#love that the cast is majority POC too

[mistyunmoored]

as much as it would have been fun putting him 100% out of his element in sci-fi or something, Calorum is perfect for a Mercer D20 spot.

The goofiest setting which simultaneously had the most heartrending, agonizing, BRUTAL fights, deaths, and relationships of any D20 campaign. Brennan went HARD on the worldbuilding for Calorum (didn’t he say he made like a bazillion page reference/lore doc for acoc?) which fits Matt’s style perfectly. All of it mixes the things Matt is good at with the things D20 is good at, and I think it’ll be really, really fun

Not to mention. The cast. The fucking cast. The seating. The mini previews of characters. Holy shit

#gone from cautiously optimistic to incredibly optimistic #love that the cast is majority POC too #balancing out our earlier worries #the ravening war #matthew mercer #dimension 20 #d20

[bluegiragi]

hello! i'm gira, i go by she/her, and i've been making fanart for the cod fandom for about four months now :) the majority of that time's been spent on the soapbox saga, which is sort of just what i call the very plot-ridden porn comic featuring ghost, soap and konig. and recently i've been working on the monster 141 au!

i'm here to address the reasoning behind how i assigned certain monsters to certain characters, particularly the POC characters as well as accusations of racism regarding me neglecting gaz in all my art :) whoever you are, if you're reading this in good faith, i thank you! i earnestly never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable from my work.

The Monster AU

i won't post the blog who brought this issue up mainly because, (realistically speaking) i think people might go after them and spam them with hate so I'm paraphrasing here. but basically..."how come all the POC in the Monster AU are assigned animal-associated monsters? Comparisons to animals can be incredibly demeaning when it comes to minorities".

I completely agree! But earnestly, I think my desire to assign every character a 'monster' that was relevant to their culture overshadowed the part of my brain that would've raised red flags about this sort of thing. There's the argument here that I could've assigned these characters cooler monsters such as Price who is a dragon, and Ghost who is a wraith, but I wanted to be respectful of all the minorities in the COD cast by giving them creatures that reflected their culture and personality.

ALEJANDRO - NAGUAL

In the Monster AU, Alejandro is a nagual, which is considered a guardian spirit in Mesoamerican culture. Typically, it's said that the nagual is the shapeshifted form that powerful men can transform into in order to do evil (although that doesn't apply in this case, Ale's a heroic lad), and can come in the forms of a jaguar, deer, dog or bird. I chose a jaguar, since it seemed to be the most common form of nagual depiction in the resources I was looking at. The 'panther mode' isn't pre-established as part of nagual mythology, but since most panthers are just black jaguars, i thought the association wouldn't be unreasonable.

I chose Alejandro to be a nagual because it's so in character for him to be protective of his home. The idea of him being a literal guardian spirit for all he considers his just made sense to me :)

--

RODOLFO (RUDY) - CADEJOS

In this AU, Rudy is the vessel for two cadejos, which are legendary dog spirits popular in the mythology of Central America, parts of South America and Mexico. Historically, they've been known as psychopomps (guides to help humans into the afterlife following their death) but modern interpretation has shifted to depict them as the good guardian dog and the evil attacking dog respectively.

A lot of the minute information about the cadejos tends to differ depending on the source. Like whether they're actually two separate dogs, or they're the same dog just in different 'modes', or how big they are. My personal depiction of them has them sized as normal dogs (although their spirit nature means they can move into small spaces pretty easily by just becoming immaterial temporarily) and as separate spirits that have been passed down through Rudy's family generationally.

I chose the cadejo for Rudy because although I wanted to include him in the Monster AU, i still liked keeping him as a character who was a bit more 'human' than Alejandro. I think Ale needs Rudy to hold him back sometimes, and having the two cadejo definitely helps with that. Sort of like how cheetahs in zoos have therapy dogs growing up because they're so anxious all the time! I think it also does a good job of showing Rudy's two sides as well, like he's a softie who just wants to protect those he loves, but he's capable of a lot of violence too.

--

VALERIA - GORGON

Valeria is a gorgon which, admittedly, is not part of Mexican mythology. However, I was put in a bit of a bind here, since my research didn't really reveal to me a monster in Mexican culture that I thought would suit Valeria's vibe (manipulative, elulsive) and I just felt like a gorgon would be perfect for her. Medusa's myth has her being continuously demeaned by the men in her life and is a symbol of female empowerment, which I thought was a great reflection of the implied reason that Valeria left the army was due to internal sexism. There's also the perfect parallel of how anyone who sees El Sin Nombre's face dies, and Medusa's whole 'turn you to stone' thing.

I thought i could compromise by making Valeria a gorgon but her hair would be Mexican black kingsnakes but...turns out they're actually not that dangerous. Some people even keep them as pets! So I decided to keep the visual, but make her a pit viper, a subfamily of vipers found in the Americas as well as Eurasia.

--

HORANGI - HAETAE

Horangi is a haetae (해태) which is a beast in Korean mythology that typically comes in the form of a horned lion or dog. It's prevalent in a lot of cultures in East Asia actually, although it goes under different names depending on the region - kaichi for Japan, xiezhi for China. I made Horangi a tiger variant on the creature because...well...'horangi' means 'tiger' in korean. It just made sense to me to put that little twist on it.

Typically, haetae are seen as spirits of judgement, that decide on innocent and guilty parties in disputes and punish the latter. It's also considered a guardian against fire (hence the fire immunity and cloud manipulation powers I gave him).

GAZ - HARPY

Gaz is a harpy which, I won't lie, was purely inspired by the fact that he seems to keep falling out of helicopters. But it's also because...yeah, I did neglect Gaz in the soapbox saga. But I think I neglected...everyone in the soapbox saga who weren't directly involved in the main ship. I sort of just tunnel visioned on the main three, so my exclusion of characters isn't just limited to Gaz, it was included Price, Laswell, Alejandro, Rudy, Graves etc.

I just want to make clear that my treatment of Gaz in particular isn't reflective of any inner preference against him. And to make good on that, me assigning Gaz wings of all things was to help me spend more time on him in the Monster AU! I think the contrast between Gaz being an upstart harpy, and Price being a one-winged dragon has a lot of potential as a mentor/protege relationship (and perhaps even something more) and it's why I assigned this monster to him. I really wanted to establish a connection upfront, but just making Gaz another dragon felt cheap - the harpy thing felt a little more in turn with his character :)

--

I really hope this cleared up any remaining frustrations with my designs for the Monster AU. I hope you can see that I never meant anything demeaning by assigning these monsters to their respective characters - in fact, I earnestly tried to go out of my way and be respectful to their backgrounds.

In any case, if you have any more questions I'd be happy to answer them - I'd just ask you to please ask politely :)

#gira speaks #monster 141 au

[portsandstars]

Revisiting Red Spring Studio's Interview with Blerdy Otome - Select Quotes

It's been almost a year since RSS had this interview, but I think that many people have not listened to it, or recently revisited it. I thought I'd highlight some quotes from it, though the entire interview is worth watching! Some of these quotes I have lightly modified for clarity or succinctness but the majority are direct transcripts.

