#money must be made

[megslovesbooks]

There’s a party tonight that all my friends are going too, but I don’t have a costume and anyway I don’t really feel like being around a lot of people. Anyone got any ideas of how to spend a quiet solo Halloween night? I don’t really like super scary movies because I’m kind of a weenie. I just want to do something cozy and maybe meet a nice ghost, I don’t think that’s asking a lot. 😂

#megs talks i guess #just feeling kinda tired this year #would like to just hibernate until spring #but alas #money must be made

[inkskinned]

oh you know it's all latestage capitalism but the thing is. how are you supposed to be a person inside of this. a person trying to be a better version of yourself.

oh, you started working young, which was kind of hard, but it's just the way stuff works sometimes. and it was 2008 and your family couldn't afford heat. but it's fine, you grow a spine and get used to the professional world and besides it was the suburbs we're talking about here, like, your life could have been actually hard, so what if your father lost his job and you can't afford to move or turn the lights back on. and once you start making money, it's good. you keep doing that. because now they're relying on you. so you have to do that.

oh you were in thousands of dollars of debt at 17 years old so that you could go to school, because you have to go to school if you want to get a "real" job. you even did it "right", you worked parttime and attended community college before you transferred to a public school. you were under so many merit scholarships.

which is fine. you pick yourself up and you say like, okay. i graduated college. i'm holding down a job. i'm doing the Adult Thing, which looks and acts like this, according to all the books i've read. you start with the shitty job and then you climb that corporate ladder.

but the shitty job doesn't cover rent and you stretch yourself too-thin so you get sick. good luck with that. the shitty job no longer pays for your meals. everyone asks why you don't just move, but there's nowhere to move to. and with what money are you going to be moving? and then the loans come back, because they were never going to forgive them, because you were 17 and trying to do the right thing, which was stupid. people are now saying you shouldn't have even gone to school.

which is fine. but because you have no other option, so you do the shitty job, and you apply every day for like 5 new ones, and despite the fact everyone says "there's no one who wants to work!" it's actually just that nobody is fucking hiring so you can either work for 13 dollars an hour in the shitty place you know (where at least you have a passingly friendly relationship with the manager) or you can start from scratch again with a different 13 dollars an hour without knowing how much abuse from the new job you'll be taking.

and if you quit you lose your insurance. if you quit you lose your housing. if you quit, you'll be another burnout kid. the lazy ones. these assholes, look at them!

and you come home to a family dinner and you hear from your father the same old thing. how he worked hard at his job and yes it sucked for a while but he was able to provide for the family and then the house and the dog and the rest of barbie's dream vacation. how the insurance did cover some of it. how you just really need to start speaking up more in manager conversations so they know you're a go-getter. you want to tell him - did you know we're actually doing more now hourly than any previous generation? - but you can't remember where you heard that statistic, and you're far too tired for the fucking argument. and then he starts in on his usual bit. where's the house? where's your kids? where's your ambition.

the same job the same money the same hours doesn't do it anymore. the same nose-to-the-grindstone now just shreds your face off. there's no such thing as upwards mobility, not really. and as far as you're aware, the money certainly is not trickling. you do the soulless stupid shit you signed up for because you fucking have to or else you literally risk your life (food, the apartment, the insurance), but it's not getting you anything. you download the stupid "save more" app and you budget and you do every right thing and then the price of eggs is 7 dollars and you say - oh great! another thing i have to fucking worry about now!

and you go to your stupid job and everyone in your father's generation just tells you to be better about being an adult. they have their homes and their savings account and their bailout and they say. well have you tried not drinking starbucks. well your generation just spends too much on clothing. well you might just be too addicted to travelling. and you - because you need the job - you bite your tongue and don't say i am being held prisoner and you're suggesting i stop pacing my cell if i don't like the scenery and you don't say what the fuck do you think i've been doing with my money and you don't say i haven't spent a cent on something nice in literally forever much less coffee you arrogant asshole. you open and close your bank app and check your loans and check your credit score and check fucking zillow and ziprecruiter and apartments.com just one time more. and still they give you that demeaning little grin and say - see, what you need is -

what you need is for your meds to stop being so fucking expensive. what you need is for the housing bubble to explode into dust. what you need is for billionaires to choke on their wealth. what you need is actual help. what you will get is more economic advice from people who are older-and-wiser.

and above you, almost in a glimmer, you can see the wedged smile of your debt getting toothier, wider.

