#i wouldn't call it a spoiler since it's literally the same scene as the episode just with insider info on merlins thoughts | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

palettepainter · 11 months

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Sooooo Teeth and Floyd totally dated right?? how did your ocs Terri and Mick react to the news/how do they feel about Tina after episode 6?? And when Tina was at bands show at the end of s1

!!SPOILERS TO MUPPETS MAYHEM EPISODE 6!!

Episode 6 was made for the LGBTQ+ community

And they 100% dated you kidding me?? They literally ran away together and raised Animal as a pair for god knows how long till the rest of the band came along, they dated, they smooched, they fooled around, they held hands, the directors told me trust me

I like to imagine younger Teeth had such a big puppy love crush on Floyd, who he thought was so cool. He was free and uncaring of views from others, he was daring, risky - something well behaved mama's boy Teeth wasn't used to, but was drawn to. Since Tina didn't like Floyd from the get go imagining the two dancing around Teeth's parents so they could hang out (picture that scene with Flynn and Rapunzel from Tangled or Pear Butter and Bright Mac from MLP)

Tina: *entering Teeth's room* Junior?

Teeth: *plasters a big grin on his face while leaning on the wall* U-uh Yeah mama??

Tina: Just wanna let ya know honey that dinners gonna be ready in a jiff, it's gumbo night!~ And don't you forget to go wash yer hands before you come down okay?

Teeth: *thumbs up, sweating* Yep!

Tina: *smiles* I'll give you a call when it's ready baby ^^ *leaves and closes the door*

Teeth: Mhm.......*sighs* Okay she's gone

Floyd: *peeks out from the warbrode and sighs* Phew!...We gotta find a better way to get around your parents, otherwise your gonna need to get a bigger wardrobe

Teeth: I know..

Tina probably suspected something, and didn't like the idea of this couch surfin' no good muscician datin' her sweet baby boy, but every time she tried to catch them doing something scandalous or Floyd trying to convince Teeth to break rules she'd only find them doing purely innocent stuff, like baking cheesecake or watching the TV (they prolly saved their smooching for when Teeth was round Floyd's house)

As for Terri and Mick they wouldn't mind, I discussed this with Snuf on Discord but Terri would probably really like Teeth, mostly cuz there's nothing about him to hate. They probably knew about Teeth and Floyd being together cuz their was less pressure to try and keep it hidden so Floyd either straight up told them, or Terri and Mick put two and two together. If it was the later I imagine it went down like this:

Terri: *pokes her head through the door* Hey Floyd-

Floyd: *quickly straightens shirt* Uh- Yeah?

Terri:...*raises brow* Everything okay?

Teeth: *hiding behind the door sweating*

Floyd: Yep! Aaaall cool here!

Terri: Right...anyway, me and Mick are headin' out for a few drinks, foods in the fridge so help yourself whenever you're hungry okay?..*looks behind the door at Teeth* Same to you honey, help yourself *looks back to Floyd* We'll be back in a few hours, you boys have fun *leaves room and closes door behind her*

And for how Tina and Mick would feel about Tina after s1? I did have an idea of writing/drawing a small interaction between Terri and Tina of the two hanging out and starting to become friends. I imagine Terri doesn't trust her right away, but she loosens up a little. She probably senses Tina feels bad for pressuring Teeth to be a dentist for so many years and can tell she's genuinely trying to be supportive of Teeth now.

the idea I had was Terri bonding with Tina over a drink during one of the bands concerts - Terri joking that the best thing 'bout Floyd being a rockstar is she gets free alcohol at the events they play at - maybe Tina being convinced to give beer a try, she hates it, and Tina laughing (not unkindly) at her reaction

#Muppets #Tina #Tina Teeth #Terri #Terri Pepper #Floyd Pepper #Floyd #Teeth #Dr Teeth #Dr Pepper #Floyd x Teeth #The electric mayhem

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oliverslove · 2 years

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do you have any updates on episodes 14+? i’ve been hearing about major changes in the scripts and i’m super curious when they’ll upload the data into the game, thank you so much for everything you do!!!

i know somethings about episode 14+ but only small snippets since i have access to the episode descriptions until episode 25! some of the more 'important' spoilers will be under the cut, to do with the rumours of major changes i really can't confirm anything the scripts look the same to me but there have been small changes e.g. changing charlie to eddie in the scripts, take everything without a source or proof with a massive grain of salt. fusebox does sometimes take out small lines of dialogue or scenes like in the recent episode they removed some dialogue were dana could of called mc her best friend in the villa when chatting with her about the entire suresh situation. now for the spoilers:

-some upcoming challenges/events are sexy rescue, excess baggage, double dates (according to a description & hinted at by a bg), brunch, speed dating & casa (of course).

-the next recoupling is on ep 17/18 and a girl will be leaving, the one girl that is most likely safe is kat as episode 24 mentions her by name in the title.

-most of the future islanders have data in the game and i wouldn't be suprised if their assets are added already but fusebox has made it so its difficult to actually see the game assets in the game files, but other data already shows what body types/poses future islanders will have e.g. emma a future islander has thabi's pose/body type, when you could see the characters assets by looking up certain future characters you would see a placeholder image of whichever s4 body type/pose they are listed to have.

-the drama in the future seems to be heavily centered around mc post ep 13 i really don't know what it is but the descriptions mention mc being from & centre of the drama multiple times.

-there has been new character added to some of the data and they are quite literally called 'unknown' my personal guess is that its the casa boy thats hinted at on the ads, its also suggested in the files that this person has kobis pose/body type so do with that information what you will.

and just a note with prom/finale outfits creation screens exist but no outfits have been added at this point.

if i find anything more out i will update you all!

#ex in the villa #eitv #litg s5 #love island the game

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booasaur · 1 year

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Spoilers for ep 3&4 of Harlem if you haven’t seen it yet

I was upset at first about Isabella and Quinn breaking up but now after the last episode I can see how it plays into her overall storyline this season which seems to be an arc about Quinn’s mental health and her self worth. The Vogue interview where Quinn can’t name things she’s happy about seems to be the rock that broke the camels back so to speak. Maybe she and Isabella will have another change after Quinn works on her self worth and all that. Also I’m glad that Quinn is still talking about her sexuality often and they’re not just dropping it. That I’m glad about. Also I liked the scene where she comes out to her Mom in ep 3

Same anon, I think?:

Harlem spoilers for eps 3&4

Thinking of Quinn’s breakup with Isabella in ep 2 makes more sense looking at the other eps that have aired now that we know more of Quinn’s storyline for the season seeming to be about her self worth issues and self esteem issues. I think the reason why the breakup was clearly neither of their faults (Isabella wanted casual Quinn didn’t) was to play into Quinn’s self worth. Like all Isabella said was that she wanted a casual relationship and she wanted a night off and Quinn spun it in her head that Isabella was mad at her and didn’t want her at all and Quinn was too much for her cause she didn’t wanna be with her for one night. Cause Quinn has such low self worth that if someone doesn’t wanna be with her all the time forever she spins it in her head cause of how her mother is so easy to point out her flaws. (I like that she called her Mom out for that) either way though I’m glad that they’re forgetting that Quinn is queer and she’s getting to be her very excited queer self. I also like how she told her Mom that she doesn’t know how she identifies yet. Makes sense she is really new to queerness

Again, thank you for the ample spoiler warnings at the top! This week I ended up sort of spoiling myself, since I had a work thing Thursday night and skimmed through the Quinn parts on mute and since ep 4 ended with her crying in a tub, I wasn't in a rush to watch. But I didn't know the details so I'm glad I was able to safely put off your message till I'd finally finished.

No, yeah, from the interviews and trailer, I expected Quinn wouldn't forget about this part of her, tbh, I figured she'd throw herself so completely wholeheartedly into it that we'd get something like this, just later, at ep 7 or 8 Isabela would be like, this is too much too fast or whatever.

