegetarian
Speaking of the vegetarian in question, I hate how they handled Drew. Traumatised girl who fought in a war, lost her older sister, and had become cabin counsellor gets humiliated by a new sister who forcefully takes her place. So once again, I’m going to take inspiration from Caffeinated Flummiddle’s work and make her aroace, and also less cruel. She’s definitely no sweetheart but she’s more sympathetic. I mean, look at it from her perspective. After all the aforementioned stuff happens to her, Percy Jackson, one of the strongest demigods and well beloved figures goes missing, the gods shut down Olympus, and suddenly there’s info on where you can find Percy after months of searching, but it’s fruitless and instead of Percy, you get 3 random people, one of whom is your sister, and is extremely mean towards Aphrodite kids, treating them as if all they care about is physical appearances (side note: I hate the interpretation of the Aphrodite cabin. Literally during Vital, they were running around offering to make ppl look good, when it would have made more sense for them to be gearing up to fight to protect their home and the people they love. After all, there’s a reason love and war are so often interlinked. I personally would have leaned more into this protector aspect. Aphrodite kids fight for love, and to protect). So Drew in my version would have rightly wary and pissed, but would bind with Piper for the course of her stay at camp, coming to see her as a sister and encouraging her to lean into her femininity. But no counsellor Piper! Idk why Rick loves to make all of his characters either Counsellors or Praetors. Out of the 7, the only non-cabin counsellors were Hazel and Frank, who were both Praetors
Leo would stay single and learn to love himself, and that his value is not dependent on his relationship status. I would prefer Hazel/Frank/Leo like in this very specific fanfic but Single Leo works better thematically. No Calypso plotline. The gods freed her and that’s that.
Actually no that’s not that. Calypso could join the hunters like her late sister. After all, after centuries of being forced to fall in love, she's probably done with it.
Idk if Reyna should join them or instead just travel around the world and chill. After all, not every single female character needs to join the hunters.
Small tweaks to Percabeth. Check my previous post for more details. Aka no judo flip scene, and more supportive Annabeth
No evil Nyx. She’s a primordial, she has better things to do than bear with demigods. This isn't a big issue but I’m not a fan of it.
ACTUALLY ADDRESS THE POISON SCENE MY GOD. CW for Suicidal behaviour but Percy was willing to let himself die! And Jason just went ‘Yeah I get it’ instead of giving an appropriate reaction!
Also idk if I'm hallucinating but I could have sworn that Annabeth once said that she got underestimated for being blonde. That was the stupidest thing ever. I'm not blonde but I can assure you, ppl don't get discriminated against bc they're blond. I feel like it would have worked better if the focus was pivoted from 'being seen as dumb BC she's blond' to being seen as dumb BC she's a girl'
Also idk if I'm qualified to talk about this but Rick really just gave us body positivity (Frank not being conventionally fit), before magically taking it away. Like maybe if he got there through exercise it wouldn't be quite as bad (though it's important to remember that not all plus sized people can exercise and get super thin, and it depends on a number of factors like your genetics and any possible medication) but just magically he got stereotypically fit, which annoys me to end BC of personal reasons
Definitely not qualified to talk about this but I remember there was a whole issue with a part of the way Rick handled Piper's Cherokee identity. I can't remember but I believe it was BC she wore eagle feathers in her hair which is only done by Cherokee chiefs? If anybody is well educated on this issue, pls feel free to educate me.
More emphasis on smart Percy. We all seem to have forgotten the diet coke scene and that is a crime
More Grover??? He went from being one of the main characters to being nowhere around
There's probably more but I can't remember right now. Might make a part 2
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