#It’s a huge character flaw for me

[mejomonster]

Modu by priest was truly such a good read. If you like romance? It has a sweeping romance, with a well done bisexual and gay lead (and straight best friend) all written in ways that manage to feel realistic, it's got features people likely found it for when looking for a danmei - rich manipulative younger man, older investigator who's got a hero streak, and yet those categories don't really do justice to them (and of course tao ran is the more grounded detective story lead who keeps his theories to himself and worries about dragging others into his mess).

They're so much more... Fei Du is a traumatized young man who's worried he's as monstrous as the people who scarred him, who is preparing to take the leap and cross the line to become an even more terrifying version of himself if it will destroy the corruption poisoning this city and harming so many, Luo Wenzhou is a cop that used to want to be a hero and learned he will fail people and be unable to save people and holds onto Fei Du as someone who reminds him he DOES fail but also reminds him why he wants so hard to keep Trying to help people even when it seems impossible... why trying and putting in effort to care and help Even when its too late to fix things is Worthwhile. Tao Ran is a contrast to them both, Fei Du living in a world where there's only monsters and victims and Luo Wenzhou desperately trying to force the world to be a place where justice CAN prevail and win even as he sees it fail over and over, trying so hard to believe all people have the capacity for everything and are worth trying to save. Even though Fei Du doesm't believe that, being around Luo Wenzhou makes him want to consider it. Tao Ran, their contrast? Believing the world can go either way, and its up to people like him to create any justice at all, any structure at all, or else everything is just meaningless suffering chaos. As characters, the three of them serve to explore how the world works and views on it in terms of a detective murder mystery encompassing the whole city, the small scale version of the world. Modu is a romance, but its also fully commited to being a murder mystery that wants to tackle the kind of themes that come up in the setting it's created. Its characters are so much more than Insert Character Ship types here. These characters were made this way to explore these ideas (just as the villains are all made to parallel and contrast Fei Du to explord these ideas in comparison to our point of view Fei Du moments, our impressions of Fei Du from Luo Wenzhou and Tao Rans varied perspectives, all of them are different lenses to view humanity and how it works, if the world is just or if we have to make it good, if we can be inherently good and if good people will reach out to us if we just keep treading water to survive, if its luck and chaos, and how much... and much more frankly).

Modu is like. If you want a story about a corrupt city and its victims, symbolizing a corrupt world and all of us at its mercy, and you want to see the heart of the people doing something about it. First the main trio, but also every victim Fei Du recruits to help, every murderer recruited to the corruption, all the people in the cases swayed to some side. Thats what Modu is about.

The romance is just one facet of exploring that, the personal debate about what these things mean about the world as told through two people who view this world incredibly differently. Yet find some way to exist in the same space, same mutual world, when together. It hooks you in and doesn't let you go and youre wondering right there with them, left to draw your own meaning in the end. Hopefully that its worth trying, that doing something is worth trying even when its just the trying you can do and not the succeeding, at least thats what I got from it (at least in regards to Fei Du and Luo Wenzhou meeting each other, unable to live up to the pillar they put each other on but trying anyway, is what I felt from them).

Then like? Modu gives you THAT story, which in its own right is enough to make you contemplate.

And if you're like me and care about people, about characters? Well it gives you, like I said, those big themes and a city's nightmares symbolizing the world, and brings them down to an individual level. You read from the mind of the little girl who grew up in this (one of my favorite scenes and when I felt this novel was going to not shy away from dark psychological moments and bringing them to you). You read from the mind of Fei Du when he knows himself, when he doesn't. You read from the minds of all kinds of people, and the heart of much of the investigation is peoples motives and things they'd gone through and how that shaped what they'd do next. Why they'd do it. Leaving you to wonder who's right. Jaded idealist Luo Wenzhou who wants to believe in the goodness of the people he loves, but also is willing to risk that strangers may have good intent? Fei Du who thinks theres only victims and perpetrators and everyone is going to fall into one in the right circumstance? Tao Ran, who feels the world is too messy to dare declare predictable, who thinks even your closest can betray you and even you can accidentally hurt them, nevermind strangers, and the only thing you can control and rely on is your own choices? Some mix? None of them? The side characters as they come up, grow and evolve, do they understand the world better or worse, and is the world they experience different than anothers and justify why their worldview is likewise different? Modu gives you that up close and personal, over and over. Im still thinking about it. And the way its done, they all get to feel like lived in people. Not structures to tell the themes only. But on their own, there's a personal struggle between Fei Du feeling like a monster who'll destroy Lup Wenzhou if he loves him, like his dad destroyed his mom, and Luo Wenzhou carrying the guilt he could never save Fei Du and desperate to believe in Fei Du (and keep trying to save him in that way if only that way) as person who can do good despite not being saved and despite Fei Du's fears. You could cut the entire city's plot away, all of the crimes and make the city calm, and still that core of their plot would be carrying a Lot of weight. Theyre playing a game of "enemies" to lovers sure, or whatever romance story structures they fit into. But they're also made to be deeply rooted into each other, their personal beliefs tied into the outcome of what they hope or fear happens if they are close together. Modu made me care about that. Its like the fears many people might have, abiut theur own flaws, about getting close to others, about trusting and being unsure if that trust is safe to give. Its that and magnified into bigger form, in this landscape of a fucked up city and the tragedy of Fei Du and Luo Wenzhou's meeting and former lives.