I am a bit puzzled at how it keeps on being framed as Isabela being this bad guy who broke Quinn's heart or indeed that it was Quinn's clinginess or being too much that caused the breakup but hopefully you're right, that it's Quinn's own self-esteem issues that projected that hard and it'll be addressed.

And yes, I like that she told her dad (and lol, Rick Fox is just always showing up in these shows!) and her mom and yep, it's expected that she's still figuring things out. I'm also glad she said bi/pan most likely, since people kept on throwing around lesbian and gay, which, colloquially is fine, but I'm sure there were viewers who took it more literally and were like, oh, she's gay now, it's only women ahead and well, that didn't seem to track with her history. At least she was able to clarify for herself.

#replies #femslash related stuff #sent on 20230212 #Anonymous #5 #harlem spoilers #harlem on prime #quinn joseph #harlem 2x03 #harlem 2x04

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corruptimles · 8 months

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Hi! I stumbled across my ask where I asked you about your thoughts on Geats's first episode, and with the show coming to an end, I wanted to see how you felt about it now, if you've kept up with it? I really liked it, it gave me brain worms

I've been enjoying Geats a lot! I'll try to keep this brief review mostly spoiler-less just in case.

It so far has had the most dynamic and fun fight choreography in Reiwa? Though some scenes from Zero-One still live rent-free in my brain (Fuwa my beloved). It's just really refreshing compared to the previous season. I love the use of environment and more hand-to-hand that can actually be seen without flashy effects. Not to say it doesn't have occasional colourful cgi, but the usage is more consistent for when an attack's power/type actually calls for it. Characters take creative actions with their tools! Buffa using his feet/leg to kickstart his chainsaw because it's a big heavy weapon also lives rent-free in my head. Different characters use the same power-up different ways. I have more actual examples to prove I'm not just over-exaggerating but those are big spoilers. I just like the Geats is consistent with having fights with flow and appeal and suiting different characters styles. Important when they can change or lose their power-up weapons so often w how DGP suits work.

The designs are cleaannnn. The emphasis on the undersuit as a base uniform that is functionally customizable? That's very fun. It has a consistent belt/power-up gimmick and is surprisingly versatile despite people only using the same one or two belt type. (Not groundbreaking as other KR shows have done limited tech before as well, due to literally only having 1-3 riders at most, but important to me) I don't think there's a design I really dislike from Geats. There's suit combinations being jarring colour combos but they're temporary anyway. And the ones that looks clunky and alien were, well, those made sense really.

It's done some things that I wasn't expecting from KR, at least from a Reiwa/Heisei 2 style. Heisei 1 had its serious/scary moments since those leaned more into the J-Drama side but those were yearsss ago so seeing it in Geats was an interesting whiplash (SPOILER: referring to some scenes/revelations that surrounded child death and existentialism)

I do have nitpicks but not enough to really ruin the experience for me. To be vague, it's about an arc's relevance/writing, a specific character's writing, and a more inconsequential thing like lack of some specific character designs.

I'm curious on how it'll wrap up since this is the first time Yuya Takahashi wouldn't have to rewrite and rush anything due to unforeseen circumstances like with Ex-Aid and Zero-One

Realized how often I use the word 'consistent' lol. It's just one of my pet peeves if rider/power systems are just, thrown away, and people start getting belts and forms up the wazoo w no decent explanation. [deletes a bunch of typing here] That's another few paragraphs worth of explanation so I'll shorten it to this: it makes it less tv show and more toy commercial, if that makes sense.

anyway Neon is my favourite female rider by far

edit: oh I haven't caught up w the last two eps yet

#talk to me tag #the-one-shadowfox258 #if youre curious for a more spoiler-related answer you can send another ask #Im seriously trying not to be biased and overhype myself because of how disappointed i was watching the previous season #I'd def have a more thorough opinion after a geats rewatch #im not ready to say bye to geats but new rider design is also really nice

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wikiangela · 1 year

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911 lone star 4x05

it seems that the season is finally picking up, and this is my fave episode so far 😂

more thoughts and spoilers ahead!

jfc Rob Lowe is so good in comedic roles fr, I think that's why I enjoy Owen now, because he gets funny stuff 😂 that scene was so funny 😂

the boy calling about the math problem was so adorable, and Grace's reaction was even more adorable, she's so fucking cute I can't 😩😍😍 that smile with a nose scrunch??? 😍😍😍😍

"not a math whiz, just a math fan" SAME I love math, I miss it, why did I go study English at uni lmao

we should see more of the 911 dispatchers, like we do in the og - like, I'd love to at least learn like 3 names of something 🙄😂

ngl, I have no memory of this paramedic they're talking about 😂 (also, the music in this scene is kinda loud isn't it? like the drums or whatever? idk, it makes my head hurt lol)

waaait, I knew it was a more Marjan focused episode from the promo, but... someone complained about her to HR???? what the fuck about, she's a delight 😂

oh my god the lady from the mobile home?? over the word "crazy" when Marjan saved her life?? seriously?

we're focusing a lot on Linus, huh - I bet something bad is about to happen (clearly something's wrong with the mom, and I'm anxious waiting to see what haha)

jfc it was one stupid word, that people used to throw around at anything and anyone, jfc I don't wanna be one of those "why are people these days so sensitive" bitches but... she saved you life lady, leave her alone

I love seeing more Marjan but I feel so bad for her

I almost forgot about this dude since the beginning tbh, I'm enjoying this episode a lot haha - no idea what his deal is but it's stressing me out

I am loving getting more of the dispatch - if this is how this season continues, I might change my opinion about it (which is that this season is kinda whatever so far, but maybe just the first four episodes were bc this is good)

I kinda like Marjan and Owen's dynamic, this is fun (pls give me more Owen and TK tho, I miss them, and I'm always a sucker for a father son relationship 😂)

this couple is so ridiculous, jfc, Owen's right, how is that guy not in jail 😂 and they want her to post an apology for calling her "crazy"? and tag their gofundme? lady, you are fucking crazy 😂😂

they're blaming the fire department, aka people who rescued her life, for destroying their home??? that dude fucking took it - oh my god they're insane and it's infuriating but also kinda funny 😂

I love Grace and Judd and I missed them, we barely saw them the last couple of episodes haha (and Charlie is the most adorable baby 😍😍)

thank God for Grace and her instincts about what's happening, and that Judd nudged her to go over there right away

also, Tommy is amazing and I love her and her friendship with Grace

Paul "notices things" - I completely forgot about that because it hasn't been referenced since like s1 - pls give him an actual storyline that includes all aspects of him, including this superpower of his 😂

Paul and Marjan are one of my fave friendships, they're really ride or die's, I just love them (also, I just love the way Paul speaks if that makes sense? I'm weird about voices and cadence and pronunciation idk 😂)

sooo, Asha's sticking around, right? 😂 they wouldn't have her know Paul from way back when if they weren't starting something here right? 😂 I'm not complaining, pls give Paul a storyline, and if it's finally a good love interest, even better haha

I'm sorry, but making such a big deal over the word "crazy" is literally so ridiculous I can't help but laugh

nooo, don't tell me she's really leaving

I'm crying

not Nancy and Mateo being the parent friends 😭😂

like, she's not gone forever is she? I'm sure she'll be back eventually... right?

okay, promo: I am so excited for this bomber storyline, it seems more interesting than the first 4 episodes of the season (like, I loved the Carlos episode - 4x04 but like... eh)

so, I loved this episode, please tell me this is when the season picks up finally, I was finally engaged from the beginning until the end, and enjoyed all of it

I did miss Carlos, and he's my fave character, but also, like I mentioned a lot already, the tarlos storyline so far with Iris etc was so fucking boring and it took a lot of time in those first episodes (and it's crazy I'm even saying that because I always say to give Carlos all the screen time 😂) so it was nice to kinda have a break from them haha and I'm so glad we're over the whole FBI thing

now, I adore Grace and I loved her storyline this eps, it was great and interesting