23:30: "Touchstarved is a horror romance visual novel where the entire cast is made up of characters where you're like, "I can fix them!" but you actually can't. I think that Touchstarved is a very complex and mature story with really really complex themes and interwoven routes and obviously it's very sexy at the same it's a romance - and I think it's one of those games that I've always wanted to see exist and I think that a lot of the team has always wanted to see this game exist as far as being this kind of like dark, broody, moody, but also very deep, right, and authentic and honest exploration - Monsters, and the feeling of being a monster - feeling of being an "other", right, whether you're queer or POC or anything like that… we've created a game that's not only really fun and action-packed and bloody and all that kind of stuff… but very heartfelt in a way that I hope readers can pick up on.

Imo, this line of reasoning ("you can't fix them", and the cast's monstrous nature and how it intrinsically ties to/is an analogy for being queer, or POC) - makes me think that even in the good endings for the game, your character won't be minimizing the character's monstrousness. For example, even if your character has the Power of True Love, it's not going to make Vere nonviolent or absolve Kuras's guilt.

25:35: "These themes are pretty complicated in a way that's messy and honestly bloody and I think for that reason is why we're looking at a mature rating - that said, when we set out to make the game our goal wasn't really to be explicit, it was much more to focus on sexiness . . ."

Just clarifying that there won't be explicit sex scenes in the game.

28:55: "What are some aspects of the story that you are most excited to showcase?" "I'm so excited that people get to die terribly, that just gets me so pumped up. Like in previous jobs I have not been allowed to brutally murder . . . main characters permanently and it's very important to me that I now have the power to write really just messed up awful endings…Don't worry, there's also good endings there too, they just get as much passion and all that stuff as the bad endings… but the bad endings, oh my gosh, those are some of my favorites."

This line makes me curious about whether the main characters are just MC, or if the other characters will brutally die as well!

30:50 "A little while ago we posted Kuras's character reveal and people really like the fact that he can't cook so for me it's really cute and innocent seeing people obsess over that fact and I really just want them to see the contrast between that version of Kuras in their head and what he's actually like in his route. Like I just really want to see them react to like the terrible things he's going to do. . . They're all awful in different ways that I'm really excited for people to see it - it's very funny to see everyone be like _Literally name any of the characters of the cast and be like "they're my little meow meow" and it's like, oh. good. I hope this continues once they learn more about the characters. Obviously they're all wonderful - right, the characters are all awful but they're also all wonderful".

32:26 : "the theme of monstrousness and how each character kind of approaches it differently . . . because they're all monsters, even if they're not literally monsters . . .it also plays into each character's brand of horror in their own way as well that ties into their monstrous nature."

This line especially (to me) hints at how Leander is likely not SPECIFICALLY a monster, but a human with a monstrous nature.

34:30: - Ais was the first character they made and each of the other characters build upon him, so they spent a lot of time getting him right. Vere was the easiest to create and they made him in a weekend. Kuras was the hardest to create (especially visually).

38:00 "This is a romance game and a big draw of the game is making a love connection with these characters - do you all plan on including platonic friendship routes in addition to romance routes, or is it strictly romance?" The way that we planned out this game is that we wanted to focus on the intimacy of these individual relationships between the main character and the love interest and the route that they're on, right, so this is the way we had planned the game from the beginning. We really like poly romances, for example, and friendships, but we think that it wouldn't have made much sense for the characters in the story that we had written for them because this entire story - with who the main character is and why they're having to turn to these mysterious monstrous strangers - there's a level of intimacy involved in the themes and stories that we really focused on for how we're writing…

It's almost like a narrative design intentionality we did early on because each route that you'll be able to play from the main five cast is very driven and each character is like a ticking time bomb in their own way. So if you choose to romance Vere, Kuras's route still continues and you can see the effects of what not choosing Kuras is in Vere's route when you're playing Vere's route. So the world is meant to be very interwoven and interconnected where you can see the ripples of everyone's choices even when you're not romancing them and in that way we've designed this cast that's woven together. So if we did want to do a poly route, we would probably have to do entirely new characters . ."

43:30: "One of the fundamental goals of this game was to have, as you've been saying, a living world - a world that's evolving, and one of the ways that we wanted to communicate that was with the idea that these characters are not doing great… um, they're all in very very bad situations, uh, they're all essentially doomed if you do not go with them and it's seeing that carried out in each route that I hope will be really interesting for people.. it will be very sad, in a good way".

ARGHHH this is the WORST. This means that if you choose a character, you're essentially dooming the others. Though this will undoubtedly manufacture delicious angst, I'm soooo sad at imagining each of the other characters faltering and ultimately failing on their paths because you didn't chose them. Though, I wonder if there are some routes where multiple characters turn out ok, or if the entire cast is doomed as soon as you don't select them (in different ways depending on the route)?

54:30: "I also want to clarify too that even though we've been talking about blood a lot and all that kind of stuff and death and we love those parts of the story, um, if you get those endings there's a reason why, you know what I'm saying - you have to actively try to get those endings - poke the bear with a stick."

Definitely referencing Vere's bad ending in the demo. Personally I am too curious to avoid them, but it's encouraging that some of the MC deaths appear to be because you deliberately make dangerous choices, rather than simply "tricking" the player and surprising them.

Let me know what you think of these quotes, and the whole interview is definitely worth a watch if you haven't seen it!

#touchstarved #touchstarved game #red spring studio #red spring studios #leander #vere #kuras #ais #mhin #touchstarved theory #touchstarved meta #Youtube

[survivalove]

I’ve always found it a little strange how the most popular characters in a story about a genocide survivor are two imperialists.

then I read something that made it all click for me

“Americans love both underdogs and sore winners” - B.D. McClay

ATLA, despite being a show heavily based on east asian philosophy, is a show with a majority American audience. And Americans love an underdog who succeeds. Someone to root for that actually ends up succeeding.

Yet, ATLA is full of oppressed characters that win who never oppressed anyone. So why are the two ‘fallen’ oppressors the ones Americans gravitate to the most?

Because, despite the main characters also winning in the end, their underdog stories don’t depend on the exploitation of others to succeed.

Because Americans are obsessed with sore winners (coined by the author above) losers who have it all. People who are cast out or held back by an imperialist system while upholding these values for majority of their lives.

And despite their hardships and their successes, fans of such people deny, justify or ignore their part in the imperialist system. Insisting that they are victims, as much, if not more than the people they oppress. Because it’s not enough that these people win, they have to be oppressed too. Pointing out how much they are like the people who hold them back points the mirror at Americans whose society is structured on the exploitation of countries abroad to enjoy the benefits of being American.

Because that’s what America is always about.

How they defeated British imperialism to gain independence, while trampling on those overseas for the sake of capitalism and consumerism.

