#no media is without flaws

[tarotmantic]

i will never justify why i like deh bc i don’t have to actually. i can just like it no qualifier needed

#this is inspired by a post but by no means a direct response #im just sick of anyone who ever says they like deh following it up with an ‘even though it sucks’ #u can just say u like it #also it doesn’t suck okay it’s not problematic bc that doesn’t #doesn’t mean anything #the story isn’t trying to tell people to lie about knowing dead kids it’s not a moral lesson #the music slaps #have ur issues with it whatever but stawp with the shame #no media is without flaws #deh is not objectively bad as much as people want to believe that #honestly no one gets to clown on deh when dark romance is insanely popular on tiktok #by which I mean clearly we can understand that media doesn’t have to reflect real life morals #it doesn’t have to be pure and clean #im literally so cold rn #that’s unrelated #let people enjoy deh guilt free #let the tiktok girlies enjoy mafia stalker fiction #live and let live! #do i main tag this #dear evan hansen #deh #dear evan hansen (2021)

[hellhoundmaggie]

Do you have any SDV hot takes?

Boy do I ever Anon! Thank you for giving me the chance to get on my soapbox about this.

Shane doesn't relapse when he is happily married to the Farmer. The popular "relapse" interpretation is based on faulty assumptions about what substance abuse recovery is supposed to look like and flat-out misreadings of the text of the game.

Shane doesn't "start" drinking again: he never stops, just reduces the amount he drinks. (Unless we are supposed to interpret the phrase "cut back" in the 7 Heart Event as meaning "quit” or "gave up” for some reason. Or if we ignore the new 1.6 dialogue about him drinking less after his 6 Heart event.)

Shane's mess is not a consequence of uncontrolled drinking, but a consequence of his depression and possible under-managed ADHD. His room at Marnie's remains exactly as messy when he's in recovery as it is when he's spiraling, so the drinking has no effect on his cleanliness.

”Okay,” you might say, “but he still shouldn’t drink, and he should pick up his room.” And sure, yeah. Ideally we should all do the same. But that’s not always a fair or realistic expectation for everyone. Not everyone can quit their addictions or bad habits cold turkey. Not everyone is going to be the model citizen. That doesn’t mean they can’t live happy lives. That doesn’t mean they don’t have value. That doesn’t mean Shane doesn’t have value.

So instead of complaining about the ways that Shane fails to measure up to typical adult standards, it may be more productive to ask: is he happy? Is he doing okay? By any reasonable measure, a married Shane is living his best possible life. He‘s surprised and delighted to be your trophy husband. He doesn’t have to worry about taking a soul-sucking job or struggling with unemployment. His drinking isn’t causing him any problems, and if he can’t keep his personal space clean, at least he doesn’t let his mess spread to the rest of the house. He has his own little coop for Charlie and it’s just adorable to watch him bounce her up and down. He actually makes time for Jas. I am not requiring everyone to love Shane the way he is written, or to make space in their farmhouse for him. But please, have realistic expectations for the character that exists. And do make friends with him. He gives you an OP recipe and access to blue chickens!

#My other hot take is that people shouldn’t install mods that “fix” NPC character flaws #Yeah it bothers me too when Penny pushes George’s wheelchair without consent or when Clint gets on his “Nice Guy” hobbyhorse #But CA gave these characters flaws for a reason #Flaws add interest and depth to characters #Instead of knee jerk rejecting my discomfort with the character’s bad behavior #I can sit with it and reflect on my own behavior and values #And I can recognize the worth even in characters who don’t share my values #Or who don’t change and grow in the “right” way #After all I’m not gonna share all your values #Or always change and grow the way I ought to #But we all gotta live together and give each other a little grace #Anywho those are my hot takes #Thank you for your time #shane stardew valley #stardew valley #media analysis #media criticism #media literacy

[dyemelikeasunset]

this is kind of obscure but like. Now that I have comics out in the world and people are starting to see my storywriting, I feel like I have a little more confidence in myself and the sensitive-but-serious stories that I want to tell.