Its like. Id love to to read another danmei (Ive got a lot on my to read list). But what's going to give me roo

#modu #silent reading #lb #meta #like... modu was so fucking good. #it was 3 characters symbolizing their city symbolizing the world in terms of worldviews morality justice and if theres a point to #trying to help at all. like damn #i want to read ANOTHER danmei that makes me weigh those questions. that uses the characters this personally and intimately with the readers #because the Characters weigh the themes in their OWN lives so heavily. #like... i know priest can probably give me this kind of huge delivery in can ci pin and sha po lang (at least i estimate #priesr probably can as theyre very popular novels by priest) #and 2ha can (because ive read half and know its themes) #but like. what other danmei can? can thousand autumns? can peerless? can wu shang jie? #can Mistakenly Saving the Villain? #like... the only non priest danmei i read was svsss and i got supremely lucky #cause i personally LOVE satire and critique commentary affection for the topics it explores #and svsss AS a satire is incredibly well done. having read 2ha first? and seen Eternal Love? #svsss does an amazing job at critiquing webnovel culture and flaws. at the way capitalism effects writing #at the way some tropes have become staples of certain genres and when used well yeah you get 2ha but when used badly you get #the fake novel svsss was making fun of that there Are many real novels like

[queenbananya]

Burrich, single, handsome, takes no wife and dedicates his entire life to his prince. Takes in his child, raises him, because his prince told him to, because he's his prince's child, even if a bastard, it's his, and he does the best he can in the worst possible way, and when he thinks he failed his prince in the last task he gave him, to raise his child well, he tries to break that last link to his prince. He drives Fitz away.

I desperately need a fic from this man's pov, who gave up his youth for his prince, whose prince left him to grieve and mourn on his own, alone, so utterly alone with a child he was unprepared for, whom he's hurt and knows it, hates himself for it, but can't bring himself to regret anything he's done because he's stubborn and proud and can't see past his own internalized phobias.

#ugh #Hobb's characters are so unforgivingly flawed #this doesn't even go into the Molly triangle #and speaking of her I was never a huge fan of hers but I get it Fitz #I'd also want to run to the only source of comfort I knew #rote #realm of the elderlings #assassin's apprentice #chapter 17 #if I disappear off the grid for the next couple of weeks don't mind me I'm just reading rote #fanfic todos

[butwhatifidothis]

Ultimately, I think one of the worst things Hopes does wrt its writing of Claude is take out all of the complexities and contradictions that had made him so interesting to begin with.

OG Claude lies and manipulates people and closes himself off while still searching for the truth and wanting people to come together and be open with each other, because of how his traumas meld together with his dreams. He says that he'll do whatever it takes to get what he wants and shows off opportunistic tendencies and then buckles at the first sight of innocents getting hurt, because no matter how much he wants what he wants he still prioritizes the lives of the people around him over anything else. He knows of people's capacity to hurt others for petty or illogical reasons - was raised with that knowledge beating its existence into him - and yet still dreams of a world where people of different lands and cultures can still be friends, because that is how tightly he holds onto his dreams. He's a kind person with the capacity for being a dick, and his contradictions add on so much to his character; they in large part are his character.

Hopes Claude? He lies and manipulates people and closes himself off... and that's it. He says he'll do whatever it takes to get what he wants... and he does. He knows of people's capacity to hurt others for petty or illogical reasons... and has no real dreams of stopping it (or dreams of anything in the future really, by his own admission) and he indulges in that very behavior himself, seemingly without any awareness. He is untrustworthy, and manipulative, and opportunist... and that's it. What you see is what you get. And if this were a character unto themselves, if we're kind and we ignore all of the other issues with Hopes!Claude's writing, that would be a fun enough villain to follow around.