How people of color are held back by the racist societal structure embedded in the country, while constantly ignoring, justifying or defending this same imperialism that allows them to have a global cultural dominance over their counterparts overseas. (emphasis on the counterparts before y’all get crazy and act like I said poc can oppress white people - they can’t!!!)

Because Americans are sore winners. Losers who have it all constantly crying over how they’re being held back while reaping the benefits of imperialism however it pertains to them.

And in a story (written by white American men), what other characters embody this more than the teenage imperialist who cries about his honor more than a genocide survivor cries about her mother and still gets to sit on a colonial throne at the end of the story? Or the old military ‘hero’ that lost his son and gets to live a peaceful life serving tea in the city that he once oppressed?

They’re the American Dream.

#atla #imperialism #sore winners #this is america #they are america

[birdiewolf]

My feelings on Sumeru now that we’ve reached Fontaine—-(long post btw)

I have a love-hate relationship with Sumeru.

On one hand, characters are memorable, the world quests have brilliant story telling, and there’s new mechanics with each region we unlocked.

And on the other hand—-seeing the blatant colourism from Hoyo in regards to the playable character designs was so disheartening (especially since it triggered a wave of racism against poc in the fandom). Some areas are locked to quests, and omg the underground exploration was absolute hell

- Hoyo has clearly learned a lot from the previous region’s exploration feedback and they’ve done so much better with the maps. Everything shown on the map is specified whether it is on land or underwater. This makes Fontaine so much fun to explore compared to Sumeru.

At one point I completely gave up on finding the dendroculus because I wasn’t able to figure whether they were above or below. And it was this ongoing issue with Sumeru’s exploration in general.

I’m not surprised that players are relieved to leave Sumeru behind. If you were playing as the versions were being updated and new regions were being added, then you would know how frustrating exploration was since navigation wasn’t detailed enough.

Constantly trying to figure your way through complex temples and passages takes the joy out of going into a new area. The scenery and graphics were so beautiful but because there was so much struggle with figuring out where to go and how to get there, many players just didn’t get that feeling of appreciation for the region.

- The world quests for Sumeru had amazing storytelling. The Aranara, Jeht, and Sorush are a cast of characters who I’m so attached to. Their personalities and character development is incredible. What is disappointing is the fact that Hoyo still doesn’t let major world quests be voiced.

Voice acting plays such a big role in bringing a character to life. The way VAs are able to depict a character’s growth by subtly changing the tone of their voice is so incredible and something like that would’ve made such a big impact on the storytelling.

- The archon quests were amazing. There were some parts that felt meh, but overall, they were a major upgrade from the previous regions. Playable characters get a chance to shine instead of npcs.

Obviously we had Dunyarzad but she didn’t take over the spotlight. Seeing the playable cast interact with each other so much really helped the story feel more organic. Not everything was being dependent on the Traveler making the initiative.

Alhaitham, Dehya, Cyno, and Candace all working together. Dehya and Candace being friends beforehand, Cyno mentioning Tighnari…the in-game world just felt more real. The characters really shined in most parts especially the third act.

- Sumeru’s music is fantastic. The forest region is beautiful. The desert is also good enough.

- The mix and matching of cultures was a major let down. Genshin has always mixed cultures for its game but with Sumeru it was a whole mess.

On one hand, I appreciate the level of effort they put into doing research but on the other hand, there was wayyyy too much happening. Had they limited the real world regions from where they would inspiration then they wouldn’t have gotten so much backlash.

There’s an npc in Sumeru City that’s called ‘Berber’—and this is a literal slur against the Amazigh from whom Hoyo took inspiration from for Dehya and Tighnari…

This was the major issue. When you mix regions that are already diverse as hell, you’re taking the risk of making major mistakes unknowingly.

Nahida for example has a lot of Persian elements to her design. But her former title, Rukhadevata, and current title, Kusanali, along with what the Aranara call her, Aranyani, all are rooted in south Asian culture an history.

Kusanali is tree spirit from Buddhism, a religion practiced throughout various regions of South Asia.

Rukkhadevata is linked to both Buddhism and Hinduism.

Aranyani is the name of a literal god from Hinduism.

Many Persians were satisfied with her design, but many South Asians were not. If you don’t know, South Asians are majority brown with different skin tones. Most of us have visible melanin.

So seeing a character that takes so much influence from us, being even whiter than the literal white characters from the game was absolutely disappointing.

Sumeru’s colourist issue could’ve been solved had they actually shown a diverse range of skin tones for the playable cast. Many racists in the fandom pretend poc want every Sumeru character to be darkskin which isn’t true. Most of us have been asking for a proper balance. Some characters could have been light skinned, others could’ve been darkskinned (and I mean proper darkskinned, not the level of dark Cyno and Candace are…), and others in between.

You can’t take so much inspiration from people who are so diverse and then expect them to be okay with a mostly white cast reflecting their regions…I honestly think if Hoyoverse wasn’t so colourist then the initial backlash could’ve been avoided.

- All in all, I’m relieved to be moving on to Fontaine. There were good parts but the bad parts were so unbearable.

Sumeru brought out the worst of the worst in Genshin’s fandom. Racist ideologies being spread left and right, fans of colour getting death threats for criticizing the colourism, light skinned Arabs being absolutely unbearable and acting as if the colourism isn’t a big deal, and of course, the sudden selective behaviour towards fan art and edits.

Never had most of the genshin fandom gotten mad at a fan making a random edit of a playable character, until people started making edits of the Sumeru casts with culturally accurate clothing and skin tones. Even now, if a poc edits a character to have a little bit of blood circulation, the KKK lot will go off on them. These racist idiots always exist but they increased with Sumeru’s release.

#genshin impact #mihoyo #hoyoverse #sumeru #fontaine #mypost #genshin fandom #alhaitham #genshin dehya #genshin candace #genshin cyno #genshin traveler #genshin impact lumine #genshin sumeru #genshin jeht #aranara #sorush #colourism #genshin racism #fandom racism #lesser lord kusanali #greater lord rukkhadevata #aranyani

[antiracist-tolkien]

Fingon is Black...ish?

Compared to the Hobbit or LoTR fandoms, there seems to be much more of a tendency in the Silmarillion fandom to portray characters of colour with Eurocentric features like blue eyes and a straight nose or button nose.

Fingon is the biggest example of this. Black Fingon is popular on tumblr and the depictions of him range wildly in skin colour and facial features. But even compared to characters like Aredhel, who is also often drawn as Black, a lot of people draw or write Fingon with blue eyes or light skin.

Black people can look like anything and elves especially can look like anything. They’re not human, so there’s no reason they need to conform to human phenotypes. Besides, light coloured eyes are not unique to white people. But we both know that’s not why people draw Black characters with blue eyes.

