#I really thought the 18+ rating was for the onscreen death

[wanderingrain]

Blogging through Till the World Ends Episode 3

Every time they show me a wide shot of this apartment I can't help but think about TharnType. I'm sorry.

Ew what are the hets doing here? Also where is this gang holed up that they're still here?

Lol not them arguing over who gets to kill Art.

No it's 4am and the way I just screeched!! The fake blood! Golf just killed a man with a lichen knife. Why are you dropping the knife? Did Art just kill bubblegum girl? They've both gone feral!

At least Golf seems to be traumatized after killing someone now cause I thought for a minute we were gonna breeze right past that.

Major props to Art's actor for just straight up sobbing like that.

Once again Golf showing his obsessive tendencies. He's known this boy for three days and is unhealthily attached. I would normally wave it off as "just one of those tv show things" but they said he only knew his girlfriend for a week and was overpossessive of her too. Seems like a pattern to me.

I hope you're gonna turn more lights on before you try and stitch him up.

Nope we're doing this in the semi-dark.

Art's face I can't

Babes you can barely handle him touching the wound with a cotton ball and you're asking him to sew it up? You know you're gonna need to hold still for that right? Maybe we should break out the drinking alcohol.

Wow i really don't need these sound effects thanks.

Oh good it's over.

Wait shower? After you just got stitches? Wait.

Wow this bed is huge.

Golf already looks so in love. I love how Art is clutching the blanket to his chest lol

ugh I'm so soft for hand holding. I love how quietly they're talking. I love how the camera doesn't want to focus on them lol

Babes this is the second time he's called you cute actually.

The way Art looks so scandalized from being called cute!

Oh so it's more than just a 2 person pattern.

I love that Art is just casually playing with Golf's fingers as they talk. We need more casual touches like this where the touch isn't the focal point of the scene.

Not the instrumental Christmas music again! Why Thailand why?

The way Art's hand is fully resting over Golf's now while he's trying to comfort him. The way they didn't make a big deal about it and they're just allowed to touch each other casually.

Both of these boys are good actors. The emotion, the body language. Good job boys.

I'm not sure I believe Art would really leave the apartment again after what just happened but I'm willing to suspend my disbelief.

🤣🤣🤣 Not Bubblegum gang girl still laying on the ground! Guess she's alive then. Didn't expect to be getting her pov.

Shut up Art! Do you want to alert Bubblegum to your presence? If you get taken hostage by the same girl twice in 24 hours I swear...

Ohhh is he about to remember? Nope nevermind.

Oh good Bubblegum's got his wallet.

Breakfast on the- why would you leave the apartment? How do you know the roof is safe? Ya'll literally almost died less than 12 hours ago in this apartment complex and now you want to go up to the roof?! Are you inane?

WOAH OK that's a lot

Anybody else feel weird about bubblegum touching him when he's still all sweaty from sex?

Is he not a new recruit after all? Then why were they trying to pressure him into killing someone in the beginning?

Honestly this gang doesn't scare me so I don't really feel much about them having Golf's picture. Lol.

If Golf and Art would just stay locked up in the apartment the gang would probably never find them unless they went door to door kicking in doors. So I'm sure some sort of shenanigans will ensue to make sure our main characters are dumb enough to expose themselves. I'm betting that Art remembers what happened and tries to run away for the third time and gets caught by bubblegum and she uses him to lure Golf out.

I still think one of the gang members is probably Art's brother because that's usually how these things work. Or maybe Golf's brother has something to do with the gang. Either way I'm sure they'll be saved by some kind of brotherly intervention.

On to episode 4

#Till the World Ends #Episode 3 #I really thought the 18+ rating was for the onscreen death #Imagine my surprise #Really lured my Ace self into a false sense of security there #I will be more mentally prepared next time #You don't get the jump on me next time show #WanderingRain

[spartanguard]

(love will see us through these) Dark Days [CSRT; 1/7]

Summary: A century ago, the United Realms of Pomem had been a land of peace, prosperity, and magic. Until war tore the land apart, leaving behind cruel leaders and even crueler laws regarding the use of magic. And each year, the youth of each realm are subjected to a fight to the death, both for entertainment and to weed out anyone capable of wielding magic. In the 99th Magic Games, past victors Emma Nolan and Killian Jones find themselves serving as mentors, while Alice Gothel and Robyn West end up representing their realm. Everyone has secrets; everyone has something to lose. Who will win? Who will die? Just don’t forget: all magic comes with a price.

rated M | 2.8k words | AO3

A/N: In case this sounds sort of familiar, this is a reworking of Once Upon A Time in Panem, which I've done as part of the Captain Swan Rewrite-A-Thon (@captainswanbigbang​). Thanks to the mod crew for putting on this awesome event! And to @optomisticgirl​ for being the greatest beta in the history of betas.

A note before you read: in this story, Alice is Killian's daughter with Eloise. But the circumstances surrounding her conception are NOT what they were in the show; while Gothel isn't exactly a great person, she's not the main villain and every effort has been taken to illustrate consent. But if the Knightrook relationship isn't your thing, it might be best to pass this one over. Also, as it was inspired by The Hunger Games, there is some mild violence.Story title comes from "Dark Days" by the Punch Brothers; chapter title from “Run Daddy Run” by Miranda Lambert + Pistol Annies.

part 1: Oh how I've dreaded this god forsaken day

Alice fidgeted with the hem of her skirt. It was a nervous habit and she knew what her mother would say about it—what she was probably trying to say telepathically from her seat on the stage. But Alice had never mastered the cool composure of Eloise; her emotions tended to carry her off with them. 

But even her mum had to have some nerves today. It was the Reaping for the annual Magic Games, and at 16—and the daughter of Sherwood’s only past Victor—she knew the odds weren’t in her favor. Statistically, she didn’t have a higher or lower chance of her name being drawn than any other 16-year-old, but Olympus loved a good story, and one they could never resist was seeing how a Victor’s child fared in the Games. 

It was why her mother never really wanted to have her. Not generally something a parent told a child, but it’s not like there was anything all that normal about their relationship anyways. 