But it's not; this is supposed to be Claude. This is a character who has so much of his foundations be built on the idea that what he presents on the surface isn't all that he seems. That he's more than a character who is just "tee hee I'm only pretending to be nice but I'm actually eeeeevil evil evil evil evil evil evil," but someone who both uses kindness as a means to an end and embodies it genuinely. Warm yet calculated, a good man with real flaws - THAT is who Claude is. Hopes Claude is who Claude is if you strip him of any complexity - He Is Only Pretending To Be Good, But Actually He Is Bad.

He's just... easier to swallow, in a sense. Claude is a good person who is willing and able to do bad things, but only up to a very specific, very clear point, all for a good dream he's held onto for years and plans extensively to make a reality in the future; Clyde is a shit person who's willing to do everything short of bombing specifically whatever land he himself is ruling, all for what essentially amounts to no concrete purpose. There's no need to think about Clyde as hard, since he just does what he does because he's doing it and that's enough.

It's why I'm glad I am Dev-Approved to just fuckin' ignore Hopes entirely as a horrific fever dream, because Hopes does not understand what made Claude so lovable at all

#clyde discourse #like alongside ALL of the other issues with Hopes' treatment of Claude this one is just. a huge one for me lol #Underutilized as Claude was in 3H he was still SO interesting to think about! What he showed off was SO refreshing! #because he took the I am Not Who I Seem Tee Hee trope and turned it on its head #his strict moral boundaries and sincerity in his love for his pipe dream contrasted so well with his underhandedness and genuine flaws #he's manipulative! he can be opportunistic! he's secretive and yet he noses around other people's business! #he has qualities that are VERY flawed! #but he never goes too far; he never intentionally puts people in danger; he apologizes and tries to make up for his missteps #ultimately his pros outweigh his cons and he comes out a complex character #MEANWHILE #fuckin' CLAUTHEW over here #he makes so many people MISERABLE with his actions in the war and does not give a shit #he kills or otherwise threatens to kill anyone who gets in the way of him grabbing more power - even innocent people #he just closes his eyes and ears to ANY information given to him that contradicts his viewpoints #and slurps up any that validates his confirmation bias no matter HOW untrustworhy the source is #he is NOTHING. He's interesting in the same way getting hit in the face with a cinderblock sounds fun; IT ISN'T #just wanted to rant a bit about it lol

[azathothweirdo]

I will be the first person to defend Kato's writing to the death, but if there is one flaw I do think she has. It's that she has shoved Izumo into a corner a lot and she hasn't done anything big since the Illuminati arc. Maybe it's a bit more obvious to me since I am such a huge fan of Izumo, but it's kind of sad that nearly every character has had more time and space than she has.

Konekomaru, and even Paku has had more of a influence directly on the plot as of late outside of some pushing Shiemi towards romance. It's not the worse, but it's disappointing after what a ride her arc was. She didn't even really fight during the last big battle with Satan before things went nuts. It's just been side stuff.

Izumo isn't the only one, Shiemi got a bit of this too for a couple of years. It's not the worst writing ever, and I can see where Kato is going with things and why they were sidelined (the story needed to focus on the brothers after all). I think it just stands out to me since Izumo's literally hasn't been involved in the direct action since the Illuminati arc. Shiemi at least got to fight her fears in the form of Amaimon.

That isn't to say fighting is the only thing that can make a character important. it just kinda feels like compared to the others Izumo's been in the corner than the actual plot. It's still a great manga, I think it's one of the best written series out there and I'll fight for that. Kato's writing is amazing and this series means a lot to me.

Kinda just sad Izumo's been kind of shoved off.

#ao no exorcist #blue exorcist #izumo kamiki #i love her character #lmao this is absolutely probably my favoritism popping up #because it's such a minor flaw this is more of a nickpick #i'd say other characters get it too obviously #that's what happens when you have a huge cast though #I think kato's been doing just fine #and this is more of a minor thing for me personally #it's hard to write this many characters and keep track of everything

[ascorian]

oc dump

#yea gay people #btw offtop but I've revisited doukyusei yesterday and despite its obvious flaws (and author's undisguised fetishes) i still think its the #gentliest depiction of relationships I've ever seen. i hope that my ocs will have this vibe of warmth as nakamura's characters do someday #the girls' one is based on photos of ночные снайперы band's leads radiating lesbian swag. im obsessed w them #the sweater thing is based on my mom giving me my dad's old sweater. loved the feeling of a huge sweater of a loved one #i wasn't capable of depicting the ugliness of a fit on gesha but just know that it was intended #oc #ocs #original character #oc art

[wormshirt]

Thirteen and yasmin are insane because watching the show it feels like the doctor is genuinely incapable on some level of truly loving yasmin- even to the extent that she fell in love with previous companions.