The majority of Black people (and PoC in general) have dark eyes. PoC with dark eyes are vastly under-represented in character designs, writing & art and it's because of racism and white beauty standards. While I’m not assigning motives to any individual artist or writer, the trend towards giving characters of colour 'white' features is fueled by (and regardless of intentions, contributes to) Eurocentric beauty standards and racism.

It's very common in literature and art for PoC (particularly WoC) to be given unusual or Eurocentric features to make them stand out. Think Hazel Levesque in Heroes of Olympus, who's African-American but has gold eyes and 'cinnamon' / 'caramel' hair. These features get added to characters of colour to make them seem a) unique and special, not like those other PoC who all look the same (/sarcasm) or b) more beautiful and desirable (again, particularly WoC). We're only beautiful, only worthy, if we can approach whiteness.

It's why light skinned actors get cast more. It's why Hollywood loves giving rebellious Asian women a neon hair streak (see, she's not like those other docile submissive Asian girls!). And I do think it's why people default to drawing Fingon as essentially a white European with skin tinted a few shades darker.

Imo, in Tolkien specifically, hair colour is a different scenario. It’s one of the few features that frequently gets explicitly described, and it has in-universe importance. Eye colour doesn't.

There are suggestions that many Noldor and Sindar have grey eyes, but not all of them. For example, Miriel:

silver was her hair and dark were her eyes

I think part of it is also that many people imagined Fingon as white when they read the Silmarillion and probably saw art of white, blue-eyed Fingon before they saw art of Black Fingon. It's somewhat understandable that the image of blue-eyed Fingon was cemented in their headcanons and remained even when they began headcanoning him as Black.

It can be a self-perpetuating cycle, too. When lots of Black Fingon art has him as light skinned, straight nosed and/or blue eyed, that becomes the image of him in your head.

But intentions don't change the outcome of racism.

I get it. Sometimes you get firm character images stuck in your head and nothing is going to change them. And like I said, I'm not assigning motivations to any particular individual. I don't think every single instance of Fingon having grey eyes or light skin is a bad thing. The issue is that it's not equal. I wouldn't care about designs of blue-eyed Black elves if they didn't so thoroughly outnumber brown eyed ones. If straight noses didn't outnumber wide ones.

It can be hard to change the image of a character that you have in your head. But that's not an excuse to not try.

#fingon #silmarillion #tolkien fandom racism #personal thoughts #meta

[tenpintsofsundrop]

i know that this is such a random question, but...

for the Titans show, do you think all of the cast for the show fit their characters? or do you think there could've been someone else to play their role?

(tbh I love random questions like this omg. I love any chance to discuss Titans at length)

And genuinely, I wouldn't change any of the casting.

It's actually so interesting, because Titans is the first piece of live action DC media that I have gotten really sentimentally attached to. I was always a bigger fan of DC than Marvel because I always enjoyed the Batman films, and I did watch episodes of the Justice League cartoon in passing, or I watched other random animated Batman movies or Justice League movies and really enjoyed them - and I have always enjoyed how DC has so many different styles and tones across each piece of media, rather than the homogeneous boring schlock that Marvel puts out.

Young Justice was the first piece of DC media in general that I got really, really personally attached to, because @nctzenkane is a huge DC fan (and when we first met, it was one of the first things we ever talked about that made me start falling for him) - and he really sparked my interest in certain things and caused me to convert my casual enjoyment of it to a very hardcore nerdom. And him encouragining me to watch Young Justice was definitely the first step in me becoming a full blown DC nerd.

And he also encouraged me to watch Titans - just because Ryan Potter is hot in it - and it's so funny because Jaycen is not even the biggest Titans fan, but I developed such a distinct emotional attachment to it. So in my mind, all of the actors for those characters in Titans - they just are the live action versions. Whenever I am reading fanfiction of those characters, no matter what version the writing is talking about - I always picture the Titans cast in my head.

I know there has been a lot of (idk how to phrase it) controversy? Around Curran Walters as Jason Todd because people think that he's not bulky enough to be Jason and people think he somehow should have shredded and bulked up to become Red Hood?

Honestly, I am fucking relieved that the show didn't pressure him to make major changes to his body just because in the comic books he magically went from a skinny fifteen year old kid to the hulking body of a 6.4" shredded pro wrestler (for those of you who don't know, I have described it as: The Pit makes comic Jason go from looking like Titans Jericho to looking like Titans Hank in five minutes) - like there is already so many gross unrealistic body standards when it comes to men in superhero roles. There doesn't need to be more

And in terms of emotions, and the actual acting, Curran is literally the best fit for Jason possible in my opinion. He brings so much power and depth to Jason's scenes, he makes the character eager and excitable yet worn and jaded at the same time, and he makes Jason's mental illness and struggles so layered and relatable.

One thing about Titans, is that they have some of the most phenomenal actors ever. They might not have the best special effects, or storylines/writing that makes the most sense - but the actors take the material and elevate it so fucking much.

Ryan Potter brought so much depth to Gar (which is something I could rant about for hours), Brenton balances Dick's hardened outer shell and his tender moments so fucking well, Anna makes Kory such a pensive and thoughtful character beyond being just intensely powerful and 'badass' (not to mention, casting a black woman in that role was a risk with whiny fanboys complaining about POC on screen and I am sure she puts up with way too much bullying and hate because of it), and Tegan was so young when she started as Rachel, but she brought an intensity and professionalism that carried Rachel so well (especially during the first season, where her character was the focus) that not many other young actors could have pulled off.

And that is just the core four - I could also go into how Joshua Orpin balances Conner's anger, inner turmoil, and troubled mind with his naive optimism of seeing the world for the first time so well.

And genuinely, I don't think Hawk and Dove could have been played by anyone else than who was cast.

And not only that, but from what we do see of the behind the scenes, it feels like Titans is a true passion project for all of them, and that's why they put so much care into these characters (even if the writers sometimes neglect the details). I think the actors bring so much to the show.

I think possibly my only 'what if' - would have been Tim Drake being an Asian character as originally planned?

And this is absolutely no hate to Jay Lycurgo, I think he did end up being fantastic in the role. He plays the character wonderfully, balancing Tim's bright optimism, gentle fears/insecurities and heroic confidence well.

But I think a visibly Asian character who is clearly connected to their heritage would have been really great to have on screen, and it would have only added to the amazing array of representation in the show. And as far as Asian actors go, I don't know who I would replace him with. (Especially because I think it's interesting when lesser known/up and coming actors play these roles, and all the ones I can think of are popular from other things, or too old to play this role???)

But I do think that it's really cool how he was also in The Batman, so there could be headcanons of him also being Tim Drake in that universe (which I haven't seen anyone mention?)

But overall, I wouldn't change anything fundamental about the cast of Titans. I think they are amazing and I think they did their job so well. They made the show what it truly is for me. They made it close to my heart.

#anonymous #sundrop answers #dc titans #titans #discussion

[vanguard-if]

Hiii Jaye. I hope you had a marvelous festive season! Jiggle bells and all that if you celebrate Christmas lol

I needed to rant as indicated on itchio.