#i hate when people try to tell me i didn't do it right #what should i have done better #i did it ALL the right way #(not that there is a right way) #it's just that others feel comfortable believing that THEY did it the right way and that's how they made money #whereas i must have just committed a sin somewhere in there! i MUST be doing it wrong!!! #and i'm not a victim!!! im simply experiencing consequences! #and im like. where . where. wherewherewherewhere #i graduated top of my class. i was almost the student speaker. #i have always excelled at work and i work hard #i have been working since i was 13 #WHERE !!!!! IS MY FUCKING !!!! MONEY!!!!!! #ps please do not make the assumption i am ablebodied or neurotypical. #i am neither of these things. #it DOES get worse if u are either of those things. so fuckin much #but @ the one anon who was like ''u could be X that would be worse u don't know how lucky u are'' #.... don't i? #do i need to be luckier than someone else #or is it possible we are BOTH victims? #and that we need to work TOGETHER to resolve it #not just wave it off since it COULD be harder for someone else... it can be true we BOTH deserve better

[wardback]

#the trifecta #all three completed in like not even an hour of eachother #giving the waylons an absolute run for their money #i think i saw someone make this point like a month ago but i was rewatching npmd and realised it again so i made this #nerdy prudes must die #peter spankoffski #grace chasity #stephanie lauter #npmd #npmd spoilers

[kaeyachi]

NEW CANON KAEYA TIDBITS FROM THE KAEYA HANGOUT PT. 1

The heavy lore post will be posted later! These ones are just more on his personality, likes and dislikes, and brief history hehehe

SPOILERS BELOW!!

I'm doing things in bullet point form coz wow there's a lot

Was the gentle and polite child! Also frequently got sick. Addie frequently took care of him in those times hehe. Is it possible that this is because of his experiences prior to getting to Mond? Travelling as a child would have made him vulnerable to tougher weather and rapidly at that. I doubt that food comes easy too. Additionally, HE WAS LEFT IN A STORM. I still think Kaeya is gentle and polite, though he definitely gives the face of charming and sly (if it benefits him and it works then might as well keep it going!)

Kindness is so inherent in him that he automatically does kind acts. He only acts like he has an ulterior motive, and tbh? I bet that act is only to keep people away. I think I made a oneshot about this saying his biological father may be worried about this tendency? Or something similar. Worryingly enough, Kaeya clearly has a hard time accepting words of affirmation from literally everyone. Heartbreaking to see in action.

Diluc is a menace, asking Kaeya to help him in his mischief, tsk. Kaeya apparently also helps Diluc in the punishments he receives. Kaeya ended up doing the most of it :( (what are the odds of Kaeya also doing Diluc's paperwork while said redhead was out on the field? What if the reason Kaeya wasn't with Diluc and Crepus during that one fateful 18th birthday because he was covering for Diluc's shift...). Tbh? Kaeya never stopped covering for Diluc. Even now, he is still covering for Diluc (DKH).

This one set off alarms in my mind. Kaeya was apparently not a very good liar when he was younger. I now definitely think that Crepus knew Kaeya lied about his origins. The question is, did Diluc know Kaeya was not a strong liar before their fight? Or did he remember afterwards and was immediately faced with even more guilt?

He might actually have a sweet tooth! Dear god look at the number of desserts he ordered. Do note that Death Afternoon is a mixture that lessens the bitterness of Dandelion Wine. Additionally, Kaeya wasn't interested in wine when he was younger, he only grew into it because it reminds him of home after he left :( The Cider Lake drink is also sweet! And I'm guessing plain chicken mushroom skewers weren't sweet enough, so he decided to add fruits to it. I THINK CREPUS ACCIDENTALLY GOT HIM INTO LIKING ALCOHOL AFTER CREATING THE CIDER LAKE DRINK LMAO. Crepus suceeding in preventing alcohol intake from one child and ended up giving it to the other

Fairly sure he was being flirted on here by an entire group of mercenaries and just didn't realize which would make things extremely funny. They saw him and immediately went "we need to see that body in the dance floor ASAP". What if he doesn't realize he is being flirted on until he is slapped in the face with a confession? It's also funny if he flirts up a storm and not realize people are flirting back lmao