I feel like Asha's gonna stick around and I'm excited if they're gonna do anything with her and Paul (or just fucking give Paul some more screen time ffs)

I loved that we got more of other dispatchers aside from Grace and please keep it up, I wanna know them like we know Josh and Sue and Linda, for them to be around you know? 😂

and Marjan.... I don't believe she left for good, and I don't wanna believe that, and I get her reasoning, because fuck those people, but also.... this was just so ridiculous, do people really get that offended over the word crazy? I know it's offensive or whatever but since when it's a slur? 😂

anyway, it was a great episode for Marjan, loved seeing her more and her struggle with this whole situation, and her and Owen actually have a great dynamic, wish we'd seen more of that (if they didn't give 90% of screen time to Owen alone 🙄 I like him but sometimes it's like.... there are people who are more interesting that I wanna find out about lol)

genuinely can't wait for the next one, and it's the first time this season I'm actually looking forward to the next episode, I hope it's gonna only get better now haha

#911 ls spoilers #911 lone star spoilers #911 ls #911 lone star #911 ls season 4 #911 ls 4x05 #thoughts while watching #episode commentary #long post

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castlestudios · 2 years

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One Piece 236-336

I am not the same person I was since my last update on my one piece journey. Spoilers for any thing between Water 7, Enies Lobby, Post Enies, and Ice Hunter arcs. : )

I- I could not fathom what happened after Usopp left the group. I genuinely was like oh this is bad but then it just got worse? But also like a handful of those episodes did not need to be there especially during the Enies lobby fight.

Shortly after I posted the last One Piece journey update I fell in love with Paulie. Could be in part to me having a crush on Coach Ukai from Haikyu! I don't know man something about blonds with bad smoking habits, it just tickles my heart. Imagine my surprise when I found out this man did not have devil fruit powers. Especially towards the end of Enies, like that man did not have all the rope stuffed around him.

Omg and young adult Iceburg oof! The shipwrights of Water 7 are just built different. It could also be his purple hair, I love purple.

But not even my new anime crushes could save me from the tears I shed several times through out these past 100 episodes. Just thinking about Tom gets me teary eyed. Robin and the Merry have me absolutely balling. My friend Kat (hi kat if youre reading this) can attest that I was in fact in tears listening to Robin's backstory. I sent her a photo of my red and tear streaked face. Which in hindsight would have been easier to explain had my mom seen me. But my mom had the privilege of seeing me cry over a ship.

Like just thinking of the scene were they were all hearing her call out to them, wild. I'm trying not to cry while typing. Robin was already my favorite character pre backstory but her background just solidify her place in my heart. Maybe its parental issues speaking but I am an absolute sucker for moments like that (when Robin runs into her moms arms). Like just in general those scenes make me bawl. Theres a scene in the Patriot and the youngest daughter calls out to Mel Gibson and I balled in the middle of my social studies class (I was in the 7th grade at the time). My professor laughed but it was all in good fun but anyways. Robin is such a powerful character and I love her for being who she is. I had always seen the I want to Live gif and small snippets in edits. With context the line's impact becomes ten times more powerful.

On the more fun light side, I can't believe Usopp said the line. For context there is a trending sound or was trending of "Not funny haha, funny weird" but the trending sound is originally from the Backyardagains. If I'm not mistaken though I think these episodes would have aired around the same time. But I digress.

Franky is low key me, you see how hyper emotional he gets. He was crying one minute and fine the next thats me. The Thousand Sunny looks so cute, looks weirdly 3d but cute. Sometimes I forget Robin and Franky are way older than the other Strawhats, I say this randomly as I think of her just grabbing his balls. Ugh I love the little call back to little garden, shout out to the giants.

Post Enies lobby was a nice cool down and everything, light hearted and funny. Coby and Helmeppo it was nice to see them too, and grandpa Garp. I wouldn't be surprised if Dragon is similar to them though. Because the family line seems to be able to act serious when needed.

Update: I literally can no longer ad to this because between writing this I ended up starting Thriller bark (Not that anything happened) and started reading the manga simultaneously

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botanicallyinclinednerd · 3 years

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Writing Merlin’s thought process is pretty fun, ngl:

‘Despite knowing how willingly they would kill Arthur, him, and his friends if given the chance, Merlin had no desire to kill these men. He didn’t even wish to see Agravaine dead, not truly, even with all he had done to betray Arthur and assist Morgana in her attempts against his life. Merlin did not want to kill anyone. He never did. Nimueh was the first and only exception and even that brought him no pleasure. Merlin killed out of necessity to protect Arthur and those he held dear and for self defense alone. If they turned around and walked out of the cave with the intention of leaving and not pursuing them, Merlin would let them go. But unfortunately, Merlin knew that was not going to happen. But he still had to give them that choice. “Be careful,” Merlin warned.’

#liv writes #merlin #bbc merlin #the sword in the stone #death and destiny #chapter 20 #bbc agravaine #sneak peak #i wouldn't call it a spoiler since it's literally the same scene as the episode just with insider info on merlins thoughts

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neil-neil-orange-peel · 2 years

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I’ve started watching The New Statesman properly, and I may well be mistaken (because I honestly don’t think Alan cares a fig about anyone but himself), but it comes across like Alan has a soft spot for Norman/Norma? Like, when the American couple are pretending they want to swing with them, Alan snatches Norma’s hand back, protectively and reiterates that they are “strict christians”. You might argue that Alan saw through their deception, but when they come clean, he seems caught off guard.

Awesome to hear you're watching TNS! You're not the first person to notice this soft spot Alan seems to have for Norma. I think there are a few reasons for this.

(This is gonna contain some spoilers by the way, so beware.)

Firstly, as TV Tropes points out, Marks & Gran decided to up Alan's nastiness in series 2. This is not to say Alan is nice in series 1 - far from it - but he ascends to new heights from series 2 onwards. This is highlighted in the first scene of series 2, in his first line:

"I did not say I opposed abortion, what I oppose is the so called woman's right to choose! It should be the state's right to choose. Ugly, stupid, poor people should not be allowed to have children!"

The episode also ends with Alan blackmailing a closeted gay man just because he can, and includes this great line, said as he attempts to murder Piers:

"Yes, I know I don't need the money, Piers, but you see I want it. Because I'm very, very greedy, Piers! That is why I became a Conservative!"

Much nastier Alan, no?

Marks & Gran also started focusing more on Alan's financial rather than political exploits from series 2 onwards, probably as he enjoys manipulating things from the shadows. The decision to make the various changes that occur between series 1 and 2 probably came about, I'm guessing, because being granted a second series is being given the green light. You don't usually know if you'll get more than one series when you start a show, so once it gets renewed you have another chance to review everything and adapt again in the hope that more future series will be forthcoming. I suppose it's a bit of a confidence boost, but also a chance to reflect on what was successful and unsuccessful in the first series and then adapt accordingly. The Young Ones did the same for their second series.

So, anyway, if series 1 Alan is ever so slightly softer than he is from series 2 onwards, this helps explain his friendlier relationship with Norma. It also might explain why Norma vanishes after series 1. If Alan was going to get even worse, was it realistic for him to have a person he was almost friends with? Someone he complimented from time to time and who was in on his schemes? Someone almost... Equal? Norma's disappearance could be more a reflection of the change in the character of Alan B'Stard, though I'm sure there were other reasons too.

Now, Alan is obviously no ally to the LGBT community. As I just mentioned, in s2e1 he blackmails a closeted gay man and tells him he "hates queers almost as much as [he] hates poor people". Inside The B'Stard File, a piece on Alan and Sarah's wedding mentions Norma being there pre-transition - the wedding occured before the show's canon starts. The word "transsexual" is used to describe Norma, which we recognise today as the outdated term for a transgender person. This would suggest that, whilst becoming a woman was Norma's get out of jail free card (literally), it was also something she'd wanted to do for a while, and she is in fact a trans woman.