So she continued to tug nervously on her skirt, her mother’s thoughts be damned. 

“Welcome, welcome all,” announced the district escort from Olympus, Victoria Tremaine. She’d been in that role for years but was seemingly ageless; Olympus had some skilled plastic surgeons, apparently. “Thank you for joining me today at the Selection for the 99th Annual Magic Games.” As if they had a choice: attendance was mandatory for everyone, no matter how young or old. Even the textile factories were shut down from their normal ‘round-the-clock grind; the air was eerily quiet without their constant hum. “Before we get to the main event, allow me to present a brief program on the history of the Games, so we can reflect on where we’ve been, and see just how far we’ve come.”

Alice sighed and shifted her weight impatiently; it was the same video every year—the same propaganda.

“Once upon a time, the realms of magic were at peace, and a harmonious existence was enjoyed by all,” the narration told. “It was so idyllic that they decided to join as one so as to better share their prosperity.”

She probably had it memorized at this point.

“And so the most skilled magic users in each realm got together and wove the strongest spell anyone had ever seen, joining the worlds in one land: the United Realms of Pomem, from the Latin for apple—representing their hopes to share knowledge and for a fruitful future.” 

Alice shivered; she was always leery of apples.

“There was a land without magic, though, which had landed in the middle of Neverland, one of the most magical. This was decided to be the capital of this new world, and it was given a name that all the realms knew as mythical: Olympus.

“For years, Pomem flourished, sharing ideas and trade and becoming one of the most technologically advanced civilizations in history. Eventually, it became hard to tell where the magic stopped and science began.”

And this was where the video took a turn for the worse, as far as Alice was concerned.

“Those with magic grew jealous of the advancing technology, despite the fact that it put everyone on equal footing. They preferred to be seen as higher than their peers, and more skilled; they didn’t want to lose their power. What once had brought people together was now a point of division.”

Oh, someone was definitely clamoring for power, Alice knew; but it certainly had not been magic-users.

“Harsh penalties were put in place for anyone caught practicing or using magic—a fair law—” Alice couldn’t suppress her snort of derision “—which many didn’t appreciate, even if they didn’t possess it themselves. Tensions built, and the ungrateful citizens of the realms revolted.”

I would have, too, Alice thought; she didn’t dare voice that opinion out loud, though—not when the armor-plated Black Knights from Olympus were standing guard over the proceedings. 

“Four leaders emerged in the rebellion: sorceresses known as the Wicked Witch of the West, the Evil Queen of the East, the Guardian in the North, and the Savior in the South. They led the insurrectionists against Olympus.” The grainy image of four women in old-fashioned cloaks, standing together in a defensive pose, was the only part of this that Alice even sort of enjoyed. She always wanted to know more about them, but any record of who they were outside of the rebellion had been destroyed. 

“But they didn’t stand a chance. Olympus knew something they didn’t: how to destroy magic. Through their advanced technology and incredible force, Olympus obliterated the insurgents, and nearly rid the realm of the offending sorcery. Completely destroyed was the realm of Wonderland, which had been another stronghold of magic.”

That part always bothered Alice the most—as if genocide wasn’t enough, the fact that an entire realm had been destroyed...god. There was an image of the annihilated ruins on the projection—burning shrubbery, charred homes, and what she could only imagine had been plants of a fantastical nature reduced to ashes. What a waste.

“So, to make sure the citizens remembered their place and that magic never gained power again, Olympus took two known magic users from each realm and locked them into an arena in the depths of Neverland, forcing them to fight to the death. The inherent magic in the land made it all the easier to determine who was the most powerful—and ensure they couldn’t unleash their sorcery on the world again. The lone Victor was granted immunity, and was rendered safe for the world by wearing a computerized cuff that blocked their use of magic.”

That part always hit too close to home; Alice glared at the bracelet her mother had to wear.

“To ensure the continued suppression of magic, the Magic Games continue each year, with each of the realms—Phrygia, Oz, Arendelle, Agrabah, Sherwood, Atlantica, Erebor, Misthaven, DunBroch, and Stormhold—” the scenic views of each that flashed overhead were definitely altered; she’d never seen a cotton field in Sherwood look so photogenic “—required to send two tributes each from their young people. Only one can emerge victorious—and those with magic rarely survive.

“Now, Pomem is once more that land of expanding knowledge and growing prosperity, with no magic to be seen. We continue the games to ensure our lasting peace. Now, let the Reaping begin, and remember: All Magic Comes With A Price.” The crest of Olympus—an apple hanging off a branch—appeared onscreen, along with the strains of the anthem, and then faded away. A few government officials clapped, most enthusiastically being Tremaine, who took the mic again.

“Let’s not drag this out any longer, shall we? Let the Reaping for the 99th Magic Games commence!” How she could be so cheery when she was essentially sentencing children to death was something Alice couldn’t comprehend. 

The woman placed her well-manicured hand in the bowl that held the name of all the youth of the realm, everyone from age 12 to 18. Everyone around Alice joined in her restlessness; they all had their names in there five times—once for every year since they became “eligible” (as if it was some kind of honor—ugh). 

Carefully, Tremaine pulled out a slip and made a production of opening it. Alice held her breath. 

“Our first tribute is...Robyn West.”

“No,” Alice gasped under her breath, and her eyes darted around to find the other girl. Robyn was her classmate, though they weren’t all that close. The thing was: she wanted to be close with her—had for ages—but never worked up the nerve. The butterflies she felt whenever she looked at the strawberry blonde girl were dancing a sad flutter in her stomach as she watched the other girl confidently march up to the stage. God, that sucked. 

“Thank you, Miss West,” Victoria said once she’d reached the podium. “And now for our second tribute...Nicholas Zimmer.”

Okay, that was worse; it may not have been her name called, but she felt no relief. Nicholas was only 12, and he and his twin sister were probably the closest thing she had to friends—at least, they were the only ones to take pity on the weird girl who lived practically alone in Victor’s Village. Well-socialized, she was not. That, and she knew the family was struggling—she could see his mother breaking down in tears as he shyly stepped forward to head up. 