1. Again why is this so good? It's probably witchcraft. 👀

2. Importantly. As a POC living in a african country yet a small town where my brown ass is not the majority I absolutely loved the little message you had regarding racism. I appreciate people like you so much ♥️

3. Onto the game. Cirrus is adorable and the perfect whiney baby monarch we all need! Vio and Kira? I might have gotten her name wrong sorry made me laugh so much because why the hell is everyone treating my MC like he's a menace? He probably is going to be but they don't have to be so verbal about it.

No legit. I laughed so much reading this demo. The characters came alive and MCs fears and doubts did too but more the conviction to do something new and scary. I am so looking forward to reading more and meeting the other ROs. You did a wonderful job!

STOPPP THIS IS SO SO SO SWEET you got me crying in the club frfr

THANK YOUUU and yes i do in fact cast a spell or two when i write. and also wear a suspiciously pointy hat. and maybe hold a staff in one hand and type with the other.

of course!! i was actually inspired to do this because in another IF i was reading, they had a whole bunch of worrying trigger warnings, with racism as one of them. and me, as just some brown dude, was kind of mortified because how are you going to have racism in your work without an explanation?? anyways, i'm really glad you liked and appreciated the message <3 i found it necessary if i'm going to be discussing racism, you know??

Vio and Kiera are just silly like that LMAO Kiera especially. Vio can't keep his mouth shut (we love you bae but please stop talking sometimes) and Kiera just does not give one fart if her words are too harsh towards the MC. she loves the MC but god does she have you figured out. it's assumed that the MC just in general is "unusual" by faering standards, and Vio and Kiera know them better than anyone else!! and yes Cirrus is VERY whiny. we get to see more of that later when he's actually in the North with the MC!

i'm really glad that my writing and characters came alive for you, this is probably one of the best compliments i can receive. and the other ROs?? coming in chapter one. pretty much ALL of them.

#ask #vanguard if #interactive fiction #interactive game #twine interactive fiction #vanguard #ask game #ask blog #vio vanguard #cirrus vanguard #kiera vanguard #if wip

[do-you-have-a-flag]

(genuine question) Would you mind explaining what the problem is with selling human bones? I'd never really thought about it before your fact check on that airbnb disinfo post started circulating and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I could see it being a matter of respect or consent in general, commodifying bodies of POC specifically, but I don't know anything about the industry, where these bones come from, or what the major ethical issues are. I don't really understand what's different there vs. what I consider generally accepted disturbance of human remains like in archaeology.

Oh sure, keep in mind that I am not an expert! and I'm talking about a western capitalist context for the treatment of human remains and therefore don't have any say in (for example) cultures where the treatment of the dead is different, i have not education or right to comment on that.

to repost what i later replied to the post with:

actually i'm not done, the following are about a different bone seller from the last couple years but it goes over the ethical issues around sourcing human remains

the short version is: historically and in the modern day much of the human bone trade comes from exploitation of slaves and people in lower castes and so on to the point where even if it is a retired medical model or something inherited it is most likely to be remains acquired without consent of the deceased or their families. Repatriation where possible is the most ethical solution. We do not live in the ideal world where every human skull on the market is like that guy who donated his body to science and became yorick in Hamlet for the royal shakespeare comany. acknowledging the long history of grave robbing, racism, and exploitation in the medical industry and coming to grips with the same disregard of autonomy in death and disrespect in the modern bone trade is all i'm trying to draw attention to.

use artificial replicas in your decor! or try to find animal remains that are sold from roadkill and other natural causes! you can be macabre without [gestures vaguely at the above]

so in a context of people selling human remains to use as decor for profit, that in itself would be less of a morally weird thing to do if the deceased had in any way intended that for their remains (theoretically i'm sure some people would find the concept very cool) but that's just not the reality of these remains. It is very difficult to legally chose how you wish your body to be handled after death if it diverges from the norm, I would point to ask a mortician's video about human composting to show how recent (december 2022) something like that was legalised.

The reality is it is not a market with ethical procurement, the closest it gets is being a primarily second hand market. But the sourcing issue still remains

and the topic of when something goes from archaeology to tampering with the dead is a controversial one but if you want my opinion on that then i would point precedents like the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, or to this news story

To be clear, i am not anti archaeology or against a celebratory fascination with the morbid. I am very much for demystifying the process of death. But i think that there is too much pain and exploitation and dehumanisation and objectification and commodification of people throughout history and into the modern day. We do not have the ideal reality of all human remains in circulation being willing donations. I am personally for an active process of removing remains from a commercial market, identifying their origins, and repatriation and burial where possible.

obviously exploitation will always happen, legally or not, but while i may personally feel like personhood ceases post mortem i also believe in the autonomy of the living over their own remains (whatever that might mean) and that people don't deserve to see their ancestors and kin commodified in death.

and remember that legally and widely accepted things are not always ethical.

#death cw #long post #hope you see this anon

[blakbonnet]

8 Shows to Get to Know Me

Thank you @57flagsofdeath @crowleyanthonys @let-me-dream-with-the-stars @rosettyller @stedesearring for tagging me and my other blog ❤️

1. Our Flag Means Death: Brought me back to tumblr and has healed so so many queerbaiting scars, you people have no idea. I've made so many cool friends here and it might also be the first fandom with a large poc audience which feels nice cause I don't have to be one out of five people pointing problematic stuff out, I can literally just sit back and read people who are better with words and cheer them on. This might not feel that big a deal lmaoo but it so is.

2. BBC Sherlock: mentioning this show gives me such intense anxiety and pain tbh but it was my first major fandom and while the show went to shit and I didn't see tumblr for almost 5 years cause was so heartbroken, I did have a lot of fun, fell in love, and it did kinda change my life in so many ways, so I guess it'll stay a big part of my identity sadly unfortunately gods *clenches fists* I hate that sm

3. Granada Sherlock Holmes: I rewatch this show every now and then, to me Brett's Holmes remains THE Holmes to this day, no one did it like him tbh.

4. Good Omens: I'm definitely more of a book fan for this than the show fan, but the show is pretty fucking great and stands on its own feet. I also think both Az and Crowley were cast so well, which makes it all the more better.

5. Doctor Who: Love 9 and 10, but 11 would always be my doctor because I started watching the show when he was around and I love him ✌️ kinda need to catch up with the latest seasons though

6. Interview with the Vampire: Never read the books and vampires really aren't my thing but oh god this show, just everything about it, I am yet to find anything I hate about it ngl it is done so well and so beautifully and one of the few shows where I actually like both the leads equally (lestat too he's such a messed up freak I love him)

7. Hannibal: I got into the show cause I watched the first episode as it aired with a friend here, and it was just going to be a laugh but then I got so hooked, and it's definitely one of the prettiest shows lmaoo and it's so incredibly fucked up in a way that it makes sense to my brain

8. Dark: A start to finish trippy ride and I loved every second of it. I've got a thing for time travel stuff in the sense that I do watch and read every single time travel related media I can get my hands on, and this one is still right on top of my list.