So, Alan tolerates transgender people? What?

Well, in a manner of speaking. I doubt Alan is especially knowledgeable on what being transgender means or the reality of it. In s3e2 it is revealed he has been blackmailing Eugene Quail since he spotted him leaving a transvestites club, and it wouldn't really surprise me if the concepts of transvestism and transgenderism are basically the same thing in his head. Because Alan. Still, he compliments Eugene's choice of clothing, just as he sometimes compliments Norma's transition progress. And the example with Quail is Alan after his further B'Stardification. So why is he not being completely horrid to them both? Because his interactions with Norma and Quail are on his terms.

I think his stance lies in his politics. Alan is a libertarian (he says this in s1e3 and it's evident throughout the show), and libertarians believe in a small state (like conservatives), but also absolute freedom (unlike traditional conservatives). This means people should be free to dress and express themselves however they wish. Complete social freedom clashes with conservative social values quite strongly (people should be free to take drugs if they want; free to sleep with whoever they want; dress as they please; conduct themselves however they please; indulge in whatever they please - all of which horrifies the conservative sensibilities of, often but not always, religious morality, as well as traditional family values). This is why early libertarians were firm on identifying as liberals rather than conservatives.

Whilst on social stances (outwardly anyway, most Tories are hypocrites), libertarians and conservatives differ, it is undeniable that fiscally libertarians are go arm in arm with the new right branch of conservatism. Remember, if you should have freedom in every sense, you should have the freedom to accumulate as much wealth as you wish, through whichever means. And fuck everyone else, basically. Free market economics. That's Alan's excuse for making money through morally dubious means - why shouldn't he be allowed to make money where there is money to be made? Surely that should be none of the state's business? Surely taxation is only an infringement on his freedom to accumulate as much wealth as he likes? I think Alan's at his most libertarian (as well as his most nationalist and Brexity) in the interview with Walden, A. B'Stard Exposed.

Be careful with libertarianism, the "live and let live" attitude towards alternative lifestyles is really just a front for the truth, which is: "I'll let you exist, now you have to let me rip you off for every penny I can get".

Anyway, why have I gone off on a rant about political theory? Because I think that's basically Alan's attitude to transgender individuals. Fine, exist - preferably out of his little sphere of contact, because ew ordinaries - if you exist he can get money out of you. In Thatcher's Britain, where new right policies of laissez-faire economics and conservative social values were implemented, of course Alan is going to blackmail anyone who can't afford to be seen going against these conservative social values. In the early series especially, he tows the party line publicly and spouts conservative social values himself, while in private engaging with sex workers, porn, BDSM, bestiality, and adultery (the best example of this Tory hypocrisy is s1e3).

Alan isn't being progressive, in my opinion, just self-indulgent. I don't think he cares what people do with their lives, just as long as they don't do it near him. He wouldn't ever campaign for minority rights (not unless there was some lucrative underhand deal involved), because he's not in a minority, so why should he care? He's a conservative, so disrupting the status quo isn't high in his list of things to do... Unless it would benefit him financially, as that's what he balances everything against instead of a morality scale.

In his personal views, he's clearly homophobic. I reckon he'd also be transphobic to a trans person who got too close to him without his permission. Like I said, he interacts with Norma on his terms. He tolerates her because they already have a longstanding rapport, and their relationship is mutually beneficial. Norma is useful to Alan - she's his accountant, and throughout series 1 she comes up with solutions to a lot of his problems. Likewise, Alan is useful to Norma - he is loaded and can pay for her sex change. Because Alan's a libertarian, he doesn't care that his money is being spent on a sex change - which a traditional conservative most definitely would mind. Alan is not a righteous person (in the right wing sense I mean, obviously he isn't in the left wing sense). He puts righteousness on to tow the party line, but really he has no "heartfelt political principles" (as we learn in s3e1), so he really just doesn't care.

The question of whether he'd impose any specifically queerphobic laws if he had absolute power, or a close approximation (which the show basically ends on, although that ending was written out of future TNS projects), is something I'm not too sure on. I think it would just come down to how vindictive or indifferent he was feeling on any given day. As a libertarian, he should be freeing society from all its social and economic laws and having very little sway over people's lives... But things don't really work out that way under extremist dictatorships. He'd love the power and end up authoritarian, I think. Maybe only those he deemed rich enough already would be afforded freedoms, while the ordinaries have to prop up their decadent lifestyles. After all, a society where no one faces any compulsion to contribute at all isn't going to make Alan any money. So maybe you can be gay or trans or any other identity, but only if you're rich enough to pay for it. Sounds dystopian, although I suppose it sort of reflects an imbalance that already exists.

I've drifted from the point here. 😂

Alan and Norma. I sometimes wonder if Norma actually wanted to be Alan's wife. I don't know whether she fancied him - I'm undecided on that, Rowena Cooper is 23 years older than Rik, so I guess it would depend on Norma's tastes - but she can clearly see how it would benefit them both, provided nothing leak out about her. I could see the series 1 Alan tolerating this in an AU. It would be a marriage of convenience like his and Sarah's, only a more amiable one, so they'd both presumably sleep around. I'm just not sure if Alan would be fully up for the risk to his reputation. He'd need some reassurances that there was no chance of anyone finding out Norma's secret. Also, divorcing Sarah wouldn't be simple either - they'd need to catch her committing adultery for any chance of conservative sympathy for Alan.

I have actually thought about Alan's behaviour in that diner scene too! Mainly because, as he's reprimanding Guzzler for his behaviour and refusing to do as he wishes, he might lose the contract and then he'd lose his seat. So the fact that he says that to Guzzler at all proves that he really, really doesn't want to fuck around with him and his wife. For one thing, there's Norma's little secret. Plus, while Alan is homophobic in the traditional sense (he's a bigot), he also seems to be homophobic in the literal sense too (he does actually seem to be scared of gay men, which we see a bit in s2e5, which is a big part of homophobia).

Why exactly he grabs Norma protectively the way he does... Tis interesting, very interesting. It adds to the devout Christian image they were going for, of course, but both of them did appear to be genuinely spooked.

Norma has an arc over series 1 - her transition - but there was definitely more that could have been done with her character in further series. I don't think the later series suffer for their lack of her character - I think series 2 helps amp up the sharpness of the satire and Alan's sadistic tendancies, as well as giving Piers and Sarah larger roles - but in an AU there's stuff that could be explored with her.

Sorry for the waffle! Apparently, TNS has this effect on me. 😂

Thanks for the ask!

#asks #wat-the-cur #the new statesman #alan b'stard #norma bormann

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purplerose244 · 3 years

Text

My thoughts on Seabound!!! 🌊🌊🌊 (2/4)

SPOILERS ALERT!!!

For now, nothing to complain about! We got Nya, we got MAYA AND RAY, we got GILES PANTON BACK A LEGO SHOW!!! 😍😍😍

Of course now I'm definitely curious about what the story is really about, like I'm guessing Wojira will wake up at some point so... Great Devourer all over again maybe? 😅 Idk, for now I just wanna enjoy Nya having her moment 🥳

Alright, here we go!

GENERAL THOUGHTS

New alert for reader, during the Nexo Knights period I was and still am the hugest Clay fan. Now that his voice is in this season I might scream more than necessary... keep that in mind 😅

I love the humor in this, all random but still kinda clever 😂😂 Maybe I'm biased because I love Jay but still 🤷‍♀️

I really like the design of the marine world, very cool!! 🌊🌊🌊

I guess I'm not really seeing any big plot twist moment for now? Ninjago seasons have history of basing seasons on a "we need to prevent this event from happening but it will happen anyway", so I can see Wojira waking up no matter what 🤷‍♀️

I wonder if that will be shocking? Usually when this situation happen, someone makes a major sacrifice (Zane with the Overlord, sensei Garmaron with Chen, again sensei G with the Preeminent...). Maybe Maya? I DON'T WANT THAT 😭 But I am curious, everything is going nicely and I'm not sure what it will bring! 🤩 I'M EXCITED SO LET'S GO!!!