No, she wasn’t okay with that at all. But there was only one thing she could do about it.

Good thing everyone already thought she was crazy, because what she did next was pure insanity. 

Steeling her nerves, she squeezed her hands into fists, tamping down the sparks of magic that were trying to escape. Then she stepped into the aisle between everyone. 

“I volunteer!” she shouted. Gasps surrounded her, and Nicholas froze in his spot. 

She jogged up to him, placed her hand on his shoulder, and gave him a look that she hoped told him it was okay. Then she faced Tremaine and said again, “I volunteer as tribute.”

Behind the escort, her mother was giving a stern look that she couldn’t exactly read. But Victoria carried on. “Well, this is quite the surprise! Come on up, then, and tell us your name.”

Before her mind could catch up with what she’d just done, she ran up the steps to the microphone. “I’m Alice; Alice...Gothel.”

“Why, you must be Eloise’s daughter!” Tremaine exclaimed. “How wonderful!” That wasn’t the word Alice would have chosen.

In no time at all, Alice was being escorted off the stage and into the city hall behind them. She threw a glance toward Robyn as they entered the building, only to find the other girl nearly gaping at her. Maybe she would get a chance to tell her how she felt after all. Not that it would do much good. 

Neither of them had great chances of getting out of this alive, coming from a poor realm like Sherwood. But Alice was the daughter of not one, but two victors; that had to count for something, right?

◇─◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇────◇─────◇──◇─◇

Emma Nolan could hear her mother gasping from downstairs. 

“David! Look at that—she volunteered to save that boy! No one ever does that!” 

“I’m sitting right next to you, Snow.” 

“I know, but—oh my god, isn’t that Eloise’s daughter?”

“Damn, I think it is.”

God, it was like they’d never seen a Reaping before, even though that couldn’t be further from the truth. Not that anyone’s lives were free of the annual anguish, but her family in particular was extra intimate with the affair. 

Snow Nolan and her husband, David—who were victors in back-to-back years, and were basically local royalty—had long served as Misthaven’s mentors, with one main exception: the year their daughter, Emma, was reaped (one of their former mentees, Graham Humbert, had the honor that year).

Which made her wonder—why would the child of a victor who hadn’t been selected enter the Games voluntarily? If she somehow managed to escape that fate, why go chasing it? She didn’t need Henry seeing stuff like that; his odds were terrible enough as it was. At least he was still only 11.

God, even the thought of that made her magic prick at her fingertips. She took a few calming breaths until it subsided; few knew about it, least of all Olympus, and she needed to keep it that way if she was going to have any success this year.

Her mother had been chosen as Mayor of Misthaven a few months ago, which was how Emma found herself rushing to pack a suitcase in anticipation of her first year as a mentor, alongside Graham, who had come to be one of her closest friends in the ensuing years. To the rest of the world, they were more than that—as far as Olympus and its citizens were concerned, Emma and Graham were True Loves, capital letters and all, just like her parents, living happily with their son, Henry. 

And she did love Graham, but more as a brother than a lover, and she knew he felt the same toward her. Their shared experiences in the Games brought them together as friends and Henry had united them as parents, but she had long since vowed to never fall in love again; not after what happened with Neal.

“Mom, hurry up! Dad’s already packed. You don’t want to be late!” Henry shouted from downstairs. Truthfully, she was supposed to be watching the other realms’ Reapings before attending Misthaven’s, but she wouldn’t be her if she wasn’t procrastinating. It was as good an excuse as any to avoid the inevitable crowd shots of weeping parents and terrified kids. 

Henry apparently gave up waiting and just ran into her room. Despite Graham not being his biological father, he looked more like Graham’s son than Emma’s, with their shared dark, messy hair; she’d hoped Henry would inherit her green eyes, but they were definitely Neal’s deep brown. He knew the truth about his father, but Graham was as much his parent as Emma was. 

“I’m almost done,” Emma replied, zipping up her bag. “Just missing one thing: a hug.” She walked over to her son and wrapped him tight. “I’m going to miss you, kid.”

“I’ll miss you, too, Mom. Are you sure you have to go?”

“You know I don’t have a choice, Henry; it’s my turn,” she answered; there were only a handful of other Victors in their realm, but they had all done the mentor thing before her parents. “Plus, I think your grandparents are looking forward to having you to themselves for a few weeks.” Henry laughed at that, but hugged just a bit tighter. “I love you, Henry.” 

“Love you, too.”

Graham poked his head into the room. “Ready?” he asked.

“As I’ll ever be.”

“Shall we, then?”

◇─◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇────◇─────◇──◇─◇

From his home in Atlantica, Killian Jones, victor of the 82nd Magic Games, watched the events in Sherwood as they were broadcast. He was about to make his way to his own town square for their Reaping, and from there would head with this year’s tributes to Olympus as one of their mentors.

He was nursing his glass of rum with extra careful attention this year. The Reaping always had a way of bringing up unpleasant memories—being reaped twice will do that to a man—but it’d gotten worse each of the past few. The rum didn’t really help, but he supposed it didn’t hurt either. It wouldn’t change the outcome, but he’d gotten so used to the vice over the years that it was something of a comfort—especially given that his only true source of comfort was presently out of reach. 

The same familiar churning in his gut began to coil as he watched the mouthpiece from Olympus stick her fingers in that bowl. The image was nearly identical to the one 23 years ago, when his 12-year-old self was first called up. That one was clearer in his memory than the one six years later, because of what followed.

But he shook his head, trying to dislodge the memory; as much as it still hurt, it was in the past. He turned his focus back on the television, and let out a deep breath when the first name was called, even if it was slightly familiar. It wasn’t the one he was most concerned with.

It was the same with the second name, and he finished his drink. He stood to start to make his way out, but then an all-too-familiar voice rang out from the television, and that memory that had threatened to take over played through his head without restraint. 

“I volunteer!” the voice shouted, and its echo rang out in his head—his brother’s voice, all those years ago.

He watched in horror as the blonde girl from Sherwood took the boy’s place, just like Liam had taken his. No—no, this couldn’t be happening, not again. Gods, he couldn’t watch. 