Hear me out, (this is a bit of a crackpot theory) something about this regeneration, something in the way she seems to be built as a direct reaction to twelve's late-season unabashed emotionally vulnerability- the way he held onto the pain and emotions and held on HARDER when they hurt, and now thirteen wont even pick them up.

Somewhere in those few seconds of regeneration, the regeneration itself must have latched onto the previous doctor's lingering thoughts- all those thoughts, a whole lifetime thinking about how much everything HURT- of much EASIER it would be to just AVOID all of that to just IGNORE it how he didn't HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL OF THAT. But regeneration is a bit of a tricky process isn't it? You're usually lucky enough to get the right amount of arms and legs. You'd probably have pretty poor luck if you tried politely explaining"I'm just kind of grieving pretty hard right now and my life sucks ass usually and my desire to not suffer and irrationally blame my emotions themselves for this is actually a pretty common response so please don't overreact and make me incapable of proper emotional expression and connection with the people in my life please that'll actually make this WORSE not BETTER." I mean seriously good luck trying to explain those concepts to splitting timelord cells, I can't imagine they're great with conversation.

So the twelth Doctor's dying and one of his last thoughts is "man if I cared about people less I'd suffer less" and the thirteenth doctor is born (in a sense) woth that thought at the forefront. And she still cares!- so, SO much, but... it's.. different. It's not quite CLICKING. anymore. Things that WERE easy or at least DOABLE before just AREN'T now. Or at the very least they feel WRONG. Like walking around in someone else's shoes. In an old coat that doesn't quite fit. In an old face. And then the universe dumps the doctor right into the lap of 3 new companions with no clue about space or aliens or the doctor or any of that. No idea of what the doctor was like before- of what she is capable of now or WAS capable of before, and she doesn't tell them either.

And so she's walking around and she's keeping this ravine of distance between herself and everyone and everything in a way she never has before and there's no one there to call her out on it, but she pretends! She pretends it's not there! And she's really, REALLY good at it this time- maybe because twelve regretted not being better at it himself, even (but that's a different thought). And sure the companions call her out on it, yasmin in particular calls her out on it A LOT, Ryan, too- but they still don't realise the EXTENT to which the Doctor is (failing? refusing?) to connect with them because they have ONLY EVER met THIS DOCTOR and so they don't realise how drastic the difference is. They lack the proper knowledge to REALISE what is even truly going on with the doctor. But the doctor is still the doctor aren't they. And these are still their companions. And frankly, they're still kind of a dick.

So despite their sudden inability to connect with their companions on a level the doctor has never experienced before, and despite these new companions personalities being so unique and their journey with the doctor being so hectic that the doctor and all of them keep chafing and slipping out of the same old Doctor-And-Companion molds that the doctor keeps trying to shove them all into, the doctor wont stop trying to make these old molds fit! And honestly that never ends up being a huge problem for any of them. It's just kind of an interesting aspect of the doctor- a fascinating way that they sort of dehumanize their friends, by just plopping them in a mold and replacing them when they wear out. Because of course you still care for them! But by giving them a ROLE in your life that can just be REPLACED as opposed to letting them exist as a PERSON in your life once they're gone? That makes things easier. That makes the grief easier to bear.

ANYWAYS. back to the yasmin thing. If you remember the Yasmin thing. So. Yasmin falls in love. Of course she does. And the doctor notices. Of course she does. She's old and more people have been messing with her head than usual but she's good with noticing things no matter what else changes about her. And she doesn't say anything. Because she's a timelord! And Yasmin will die, or fall in love with someone else, or turn into a cyberman, or experience one of the infinite possibilities of horrors or wonders in all of time and space that will tear them apart and the doctor will be left alone again, so what's even the point!