I'm gonna tag @asneakyfox @asiraphale @abigailpents (no pressure)

#tag games

[yourlocalnetizen]

You're allowed to not like race swapping (I'm not being racist, please please please keep reading before forming a opinion)

I'm serious. It's okay to be unhappy about seeing characters you love look unrecogisable.

HOWEVER, It is NOT okay to harass actors for getting casted in roles.

They are actors trying to do their job, build their careers, and take the opportunities they get. THEY ARE NOT BAD PEOPLE FOR ACTING.

When Princess Ariel and Annabeth Chase were revealed to be portrayed by black actresses, I was surprised yes, and I knew I might find the change hard to get used to but I was never mad at Halle Bailey or Leah Jefferies AND I NEVER EVER DARE HARASSED THEM (like some of y'all did).

In fact, I feel sorry for them. It's a very hard task for black actresses to get major roles, it would be even harder if race swapping didn't exist... AND THAT'S A SHAME because everyone deserves to have their stories told, stories that honor their cultural identities rather than someone else's.

Before I go, I have a question to ask all of you. Do you see this much outrage when characters are whitewashed?

I don't. I really don't.

I've noticed many times in my life that biracial people are given preference to play fully POC characters and no one gets upset.

Disney has, on numerous occasions given roles of fully POC characters to half white actors or actresses.

Rocky and K.C. were both fully black characters played by Zendaya, who is half black and half white

Mo from Lemonade Mouth had two Indian parents, yet Naomi Scott is only half Indian.

Other examples of whitewashing I can come up with from the top of my head are:

Jinx from Teen Titans. I know she's animated but it was something that upset me (even as a huge fan who found Jinx's design pretty) so I'm going to point it out. She was originally an Indian sorceress but the show portrays her as paper white.

Aang, Katara, & Sokka in M. Night Shyamalan's worst film ever. Other characters like Zuko were race swapped.

Everyone is West Side Story 1961 except Anita.

I could come up with more examples since there are tons but I think I've proven my point.

also want to note I love Zendaya and I think highly of all the other actors I mentioned in the whitewashing part. I don't blame any of them for accepting those roles because they want to build their careers and I'd have done the same in their place but I'm just trying to make a point that black people and other POC deserve roles too and you have no right to be mad at them for accepting a role.

#race swap #racisim #whitewashing #the little mermaid #halle bailey #percy jackon and the olympians #leah jeffries #zendaya #naomi scott #princess ariel #annabeth chase

[brownbitchshit]

Review filled with probable unpopular opinions and spoilers.........

Before I start the review,I'd like to say that I went into watching this movie with the absolute mindset that there's no way a book like RWRB (which is one of my most favourite books of all time) can be adapted into a 2 hour long movie and since series wasn't doable, I'll have to make do with this. So I truly went in with the hopes of seeing my FirstPrince and generally getting the heart of the movie. But contrary to what people are saying, I think the movie tried to adapt too much of the book plot and lost the main vibe of the story in the process. As I go into the details and spoilers, I'd like to be clear that they are my opinions only. It's in no way an attack or criticisms on anyone who loved the movie. So please do not take it personally and consider it my ranting.

................................. Spoilers.….....................................

1. First problem I have with the movie is how much it tried to adapt of the book. I know, it sounds controversial but lemme explain. The book had too many plots and I personally felt like despite cutting down characters and simplifying some major plot points, the movie tried to show too much of too many plots. In the process, the plots that needed the time to breathe in order to translate the main heart of the story, got lost in translation. For example Henry losing his father, his existential crisis, him being in the closet for the crown. Even though he kept saying he cant be out and everything but the story never really showed what's at stake. Even Stephen Fry's King seemed very harmless which made the entire plot kind of moot. Same goes for Alex. Without his parents' divorce, his entire I don't think I'm good enough vibe just didn't come across. I generally felt like in order to get all the stories across, they didn’t spend any time to capture the fear of them being together, the horror of being out and the repercussions of what it meant and mostly why their characters are more than just 'Privileged public figures who live in palaces'. By not showing Henry's mom they erased the pain and impact he had of losing his father and by not showing June and Alex's parents' divorce,they erased the explanation about his fierceness and determination.

2. I personally was in support of aged-up Alex and Henry simply because it made their love-story more solid. But the problem was despite having aged-up cast, Matthew Lopez tried to keep their characters very true to the book. Which meant at time Taylor Zakhar Perez as Alex looked extremely immature and weird acting like a early 20 something guy when he clearly was not. Also his entire 'They don't like me' 'I don't know if I'm good enough' insecurity seemed childish especially since none of his other issues were shown like his parents's divorce or ADHD. Again I think instead of going through the checklist of getting all the book plots done, they should have explained Alex's background a little more showing why him as a brown man feels this need to be the best, why he finds it so hard to accepted by people. Obviously they mention it, but they never get into it. Which is a shame tbh.

3. Erasing June and keeping Nora while not explaining who Nora is, kind of lightened Alex's character even more. Apart from helping Alex to realize his sexuality, she literally served no purpose. At least if June were there, they could've shown some sibling bonding and a deeper look at Alex's character and explain the whole dynamic of being the first son and daughter of USA while being POCs.

4. The few changes that truly bothered me which served no purpose at all and again changed the tone of the film are Alex's confession scene in the rain and him giving a speech without Henry's input. I don't know why they chose not to give us the passionate reunion when Alex storms into the Kensington and instead cut to the V&A scene because honestly it didn’t make sense. We could do without the V&A scene and instead spend more time on them talking about their feelings more and just spend more time into that moment to build its momentum. It all felt extremely rushed which easily could have been avoided. And also why Alex will choose to come out without Henry and make a speech about their relationship without their input made no sense. It just made it seem like being Bi and dating Henry is easier for Alex and he had no real threat by putting himself out there like that whereas in the book we could feel how vulnerable it made him and how scared they both were when he made the 'America, he is my choice' speech.

Now the things that I liked/loved :

1. The lake scene. The entire scene was so well done, maybe because for once they took the time to slow down and let Henry's emotion show for once. I thought it was more beautiful than it was in the book.

2. Alex's involvement in the politics. If there was one thing that Matthew Lopez did to adjust the plot to Alex's age was this and I personally liked seeing this bit because again for the first time it gave us a glimpse of who Alex was and what his ambitions were which was lacking from the rest of the film.

3. Alex's scenes with his family was spot on. No complain there.

4. Alex and Henry's intimate scenes were well done. Although I wish they were a bit longer and more sensual but I liked it. I am confused though why is this film R-rated (except for TZP's butt scene) because the sex scenes were extremely innocent.

5. Henry when he finds out about the leak. That scene was again well done because they took the time to show the emotion and the heart of the movie.