So I was right... he was not kicked out. He moved out on his own. Diluc is fine with him frequenting Dawn Winery, expects it even (lol my short 1 shot makes sense now). The staff keep asking him to come back and visit more frequently. Adelinde says that Kaeya is always part of the family. They become so happy when Kaeya comes back, it's like a weight is lifted off of everyone's chests. IT'S KAEYA WHO KEEPS SAYING HE'S A GUEST AND SEPARATING HIMSELF OUGH. He's the one trying to stay away after all :((( Let's summarize this: Kaeya was the sickly, quick to bruise, kind, gentle, and polite child who everyone in the staff (and Diluc) adores and still treats like he is their baby, but said baby of the family KEEPS LEAVING. Go home Kaeya!

Klee keeps looking for Kaeya! And Kaeya reads her bedtime stories!!! Hearing her voice ask where Kaeya was broke my heart, I think I'd like that used for angst purposes. Kaeya is once again letting a mischievous pyro user get away with causing mischief. Kaeya you enabler lmaaaoooo. Kaeya frequently rescues Klee from solitary confinement, done so enough times that Klee now does the same for him (I bet she thinks Kaeya is in solitary confinement whenever he's busy doing paperwork). Not to Kaebedo/Albekae you guys (I am Kaebedo/Albekae-ing you guys), but I'm fairly sure Kaeya and Albedo spend so much time together with Klee. Again, frequent enough that Albedo has tons of drawings of Kaeya (the 3 brushstrokes is a popular meme, but it actually is just a way to say that he has drawn Kaeya a lot. Bet he could draw Kaeya with his eyes closed haha). HE GOT THEM MATCHING GIFTS THATS ADORABLE

Speaking of gifts, he's a great gift giver! He really listens to people's needs and wants. What a thoughtful man (Diluc was right in his letters in hidden strife though. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF KAEYA). Speaking of, I'm guessing Kaeya is rich? Because I'm fairly sure the gifts were bought with his own pocket money and thus the huge amount of travel funds remaining (the gifts are expensive, surely it should have put a dent to the said funds had he used them)

THAT IS ALL FOR NOW, I MIGHT MAKE A PART 2 BECAUSE I WANT TO TACKLE MORE STUFF BUT THE PHOTO LIMIT GOT TO ME

#kaeya #kaeya alberich #kaeya hangout #kaeya hangout spoilers #genshin spoilers #other topics i want to discuss are diluc and his blatant big bro weakness of doing what the baby says #dude puts kaeya's gifts on display like a parent who would stick his child's drawings on a freezer #another one is that KOF captains are ALL actually rich and might not have realized that the money flowing around is a lot lol #one more is kaeya's strict distinction between informant and friend. His information network must be insane and frankly? Self-made and grow #we also see kaeya as a quick thinker multiple times and one with great strategies and solutions at that... what a skill #ALL THOSE AND MORE FOR PT 2. DAMN YOU PHOTO LIMIT

[theskymahtin]

I can't stop thinking about the Watcher thing it's just so fascinatingly bizarre . like so many components of that decision and how they handled it were so bad and so completely out of left field for how they've operated in the past I am baffled . Someone put these guys under a microscope Stat

#watcher #like ?? it all boils down to money i know but wow #like i dont think Anyone would've cared that they introduced a subscription service if they hadnt announced it in the worst most victim #complex way possible + made SUCH a stark leap from completely paid to completely behind a paywall ?? i do not know how they expected that t #go over well #i guess i am just most baffled by the way it seems to suggest that they are just so out of touch when previously #they seemed overall very humble and down to earth #i do not think theyre just like evil money hungry freaks or something #like definitely its also that they also just want to keep improving and making better stuff and that takes more money but also . #like ....... their content Has gone a little downhill despite it all . i think most people have been thinking that and just holding out hop #that it wasnt true. #idk im gonna stop talking its not important #i dont even know why im so invested in this actually . its just . so bizarre as previously stated #trainwreck etc. #i am glad they frantically took everything back dear god #funny to watch a little i must admit #mine

[bearotonin-international]

Hey y’all it’s Monday

A good time to take a minute to paws and reflect on how much you wish it’s still the weekend