Except then Ryan and Graham leave. And then the Timeless Child arc happens. And it wouldn't hurt to feed into it a little would it? Just to keep Yasmin around? Just to keep her from leaving? It wouldn't hurt right? I mean Thirteen could love Yas! She does! Of course she does! Yas is her fam! Her companion! The only one who's stuck with her through it all!- who keeps calling her out, coming back for her, saving her, taking care of her, helping her- and she's grateful! And she cares about Yas! That's not so different from love, right? And love would make Yas stay! And it'd be easy! It'd take what?- a date? Two? Probably! Humans like dates! And romance! And flirting! She can do those! In all honestly she HAS been doing those- (She gets incredibly posessive of anything that becomes part of her tardis, her world, her home, and well, yasmin has been there a long time. And flirting is fun! And a sort of socially acceptable way of staking a claim isn't it? Not to mention the doctor isn't great at denying themself anything that gets another being to feed their ego.) So she leads Yas on a little. Drops hints here and there. She doesn't really know if she means them or not but she knows that she wants Yasmin to stay, that she can't even imagine Yasmin leaving. And that's love right? Or close enough anyways.

So she decides that she loves Yasmin and that she and Yasmin are "together" in a way and decides not to question it further. Because she's placed yasmin in a new companion mold and herself in a new doctor-companion relationship model, and everything's as it should be! and yasmin has no other point of reference for the doctor, so she settles for what she's given. Decides "this is all she can give. She abandoned Ace and Tegan seemingly without a second thought and didn't even apologize- I guess this is how it's always been, with every companion. That's fine! I can handle this! It's worth it for her." And in the meantime The Doctor is sitting there on the other side of the console fully aware of the fact that this is in fact NOT the limits of her affection, but she's HAPPY, or at least as happy as she will allow herself to be with Yasmin.

Yasmin though. Yasmin WANTS more, she DESERVES more and Thirteen KNOWS this, but Thirteen puts her own desire to both keep Yasmin at a distance and avoid desciphering her own feelings above Yasmin. Eventually, Dan calls the doctor out on this. Pretty much just telling her "You KNOW that she likes you. Do SOMETHING about it." The doctor doesn't say anything but does, in a later episode, sit down on a beach and make a wish with Yasmin. "I wish this would go on forever" both meaning she hopes yasmin stays with her forever and that their relationship never progresses. She has everything she needs from yas- which, for the doctor who with previously loves (i am intentionally NOT specifying romantic interests) became OBSESSED with them to the point of not just self-destruction, but universe destruction? Potential INTER-universal destruction in the case of Rose? How could THAT doctor- because YES this is a DIFFERENT DOCTOR, but this is still THE DOCTOR- ever be satisfied with the disconnected relationship she has with Yasmin if she was in love with Yasmin? If she felt THAT WAY about Yasmin? Like she had for all those comapnions that had come before Yasmin that The Doctor had fallen in love with?

#While all of the doctor's previous relationships DID have hard limits and boundaries #that hurt and limited the relationship and companions in a way that resembled thirteen and yasmin's relationship #at the end of the day thirteen and yasmin still felt like strangers when they parted on screen #at least from the perspective of the viewer #And that too- THE DOCTOR LET YASMIN GO #like yeah the doctor has let companions go before #but they have always had to have been PRACTICALLY RIPPED AWAY from the doctor first #The doctordonna killing donna. Rose Tyler trapped in another universe burning up a sun to say goodbye #and then 10 leaving himself with her because he thought it'd be kinder to give her a life with him (however she felt about that). #Clara. nearly tearing up the universe getting yelled at by Me AND Clara and then having a memory-wiping device backfire on him #And The Doctor just let Yasmin go. #okay. #doctor who #dw #thirteenth doctor #yasmin khan #also I get kind of annoyed when people try to paint 13 as not being the huge asshole to yasmin that she was in their dynamic #because she WAS a DICK #she LED YASMIN ON and she KNEW IT #and that's MY FAVORITE CHARACTER FLAW OF HERS #IS THAT SHE'S A SELFISH ASSHOLE WHO PUTS HER COMFORT #AND EMOTIONAL AVOIDANCE ABOVE THE FEELINGA ND SOMETIMES LIVES OF LITERALLY EVERYONE ELSE #they just wont allow women to suck. let her suck. she sucks. she's an asshole. let her be an asshole. #twelve was not out there on screen every episode vaping fat clouds and flipping off everyone for you to decide #that 13 was the second coming of the eleventh doctor and a present hand-delivered to you by chibnall #to woobify the doctor again #twelve was all hard edges and rusty nails that were TRYING to giving you tetanus. #that did not get flushed down the drain with thirteen. she just put a blanket over it and asked you to ignore it #and kicked it every time it made a weird noise #also twelve was totally vaping and flipping people off onscreen and she also said FUCK too you can trust me I was there I promise.