THE WRATH OF KALMAAR

So this is the name of Clay's new incarnation, neat! 👍

Okay really, for having a season lately the main character just can't help but be trapped by the villain: kinda Zane in the ICE Chapter, Jay in Prime Empire, Cole in Master of the Mountain... we can call it a tradition at this point 🤷‍♀️

Giant serpent, yadda yadda, I wonder if we're gonna address the Great Devourer at some point? Not mandatory, but the reference would be very cool 🤩

Clay's new incarnation is a prince I- *hyperventilates in awe*

Nya playing dumb lol, I don't know if that's personal experience as she used to get kidnapped a lot in the past or she just have too many idiots in her life 😂

ALSO ANOTHER BEST GIRL'S SMIRK

NYA YOU'RE TOO MUCH ILY ❤💙❤💙

Jay I love that you're so worried about Nya but maybe try NOT TO DIE? YOU'RE WITH LLOYD AND ZANE YET YOU'RE THE ONE GOING FOR THE SACRIFICE WTH?? 😱 But he's worried about his cool GF I kinda get it, also he didn't do it so good...

WHAT. THE. HECK.

WHO ARE YOU OH MY FIRST SPINJITZU MASTER YOU'RE ADORABLE I WANNA KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU YOU ABSOLUTE CUTIE 🤩🤩🤩

So Giles is doomed to voice LEGO characters with daddy issues 😂 That being not having a dad at all or having one that is... a good guy? Idk he seems chill with the surface at first glance, I wonder what's the story of this family

Maya reminds of my mom, she also mentions her work a lot and I study the same thing. But she doesn't want to brag, it gets annoying but she just wants to give me advice. It's nice to see actually 👍 Also Ray reference NEAT ❤❤❤

Wow, if any child-parent couple of this show was doomed at going semi Emperor's New Groove style, I would've bet on Ed and Jay honestly 😅

Oh HECK yes I knew that with my water girls things were BOUND to get cool 😎 ... yeah I know where the door is *goes away*

JAY NO WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT TRYING TO DIE STOP DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING!!! 😱😱😱

My GOSH that scared the crap out of me 😅 Jay honey we have too many deaths in this team, you're not helping... BUT YOU POWERED AN ENTIRE SHIP BECAUSE YOU LOVE NYA AND YOU DIDN'T DIE AND I LOVE YOU SO MUCH BLUEBELL 💙💙💙

They were all so worried, I love this ninja family so freaking much 💜💜💜 Also better not tell this one to his GF 😂

And Bluebell?

Welcome to the "change eye color because of elemental power" team! WE GOT ANOTHER ONE I LOVE WHEN IT HAPPENS!!! 😍😍😍

Awww, Zane letting Jay be the captain, that was so cute of him 💕

Another great episode! Doing great so far but I still wonder if we got into the main story. Feels like there should be more, well we got time! Next one! 😊

LONG LIVE THE KING

Sooooo... that's one very telling title 😅 If we're going full Lion King on this one, I think I know where this is going 😵

Maya: Don't they know that metal taste terrible?!? (Again feels like Kai could say something like this 😂)

FINALLY NYA USING FREAKING WATER POWERS UNDER THE SEA!!! Thank you Maya for saying out loud what we were all thinking 👌👌

NINJA TO THE RESCUE!!!

Pff, okay, the fact that Kalmaar is all evil and cruel and then he gets startled like that, it's kind or adorable! 💕 Honestly Giles got such a deep voice, with Clay it was firm warm and reassuring, here we got plain devious and I ADORE it 😍😍😍

Maya come on don't doubt your daughter 😅 But I like her, and if she knew Nya they way we all do she wouldn't doubt that she could make it every time 😎

Yeah I was right, the king seems chill... oww I fear what's coming then 😳

Okay, so Kalmaar thinks that the world should go back to be lead by them like in the past, while the king just wants peace with the surface. And as we know, no drama no season so...

Yep, saw the death coming 😅

WHOA DID NOT SEE THAT LITTLE BLAME ACT COMING KALMAAR IS SO EVIL!!!... with a glorious voice but still (Rose focus on something that is not that godlike voice, you can do it 💪💪)

THE OLD ONE TWO I LOVE THIS SO MUCH COMBO ATTACK!!! 🌊❄🌊❄

Awww Benthomaar is actually really cute, he's so worried about his father 😢 And he's adopted apparently? I wanna know the story!!! 🤩🤩

Yep, there's the reason why Zane got a mask even though he doesn't need one, it completes his attire 😂😂😂 My gosh how I love this nindroid ❄

Did... did Jay just say phooey? Dude Ducktales ended a while ago but I'm still not over it 😭

I said it once before I'll say it again, Ninjago is really REALLY good at making death scenes. Like, omg, I genuinely felt sorry for them 😢😢 I also really liked that the king didn't ask to be avenged, he still wanted peace and he asked his son to protect the ninja and he cried actual tears...

MY HEART WTH 😭😭😭 So we're adding this to the real tears moments of the show, with Jay crying over pie, Zane with the flashback of his dad, Jay crying over Nya and Lloyd thinking the ninja are gone... my world this show is angsty 🙂

Third startle for prince Kalmaar, I love the gag 😂 Oh wait, king Kalmaar 🤷‍♀️

Okay, we got a coup, the ninja running away because they got framed, Benthomaar is most likely going to join them or at least help them, I guess Wojira will come out at some point while... Kai, Ray and Cole are still playing videogames? 😅

THIS IS GETTING COOL I WONDER WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT AAAAHHH HECK YES THERE IS THE HYPE!!! 😍😍😍

Although I hope we get more stuff with Nya and Maya, that's what I like 🤩

ESCAPE FROM MERLOPIA

I'm good at English and I can follow most of it, but the fantasy names are tricky so I didn't get before that this was the name of the place 😅 It's nice, at least it's not another Atlantis 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

LLOYD I SWEAR TO YOUR GRANDPA IF YOU TRY TO DIE AGAIN 😱

NYA YOU ARE NOT A GOOD SUBSTITUTE NONE OF YOU ARE OMG 😱😱

Ah, there he is, my new son Benthomaar 💙 He is so lovable already, I know nearly nothing about him and I like his character already a lot! He could relate with all of the ninja really, but maybe with Jay the most? They were both adopted after all 🤔🤔

*scribble note for a fanfic for later if this doesn't come up in the season*

Alright moving on 😗

I am so happy Nya gets a season, Kelly got a great emotional range that doesn't come out often in my opinion, but with a full introspection of water goddess we are all blessed by her voice acting 😍

Gotta say, admitting that Bentho didn't have to help them to answer the usual 'Can we trust him' question is pretty reasonable, like, better than other stupid answers 😅

Also don't mind me

Just screenshotting by ship 💙❤💙❤

Somehow lately we are letting Jay do the talking and I both hate and LOVE the fact 😂😂 Plain Bluebell nonsense, heck yes that's my jam👌👌

MAYA IS SO COOL OMG 🤩🤩

I literally can't not laugh at the startle gag with Kalmaar 😂

LLOYD WHAT DID I JUST SAY ABOUT SELF SACRIFICING!! PLEASE IT'S NOT EVEN YOUR SEASON!! 😱😱😱😱

Aww Jay is still the Captain, nice! Wonder if it's giving him Skybound flashbacks... I hope not considering all he went through that time, poor Sparky 😅😅