#also paws and reflect on how much capitalism and 5 day work weeks stink #just sayin #what is capitalism to a bear? #what is this nonsense? #why must humans spend the majority of their lives doing mundane things in order to make this abstract thing called “money” #money is made up #capitalism is made up #everything is made up #oh my #some real existential tuesday thoughts right here even though it's actually #Punday Monday

[overrated-sheep]

ya know i was like one of those people who really like the idea of sam and dean being straight and that they were each other's exception but idk im looking at the season box art and LMAO THEY LOOK SO GAY

#spn #samdean #wincest #im a lil baked rn #but it made me laff #like you thot these guys were straight?? all the money they must spend of hairspray and like 60$ flannel #i mean i guess charlie did give them the infinite money card but they look so clean cut its kinda weird

[wibble-wobbegong]

more of a personal vent so reblogs are turned off but i hate that im never gonna be able to look at a show i poured my love into for so long again. i made so many friends and learned so many skills and had an amazing time with this show and now i cant look at anything related to it without feeling sick knowing i spent that long praising people who support genocide when its presented to them.

#moslty im very hopeful most people will give up their comforts for the sake of making a point to people with influence #influence is how propaganda is spread/change is made #people with influence must lose their influence if they yse it to support genocide #i wish i was 18 and had money so i could go sit outside of the play opening day with a palestine flag vut realistically that wont do much #im just very emotional #dear diary

[antirepurp]

fellas, do you think rise of lyric would've gotten a pc release if nintendo had just called their console "wii 2" and clearly signified it was a new console and not a wii accessory, already making the marketing of the damn thing a lot clearer which might have boosted their sales and perhaps made them less likely to look for exclusive releases to entice the masses to get their funny electronics wrapped in fisher price plastic

#soda offers you a can #the wii u's poor reception must have played a part in this to some degree #why else make 3 whole sonic games exclusive to the console #why else put your sonic games on the least popular console on the market??? #unless john nintendo was giving you a modest proposal of Big Money #because they needed to sell more consoles and needed more exclusives to do so #tin foil hatting time or whatever. but really do you think “wii 2” would've made the difference i feel it would've made #but yeah obligatory reminder it was ultimately sega who fucked up my boy nintendo just indirectly contributed to this

[simplegenius042]

Fallout Casting for Ryomen Sukuna Matata for Jujutsu Kaisen Abridged react fic

"Fuck school! Be crime! Do gay!" - Ryomen Sukuna, Episode 2 JJK Abridged (by the Schmuck Squad).

Reasons To Why I Believe These Characters Should Be Casted listed below the cut:

Richard Grey/The Master (the leader of the Super Mutant Army and the main antagonist of Fallout (1997), seeking to evolve humanity into super mutants with the Forced Evolutionary Virus (FEV), however, is stopped by the Vault Dweller, Elrand Brandt, and his companions via the power of persuasion) -> Mostly the grotesque way his body is morphed and stuff, but you can imagine his mouth opening on Ryder's body like Sukuna does on Itadori's body.

Sulik (a tribal looking to save his sister in Fallout 2, was saved by the Chosen One, Finidy Mona, and joined her as a companion to find the GECK, while she also helps him save his sister from slavers) -> It's mostly his tattoos that got me to choose him as a potential candidate.

Stanislaus Braun (the Overseer of Vault 112 in Fallout 3, Braun is a sadistic old man who regularly tortures his captives in a world of virtual reality, but had known the location and use of the GECK, which lead James Dolen to seek him out (only to be transformed into a dog), but was later outwitted by Alph inside the VR world and Amata from within Vault 112) -> Evil for the sake of being evil? Hates a kid for no reason? Would definitely take over somebody's body if given the chance? Sukuna candidate.

Yes Man (a securitron Benny had tampered with to help him overthrow House, is key to the Independent Vegas ending of Fallout New Vegas. Courier Six, aka Ryder, finds him in Benny's penthouse, and teams up with the securitron to save Benny from Caesar and overthrow House together) -> Listen he's too cheery for his own good. And sarcastic too. Like Abridged Sukuna.

DiMA (the synth co-leader of Acadia in Fallout 4 Far Harbor DLC. He is also the "brother" of Nick Valentine, the person who gets the Sole Survivor, Nate, to admit that he's likely a synth himself and has been involved in the sketchy shit around Far Harbor) -> Though the least potent candidate, what cannot be denied is that DiMA disregards everything about morality when it comes to doing what he thinks is the ways things should be.