To sum it up, I feel like the movie tried to adapt too much of the book. I think Matthew truly made the movie like a fan which in my opinion backfired a little. Because I think since this book is too long to be adapted into a movie, the best course of action should've been to capture the main theme of the story and make many changes accordingly. I think he chose to serve the book lovers, which is not a bad way to make an adaptation but I think as a movie, it is what let it down. As the book fan, you probably will be happy to see the plot checklists being ticked in. But as a movie, I found the plots very rushed, characters underdeveloped and underutilized, unnecessary storylines and the love story underdeveloped. Although I would give kudos to Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez because they were good as Henry and Alex. I wish Matthew had done a better job with their character development because these two could have really made Henry and Alex into 100% perfection and take the movie to the next level.

#red white and royal blue #red white and royal blue movie #nicholas galitzine #rwrb movie #taylor zakhar perez #hrh prince henry #alex claremont diaz

[yelena-bellova]

I saw a poll on this and I wanted to know your opinion: what is the most toxic fandom?

Alrighty, get your snacks and sit back…

I don’t know if there’s necessarily one fandom that’s the most toxic. The toxicity doesn’t come from the product itself because the majority of these shows, movies, games, books, etc. that we all love aren’t morally questionable. It’s individual people that kick up a storm and they’re, obviously, in every single fandom.

That being said, having been a part of online fandom culture since the SuperWhoLock days, here’s my observations…

To this day, the two most toxic fandoms I’ve been a part of are Stranger Things and Star Wars and both have to do with age.

Stranger Things, while being a show that purposefully appeals to many age demographics, seems to draw a lot of younger fans online. Gen Z is completely unhinged with their opinions and, having grown up on social media, see trolling and online attacks as a way to be heard. Cyberbullying? They’re all for it, because that’s what they’ve been taught.

The Byler fandom specifically is the most toxic group of fans I’ve ever seen in any fandom. Again, these fans tend to be on the younger side and have no qualms about screaming their lungs out until they pass out. They’ve gone after multiple actors, other fan accounts, and have taken the joy right out of the show for a lot of us who like to discuss it. I’m not a Byler shipper, but I avoid the stans at all cost just because of the attitudes I’ve seen…

That’s not to say that older fans aren’t part of the problem. The Steddie fandom is intolerable, in my opinion. The Billy Hargrove stans are…otherworldly. And a lot of Eddie fans are straight up crazy. I said what I said…

Bringing us to Star Wars…

Star Wars’ problem lies more with the older fans…it’s straight up racism and sexism. Whenever there’s a POC cast in a role other than Rebel Pilot #64 or a woman is given a lead role, you’d think the sky was falling. And, much like their younger counterparts, hate is the first place they go. They lead online attacks and try to bully and petition the actors either a) out of the franchise or b) off of social media.

Star Wars is a highly political fandom which is hilarious considering it’s a universe about spaceships and little green gremlins that eat blue cookies, but I digress…

Moses Ingram, Kelly-Marie Tran, Daisy Ridley and John Boyega (this is just naming the few that I’m aware of) have all survived so many social media attacks they should have never dealt with in the first place, simply because a bunch of (typically) straight white fanboys can’t deal with representation. Star Wars, in their mind, is reserved solely for the “heroes” and the heroes can only be strapping white males.

And yes, there’s such a thing as forced representation that happens in media to fill quotas or to avoid being cancelled, but so far, Star Wars hasn’t slipped and everyone they’ve hired for their projects has knocked it out of the park. So why does it matter what color their skin is or what their gender is if they’re the best suited to bring their characters to life?

Two fandoms, two different age groups, but the same feral, hateful attitude. One is for representation, one’s against it…but both are wrong.

At the end of the day, these are made up characters in made up universes on made up shows, and there’s fans that take it all a little too seriously. These shows and movies are here for our enjoyment, not to create more discord in the world, and more fans need to realize this.

#sorry for the novel but i have a lot of feelings on the subject #anon #asked and answered #fandom behavior

[notexactlyrocketscience]

Alright y'all, let's do this.

Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022)

(no major spoilers!)

If you missed my long hate-rant about the book, here you are.

Jenny Han is a great contemporary author, I just feel like the book focused on the wrong (and often problematic) themes, and therefore didn't age well. Naturally, I was excited about the 2022 Amazon Prime adaptation for that reason—I binged it in one go, and I wasn’t disappointed!

What I disliked:

🥀 There's nothing particularly special or distinctly high-budget about the show (perhaps other than the marketing)—It definitely has that same old teen drama ambience with a generic original background music score, and sometimes doesn’t linger long enough on important scenes. The flashbacks are kinda eh because the characters just look like adults dressed like kids, so I'm glad they kept those to a minimum. (Some book fans were disappointed but tbh most of the flashbacks in the book were just depictions of Belly being bullied by the boys and then idolizing them for the bare minimum.)

🥀 Love triangles involving siblings are just icky, okay? I was hoping they'd tone it down a little in the show, maybe limit it to just a confession scene, some chaste and awkward dating, and then a heartbreaking rejection for the second lead, but ohhhhh no. ಠ_ಠ

🥀 Y'all ... it should be ILLEGAL for teen shows to depict PARENTS having sex or steamy makeouts. Look, I fully respect that all parents are individuals with their own lives, sexuality, et cetera outside of their roles as parents, but even for me as a grown adult it’s uncomfortable and traumatizing to watch, okay? WHY is it necessary??

🥀 It's looking like they're going to bring out further seasons, but man I hate the icky trash-drama plots of the sequels. I hope they heavily diverge from that, but really I wish they'd neatly wrapped up in one season while they were still ahead.

Okay, onto things I liked 💫:

🌻 THE CASTING?? The books made it seem like everyone was white, but the show is sooo inclusive! They made Laurel, Steven and Belly Korean-American just like Han, which I appreciated so much. ❣️ They're all amazing actors, perfect for each role and really brought the characters to life.

🌻 There's so much more content about the parents! (Aside from the unnecessary makeout/sex scenes) Laurel is an author (!! like Han!) and Susannah is an artist. The dads are around, too, and we get to learn so much about all the adults' dynamic!

🌻 BISEXUAL JEREMIAH! BISEXUAL JEREMIAH, THIS IS NOT A DRILL!! This was so perfect for his golden retriever-like character, like a missing puzzle piece. 💖💜💙 There's also a side-character sapphic couple, and a bi middle-aged man main character. The queer inclusion is perfect and never feels artificial.

🌻 THE MUSIC SELECTION?! Sooo high-budget and inclusive of POC and queer artists: Lots of Taylor Swift, plus Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Baby Queen, HAIM, Japanese Breakfast, Phoebe Bridgers, BLACKPINK, Bon Iver, Matt Maltese, Doja Cat, Hayley Kyoko, Tame Impala, and so many others. Amazon Prime does such a phenomenal job of matching specific lyrics and vibes to a scene, but again sometimes the fade-in/-out is abrupt, probably because of screentime limits.