And it just bothers me sometimes that the same people who enjoy my storytelling-- and tell me that i'm very conscientious and aware and delicate with the subjects i'm breeching-- also turn around and tell me i'm too critical of other media. Like… lmao. Why do you think my stories come across so thoughtful? Have you considered that you enjoy them because I'm fucking aware and careful? And I think a lot about the media climate that we live in? That I write stories because I want to see something different?

Like don't just take in my content without a second thought of all the shit i think about behind the scenes to make my storylines as careful and sympathetic as possible

#ugh this is a build up about so many things #but i really hate being told i'm a party pooper when i dislike media #i'm not even trying to get anyone to stop consuming it #i just want to have open discussions about their flaws and also like #WARN PEOPLE who are hearing about it but have no context #ppl love to praise things and call them the best without thinking like #it can be the best TO YOU but there are a lot of things we overlook #and that's fine it's human but #it's about keeping other people safe as well #that's all!!

[leonardalphachurch]

every time rwby stuff gets recommended to me i remember how fucking obnoxious i find it that that fandom has quarantined off all criticism into its own tag. i’m so happy rvb is a hater fandom and we put all our grievances in the main tag i think i’d die otherwise

#getting a lot of rt stuff bc of recent events and. man. aren’t you tired. #genuinely so exhausting #i never ever want to be in a space where appreciation analysis and critique are not all existing side by side #i’m not gonna say you can’t be a fan without engaging with critique bc that’s a ridiculous statement #but i do think you can’t engage with any sort of deeper understanding of the text if you’re unwilling to acknowledge its flaws and criticism #obviously you don’t need to be as passionate about it as i am but if you want it blacklisted completely?? #sorry. i don’t think you’re good at media literacy.

[griffincastle]

--

#Honestly I kinda miss when forums were a thing #This is in ref to *previously reblogged* because YEAH the other social media websites are flat out boring about CODZ #The way people interact with 'fandom' has lost all it's fun #That's only the fault of social media websites- not people #You cant modify your profile anywhere - follower numbers are public and create a fake chaste system... #and they have this weird fixation with limiting interaction of person to person??? The only interaction they want is person to Content #I mean there's nuance in this too though: like saftey concerns ofc #BUT you cant write essays on why you think Dempsey's favorite color is blue bc word counts limit you- #You can't make bad art or you'll get bullied off planet earth- #Everywhere else creates a 'who cares what you think' environment if you have fun bc you don't have followers #(Important for CODZ too bc if a YouTuber has an opinion everyone else will echo it without knowing what it even means #((Like 'Jugg is a crutch perk' omg shut uppppp. Tell me what that means. You get it to survive more hits?? DUH. IT'S A *PERK*. #...anyway. that's why I'll always see tumblr as > than any other website #Despite the flaws it's the closest thing to the forum/personal website days #And weirdly enough....twitter/tiktok/insta- the creatively limiting places- are the unhinged sites...

[pancakeke]

people reposting me to reddit has gotten annoying. why are you taking my jokes and putting them on another website that I also use. like let me do that and try to be funny yourself.

#especially that curatedtumblr sub because people will post their entire dashboards there like its their job to karma farm #and then their users shit on tumblr because they think its a flaw that tumblr doesnt spoonfeed them content #motherfuckers that mindset is destroying social media #also some of their power users / regular users openly and repeatedly harassed my friend and the mods just let it fly #also idk maybe my mindset is warped but the idea of exclisively sharing screenshots without adding anything is so lazy and boring #using the source site allows you to access the OP account and see comments/tags and such but caps strip all that away #and make the post as flat and useless as possible

[arinishi]

This interaction would have Never happened at the beginning of the comic but now look where we are! They’re being honest about how they feel and what they think! Jekyll is admitting that he never would have left Lanyon! Lanyon is admitting that he was jealous of the women that Jekyll flirted with!