The Scorchbeast Queen (the motherfucking progenitor of the Scorched disease and the final boss of Fallout 76 (if players nuke her nest at Fissure Site Prime). The Resident, Vega, only survives her encounter with the Scorchbeast Queen because of the FEV that had partly transformed her) -> She looks as ugly as Sukuna's fingers.

John Henry Eden (the President who runs the Enclave in Fallout 3, has all the personalities of the past presidents copied and downloaded into his A.I. He intended to use the water purifier to release a modified FEV into the water to kill anyone with a trace of radiation in them. He attempted to get Amata onboard with this plan, but since it would technically kill Alph, Amata convinced the president to give her the virus to "use" and tricked Eden into self-destructing and run like hell while Raven Rock fell down around her, towards Alph and his companions who were fighting outside trying to get to her inside) -> Eden and Sukuna are all aboard the murder express.

Dean Domino (one of Ryder's temporary companions in Fallout New Vegas Dead Money DLC. He was friends with Frederick Sinclair and had used Vera Keyes to get him one step closer to the Sierra Madre vault, however America being nuked interrupted this heist and lead him to being ghoulified, and while trying to get into the Sierra Madre, had been forced by Father Elijah to help him get into the resort. Dean eventually betrays Ryder inside the Sierra Madre, having been unable to comprehend someone could be as smart as him, which leads to him getting filled with lead) -> Dean Domino is a selfish bastard, Ryomen Sukuna is a selfish bastard.

Dr Klein (a brain apart of the Think Tank in Fallout New Vegas Old World Blues DLC, he was the director of the Big MT. His speakers are set on a loud volume and he is quite an arrogant punk. Klein and the rest of the Think Tank had vivisected Ryder, taking her heart and spine (and losing her brain to Dr. Mobius) and would only allow her to leave if she dealt with Mobius and gave them the resources to explore the Mojave from the safety of Big MT) -> As loud as Abridged Sukuna is.

Ishmael Ashur (the leader of the Pitt in Fallout 3 The Pitt DLC, though he is the big boss of slavers and raiders, Ashur is trying to humanely find a cure for the Trog which his daughter Marie seems to be immune to. However, the Lone Wanderer, Alph's appearance in the Pitt shakes things up) -> If Ashur just lost his benevolent intentions behind his actions and was doing things for the evils, he could be a lot like Sukuna.

God (the alter who acts as the "conscience" to a nightkin called Dog in Fallout New Vegas Dead Money DLC, he looks out for Dog and wants to kill Father Elijah so badly. Ryder helps both Dog and God make peace with each other and merge them both into a new personality) -> God is the voice in Dog's head, and his voice is quite menacing. Like Sukuna, though Sukuna is more malevolent than God.

Remember, for the alternative option, REBLOG and put in the tags WHO else from the Fallout franchise should be Abridged!Megumi and WHY you think they'd better suit the role. Also if there is a tie, then a repost will be made with only the tied candidates, and you'd have to pick from them.

I've also created and will continue to update (until the polling is done) a Master List for the poll results of the casted winners. You can find it right here.

You can find my Fallout OC profiles Master List right here, which also includes a link to the original post where I pitched my react fic idea. Anyway, hope you enjoyed, chow!

#fallout #jujutsu kaisen abridged #casting #react fic #polls #ryomen sukuna #the master #fallout 2 #fo2 sulik #fallout 3 #stanislaus braun #fallout new vegas #yes man #fallout 4 #far harbor dlc #fo4 dima #fallout 76 #the scorchbeast queen #john henry eden #dead money dlc #dean domino #old world blues dlc #fonv klein #the pitt dlc #ishmael ashur #fonv god #again must reiterate the alternative option means you reblog and put in the tags who you want from fallout to be casted and explain why #and if the option has been chosen but no reblog has been made by people to explain who and why it will be ignored and not be counted

[scherzokinn]

Meme by @friedevd4c on Instagram

This is so true... people often think of classical music as some rich ppl stuff, but in fact most composers were broke af lmao (and mentally ill)