“I’m Alice; Alice...Gothel,” the girl said. 

(“I’m Liam Jones,” the memory echoed.)

In a weird way, being chosen again for—and then somehow winning—the games when he was 18 had ended up giving him a reason to go on, instead of the aimless drift he’d been on in those intervening years. But in one moment—one more absurd display of nobility and bravery—that was all at risk of crumbling again, and spectacularly so.

With a primal yell, he punched his tv with his hook, shattering the screen and cutting his clothing, but that was the least of his cares. 

The Games had already taken his hand, his love, and his brother. 

They weren’t taking his daughter, too. 

◇─◇──◇────◇────◇────◇────◇────◇─────◇──◇─◇

thanks for reading! the rest of the chapters will be much longer, I assure you. tagging some people who might be interested; please let me know if you/don’t want a tag! @kat2609​ @thesschesthair​ @xpumpkindumplingx​ @shipsxahoy​ @amortentia-on-the-rocks​ @mryddinwilt​ @cocohook38​ @annytecture​ @wingedlioness​ @word-bug​ @distant-rose​ @wellhellotragic​ @welllpthisishappening​ @let-it-raines​ @pirateherokillian​ @its-imperator-furiosa​ @killianmesmalls​ @sherlockianwhovian​ @ineffablecolors​ @laschatzi​ @ive-always-been-a-pirate​ @nfbagelperson​ @stubblesandwich​​ @killian-whump​​ @phiralovesloki​ @athenascarlet​ @kmomof4​ @ilovemesomekillianjones​ @whimsicallyenchantedrose​ @snowbellewells​ @idristardis​ @scientificapricot​ @searchingwardrobes​

#cs ff #captain swan rewrite a thon #csrt 2020 #mad archer ff #knightrook ff #my ff #the magic games #(love will see us through these) dark days

[momestuck]

Epilogues: Candy, chapters 14-15 [Epilogue 3]

On to Epilogue 3.

The last Epilogue ended with a cliffhanger: prior to his disappearance, Dirk was constructing a ‘feminine’ robot, which Dave discovers is holding a note in its hand.

CW suicide for chapter 14. A successful suicide by hanging is described in some detail.

Also this Epilogue is really short and I actually read an entire nother epilogue before I realised that, so the next post will be very soon after this one!

Chapter 14

We get a POV chapter of Dirk, which might answer our question. This chapter is in second person, and brings back the “> Ascend” prompt, used so much throughout Homestuck. All that we know is “the world has been set on a path you cannot tread”. There are apparently no stakes or consequences - so Dirk has decided to kill himself. He succeeds, decapitating himself by hanging himself from a tower in a rather grim recapitulation of all the Dirk’s head jokes.

The narration is extremely self-aggrandising and condescending towards everyone else, as befits Dirk. Although exactly why he felt John’s decision to stay rendered anything he might do in the new world devoid of meaning or consequence, or prevented him from popping out into the Farthest Realm to get involved in some plots out there, is not immediately clear.

Although he’s god tier, the death ‘takes’:

Your body doesn’t get up, and your head doesn’t open its eyes. When you think so little of yourself as a moral character, any act of self-termination will result in a death that is Just. 

Friggin’ Dirk.

Chapter 15

Funeral time. It begins about as awkward and ridiculously as Dirk himself.

Most of it is given to a speech by Dave. It’s well-written, in-voice, and makes me feel stuff about Dirk Strider. He specifically addresses intrusive thoughts about suicide, the shit that Bro did, the way that Dirk mattered to them even as weird and self-absorbed as he was. Which does kinda mean something, because I guess I feel like, like Dirk, I live a lot in my head, follow trains of thought that mean very little to other people, but I’ve managed to make myself matter to others anyway.

Not gonna kill myself though. Not anymore.

Gamzee, for some reason, has Dirk’s note, and accidentally destroys it. The narration continues to emphasise how disgusting Gamzee is: how much he smells, how he’s clumsy, openly scratches his crotch, etc. His attempt to recap Dirk’s final message is mostly skimmed over in narration. Jake’s also gonna give a speech but the camera mercifully spares us that.

John, at this point, offers to retcon the suicide. Because... he can actually do that. There’s a brief discussion of the difference between time travel and retcon (if Dave went back, it would allegedly just create a separate timeline where Dirk does not die). Dave is like, no, don’t do that John... but John attempts to do it anyway, only to find his powers no longer work!

At that point Roxy shows up and proposes. What’s that thing they have in America, where the studios are doing a donation drive so they write loads of really dramatic moments into shows? ‘Sweeps’? ...oh it’s actually to do with the ratings system, trying to court advertiser money, but same difference. It feels like that right now.

Something about this doesn’t feel... right? Just a few weeks ago, Roxy was happy with Calliope, and now she wants to have his babies? John feels like he’s missing something important here, like he went for a bathroom break during the part of the movie where the plot twist happens. He should give Roxy some time, get himself some space. It’s all happened so fast that it’s suffocating.

Yeah. Calliope hasn’t shown up onscreen for quite a lot of chapters. What are we missing? What profound effect has John’s decision to stay had, that’s caused everyone to suddenly be obsessed with pinning down ‘endgame’ relationships, having children etc.?

Roxy once again prophesises that they will be ‘so freakin happy!’. I’m getting more and more uneasy every time those words are uttered.

(Apparently ‘prophesise’ is nonstandard, but I like the sound of it more than ‘to prophesy’, so I’m keeping that, nyeh.)

Epilogue 3 as a whole

Suicide’s a heavy subject, and describing in second-person and in detail is intense reading, but also a pretty harsh thing to do without (localised) warning. I would personally have put a content note at the top of this chapter, and invited the reader to skip to the aftermath if they felt the need.

The funeral was well-written, even if we’re like, skating from dramatic moment to dramatic moment - deaths! funerals! proposals!

I imagine if I was more invested in Dirk I’d be a bit frustrated to see him so abruptly killed off, but I suspect he’ll have a much more substantial role in Meat.

Will be interesting to see just what is up with Calliope...