🌻 THE BOYS AREN’T ASSHOLES!! Applauds wildly Steven is sometimes bossy, insecure and mean, but he's quick to see sense and apologise. Jeremiah is only reasonably protective and rarely immature; for the most part he's so, so selfless and adoring. The show does a MILES better job in portraying Conrad NOT as a selfish asshole, but as a usually gentle and attentive person who is very bothered (for GOOD reasons) and not himself this summer. He doesn't have the headspace to indulge in serious romantic pursuits, but his emotions often get the better of him and he acts impulsively, letting people down. He eventually realises his wrongdoings and always makes proper amends. Cam is the gentleman he always is, and the other boys respect that—any jibes they initially make at him are significantly more light-hearted. Toxic masculinity is NOT romanticised like it is in the book.

🌻 Belly is the exact character I wanted in the books. She knows what she wants—personal growth and respect from others. AND she stands up for herself several times. She is not a pick-me girl and calls out bullshit. Most of all, she doesn't mistreat Cam.

🌻 Women in general are portrayed better. There are many complex teen girls in the series, all with their own individual backgrounds. Taylor and Belly have their fights but then they talk things out like real friends. It's really refreshing and more accurate to real life.

🌻 New scenes were added with all the important conversations and communication between the characters that never happened in the book. It made the series so much more comforting and wholesome, and didn't leave me with that uneasy feeling.

🌻 The new plotline additions were highly appreciated! They're nothing ultra-original, but they subtly enriched the narrative and removed the overly serious focus on the romance that the book had.

🌻 The theme (or at least, one of the major themes) was the correct one!—That all teen girls (and anyone!) deserve to feel both pretty and independant whenever they want to, regardless of what they look like, what they're wearing, where they are. This does not make them less worthy of respect, and is not an excuse to infantilise or dismiss them. A true coming-of-age.

🌻 The summery beach setting really is soothing and lovely. 🌅

🌻 This time, I totally shipped Belly with whoever the show was going for. The sparks were there, and it felt warm and bright. It just worked and made sense, every time. They definitely did that part right. ✨

That's all from me, folks! It's not a must-watch show by any means, but definitely more worth your time than the book, especially since Jenny Han was involved in the writing process. 🌸 Have fun!

#the summer i turned pretty #it’s not summer without you #we’ll always have summer #summer trilogy #jenny han #isabel conklin #belly conklin #jeremiah fisher #conrad fisher #amazon prime #cam cameron #laurel park #susannah conklin #coming of age #teen shows #teen romance #book adaptation #belly x conrad #belly x jeremiah #tv show #ya books #young adult #bisexual #bi #sapphic #achillean #wlw #mlm #taylor swift #swiftie

[fayesdiary]

Congrats on beating VD ! What are your thoughts on the story of this route ?

Barring the feeling of "I've done this already" that permeated the majority of the playthrough, I found VW to be good, but not great.

The Deer are a great cast of characters but they're almost completely uninvolved with everything that happens in Part 1 unlike the Lions and the Eagles too to a lesser extent.

And while I now love Claude about as much as Dimitri which is a lot they're amazing, his story really doesn't play up to his strengths as a character because as we all know, it's a recycled version of Silver Snow (speaking of it's very cool that the first and currently only POC protagonist ended up with the copypasted story🙄), which is such a shame because he's so interesting and fun.

Like, does his curiosity about Fòdlan mean he slowly starts putting together and figure out its true history? No, Rhea just dumps the whole thing in the second-to-last chapter. Lysithea hinted at knowing the Twisted and revealed her history with them, so does she mean she investigates with Claude and Byleth to find them, uncover their secrets and eliminate them? No, Hubert is the one to posthumously doxx them instead.

There's both a lack of build-up and spotlight being stolen that permeated the whole route for me, and Nemesis is the perfect example.

Shows up in the last chapter out of nowhere, apparently he was just sealed in Shambhala (which is a really cool setting btw) just because and didn't fit in the Twisted's plans whatsoever, keeps yelling about Seiros when she's not even there and the Elites are also just... there. Completely silent. With none of their descendants being able to recognize them or have a monologue upon realizing their bloody legacy. (Like imagine Catherine coming to terms with the fact her ancestor helped murder Rhea's entire race as well as the fact her prized sword is actually one of her family members' remains. Or Lorenz realizing his proud noble lineage actually comes from a barbaric thief complicit in genocide)

To me Nemesis is the perfect final boss for Claude's story because he's both the (un)living symbol of the true history of Fòdlan written in blood that must be put an end to, as well as the literal embodiement of everything Claude stands against, but the lack of build-up and wasted narrative potential drags it down quite a bit for me.

I really appreciate how Claude and Byleth actually feel like equals and friends, compared to Dimitri's "only Byleth can make him come to his senses despite the fact Rodrigue had to literally die for him to stop and rethink what he's doing thereby making his entire support network feel almost worthless" and... whatever Edelgard's deal is. Helps he's actually competent without them around unlike the other two who are helpless.

That said I like Dimitri's unceremonious death. It's completely devoid of glory and fanfare and it really makes it clear where his quest for revenge would have brought him hadn't he stopped in Azure Moon. We lose the friendship between Dimitri and Claude as a consequence for it which is a huge shame but... eh, I can live with that.

Also his scheme to infiltrate Fort Merceus was fun and I wish there were more moments like that that actually made use of Claude's favorite MO

#ask replies #yanderefairyangel #fire emblem #fire emblem three houses #fe16 #fe16 spoilers #claude #verdant wind #my rambles #you really deserved a better route that you could actually call your own claude

[ludcake]

strong boy race discourse anon here

youre right in that the strong boys race is a pretty minor point in the whole problem with hotd’s casting. Its more if a pet peeve of mine- the way some fans talk about it irk makes sound like theyve never seen a mixed race person ever

my biggest issue with the casting is that the velaryons are the only black people in the show- and with criston and mysaria being the only other poc in the show. To me it seems like a post-bridgerton, “we can have **diverse** casting too we can be **woke** too” (and man i hate the way the meaning of woke has been twisted from its origin-but thats way besides the points) decision that the writers and directors didnt fully consider the optics of. Maybe it wouldve been better it there were more non white characters but idk if i would trust the hotd team with that

sorry for dumping all of this in your inbox

Yeah, I definitely agree with the idea that racially *excluding* the Velaryons and Criston and Mysaria was wholly the wrong move. Instead, they should've moved to introduce diversity in a more widespread, direct way - by articulating phenotypes within the traditionally white majority of Westeros and pushing forward a more holistic view of ethnicity.

I think that having racial diversity is great! I think that the Dornish not being white is a *lovely* move, because even if they're supposedly white in the books, it fundamentally translates the racial tension between the marchers to something more easily recognisable to the target audience. Unfortunately, they put forward race as a plotpoint in a story where it leads to this racial mixing issue.

#.txt #anon ask #asoiaf #hotd #valyrianscrolls