ARE THOSE LITTLE WU ROCKETS?? 🤯

Can we skip a season and hang out with Pixal one time? I really wanna know how she organizes her free time to create these things 😍😍😍

THANK YOU LLOYD FOR NOT DYING ONCE AGAIN, MUCH APPRECIATED!!! 💚💚💚 My green bean needs a vacation... they all do 😅

THEY ARE

SO BEAUTIFUL 💙🌊💙🌊

Alright, back to the island hoping Kalmaar will not track us and follow us so he can get to the place and discover the amulet 🙂

Are we not calling the others? I miss my flame babe and Rocky ❤🖤❤🖤 Also RAY WATCHA DOIN I WANNA KNOW EVERYTHING 🤩🤩

THE TALE OF BENTHOMAAR

Wait what? Shark boy backstory? SHARK BOY BACKSTORY?!? 👀👀👀

Wow, I see that Kalmaar didn't change a thing growing up, still the same gonna-be-a-villain 😂 Of course his voice got a lot deeper and cool and okay you know I love his voice moving on

I find it kinda funny that Kalmaar is so focused on royal blood and superiority, while Clay was basically a farm boy who worked his way up. Giles knows how to get the character no matter what 😍

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH

BABY BENTHOMAAR AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍💙💙💙💙💙💙💙

The king seems like such a good pers- fish- creature 😅 Now I'm double sad that he died, my world, why do I always care so fast, it's not healthy in this show where everyone could die 😰😰

I'M SORRY IS THAT KAI'S HAIR??? 😂😂😂 I LITERALLY CAN'T LOOK AWAY WTH I DON'T KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT THIS

Literally every frame of Benthomaar makes me love him even more 😢

Interesting that we got an academic villain, he kinda reminds me of Clouse in a way, maybe even Harumi since she studied her way to her plan as well? I like that we got a bit of personality too!

Using your little bro for your own purpose... it's very evil but kinda also brotherly like 😂

Benthomaar really gives me that very PRECIOUS vibe, kinda the perfect son but also a naive and unaware BABY 💙

LEGO HUG 🤩🤩 Not exactly reciprocated but still 😅

Ooohhh, so this is how he found the temple! I like this, it shows that Bentho is most likely physically stronger than Kalmaar, while evil brother is focused on brain and studies. They are planned differently, I like it! 😚😚

Ouch, peer pressure... sibling pressure? Eh you get what I mean 😂

POOR BENTHO 😭😭😭 YOU GOT THE NINJA NOW DON'T WORRY WE'RE NEVER GONNA LEAVE YOU ALONE YOU PRECIOUS SHARK BABY!! 🦈🦈🦈

Bentho: will I really fit in with you guys? Do you really understand how I feel?

Lloyd: Jay was adopted, Nya's parents were gone most of her life, Zane lost his father while mine turned evil

Bentho(tearing up): yeah that can work

Okaaaaayyyyy, I like that we got a bit of backstory for Bentho too! We didn't get much for Vanya in Master of the Mountain, which is the only thing I was sad about (very little detail, AMAZING season 🖤🖤🖤), nice to see it here!!

But I really want more Nya and Maya interactions, I hope we'll soon get to them again!! 😍😍😍

Alright, getting somewhere here! I'm very curious about what's next 🤩🤩

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martelldoran · 3 years

Text

unsolicited tfatws opinions because i have them vol. 1

warning: here be spoilers

starting on the positive because there were things i did like in the episode

things i liked

sam wilson: *exists*

me:

sam's storyline was definitely the strongest of the two in this ep and i liked pretty much everything he did.

the opening aerial fight! was! so! cool! seeing batroc again was a nice nod to tws too and an interesting parallel to steve's lumerian star fight. i loved seeing his quick tactical thing, seeing how he fights, and the way he utilises the wings even in close quarters.

sam speaks arabic!

sam fixes redwing! (validation of a hc of mine that he's good with robotics. maybe that's a widely held fandom one as well? idk)

i instantly found torres to be really endearing and i'm looking forward to seeing more of him throughout the series. the relationship between him and sam has a lot of potential.

the manipulation of the government and general set up for sam's storyline felt strong. good basis for a story and pertinent to the current political landscape.

sam's speech as he handed over the shield was well written and gave me the same kind of vibes as the 'the price of freedom is high' speech. they could be quite nicely paralleled side by side.

sam's family! look, i'm a sucker for domestic moments for our faves so the entire sequence where we got this insight into sam's past, his relationship with his sister, and where he's come from was brilliant. i like sarah a lot and seeing her frustration with her brother for trying to come in and fix things when he's been gone for so long felt really realistic. i felt for her a lot. because you can tell there's so much there bubbling under the surface, a mix of love and resentment and frustration that was palpable as they talked about what to do with their parents' house/boat/business. so, give me all of the sarah wilson moments pls n thnx.

seeing the consequences of the snap (hi, i am refusing to call it the fucking blip. marvel, my god, get better names for shit.) idk how in depth they're really going to go into it all but at least they attempted something here with the scenes at the bank.

bucky's nightmare sequence as the winter soldier. it was such a brilliant reminder about how terrifying tws actually is. he's silent and ominous and THAT MUSIC. his presence is legitimately unsettling from the moment you see him. (but he runs around like a bull in a china shop which does make me 🤔 when i remember he's supposed to be a g h o s t s t o r y. idk. not exactly stealth and shadow work. but that doesn't look cool on screen so 🤷🏻‍♀️)

and on that note, vindication of my 'they sleep on the floor after coming back' headcanon. literally had raymond holt screaming in my head the second i saw bucky wake up on his living room floor. does my heart break for him? yes. was i smug about being right? also yes.

leah seems cool. could she actually be telepathic??? since she hit every single one of bucky's boats while they played battleships? i would like to see it. 😂 there's def more to her character than meets the eye since she's slated to be in all six episodes.

bucky having one (1) old man friend even if the reason behind it was heartbreaking.

so, yeah. these things i genuinely liked.

things i didn't like

the therapy scene. i genuinely hated it. there's a different between a no nonsense therapist and someone being deliberately antagonistic and that definitely erred on the side of the latter imo. she tells him to 'get over it' and mocks him for not reaching out and meeting people. media in general doesn't do a good job of depicting therapy so this is just yet another poor offering into the canon. i'm tired. i want healthy depictions of therapy already. it's supposed to be a supportive environment ffs.

plus she kept calling him james 🤮 genuinely wouldn't be surprised if she turns out to be a bad guy plant. which i think is a cliche at this point? 🤔

bucky's new look. which i know we've seen before now but i've not offered my unsolicited opinion on it. it's just sebastian stan in an ugly leather jacket. it's generic male lead#346. it's broification. someone said they made him look like brock rumlow and now i can't unsee it. 😭 rip to bucky with the good hair. i'd have loved to see him with some curls tbh. or a wave that kind of calls back to his pre-war days. anyway. i digress. character design is 0/10.

would have been nice to see him cut his hair as a marker of him starting a new chapter and coming into his own personhood.

rhodey's disability was just? glossed over? no visible assistive tech at all?

the date. just the fact it was there at all. it was heavy handed and not subtle and we know why they put that in there within the first 10 minutes of bucky's screen time. that's all i'm going to say about it. if you follow me, you know where i stand. we don't need poorly written romance. get it in the bin.

there was no acknowledgement of bucky's relationship with steve. if there was a memorial to be had then bucky should have been there. maybe these will come later but i'm not holding my breath.

is steve dead? i assumed that the party line was that young steve died in the battle and no-one knew about old steve . but did they actually kill steve off-screen? what a kick in the teeth if that's the case. let me just cut open a wound for them to pour the salt straight into, shall i?

things i'm mostly neutral on

john walker. he looks like a cop and his wink at the camera gave me the creeps but i'm interested to see how that pans out. i hope sam beats 50 shades of star spangled shit out of him.