#momestuck

[animentrohetaliate]

Made this earlier. It’s now on my twitter. 

To expand on this: Like, I REALLY wanted Negan to get his comic arc, at least for AOW. But Gimple’s plan to do that is to kill off Carl halfway through AOW to get Negan to be shown Mercy by Rick.

Carl in the source material becomes the the main character immediately after AOW. Gimple wants to give all that storyline away, probably to some TV-only character like Daryl or Tara or Enid or Henry. 

Carl’s storyline after AOW is also the only good one too. As far as I can tell, Michandrea’s is just dying and catching Carl have sex, Maggie has an okay one I guess, Rick just basically goes to Alpha and then loses his lover after pushing Sherry into a table and killing her which makes her ex-husband Dwight, Rick’s right-hand man upset. Negan sits in a cell and talks to Carl once, beheads Alpha, and breaks Lucille....Rosita cheats on Eugene with Siddig, gets pregnant with Siddiq’s baby and dies. Ezekiel moves to Alexandria and dies. Michacarol and Ezekiel broke up during the timeskip and she comes back as a pirate after wandering to Oceanside for reasons. Jesus and Aaron get into a forced relationship and then kill Beta in a really stupid way, some characters like Magna and her group that do nothing show up at some point. And that’s the A New Beginning and the Whisperers without Carl and Lydia. Like, NO! NO ONE WANTS THIS SOAP OPERA NONSENSE ONSCREEN! 

Carl on the TV show is Rick’s main motivation and the story established this very early on. Carl dying taints Rick’s whole purpose. What’s the point of watching? The story was about Carl growing up in the apocalypse and Rick showing him the new world. Who wants to go back to seasons 1-7 knowing that Rick fails? Like, this is stupid, stupid, stupid storytelling! 

Also, Carl is a main character who’s survived hordes and he gets taken down by two walkers in the silliest way possible? He goes to these walkers with Siddiq randomly that are completely out of their way and kills them to release their souls because some random strangers mom told them to? I guess? And then some the walkers appear out of nowhere like ninjas and he randomly trips over a deer and pushes the walker that he’s grappling with to the right where he can’t see it, let’s the other one fall on him, and only pulls out the gun he had the whole time when it was too late. AND WE DON’T FIND OUT UNTIL TWO EPISODES LATER THAT HE WAS BIT! And Gimple says that we should’ve known when he was bit. BTW this is coming from someone who was suspicious that he’d been bit from his behaviour in 8x06 and 100% CERTAIN of it fifteen minutes into 8x08. The scene with Siddiq was utterly absurd but absolutely forgettable. 

This makes no narrative sense! CARL fires the first shots of All Out War in 7x16 and then in 8x01 just a few days later in showtime with no build up suddenly he wants to spare Negan and end the war peacefully. That’s why most people thought Daryl and/or Morgan would die. Morgan had the all life is precious viewpoint until just before the war and Daryl is running around recklessly and wrathful doing nothing but grunting and wasting screentime.

Someone mentioned to me that Chandler’s lines at SDCC and Walker Stalker are longer than Normans and I know that someone else on TSDF site a few weeks ago took the ratings/reception of each episode and matched it when the characters involved. The numbers came out with Carl/Michonne/Rick higher than Daryl/Carol. If they decided to kill a season 1 character off for ratings/shock value Carl was the one who should have been safest. Carol has Michonne’s comic storyline and Rick’s is basically over after AOW imo. Daryl is just there because AMC think Norman’s pretty. 

And the way they were milking this death annoys me. They kept advertising a major death by walker in all their social media. And then reveal it at the end of the episode like “find out how he dies next time because we need to generate buzz build-up for two months ha” it feels like it was unneccessary shock value, especially when you realise that Carl was only one season ago at the very bottom of everybody’s “who will die next season” lists/predictions. NO ONE WOULD HAVE SUSPECTED HIM EVER! 

Carl had almost no screentime since season 4. And even in season 4 his storylines were being given to annoying, longdead characters like Gimple’s Darling, Carol. CARL should have killed Lizzie! Carl, not Daryl/Maggie should’ve been the one who came up with the plan to kill the outpost people! Carl’s recovering arc that should have followed NWO was removed completely in return for Daryl and Jesus having their first date running through a field with Benny Hill music blaring. Jfc. 

The storylines that he did get during Gimple-era [sexual assault from the Claimers/Marauders, befriending Ron, NWO, Negan were ignored. He has no symptoms of his near-rape that would suggest trauma and his comic conversation that he has with Rick afterwards is removed in favour of Rick comforting AMC’s darling Daryl. Carl mentions to Rick during 6x11 that a kid with a messed-up face would scare everyone when the group goes to Hilltop.0 This is brought-up again with Negan in 7x07 where he breaks down. IF the show had gotten around to Lydia, the “I think it’s sexy” and Carl removing the bandage and being confident WOULD have happened (hopefully) but now we won’t so what was the point of shooting his eye out in the first place if you weren’t going to do anything with it? 

Robert Kirkman is involved in lawsuits with AMC atm. Chandler turned 18 around the time they were filming 8x08 and due a pay raise. Carl is the most important character in the source material and Kirkman’s favourite. I would not be surprised if AMC had fired Chandler for this. 

Oh, and the way Chandler Riggs was treated, I’m not even going to GET INTO THAT! “Oh, by the way I know you were accepted into the university nearby, that you just bought a house in Senoia, that you were super stoked to have your comic arc and get screen time finally and we said we’d keep you for three more years at least, but you’re getting killed off. He gets bit by a random walker in the episode we’re rehearsing right now. Lol. Good luck kid.” I know he’s off in LA making music and seems mostly over all of this. But it makes me appalled at how unprofessional Gimple is, though he did the same thing to Emily Kinney in S5 and Mezzara did it to Laurie Holden in S3... 

Actually, this is EXACTLY what happened to Andrea. Random walker bite in the dumbest way possible in a finale, revealed to Rick and Michonne, character who is a major character in the comics and important to Rick... Immediately after the actor was told that they’d be around for a while longer. Huh. Isn’t this what got Mezzara fired? Why is Gimple still employed?