#one of the funniest things is that there's this myth circulating around #that rachmaninoff composed his prelude in c sharp minor bc of a nightmare he had #and like #he had to explicitely say that this rumor waa false #and he explained #that he was so broke at the time #he composed this prelude bc he needed money $$$ #and the thing is he didn't have that much for it at the time #but later on the prelude got so popular #but he had no copyright over it #and got no money from that #which by that time was fine bc he made himself so much money that he was experiencing “embarassment of riches” #and donated his money a lot #but it must have been maddening to know it got popular after the time you REALLY needed the money bc you couldn't buy a coat #and were ALREADY dealing with mental health issues #but yeah #and this goes for many composer like mozart who died with plenty of debts or chopin who died broke #or wagner who kept exploiting liszt's money lol #bc liszt go rich by himself like rach #bc he was raised in a farm #anyways yeah #respect #stop with this stupid stereotype like 🙄🙄 #it literally makes classical music less accessible smh #rant over ig LOL

[shitty-check-please-aus]

If you ever have a post that gets a lot of notes and you think “I should see what people are saying in the notes” that’s the devil talking and you shouldn’t listen

#I made a post a while ago about how if I'm publishing fanfic I want attention #and how if I'm going to work I want a paycheck #and I'm not doing either of those things out of pure passion #and I shouldn't have to put on the little show of like 'oh I don't care about the attention/money' and false modesty #anyways there are some people who are like. absolutely willfully misreading it in the notes #like goddamn the reading comprehension on this website is bad sometimes #'this reminds me of ayn rand' no it doesn't fuck off #like I explicitly say in the followup that I do love writing but if I don't want attention it stays on my computer #and the number of people who are like 'OP you must be passionate if you put in the time to write' #oh my godddddddd it's annoying #also don't tell me what amount of effort and time I'll take to get attention

[thegirlsread]

do people enjoy kenneth branagh’s poirot movies? do they make money? genuinely asking because i’ve watched all three and i’m embarrassed on his behalf. at least the last one is shot on location and it’s really hard to fuck up the look of your movie when you shoot in venice. but aside from thinking he’s not a good director, i really believe that the issue with his films is that he doesn’t lean on camp as much as he should. the films look artificial (death on the nile atrociously so) but not enough for it to elevate the work, just enough for them to look like every other franchise except for the slightly more saturated colors

#kenneth branagh #a haunting in venice #death on the nile #murder on the orient express #asking about them making money because he’s made three of them so he must have made a profit somehow #thinking of the letterboxd user who suggested that wes anderson should make one of these

[lexicals]

The thing about that staff post is like. You can't fix the problem of people not understanding how the site works by changing how the site works, not without alienating your current userbase. Idk I feel like the solution to "new users find the site confusing" is to add more support for them to be able to figure it out themselves rather than just. Trying to change everything to be like other sites or hyper smoothing things

#wastepaper basket #I understand they need to make money but the whole part about 'converting visitors to new users' made me feel nauseous it's so soulless #What a fucking world we live in huh #Just like the people coming from reddit seem to have figured things out fine between them and twitter they must have had so many new users #But I guess they're not getting enough revenue from them #I just. Augh

[solemntitty]

me scraping together and hoarding every single primo in fontaine for venti: I will want to pull on meta husbandos but I must stay loyal. I must hold fast against these harlots temptations of number go up

#jamie has made a statement #anyways guess what idiot has KOK now due to 'oh i only have 20 pity and i want tankfei ill be fine even tho i have guarantee' #NO. I WAS NOT FINE #THREE MONTHS OF PLANNING FOR VENTI PULLS. ABSOLUTELY WASTED #we are now back down to 10 pity and 20 fates saved. NO GUARANTEE. #I HAVE 45 DAYS otherwise i will have to spend money for him and. i will if needs must #im scared theyre gonna throw him in the same pit they put eula in #i will legit probably make a small shrine for him to maybe increase my luck #i can. probably save 70 pulls before his banner which i think is 4.1 part 1 or 2 #the problem is. i also want childe :( #genshit blogging #im back on my genshin grindset #all bc of stupid kokomi #im not rlly that upset about her i kinda need her for a bloom team #but it hurts :(

[andthebeanstalk]

To give credit to the last of us for its queer rep, it’s not just queer characters who have tragic/bittersweet endings. Literally everyone (siblings, parent and child, heterosexual) queer or not, has tragic endings. The older queer couple gets the best one out of all of them.