the flag smashers. premise of a world without borders is interesting and a believable concept given what's happened in universe. there's a lot of scope there i think. that said, the name is dumb.

right. i think that covers everything for now. my expectations going in were really low, i won't lie. before the premiere i tried to stay away from the trailers and tv spots and the hype in general so i was pleasantly surprised at how much i enjoyed certain aspects of the show.

in conclusion, some good, some bad, some ugly and i will be cherry picking my favourite nuggets for fic at a later point. also, i'm still a skrull!Steve truther. real steve is chilling with some wakandan goats 😌💖✨

#ali's unsolicited opinions #.txt #tfatws #marvel #tv

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jadelotusflower · 3 years

Text

June 2021 Roundup

It's been a month of highs and lows. Every year my city holds a cabaret festival, and I've seen some truly amazing acts over the years - including Lea Salonga, Kristin Chenoweth, and Indina Menzel. This year's Artistic Director was the great Alan Cumming, and although due to covid he didn't quite get to curate the program he wanted to, the opening night Gala was still a highlight, as was Alan's DJ set at the pop-up Club Cumming afterwards, where there was much singing at the top of my lungs and dancing to pop anthems and theatre tunes. At one point Alan, dressed in a onesie and perched on the shoulders of a man wearing only sparkly short shorts, was carried around the dance floor while Circle of Life blared. Reader, I was delighted.

I was also able to see his solo show Alan Cumming Is Not Acting His Age, which was hilarious and damn, he can sing!

As for the low, I was meant to fly to Sydney for the weekend to see Hamilton, a trip I have been looking forward to for almost a year, but had to be cancelled because of a covid outbreak and border closures. The tickets have been rescheduled, but I'm still kind of bummed about it (while completely appreciating the need for covid safety, especially when our vaccine rollout has been completely botched by our incompetent, corrupt federal government)

Anyway.

Reading

The Hundred and One Dalmations (Dodie Smith) - With all the bewilderment over Disney's Cruella, I decided to revisit the original novel which I first read as a kid. It's funny, I had very vivid memories of this book, or rather thought I did, particularly the scene where Roger and Anita have dinner at Cruella's house that fixed in my young mind as utterly disturbing with all this devil imagery and the implication Cruella was literally some kind of demon, which must have been either a) my overactive imagination or b) an illustration, because it's not as clear as I thought it was. The strangeness is there (food with too much pepper, Cruella's inability to keep warm, the walls painted blood red) but not the explicit demon imagery I had remembered. There is a part later in the book recounting the history of Hell Hall and the rumors of Cruella's ancestor streaking out of the place conjuring blue lightening, but clearly child me was reading far more into the book than was on the page.

But I still wish they'd gone with this version of Cruella's backstory, because to me an aristocratic, ink-drinking, heat-obsessed, possibly-demon spawn, high camp villain is more interesting and rings far more true than plucky punk against the establishment.

Smith clearly had Facts About Dalmations to share, and she does really craft a wonderful animal-based story that the Disney animated film is largely faithful to. Key differences include: Roger's occupation (he doesn't have to pay tax because he wiped out government debt somehow?!?), Pongo's mate and the puppy's mother is called Missis, Perdita is another dalmation who acts as a kind of doggie wet nurse, Roger and Anita both have Nannies who come to live with them (Nanny Butler and Nanny Cook), Cruella is married to a furrier (who changed his last name to de Vil). Also odd, on her first description Cruella is described as having "dark skin" but later in the novel her "white face" is mentioned, so I'm chalking it up to 50's descriptors not having the same meanings they do today.

The Duke and I (Julia Quinn) - After being just whelmed by the tv series, I wasn't really planning on reading the books, but I saw this on the top picks shelf at the library and damn, the top picks shelf is irresistible. This is very much Daphne's book (and I had known each in the series dealt with the different sibling) so many of the characters and much of the plot of the show is absent, as are some of the more baffling elements of the show like the Diamond of the First Water nonsense, which I always thought was a strange character choice in that it stacks the deck for Daphne when her character arc is better served as somewhat of an underdog (in her third season, the kind of girl who is liked but not adored), and the Prince subplot which was always far too OTT even for soapy regency romance.

It's a breezy, fun read (that scene excepted), even if the misunderstandings are contrived and I'm never going to take "I'll never have kids because I hate my dad" as a credible romantic obstacle deserving of so much angst.

Faeries (Brian Froud and Alan Lee) - A lovingly detailed and illustrated compendium of Faerie and its inhabitants, drawing from a range of European (but primarily Celtic) folklore and mythology. Froud was a conceptual designer on The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, and the link is clear in the art as well as the focus on faeries as mysterious but oftimes sinister beings, where human encounters with them rarely end well. Lee has illustrated several publications of Tolkien's novels, and was a lead concept artists for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, and there is a touch of Middle Earth here as well, or rather the common inspiration of the old world. A useful resource for my novel!

Watching

The Handmaid's Tale (season 4, episodes 4-8) SPOILERS - So when I last wrote about this show in the Roundup, I was complaining it wasn't going anywhere. Well, I'm happy to be wrong because they finally changed things up with June finally escaping to Canada. That part of the plot following the survivors and their trauma has always been far more compelling than Gilead, and so it was a welcome development even if I side-eye some of the choices (none of these characters is seeing an actual licensed therapist why?).

This show has always been difficult to watch given the subject matter, and that has not changed after the shift in power dynamics. I will give the show credit for showing a broad range of trauma responses, from Moira wanting to move on and not let it consume her, to June, a ball of rage and revenge on a downward spiral, to Emily, trying to follow Moira's path but being drawn to June's, to Luke, trying his best but utterly unequipped to deal with what is happening.

But it is very hard to watch June go down this path - raping her husband (I concede the show perhaps didn't intend for it to be rape, but that's what is on screen and framing it as just "taking away Luke's agency" doesn't change that), wishing death on Serena's unborn child, and orchestrating Fred's brutal murder by particulation, then holding her own daughter still covered in his blood and it getting smeared on Nicole's face (an unsubtle metaphor in a series full of unsubtle metaphors).

There are interesting questions being asked of the viewer, and the show (perhaps rightly) not giving any answers. I can certainly appreciate the catharsis of Fred getting what he deserves even if I personally find the manner of it horrifying, but where is the line between justice and revenge, is revenge the only option when justice is denied, when does a trauma release become cyclical violence/abuse - the show is, for now, letting the viewer decide.

Soul (dir. Pete Docter and Kemp Powers) - In a world full of remakes/reboots/sequels, Pixar is perhaps the lone segment under the Disney umbrella committed to original content. However, there does seem to be a Pixar formula at work directed to precision tugging the heart strings, and some of the film feels like well-trod ground. On the other hand, it's hard to criticise the risk of centering a kids film around the existential crisis of a middle aged man, even with the requisite cutesy elements (and of course, the uncomfortable pattern of yet another film where the black lead character spends a great deal of the runtime in non-human form - herein, an amorphous blob or a cat). But the animation is stunning, it successfully did tug my heart strings, and the design of the Great Before and the Jerrys is original and fun.

RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under - Drag Race is somewhat of a guilty pleasure for me, since I generally don't watch reality shows, and this is something I really enjoy even if I'm not invested in the fandom (which like many fandoms can be very yikes). This year it was time for the Australian/New Zealand (Aotearoa) queens to show their stuff, although it's been met with mixed reactions. Covid restrictions didn't allow for guest judges, relegating them to mere cameos via video calls, and its clear that Ru and Michelle really don't quite get all the cultural nuances - Aussie judge Rhys Nicholson was however always delightful. But it wouldn't be Australia without a racism scandal, with the great disappointment of the two queens of colour eliminated first, and one queen having done blackface in the recent past yet making it all the way to the top four.