[sysig]

Pivotal bright spot (Patreon)

#Doodles #SCII #Helix #ZEX #The Captain #Hhhhhh <3 #I am once again ''Who am I without you'' - ZEX relies on Zelnick to affirm who he himself is! His Captain is a huge comfort! #It's the codependency for me <3 #The way Zelnick comforts him is so sweet ;; He can be quite attentive! When he chooses to be hehe #He's hesitant and concerned but overcomes it to give ZEX what he needs in the moment ahh he's deserving of being a leader ♥ #Like covering his eye for him - and repeating back his greeting! ;;;; How many times has ZEX introduced himself that now it's repeated back #How many times has he said those exact words so confidently that Zelnick can repeat it back to him #So confident in his identity until it's all brought into question - too many pieces that align Just So to know one way or anything! #How would his human love know so many details - but such specific details are concerning as well! What's real and what's not! #What's experienced and what's mentally real - or false! There's so many tricky mental traps set agh it's so good <3 #It's so interesting how their character flaws interact with their self-assuredness hehe <3 Zelnick is brash and bold! #ZEX is careful and prideful - so which takes a harder hit in matters of the mind? ZEX is at a disadvantage in Max's body of course #Hghh there's so much about this scene that's so good tho ah #ZEX's worries of his own level of self-delusion bleeding out into accidentally telling lies - he's quite honest! Mostly ♪ #But here it's all just deep concern - not of Trying to manipulate but being so far gone that he can't Help but do so! Being out of control! #Of course that would be very scary for him :( And of lying to himself? The kind of thing that's wholly repulsive to him </3 #Ughhh this scene breaks my heart because they really love each other and ZEX wants him and needs him but I know what will happen ;; #At least they're able to give each other a bit of comfort in the moment - whether it's true or not (it is true haha) the contrast helps #Even in Max's body and even unsure of himself getting to hold his human - this human - feels real and right <3 #He's still worried afterwards of course - takes something convincing to pull him out of it! - and Zelnick continues to comfort him <3 #I love palm kisses as well ugh they're so sweet ;; <3 What a lovely way to show his solidarity! Hehe ♥

[favroitecrime]

and idk idk cause the way that fandom interacts with characters is so nasty cause i guarantee if ricky were put in the exact same position as ej this season y’all would not be as upset with him. cause yeah ej wasn’t around as much as he (or gina) wanted but that’s because he was busy having to quickly put together a show that a) none of his friends were cooperating on creating (except carlos briefly but like that quickly goes away wtf?) and b) means so much to gina as she co-stars in it and he wants to do his best for her. but suddenly he’s big and mean cause he spent less than two weeks not giving her his full attention and idk if your boyfriend has been with you for months now and you can’t deal with him being busy (with something that benefits you) for two weeks are you really ready for a relationship?

#especially with a senior who’s gonna have to put in extra work for college too so who will ALSO be a bit absent like #cause i’m not gonna blame her it’s her first relationship and she’s still young (arguably 16 or 15 if she was a late in the year baby) #so baby girl is doing fine in my eyes but like get a grip for two seconds! #i do like her before her rabid mob comes for me btw and if you’re gonna foam at the mouth bc someone recognizes a character’s flaws u need #to go outside and disconnect for a second #cause she isn’t a saint and that’s okay bc that’s the point!!!!!!! she’s growing and learning and she’s ALLOWED these mistakes it happens #she learns she benefits she becomes a better version of herself #it’s a huge disservice to not acknowledge a character’s flaws tho and bc of this fandom i’m p sure tim won’t be recognizing anyone’s flaws #this season at all! but anyway! #esp cause this is not a good show idnsisbsi like don’t get upset this badly if it’s already a messy series cause what’s the point #tag: i speakth #hsmtmts #hmm anti rina i suppose

[cidnangarlond]

the results are in

#huge fan of the idea of like. being in an rpg and clicking on me and getting just random trivia about chernobyl #*main character walks up to me* *interact* #''did you know that the rbmk 1000 reactors design was inherently flawed and was doomed to fail from the start?'' #''pretty depressing. some are still in use though and have had little issue. we can hope that's the case anyway'' #*interact* ''a special lens was created for omar sharif's entrance in lawrence of arabia. it's a 482mm lens developed by panavision'' #''they still have it too actually. among cinematographers it's known as the david lean lens after the director and hasn't been used since'' #''it's a real beautiful entrance the mirage effect. peter o'toole also got injured a lot during filming but that's a different story.'' #*interact* ''my lust for an actor has led me to places in their cinematography I wouldn't go with a gun'' *leave conversation*