I guess? I mean, it is certainly much better than if they were the only characters to die in the storyline. But people were on tumblr talking about how theirs was a happy queer story. And I think it is the misleading discussion around these characters that bothers me even more than the writing. Like if I had watched that episode instead of looking up the plot summary, I would have had a meltdown at the end when they both died because I truly had gotten the impression that it was going to be a happy story.

But now that I've mentioned the writing:

It's nice that they live till their 70s. It's nice that they get 20 beautiful years together. And it's a bit fucked that the writers felt the need to end those 20 long years on-screen with a terminal illness and suicide in the same episode they are introduced. It would have been incredibly easy to just say that those men get to live on past the end of the episode. There are a million reasons those men could have continued living in the story.

But that's the thing about a show like this. I think there is a distinct possibility that this show is actually incapable of writing a satisfying happy ending.

Craig Maizin, the show's writer, gained acclaim recently with Chernobyl, proving that he is apparently excellent at writing a long, horrifying tragedy in which character struggle only to find there is no way out.

(His other main credits are The Hangover sequels and the Scary Movie sequels, most of which I haven't personally seen, so make of that what you will.)

But more than the writer's background, the show itself troubles me. It has this repeated mantra in it that goes, "when you're lost in the darkness, look for the light." Which is a cool phrase.

But I have reason to suspect that this writer genuinely doesn't know how to write the light. I have no reason to believe he does. I hope I am wrong.

But when you write episode after episode after episode that is an endless inescapable slog of tragedy and desperation - and then advertise it to me, a sick queer person actually living through a pandemic and trying to escape disease and poverty - well.

I think a better writer would include moments of light and hope beyond just trauma bonding. Moments that don't end in death.

When my wife writes about characters in awful situations, there are still these moments of genuine loveliness and fun and joy between the characters; these moments remind the reader what is worth actually fighting for, living for. Imagine! Entire chapters in a post-apocalyptic novel in which characters don't undergo a "hacking someone to death with a cleaver" level of trauma!

But the fact that Bill and Frank still had to die even after an earnest attempt to tell a beautiful love story....

I fear that the light the story ends with - if there is any - will be as dim and desaturated as the show itself. And personally, I am at a point in my life where I don't care to see a story like that.

It's fine if you do like it. It doesn't matter to me if you find beauty in a tragic queer love story. There are places for that in this world. But it is tragic. I am sure of that. And I wish I hadn't been seeing posts saying otherwise, ya know?

And I hope I am wrong about the writer. But I see cracks in the premise. Like in Stranger Things. There was always a promise of light that kept me watching, but it never seemed to come. Instead, the misery and trauma continued to stack and compound for the lead characters, like in TLOU. But... does the writer know how to make that worth it, for us, for the audience - for me? I don't think he does.

I think it very possible that the light isn't really coming for Ellie and Joel in a way that provides catharsis because I have noticed that on shows with no intermittent joy and hope, this is too often the case.

But I do hope I'm wrong. Because if I am right, then a lot of mentally ill fans will leave the experience more depressed than if they hadn't watched it at all.

But for my own part, I'll just continue to skim through the show for monster design ideas. And also I'll say that everyone should watch Infinity Train - ESPECIALLY season 2 of Infinity Train, if they'd like to see a story in which people actually DO find a light that makes the whole journey feel worth it.

#original #tlou #the last of us #bill and frank #writing #writing analysis #again i don't care if you like the show or not. you can like the show. it is well made. but that is NOT a happy queer ending. #it is not a happy story to me. i know it isn't AS BAD as it could've been but also.... i don't care #my money is on 'joel dies and ellie is so traumatized by the experience that she is basically non functional' #look for the fucking light i guess. wheeeeeeee #infinity train #mt infinity train #lake infinity train #seeing a story in which a character escapes a seemingly inescapable situation GENUINELY made me feel like there was hope for me #and i have personally found that the opposite has an opposite effect #tragedies have a purpose. but i fear sometimes the tragedy in some shows is just there bc the writer feels there must be 4 tragedies per ep #but like. trauma in a story - added just for the sake of extra trauma - it is a red flag for where this story is going #bly manor #FUCKING BLY MANOR MY ARCH FOE #i also see no need for a show of endless tragedy to be this long. like. they are experiencing the SAME trauma repeatedly. what does it add? #ellie loses ANOTHER friend horribly! like. okay. we've... already seen that? why is this one worthy of screen time other than you CAN?