In the end, the only viable and deserving winner was last Kiwi standing Kita Mean, and it was pure joy to see her get crowned. I do hope they fix the bugs and indeed do another season to better showcase AU/NZ talent.

Writing

A far more productive month - to try and get out of my writing funk I had a goal to try and write every day, even if it was only 100 words. While I didn't quite achieve a consecutive month, I did get a pretty good average, at least got something posted and two others nearly there.

The Lady of the Lake - 2441 words, Chapter 4 posted.

Against the Dying of the Light - 2745 words

Turn Your Face to the Sun - 1752 words.

Here I Go Again - 1144 words

Total words this month: 8082

Total words this year: 35,551

#personal #long post #roundup #june roundup #reading watching writing #here's to the second half of the year #I really want to get to at least 100k written #so we'll see

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addershade · 4 years

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A Semi-Stuctured Rant on Antishipping, Fujoshi Culture and the monetization of Homosexuality in Japanese and American Media

Antishippers are homophobic and it's bothering me. But also so are fujoshis and that bothers me too

Part One: Antishippers

Where there sails a ship ship so to the antishippers let fly their flags. A common argument I see painted on the bows of their warships is 'This character hasnt been stated as gay yet don't ship them with them.'

This is such a problematic sentence I don't even know where to begin. The fact that people view the default state of sexuality as 'straight until declared gay' creates the stigma that being homosexual is in some way deviant or taboo.

As an example: nobody has a problem with Todoroki being shipped with Momo despite them having minimal character interaction and very little shared dialogue in the show. Yet because they have been seen together in one (1) episode it has even been assumed canon on the same level as Izuku and Ochako which it quite simply is not.

Compare this to Bakugo and Kirishima who have several scenes together, most in even more intimate settings than Todoroki and Momo (study date, walking home at sunset together, the money scene, the rescue, I could go on) yet since the creator has not OUTRIGHT stated that either of these two are gay they have been assumed straight. Antishippers never go after TodoMomo in the same way they do KiriBaku.

I've seen people go as far as to say it would never happen, the creator would never do something so radical as to include one (1) gay couple. Despite the already pretty strong LGBTQ+ presence in the show with characters like Tiger, Big Sis Magne and Toga. These three have their own problems (an issue for another time) but they are there and that's a big step forward that people like to forget about.

Also, is the concept of 'we don't get good gay representation in the media so we write our own' really such a hard thing to grasp? Because it shouldn't be. Gay representation in media is scarce and even if its there it might not be handled sensitively (cough cough banana fish cough) and people naturally would want to go out of their way to provide it for themselves. Because representation is important. Straight, cis, white men really wouldn't understand because they are represented in literally everything all the time so I geuss they can't really fathom not being able look at the main character and go 'it me.' Which is why they put up such a fuss about every single time a woman is cast as the lead role. In anything. But I digress.

My point is basically this: Characters with undefined sexualities are obviously going to draw people in and be used as a comfortable, familiar and interesting starting point to create someone you can resonate with on a deeper level. Especially if there's nothing contradicting your head canon. And even if there is, who cares? There's plenty of straight characters already, representation is not pie and also they aren't real people so thats an extra helping of 'it shouldn't bother you.'

Oh I forgot to mention this rant only extends to fictional character antishippers because I think shipping real people is icky and shouldn't happen regardless of sexuality.

Part Two: Fujoshi Culture

Yes there are straight gals and guys that fetishise it (the male version is a fudanshi at least get it right people) and that's gross and unforgivable please stop doing it.

I would argue however this epidemic is caused by the fact that media, eastern and western alike, refuses to normalise gay relationships. Which means they see it as this sick fetish thing and call it 'sinning.' The literal terms fudanshi and fujoshi are derogatory and paint enjoying 'yaoi' as a guilty pleasure, something to be ashamed of and ridiculed.

And I'd bet my bottom dollar that Japan would want to keep it that way because it does work to sell their mangas.

Nagisa really sums up the whole issue in 50 percent off here's the clip:

https://youtu.be/c_xwtbrXbZM

youtube

Part Three: Western Focus

I just want to point out how half hearted and overly subtle these relationships have to be, like you're sneaking it past the republicans like the producers dirty little secret.

Good examples from both sides are Bubbeline, KoraSami, All of Voltron and Literally Any Gay Man In Anime Except Yuri on Ice. Although Yuri on Ice is still pretty coy about admitting that their characters are in a gay relationship.

KoraSami, Bubbeline and Shiro x Shiro's flashback buddy are all western depictions. Being gay in western media is much less commercialised and much less marketable, which is why the main issue with all of these were the writers pushing for something that was then only really confirmed either in: a very heavily fought for kiss last episode or the love story told entirely in (two bros chilling in a hot tub style) flashbacks where said love interest dies in the same episode. None of these are good representation and I don't think I have to spell out why.

Anyway this is another video that sums it up better than I can

https://youtu.be/TOj4WfQPNlk

youtube

Part 4: The Bad, The Worse and the Ugly

tw: s*xual a*sault mentioned (part 5 is safe)

I'll be quick

Anime like Banana Fish and Black Butler really like to perpetuate the stereotype that gay men are only gay because they have been r*ped by sick, twisted older men.

As a gay man who has been s*xually a*ssulted in the way that they like to pretend defined my sexuality I can say that this is insulting, triggering and Never. Ever. Handled. Properly. Anime has some issues with sexuality as a whole but it really takes the cake when characters like Ash are abused in real time in the anime and then it's used to 'justify' their promiscuity with men moving forward.

Banana Fish in no way handles the sexual assault tactfully, no matter what people have said to me.

This is an extract I agree with heavily from a pretty well written article (Banana Fish spoilers) :

I mentioned earlier the finale sent an awful message to new viewers. Ash’s story was about survival so for him to easily give up, in the end, sent a horrible message to survivors of sexual violence because it not only told them a moment of vulnerability would get them killed, but the only way survivors could find any peace was through death. The fact that Ash gave up, told survivors they could never escape from their traumas and despite all their efforts, they would never be able to heal from their abusive circumstances.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/thatnerdyboliviane.com/2019/01/21/banana-fish-a-bittersweet-experience/amp/

'Kill your gays' is a bad trope in any case but really was an especially poor choice here.

Part 5: Sex Sells and Gay Sex Advertises

I've mentioned above how manga and anime likes to package gay relationships into problematic little bundles and sell it to straight women as a curiosity or oddity. But I really think that it needs to be talked about more. Things shouldn't be more interesting to you just because they're gay, and fetishising minorities is never okay in any context.

I think it's important to note that really the attitudes in both Western and Japanese media are actually the exact same. That being, Gay people are 'others' and should at all costs be hidden away into corners. The only real difference is that Japan is known for selling that kind of content, lumping it in the same category as tentacle hentai and... I don't know any other categories but the point stands. Whereas western media tends to just sequester it into a corner and hope it gets past censorship boards and Karen's. Money is at the forefront of both of these descisions.

It's a real problem that both sides of the anime culture are so problematic. One side is way too into it and the other can't begin to process it.

Here's a video by the same person that covers basically the same ground that's concerning me so much.

https://youtu.be/t3FKlqDocQ4

youtube

Part 6: In conclusion

I feel like this is something that is worth being angry about. I'm just sick of how being gay is treated at the moment in anime, tv and film, and how it's being received by straight audiences. The LGBTQ+ community barely seems to get a real say half of the time because people are too busy being head over heels that the author confirmed in an interview that a character is bi or gay but never follows through with it in universe. Or when you try and create content for yourself and get criticised like you were supposed to be happy about what little representation you get in mainstream media. Like shows do the bare minimum and then we're supposed to be happy about it. But I ain't. And I don't think many other people are either.

TLDR:

Gay people being treated like a taboo little secret on both sides of the issue is insulting and gross and never leads to anything good.

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