[rythyme]

i'm really bummed that first kill got cancelled. we deserved to see cal and jules' happy ending, but on a more serious note i think the cancellation speaks to a general trend where sapphic-led american and british shows — especially ones with women of color — *still* aren't seen as profitable. when they do occasionally get made they receive overly harsh criticism and get cancelled — see the wilds, batwoman, trinkets, one day at a time, betty, i am not okay with this, even sense8 — the list goes on. there are so many shows with queer women as side characters but they very rarely get to be the true leads.

that's not to say that shows with queer male leads don't face some of the same issues in the states or the UK, but there are significantly more examples of shows with queer men at the helm that have been renewed for second, third, even fourth seasons. i don't mind a show having a short run (when it's planned that way) but renewal is an indication of investment and perceived profitability, and clearly that's not what Netflix or other companies see in their sapphic-led shows.

i see a lot of comparisons between viewership numbers for heartstopper and first kill, and i think it does highlight a bit of a double standard, but it's also worth noting that the budgets for these two shows must have been VERY different. heartstopper probably cost pennies to produce, while first kill has elaborate sets, props, CGI, fight choreography, and a larger main cast.

netflix saw heartstopper as an easy win, but didn't see first kill as something worth the effort to renew despite its success. i think some of this is because of the negative reviews written by people the show wasn't intended for. reviews called it unoriginal and underwhelming, but heartstopper never received that type of criticism. first kill was held to a very different standard. both were designed as teen dramas, but only heartstopper was actually treated like one by critics.

some of this could be that first kill seemingly has a wider audience appeal. first kill has supernatural elements, which is a popular genre for teen and adult viewers alike, while heartstopper is just a slice of life teen romance with less adult appeal. i'd also speculate that sex and violence play a part in how these two shows were treated. heartstopper is about as G rated as you can get. first kill is distinctly not G rated. the presence of sex and violence might have made first kill seem like a better target for wider criticism. no straight adult man is going to write a review calling heartstopper boring, but there's a chance he might write one for first kill.

shows that truly put queer characters front and center — no matter their gender — are not common on british and american tv, but it is true that there are fewer queer female leads than male leads, and shows with trans leads are almost non-existent. it's not quite fair to compare heartstopper and first kill without some caveats, but i do think the comparison still highlights some issues with how mainstream tv here treats queer leads and queer romance — especially queer women and queer Black characters.

#this really got away from me but i am just :( sad and disappointed. like i didn't really expect anything but this is still a huge bummer #like first kill gave us queer women who were COMPLEX and FLAWED and HORNY!!! how often does that happen??? 😭 #a lot of queer characters in american and british tv are sanitized and BORING. first kill wasn't!!!!!!!!! :( #first kill #heartstopper #adrama #long post #100

[controversialcoven]

It’s so hard being a fan of helluva boss and not hazbin hotel, it’s hard and nobody understands

#/j #dotcom posting #im actually mostly on the fence about both #I watched both fully and like #yeah there’s a lot wrong with both that I have critiques on #but helluva boss was genuinely such an enjoyment to watch despite that #hazbin hotel had a lot of turnoffs (/nsx) for me #good for you if you like it but the huge flaws make it hard to like #where I enjoy the complex characters and fun of helluvaboss

[chompe-diem]

GIRL THE NADDPOD DISCORD'S RELATIONSHIP WITH ELDERMOURNE SLANDER I CAN'T-

#this is honestly so sad i was kinda looking forward to trying 2 be a semi-regular in the server but jk i guess #look i'm all for critical love of medias and characters and etc EXCEPT apparently when it comes to eldermourne. im sorry i love it too much #i PROMISE i am capable of having faves while still acknowledging their flaws but it turns out. eldermourne is exception to this #but hear me out: theyre so mean to her )))): #theyre so mean to herrrrrr what did she do to deserve this #also ofc (just tbc) it's Not Everyone Dogpiling onto her. but it seems a lot of the regulars are just Genuinely Not Huge Fans #so it comes up time to time #and it makes me sad }: thats my emotional support campaign.... #salt

[yioh]

am i the only one who feels slightly annoyed when ppl draw sumeru characters with the canon skin tones lol