They’ve come so far since their first interaction in chapter 3 and their character development both alone and together is just beautiful ✨ It’s so awesome to see characters written in such a realistic and endearing way

#they feel like such real people #they have flaws and they make mistakes #and both their good and bad actions have consequences #but they’re able to learn and better themselves without changing who they are fundementally as people #things like introversion or bluntness aren’t treated as flaws that need to be fixed #and I think that’s so cool and refreshing to see in a piece of media #the glass scientists #tgs #jekyon #robert lanyon #henry jekyll #tgs update #tgs jekyll #tgs lanyon

[wonder-worker]

A.J Pollard’s biography on Edward IV was so cringe lol (generic; minor but frustrating inaccuracies; intensely judgmental at times and oddly dismissive at others while never considering the broader context; entirely diminished and trivialized Elizabeth Woodville as both queen and wife of his main subject in the name of "defending" her; created a false dichotomy between Edward and Henry VII’s styles of ruling and lauded the latter at the former’s expense even though Henry literally followed Edward’s example for the very things Pollard was criticizing Edward for; had a downright nonsensical and thoroughly misleading conclusion about Edward’s legacy & Richard’s usurpation that was based entirely on hindsight, Pollard's own assumptions, and the complete downplaying Richard’s agency and actions to emphasize what Pollard wrongly and misleadingly claimed were Edward's so-called 'failings', etc, etc)

I wanted to buy his book on Henry V but after reading this shitshow and the synopsis of that book, im guessing it's going to be 10x worse, so...no thanks

#history media #this was written months ago im posting it to get it out of my drafts #it wasn't necessarily BAD. it was generic and readable. but it was very disappointing and misleading and its conclusion was just nonsense #listen I have no patience for the dumbfuck idea that edward somehow had the ultimate responsibility for his own son's deposition because #of his 'policies' during his reign. like I said it's based fully on hindsight and entirely devoid of actual context. it's bafflingly stupid #literally everyone expected Edward V to succeed his father and 'both hoped for and expected' (Croyland's own words) a successful reign #Edward V's deposition was richard and solely Richard's fault lol this should not be difficult to understand #the reason Richard's usurpation was possible in the first place was bcause everyone expected E5 to succeed and didn't expect Richard #do to what he did. nothing would have happened without his initiative and decisions. it had nothing to do with Edward's 'policies' #Edward's policies were fine. henry vii - who pollard vaunts to no end - literally *followed* them #and claiming that he failed to unite England under the Yorkist dynasty is just plain stupid #buddy if he truly failed at that then neither Richard III nor Henry VII would have thrones lol. both emphasized continuity with #him when aiming for the throne. like the whole point of 1483-85 was that it was a conflict WITHIN the 'Yorkist' dynasty #it was not an external threat against it. #'his legacy failed' his legacy didn't fail his brother destroyed it (while also presenting himself as his heir because logic what's logic?) #henry's victory was very much the triumph of his legacy (a claimant chosen by his supporters as the husband of his daughter) #like this is really not my interpretation it is literally what happened #i'm not trying to glorify e4 but his son did inherit the throne in a more advantageous circumstances than any other minor king of england #and frankly than most other adult kings. dumping blame on Edward's literal corpse rather than acknowledge Richard's agency is so tasteless #the problem isn't that edward made a mistake in trusting his brother. many other kings including Henry V also trusted theirs. #the problem is that his brother was willing to break that trust in a way that was unprecedented and broke all political norms of that age #ie: Richard's usurpation occurred because of Richard who re-ignited conflict to make himself king. please drill this into your head #also btw this illogical 'interpretation' is based entirely on Charles Ross' hatred and derision towards Elizabeth Woodville and her family #if you agree with this inteterpretation you agree with his vilification of them 🤷🏻‍♀️ #anyway if you want a better interpretation that's actually analytical and looks a relevant rather than a flawed retrospective perspective #i would recommend rosemary horrox's 'richard iii: a study of service' and david horspool's 'richard iii: a ruler and his reputation' #anyway one last time: STOP downplaying Richard's agency and actions. historians who do this are stupid and embarrassing. bye. #(i should really post horspool's glorious takedown of ross and Pollard huh? it was very entertaining to read)

[kiisaes]

mha is like an estranged awkward father to me. i try not to make my connection to it obvious but i secretly care a lot about it (sometimes against what i desire) and when ppl talk serious shit about it i get defensive. like yea i understand that it's not the best series writing-wise, it's got a good amount of problems and that its mere connection to me makes me cringefail ... but i'll always find some sort of unexplainable comfort in its arms despite its flaws bc there's still a good amount of it to genuinely enjoy without a constantly ironic state of mind that all media must be critiqued with nowadays and i don't expect anyone to understand this odd relationship but myself