I was originally going to put Carol as “What Gimple Thinks We Like” because he writes almost every Kingdom episode and Carol/Morgan/Ezekiel are the only characters with coherent storylines on the show. He only seems to care about the Kingdom. However, with the “We’re diverting from the comics by killing the comics most important character in order to adapt the comics faithfully by sparing Negan who doesn’t really have much of a storyline after AOW anyway....” made me put Negan. 

I’m not even going to get other points on here into the trash people filler nonsense, the S8 Eugene constant flipflopping nonsense that makes no sense and continues to take screentime, and the stupid cliffhangers. 

#the walking dead #amcthewalkingdead #twd #chandler riggs #carl grimes

[daniel--berry]

Worst to Best Superhero Movies I’ve Seen

31) The Amazing Spider-Man

I hate this movie. I laughed throughout the entire film. “The lizard” could not have been a worse super-villain. I sort of liked the yellow Spidey-eyes, I guess. Emma Stone gave a nice performance. Can’t write anything else about it.

30) Doctor Strange

This is one of the only movies on the list I fell asleep during. Some of the visuals were pretty original, but the storyline was like a terrible version of Kung Fu Panda. Maybe if they casted Jack Black instead of super-boring Benedict Cumberbatch (I loved you in Sherlock baby, don’t be offended), Doctor Strange could have had a little charisma. I think this is the only movie on this list that made me upset after watching it.

29) Suicide Squad

What is this movie, some kind of Suicide Squad? Maaaan, what a great cast in such a forgettable movie. Here’s the thing though, I liked it more than most people did. I think whatever-her-name-is was a charismatic (though definitely not funny) Harley Quinn. Jared Leto wasn’t super offensive as the Joker, I looked forward to his scenes, but he looked like an idiot, like a twenty year old with temporary tattoos. What is this guy, some kind of Joker?

28) Thor

I can’t remember this movie. It was probably better than Suicide Squad though. Oh yeah, there’s that part where he throws his coffee on the ground and yells “Another!”. Haha, that was pretty funny.

27) Deadpool

Haha, he uses bad words! But it’s a superhero movie! This movie will serve best as the first R-rated movie a 12 year old sees behind his parent’s back. This is the other one I fell asleep during. 

26) Thor: The Dark World

This one’s interesting. I actually like this movie a lot, in theory. Visually, it’s one of my favorite Marvel movies. You could even say that if I made a MCU movie, it would look a lot like this one. Again, in theory, this is cool. It made Loki an anti-hero after the Avengers, which I think is a great choice. Unfortunately, this is a big piece of shit. And it will make you (unjustly) dislike Natalie Portman. 

25) Wonder Woman

Wow, I thought I’d love this movie. I’ve always thought Wonder Woman was a great character. Gal Gadot is almost perfect for the role. But man, what a boring story. Way too much time is spent on an ugly island, and the rest of the movie is a fish-out-of-water Crocodile Dundee rip-off, with Tumblr-friendly British humor. Haha, that English woman’s accent is sooo British! No thank you. A DAMN boring movie! 

24) The Amazing Spider-Man 2

We’re starting to get to superhero movies that I actually sort-of enjoy. This is my second favorite Spider-Man movie, but that’s out of the three ones on this list. I think this movie ruined Jamie Foxx’s career. Spider-Man has never looked better, though. Definitely the best Spidey-suit. I’m a sucker for those huge eyes. I walked out of the movie wanting to see a sequel, to be honest.

23) Ant-Man

I don’t remember this one, but I remember laughing a lot. Doesn’t Ant-Man work at Baskin Robbins or something in this? Oh yeah, and Michael Douglas is in this. I love that guy!

22) Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice

What a STUPID title for a movie. Nothing felt natural here. Did I mention that I hate the title? Here’s the thing, some of the elements of this movie work great. People made fun of the “Martha” twist, but I liked it, as well as Ben Affleck’s portrayal of Batman. But again, nothing was natural about this story. The tone shift is so dramatic from Man of Steel, and yet it’s supposed to be a direct sequel. Henry Cavill’s Superman isn’t memorable. Jesse Eisenberg’s lines were badly written and he never seemed like a real human being. Still, I didn’t hate it.

21) Thor: Ragnarok

Such great ideas here. Pairing Hulk and Thor for a comedy? Wonderful. Jeff Goldblum as a charismatic (gay) planet emperor is my favorite new MCU character. More of him, please! Why so low on this list? Hela sucked, as all Thor villains do. But man, she sucked the worst. The goddess of death? She just looks kind of goth, and never does anything too death-y. I like how the fire monster destroys the Thor world (what’s it called again?), and to the movie’s credit, it doesn’t treat this like an earth-shattering moment. Because let’s be honest, we never gave a fuck about that place.

20) Avengers: Age of Ultron

Ok, yes. This movie has aged pretty badly. But there’s a lot to like! Vision is a graceful, hot, AI legend right out of the gate. Lots of nice seeds are sown here, but it’s too bad that Ultron was a big dumbass who didn’t know how to execute any of his angsty plans. His “age” lasted about a day? Day of Ultron. Still, Tony Stark deserves to be put in prison by now.

19) Guardians of the Galaxy

As far as nailing a tone down, this movie did it best. You can call this movie airtight in its execution. The only negative is that every following Marvel movie felt like it had to be just as funny as this one.

18) Man of Steel

I love me a serious superhero film. I think this movie is best described in pros and cons. Pros: Henry Cavill is the best onscreen Superman yet, Michael Shannon made an otherwise goofy role kind of believable, the special effects are the best I’ve ever seen in a superhero film. Cons: None of this matters, because you’ve just never seen a more boring plot to a film in your life.

17) Batman

There will be no disrespect for the classics here. Every good superhero movie owes it all to Batman. This movie nailed it in every category. Jack Nicholson’s weirdo Joker was all-too-perfect, and the goth-horror scenery was inspired. Best of all, Michael Keaton made the idea of a gay orphan dressing up as a bat pretty relatable.