#LIKEEEEEEE . it’s just so ugly hndbdkdb why would you wanna draw that😭 #tighnari with deep brown skin tone is so beautiful he would have one of my favourite designs if he didn’t look like a fucking zombie😭 #maybe it’s because i grew up w shows like fairy tail and full metal alchemist like despite the flaws each character was BRIMMING with #idk personality and unique features and colour schemes and they weren’t all paper white and skinny ??😭 #i think genshin showed potential w character design during the start of the game but now that we are 4 regions in and every character still #looks so plain . it’s like …… i literally am not interested in any of these characters 🥲 #al haitham and tighnari and cyno candace dehya all deserve better #yknow what even raiden shogun yae miko too 😭 i don’t get why they would sexualise cultural historical outfits that aren’t even of their own #culture #like why would you make a shrine maiden’s outfit the opposite of modest i teult don’t understand #and butchering a kimono like that 😭 you can stylise outfits without disrespecting the culture smh it just feels so off #i know i complain abt this every other day i barely even play genshin anymore but it makes me sad to think abt the potential it had #considering how huge the fan base is #the concept of genshin is so cool with the lore and the region but the expedition doesn’t live up to it at all in terms of actual in game #content it’s such a disappointment 😭 #execution* not expedition i can’t type

[certifiedwerewolf]

I've been watching Sophomore Year (as I said) and it's really reminding me why I was so glad when we started Junior Year to find out that Kristen and Tracker had broken up, because that entire relationship storyline is so fucking annoying. Like I don't know if I've mentioned or not that I find Kristen really annoying in general, but it turns out Tracker, in conjunction with Kristen, is also annoying.

#tracker sometimes has this vibe of like #'i'm going to say the thing kristen needs to hear but doesn't want to' and like #one who is she to decide what kristen needs to hear #and two she will then get annoyed at kristen for not reacting well to it #like the relationship arc went from their entire relationship being about their extremely public sex lives #to being them just fighting a lot because #as near as i can tell #kristen didn't immediately tell tracker about sandra lynn cheating on jawbone? #even though she did a few hours later? and there was literally so much going on? #kristen was literally like 'i wanted to talk to sandra lynn first and then i wasn't sure how to tell you and then a lot of stuff happened' #and tracker is like 'actually you didn't tell me because of this huge flaw in you as a person and now you're in the metaphorical doghouse' #and kristen is just meekly agreeing with her and she STILL makes kristen into a bad person!! #and it's so annoying because those might be flaws kristen has but they aren't at play in THIS situation #do you know how annoying it is that people keep being right about a character who annoys me but wrong about how that flaw applies? #forcing me to defend the character to them in my head? #worst character trait ever o/1o

[jewishfalin]

I really like how Whitney's jewish convert status was handled in The Curse and I'm sad to see articles where writers just reveal their biases against jewish converts while writing about the show like man u missed the point and im side eyeing u.

#seeing articles like 'whitney is wearing judaica and converting for sympathy/to feel oppressed' like first of all... #her magen david is so fucking tiny i couldn't see it until pointed out in the episode where she argues with her parents #it is revealed that she is already converted so like. thats a huge process dude u dont just convert to feel special #yes whitney has issues and is oblivious to her privilege as a white women with her background #and that is a big focus but like. her being a jewish convert isn't like some scheme?? #and she is accepted by the jewish people in her life and the only people shown to not be accepting of her jewish conversion are her parents #who we r not supposed to agree with #and that happens in a point in the show where whitney is having character developments and we start seeing #the multifaceted parts of characters #its rlly good okay and im so mad at people missing the point grrrr #like theres literally a scene where she is feeling insecure abt not being born jewish and asher tells her #hey just because you weren't born jewish doesnt mean youre any less jewish than me #like she has many flaws but her being a jewish convert isnt one of them she just happens to be a jewish convert #and the show is very much about jewish guilt and privilege #and perspective. perception of self vs the perception others have #the curse tv show #ramblings

[flamingo-strikes]

deku is so amazing and strong and compassionate and special and heroic and his accomplishments are so incredible, and he’s not just strong but also one of the smartest most strategic characters in the series, and he deserves to be adored by everyone and he doubly deserves the title of greatest hero ever, and i hope one day he receives more credit than he currently gets

#even his flaws are like….responses to abuse and social nonconformity #like his overthinking?? bro he’s anxious lmao #his disconnect from reality? it’s bc hero stuff was his only interest and drive forever #impulsivity and self destruction? yeah i don’t need to explain #idk it’s just crazy to me how much the literal main character gets humbled and put down #like he’s amazing!!! he’s so sweet and selfless!!!! #and yet everyone has to put him down in some way #the funniest thing is that i wasn’t huge on him in season 1 #but now i adore him #him and asta are my special babies