#every time i hear that mha fans are cringe and have bad taste i'm like well yeah. but also hey. watch it #like protecting my pathetic father who does not need protecting but i'll do it anyway bc it just feels like i should #it's not at all a horrible series the way everyone labels it and i think its popularity caused such a societal whiplash #like oh it's mainstream now! time to pick on every flaw it has and reduce it to typical shounen shit #without addressing its actually decent and sometimes stellar aspects #it is not as overwhelmingly enjoyed like certain anime i've gotten into lately but that's ok. i'm fine with that #it's a mid to mid-good series with good characters (with exceptions) and great artwork and ok storytelling #i remember when mha was super praised and considered incredible like 5 years ago .. lol how times change #anyway. just wanted to type this out bc i think mha fans get an unfairly bad rep sometimes for doing nothing all that out of the ordinary #just for having an interest in a not-very-enlightening piece of media #and that kinda sucks #also bc i started watching mob psycho and it's really fucking good LMFAOOOO #bnha #mha #becki rambles about stuff

[buglover77]

I don’t know who needs to hear this…but being a critic and being an asshole aren’t the same thing. You can think a media has flaws without being mean about it. People who put energy and passion into something harmless shouldn’t be punished for that. To everyone treating the internet like it’s middle school and it’s cool to bully the kid who is excited about something…just shut up.

Wanting something to fail just because you don’t like it is self-centered and sad. The world is bigger than that. There are bigger issues than you hating something someone worked hard on to try and bring a little bit of excitement and happiness to people. 

#let people enjoy things #let people take joy in stories and characters #If it doesn’t hurt anybody and it isn’t unhealthy why do people feel the need to crush it in their hands #Just because it’s not something THEY enjoy #YOU CAN CRITICIZE FLAWS IN A MEDIA WITHOUT CRITICIZING THE PEOPLE WHO ENJOY IT #YOU CAN DISLIKE SOMETHING WITHOUT WANTING IT TO FAIL #people work had to bring a little enrichment into our enclosure let them make their little stories jeez #best example right now is the marvels but there’s always something kicking around #The marvels #captain marvel #mcu #Critiques #storytelling #writing #stories #Oc #media analysis

[incorrect-web-novels]

Something that's quite strange to me as a danmei fan is how angry people get about people liking "bad characters" who do problematic things when.... that's part of the appeal of a lot of web novels for me? Like, yes, this character committed an unforgivable sin or did something terrible, but they still have to exist. They still have to put one foot in front of the other, and possibly more importantly, they're more than the bad thing they did. They do more than that bad thing. These are "real people" who make real mistakes, but they have to keep living anyway - those kind of stories are my favorite, and I would rather have an interesting problematic character than a boring good one.

#not a quote #like. people irl do unforgiveable things. and they can grow from it #and characters being 'bad' (or justifiably open to criticism) is something a lot of media is almost afraid of? #and like. they don't grow overnight bc no one does. they may not even admit they're wrong even when they realize they are #but the characters feel real because they have flaws. they're messy. they're confusing. #my posts #danmei #idk it's almost healing when a character does smth bad and isn’t guilty or is at least ALLOWED to be bad/have done bad things #bc humans aren't without flaws. and small things can feel unforgiveable when YOU do them. #so comparing it to a character who has done smth terrible and is still unharmed & usually loved is... good? idk #anyway I said danmei bc I see it most there (fans esp) but dpa does have some GREAT arcs in-book with this as well #discourse

[malewifehenrycooldown]

Anti-facism, anti-captialism, community action and class solidarity IN MY FAIRY TAIL?!Surprisingly much more likely than you think or remembered!