16) Superman

They haven’t quite gotten it right until 2006, but more on that up the list. This is the best Superman will ever be, because the character really just doesn’t work in the modern day. Christopher Reeve gives a romantic, gosh-golly version of the comic character, and it’s pretty damn good. Also, Marlon Brando’s Jor-El is haunting and gorgeous when he speaks. Another classic.

15) Batman Begins

Blah blah blah, gritty, dark, blah blah blah. Reinvented superhero movies, blah blah blah realistic.

14) Captain America: The First Avenger

This is the heart and soul of the MCU, and one of the most unique out of the series. Still feels important even in the third phase, and has a lot of great messages that I am too lazy to write. Great movie, and Chris Evans as Captain America was the best casting choice since Robert Downey Jr. Nothing but greatness here.

13) Iron Man 2

Do people really think this is the worst of the MCU? Not by a long-shot. But oh my god, Tony Stark is just such a war criminal. And Mickey Rourke is delightful! I love that part where Iron Man empties his bladder into his own Iron Man suit. Did Superman ever do that shit? Fuck Superman!

12) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

My ass has seen a lot of superhero movies, but I don’t think my ass has smiled more watching one of them. Ummmm, what a fucking great movie? With a fucking great plot? And, like, a great villain for fucking once? A truly lovely film.

11) The Dark Knight Rises

A marxist superhero film? No wonder it’s not the fan favorite. But I love it just the same. The funeral scene at the end is beautifully acted by all involved. Yes, Bruce Wayne died, but it didn’t feel cheap. Catwoman driving the batpod? An icon of cinema. A great ending to a great blah blah blah, not as good as The Dark Blah blah blah.

10) Marvel’s The Avengers

What a moment for a little thirteen year old nerdfuck like me. It leans on the immature side of the MCU, yes. But it’s damn near perfect filmmaking, and by far the most accessible superhero movie to date. Hulk Smash!

9) Iron Man 3

We’re getting into real personal-favorite territory here. Shane Black’s Christmas superhero film is hated by a lot of people, but don’t worry, they’re all just sweaty ugly nerds with untouched genitals who don’t realize that Fu-Manchu proto-Asian wizard stereotypes aren’t exactly the best material for a 2013 film. Man, I adore this movie. It’s a perfect blend of comedy (not too much) and drama (not too much), with an infusion of self awareness that appeals to a cynical guy like me.

8) Superman Returns

This movie really understands Superman. It’s too bad it was overshadowed by Batman Begins, because this movie has a lot to offer. No, it isn’t action-packed, and yes it does star Kevin Spacey (gross) as Lex Luther, but the romanticism and themes of a post-superhero world are rich with wonderful dialogue and the best onscreen Lois Lane yet. Forget the Kryptonite iceberg at the end, Superman’s journey of finding himself is surprisingly great material for a film, delicately directed by Bryan Singer. Wait, is that TWO pedophile boy rapists in one film? Yikes, you know what.......never mind. 

7) Captain America: Civil War

The re-watchability here is astonishing. It’s not even an Avengers film, and it’s still easily the best Avengers film. And yet, it stays its course as a personal story of loyalty and sacrifice for the titular character. It’s totally a Captain America movie. Also, can Tony Stark just get fucking imprisoned already?

6) Iron Man

Easily the “coolest” superhero movie ever made. I can watch terrorists get blown up by lasers all day! A true classic, and still feels just a little more legitimate than all the other MCU films.

5) Spider-Man: Homecoming

A relatable protagonist? A relatable villain? An evil psycopath? (Tony Stark). What’s not to love? It might not have “amazing” in the title like those other fuck-your-mom Spidey movies, but it most certainly is. (Amazing, I mean).

4) The Dark Knight

Blah blah blah joker, blah blah blah Heath Ledger, Christopher Nolan. Blahblahblahblah dark, reinvented the genre, blah blah blah.

3) Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Yes I’ll say it. Here we have the best story in a superhero film to date. And to disguise all the intellectual themes of post-terrorist society, individuality, corruption, the pointlessness of patriotism, and homoeroticism, we have just enough kick-ass action scenes for your average brain-dead male to get a kick out of it too.

2) X-Men: Days of Future Past

I’m a sucker for time travel, and fuck me if this didn’t deliver 100%. This was my first X-Men movie experience, and I still think about it about once every couple of weeks. I don’t even want to write about it because I get embarrassed by my love for this movie.

1) Logan

The world’s changed. All the mutants are dead. Patrick Stewart is a senile fuck. Wolverine’s claws hurt when he tries to bring them out. Jesus Christ, there’s so much here that I can’t believe it’s a real movie. There’s just something about seeing a grizzly Hugh Jackman in a bloody t-shirt that really grinds my gears. It’s tragic, it’s beautiful, it’s expansive, and it feels like the last superhero movie that ever needs to be made.

[theconservativebrief]

For the latest episode of my podcast, I Think You’re Interesting, I wanted to commemorate the end of another TV season (the 2017-’18 TV season ended May 31, though several shows launched during it will continue into the summer) by having some of my favorite showrunners on to talk about the state of the industry.

It was one of those great conversations where I could just sit back and listen as smart people whose work I love bounced ideas around and asked each other questions and built on each other’s thoughts. The whole conversation is worth listening to, but I especially wanted to highlight what happened when I asked the group why they thought TV had gotten slightly better at telling stories about groups traditionally underrepresented in fiction, while movies had gotten so much worse.

It was a good group to ask that question.

Aline Brosh McKenna is a showrunner on the CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, a musical comedy that deconstructs romantic comedy tropes and shows how they don’t paint women as full people, while also destigmatizing mental illness, something TV has never been comfortable talking about. (She’s also the writer of several movies, including the fantastic Devil Wears Prada.)

Tanya Saracho is the showrunner of Starz’s Vida, a heartfelt, soulful half-hour drama about two Mexican-American sisters reconnecting after their mother’s death. The series also tackles themes of queerness and gentrification.

And Salim Akil, as the showrunner of The CW’s Black Lightning, has turned a superhero show into an examination of black masculinity and issues affecting black communities, while not skimping on the cool superhero fights.