#this is about the Edolas Arc. it’s not without us very glaring flaws. but you can absolutely take these themes from it #or at least interpret as such #I must stress I might be looking too deep into this but you can take some of the reading from it #although said reading DOES get ruined by excessive fanservice :/ #other aspects fall flat on their face like the exceed but like. it does feature a king #who monopolises magic to his own kingdom only - has a militarised police state #crushes any opposition or criticism by other wizards #fairy tail on edolas is labelled as a ‘dark guild’ just for resisting authority #guildposting #shallow rambles #again it’s probably not that deep but I find it fun to reframe or interpret aspects of media I like #I should stress this is all technically very surface level like representation of class solidarity community action etc. but #it’s not anti-monarchy because the humble prince takes over #fairy tail spoilers

[marklikely]

on further reflection maybe it isn't out of character that i liked the kens over the barbies when a lot of the joke is how the barbies are all blandly nice and hypercompetent which as you may know is like my single most uninterested gender dynamic for fictional characters

#i shouldn't be saying any new opinions without rewatching the movie maybe fan response & hindsight is biasing me but it's like #oh you have men that are allowed to be silly and cringe but the women are all nice and have only minor surface level flaws? cool im bored #and the human characters honestly fall into a similar trope. the human women have *more* personality but still very little. #margot barbie as i remember her didn't really. have any flaws or do anything really wrong but she at least had desires #so she's *better* than the others. none of the other barbies except weird barbie are even distinguishable smh #i mean issa rae had the funniest jokes when she was allowed to speak but that's about it. #avpost #there's a reason the main barbies sequence i can remember is when they pretend to be stupid to get the kens to like mansplain to them #bc it was the one time the female characters were allowed to be like. silly. and not boring or trying to force an unearned serious beat. #unfortunately the idea of bad and/or cringefail women is antithetical to a movie like this but idk that's the characters i actually enjoy . #weird barbie could have at least been cringefail but she's still. hypercompetent too. :-/ #idk maybe on repeated viewings ill catch more Subtle Flaw Nuance that makes the female characters less boring to me but #it just feels like based on what the movie was going for they were targeting all my personal least fave female character tropes #well meaning liberal babys first feminism media can fall into this trope of goofy men with competent nice women and its soooo dull. #like not always i have enjoyed my fair share of well meaning liberal baby's first feminism media. i have a soft spot 4 it. #but its usually things where the women have conflict *with each other*. or its horror media. so the women aren't all perfect/nice.

[osamid]

an interesting (unpopular? i think?) soukoku opinion i have is i don't think dazai was oblivious to his feelings towards chuuya, like ever. i understand WHY people interpret dazai as having trouble identifying and reckoning with his emotions; i'm not knocking it! there's plenty of evidence to suggest that and also i think it fits with his actions. HOWEVER. for me dazai is the most fun when he's deliberately suppressing and neglecting his own feelings. dazai realizes at the tender age of like 15 that he's at least infatuated with chuuya, and his first instinct is "well how do i compartmentalize that. how do i make sure this doesn't interfere with my plans and our job at the mafia." and then he compromises with his emotions by keeping chuuya close but not allowing himself to seem too affectionate or "trick" chuuya into liking him back. i think this version of dazai is most compelling to me because then the struggle isn't "get blockhead dazai to realize he's in/can love" its "get blockhead dazai to realize he's allowed to indulge in love" which is much more fun, especially when you have seven (or even more, i don't think this mindset would be limited to chuuya) years worth of distancing himself from his own emotions to contend with.

#putting the more negative parts in the tags i think another reason i'm not partial to the “dazai is oblivious to his own feelings” headcanon #is that it sorta implies that dazai isn't self-aware? #which like. he clearly is. i think moments when we (the veiwer) think he isn't self aware is the result of the MEDIA not being self-aware #<- talking about his treatment of akutagawa and other such failures. “don't pity yourself” moment. the whole father thing. #dazai doesn't acknowledge these flaws because the source material doesn't think its a flaw either #but i digress. my point here is that i personally think dazai is so painfully self-aware that it turns into over-rationalizing himself #dazai's emotions to him are just as irrelevant as his physical needs and such like that. #does this make sense? idk #example i'll give: his character growth as he trusts the ada and works less utterly on his own mind #i think dazai is capable of seeing his own trust issues and what not from the very beginning #but it's only after it's been proved to him that him that no total control isn't the most logical option #and in fact trusting his allies CAN work out without pulling every string #that dazai beings to take down (a few) of his walls #its not that dazai doesn't know he has feelings. its that they aren't relevant to him #they cause him grief #fuck up his plans #and (to him) need to be squared away and dismissed as soon as possible #i know that isn't in line with the no longer human novel but WHATEVS #my hcs #bsd #skk #bsd dazai

[the-gateway-to-madness]

I kinda wish (no pun intended) that people would stop getting on disney's case for being "safe"

I don't care if a movie is "safe". My bed is safe. Drawing is "safe" because it's something I know I'm good at. Singing alone in the shower but not wanting to be a performer is "safe". There's nothing intrinsically wrong with "safe" as long as you're trying to genuinely make something good.