So I didn’t have to say much. Indeed, the three talked for much longer on this topic after the segment I’ve excerpted here, which has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Aline Brosh McKenna. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for March of Dimes

Aline Brosh McKenna

You don’t have to make money in the more traditional manner. Television used to be really, really run by bean counters, and it was incredibly dictated by numbers. It’s really because of cable and streaming have redefined what a successful show is financially. We were the lowest-rated show on network television for a couple years. Now I think we’re maybe third from the bottom? [Laughs.] But we offer other things to the network. Strictly ratings, we wouldn’t have made it 10 years ago.

And networks really treat shows that have a more niche appeal completely differently. That’s why they’re making stuff that is across the board speaking to different types of audiences. And movies have gone the other way. They’ve gotten bigger, bigger, wider, wider.

We’re lucky that you can address different kinds of audiences and take certain artistic risks and that has paid off for networks. Other networks have seen that work. It’s still in progress, but I think you can see a lot more voices represented at the moment.

Tanya Saracho

There are a lot more. I’m myopic about how I look at this — just Latinx, you know?

We consume, if you look at the numbers, more especially movies than almost any demographic, especially young Latinas. There has not been a movie about a young, millennial Latina ever in the past decades. I still don’t understand, and I’m trying to figure out why we’ve been so invisible and why we continue to be.

In TV, it’s better because we’ve popped up, especially in front of the screen but behind the screen; out of 520 shows, we have now five, with mine, of a Latinx perspective, a Latinx gaze. But we make up almost 20 percent of this country. I don’t understand why we haven’t caught up or why they haven’t seen our value.

Aline Brosh McKenna

It’s the same reason that things are male-centered. They believe that women will go see things with a male protagonist.

Tanya Saracho

And we do, yeah.

Aline Brosh McKenna

They think the protagonist bias only goes that direction.

Tanya Saracho

But it becomes an erasure of a people in a way. We’re not counted. Our narratives are not up there. We still have these old ’90s immigrant narratives that are so different and complicated now. We’re still going back by Mi Familia and by Selena and by La Bamba. It’s crazy that those were the last big [movies].

I know in TV it’s better, but I think we still have a long way to go. If you look at those numbers, it’s like, why? Why are we not valued, our narratives? I’m still in that space.

Of course, Starz has been amazing to us. I do think because my executive is Marta Fernandez, and she’s Hispanic, and that matters, because you have to have someone in the castle to keep the door open. But if I look at the landscape, it’s really bleak.

Salim Akil. Paras Griffin/Getty Images for SCAD aTVfest 2018

Salim Akil

Honestly, I think it’s getting better because you’re hearing more authentic voices. Black folk are writing and running shows about black folk. Before, I would look at television and I would say, “Oh, yeah, a white man wrote that. It doesn’t seem like anything a black person would do or say.” It was always some guy with tennis shoes on running from the police in a short jacket, and his name was Willie Earl.

When you have other people writing and [turns to Tanya] you said gaze — gazing for you, then they gaze from their point of view. It’s the gaze that usually makes them feel comfortable. I think what is happening now is that women and so-called minorities are writing things for themselves and their people, and so it gets better and better, and people become more and more interested.

I’m not really interested in the concept of what percentage of black folk are watching television in the United States, because we’re in a global economy now. So these images and these stories aren’t just being shown in America. They’re being shown on phones and TVs around the world. I was in South Africa, and Girlfriends and Being Mary Jane were on television, and people were watching them on their phones. And I guarantee you Starz isn’t just making your show to show in the United States.

I think that when you look at how we are disseminating these images and these stories, it becomes less about what’s going on in the ratings and less about what’s going on in the United States. We’re in a global economy now.

I think the reason you’re still having that conversation about an erasing of people is because there’s still the majority white men running these companies, and until there’s more inclusion in the higher ranks, where you don’t just have that one “blackspert,” the woman or the man who’s really working for corporate America and has no interest in fighting for you.

Once we start to replace those type of people with people who really do have an interest in not only making money but in telling stories about human beings, I think it will get better and better and better. But as long as we have the majority white men running companies, it’ll be a struggle.

But it’s a struggle I think worth having. When you look at African Americans, I always say we’re basically one generation up out of Jim Crow, and the things that we’ve managed to accomplish as a people on television and in politics speaks to the idea of struggle.

Tanya Saracho. Earl Gibson III/Getty Images

Tanya Saracho

So if perception is filtered through American television because we’re selling it around the world, we haven’t gotten that many shots to do it.

Aline Brosh McKenna

Well, also, they’re weirdly immune to actual data, because if you look at Wonder Woman or you look at Girls Trip, or you look at whatever, it’s still seen as an outlier. People still don’t identify, and it’s because we need to wick people into the system more from a creator’s standpoint but also from an executive’s standpoint. After a certain level, it really becomes a homogeneous group of people. So people can rise to a certain level, but in order to get kicked those four or five levels upstairs that you need to be to be a real decision-maker, there is no diversity there.

One of the things that I’m very concerned about is getting the best and the brightest to come here [to Hollywood] and stay, because the entry-level jobs don’t pay anything, and if you’re a smart kid and you’re from a different kind of community and you graduated from a good college and you can go get a consulting job and make a good living, why would you come here? So the only people who are coming here are the people who can get checks from their parents to help them survive.

We’re creating a lot of barriers to entry for creators, which is why you have to go grab people and pull them in and help them. You can’t wait for people to apply and show up. So there needs to be way more people as writers assistants and staff writers who are going to have that idea. We still have a lot of invisible barriers to entry just to get people to get into those jobs.

For so much more with all three, including a look at how they define success in an era when ratings mean less and less, listen to the full episode. And you can watch Vida on the Starz streaming app, and both Black Lightning and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend on Netflix.

To hear more interviews with fascinating people from the world of arts and culture — from powerful showrunners to web series creators to documentary filmmakers — check out the I Think You’re Interesting archives.

Original Source -> Why making Hollywood more diverse requires far more than shaking up who’s onscreen

via The Conservative Brief

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