Society has gotten so obsessed with the idea that everything has to be groundbreaking that we forget humans and technology both have limits, that every story has been told before in other ways and other patterns, and that excellence and groundbreaking-ness only exist when surrounded by "average" content. I'd prefer that average be "watchably good" over "completely awful".

I don't care if something is considered "average" or "safe" because society has the attention span of a squirrel now and needs something new every other second to get any serotonin out of something. I'll take a little formulaic, a little predictable, if characters or a world or a story have enough care and new-ness in them, by virtue of the fact that every story is just clichés arranged in new orders. I don't think a story should have to be groundbreaking to be good.

Also, Spider-Man: ITSV was dripping with cliché, what made it "groundbreaking" was the artistry and presentation. Take any excellent movie off its pedestal and you have a flawed work of art made by flawed people who run flawed companies. Stop holding art and corporations to standards the individuals they're made of can't meet.

#Obviously you shouldn't excuse laziness or corruption #But I feel like a lot of genuinely good things get dismissed as lazy now #When a decade or two ago it just would have been a Good Movie or Good Story. #If Rise of the Guardians had been released today it would have been dismissed as “lazy” #How to Train Your Dragon #Tons of beloved childhood stories would be forgotten now #And now we're so hypercritical of everyone and everything and every teeny flaw #We aren't even letting the next generation make good memories with the movies they're getting #Shooting down every new piece of media that isn't a “subversive masterpiece” #I just want to be able to go to the theaters without being politically and morally wrong for doing so-

[glindyupland]

I just think it’s silly that so many people complain about Villain Amaya as “wasted potential” and that “we were robbed” like-

My pals, post canon fan fiction is right there. The desire to free her husband is right there. Either by touching an evil book while being too eager to remember the obsidian oil, or being possessed by contact (ie what she believes is true loves kiss) when trying to reason with him in the dungeon.

We don’t need a rewrite, we can have a continuation. Both can be true. Amaya is a complex character, she can handle it.

#Wish #Queen Amaya #I assume I'm going to get hate for this but like #I know it's not store bought and you have to still make it yourself but also #I'm kind of just tired of seeing a lot of people sh*tting on Wish because it's not the concept art #And I'm kind of over here like how about we love it recognize it has flaws and THEN try to make something new without bashing the OG? #I just love Amaya and she definitely deserves more #but her good character is so interesting and complex #she still knows how to have fun. She still can be sassy or bite. #Like she's still Magnifico's perfect partner you know? and Magnifico isn't perfect? #A truly pure person wouldn't click with Magnifico the way Amaya does...? #I would rather build on Amaya's character than say she can only be good and boring or a villain? #Amaya is so smart yall. I know you can't see it all just on the movie but like she's read every magic book in Magnifico's library #THOUSANDS OF BOOKS. #And knows basic protection spells #She's a devoted leader. #Like. #Idk #She both loves her husband and recognizes that she has to go against him. #She doesn't /turn/ on him. She addresses his flaws and tells him that it's not okay? #She still jokes with him even though she has to put him in time out. She's complex and strong and wise and kind. #And I just hate seeing so many people so quick to just say 'the concept art was better' when like... the idea might be more appealing to yo #But I hate the level of cynicism and pretentiousness I see of people saying their personal ideas of what Wish should be- #-Is better than the piece of media they claim to care about? #Like their personal vision of Wish based exclusively off the concept art is somehow intellectually superior? #And I'm not saying stop doing your rewrites or AU's or anything! Like there's definitely beautiful creativity happening! #I just hate seeing people so negative and like honestly mean. It hurts my heart to see everyone calling Wish garbage? #It's not great but I really really dont think it's as bad as everyone is saying. Like its no like Oppenheimer but it's a children's movie.. #Like I personally love the Teens and Amaya #And everyone saying they stink makes me sad... Because they're just great characters?