#what if we gave writers *all* the credit? what if y'all stopped acting like they were monkeys with typewriters occasionally nailing it?

[mybrainproblems]

so like. watching 11x23 after having watched the rest of the show and taking time to chew on what the fuck dabbnatural is all about is so interesting bc there's a certain framing of chuck dying in 11x23 that... i'm not sure if it was intentional by dabb or just the way the editing shook out (either option is insane) but at first chuck seems to imply that his death and the death of the world isn't the result of imbalance, but it's that amara killed him and is now destroying the world. but then we learn from amara that no, the sun is dying bc she hurt chuck to the point where he is dying and that without creation there is only the nothingness that is her nature. the sun dying is the result of her actions but it's not a direct choice, just a consequence that she didn't really foresee. she has come to love chuck's creations, why would she choose to destroy that?

and it just fascinates me. bc watching 14x20 immediately after it's kinda like... was this intentional? there's a certain element of 11x23 that feels like as much as chuck says he doesn't want to hurt amara, he doesn't necessarily feel regret about what he's done, only how it turned out.

which again, could just be that the takes used in editing biased towards a less remorseful vibe from chuck. we don't know if there were other takes where rob played chuck as more remorseful but that's what we end up with. dean asking if chuck wants amara dead and him saying that even after all this, no. but still lying by omission that the sun dying is something amara is choosing to do.

like idk there's just a certain framing of that reveal and the fact that it initially comes from amara that is like. yes, chuck is dying but he's putting on his best meow meow act. if he's gonna die it may as well be as he's comforted by the characters from his favorite show. he may as well snuggle in close and send dean out to one more act of violence; to kill his sister. but this time he doesn't hold the trump card, he can't force dean to act out the violence that he wants from him. he chooses the reprieve he's been given and when amara get sick of his shit, he goes right back to playing with his favorite characters.

after all, they gave him such a good show last time.

and then i just have to wonder... would chuck have died if amara was destroyed by the soul bomb? if chuck dies, then amara lives (presumably bc she's uninjured) but if amara dies... even if he's injured, does chuck die? we only have his word that he would and in light of 14x20 and everything in s15 we have to recontextualize everything chuck has ever said in light of one thing --

writers lie.

#i'm now convinced that 14x20 was written with the expectation that they were gonna get fucked on s15 in some capacity #i need to get back to my timeline spreadsheet bc while the announcement that s15 happened in march 2019 #they would probably have known months before if the cw was gonna try to tee up something new with some of the spn actors (eg walker) #it think it was something that was a decision that was made partly among ppl working on the show and not network edict iirc? #so like. i *do* think that the decision on s15 being the ending would explain the shift in s14 and very sudden reappearance of chuck #what if we gave writers *all* the credit? what if y'all stopped acting like they were monkeys with typewriters occasionally nailing it? #you wouldn't continue to obsess over spn if it were universally bad and poorly written. it certainly has its bad moments but tbh? #to me at least the worst moments aren't necessarily the writing per se but where the show is at its most racist and sexist #i can forgive the occasional 'wait what?' about the plot or some moments where characters are ooc but the episodes that stick out #like sore thumbs to me as being bad and poorly written are the ones like man's best friend with benefits or the bad place #so what if we started giving writers credit for being competent storytellers and started criticizing the bullshit they wrote that #was actually harmful. criticize there will be blood and not carry on. acknowledge the bad place along with despair. #hennyways that's just my two cents. most of the writers were at least competent and many of them had at least one moment of brilliance #let's give them some credit #spn #feathersforcas

[lais-a-ramos]

ok, this one is kind of a hard topic, and i appologize in advance for any mistakes i make or not being articulate enough

all the concearns over ppl in fandom hyping the only prominent white character, christina, in lovecraft country instead of the black characters are valid and the critique is definitely important, once it's common for ppl in fandom to either erase the half of a couple that is a BIPOC or to deny a canon cis het biracial ship to hype up a fanon white wlw ship and other problematic stuff plenty of times in LGBTQ+ fandom spaces.

but i also think we can't dismiss the entirety of the ship only bc the same LGBTQ+ fans are back at it again with their problematic behaviour, especially bc of its significance for black women and feminine-aligned nb folks who feel attraction to woman/feminine-aligned nbs -- lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, biromantic, panromantic etc.

for what i've seen so far, this ship is very important for black women and female-aligned nbs bc finally we have a dark-skinned black woman, who is also fat, to be treated with absolute respect and consideration and be passionately desired in a way that is not some kind of secret fetish or played for laughs, treated as being as worthy of being courted and romanced as her light-skinned and skinny half-sister.

christina respects ruby's choice and agency for most of the time -- i think the exception may be that first time ruby transformed into hillary;

she immediately explains to ruby her plans and intentions whenever ruby questions her behaviour and demands answers, including ruby in her plans when even ruby's loved ones keep secrets from her; she gives her all these baths and caresses her so softly, literally bathing her with affection and desire; she woos her with vows of devotion; and even tried to understand what ruby said when she asked her to try to understand her pain -- albeit in a fucked up way that only a privileged and sheltered girl raised in an enviroment in which magic is real and present in ppl's daily lives possibly could.

christina overall acknowledges that ruby is a woman with her own emotions, motivations, hopes, dreams, wants, needs and desires, and that's something y'all should keep in mind because i'll return to that later.

overall, these things i described are actually the basic that a person should do for the one they call their lover, and in no way erase the fact that christina is willing to kill innocent ppl to accomplish her goals of self-protection, nor turn these things acceptable from a moral standpoint.

but it's not the kind of treatment black women and feminine-aligned nbs receive, neither in fiction or in real life, by the way.

there are specific forms of misogyny that black women and female-aligned nbs face in which we are read as aggressive or animalistic, oversezualized or stripped from our sexuality and have our femininity denied if we don't check the boxes of what society deems acceptable.

there's this interview wumni mosaku gave for elle magazine U.S. in which she discusses her personal experiences with this problem, and how these eurocentric standards of femininity forced her to act in an overtly nice manner as a way to make sure ppl will treat her kindly instead of with suspicion and assuming she is aggressive.

that is because of the ways race and gender intersect creating a very complex scenario when it comes to definitions, experiences and stereotypes of femininity.

white women are overall treated with an authomatic presumption of innocence, as delicate and frail flowers who must be protected at all costs, especially if they are from upper classes -- that is something that is actually held against low-income white women, who are expected to adhere to certain standards to have their femininity acknowledged.

but, as we can see by that moment in episode 1x05, "strange case", when ruby as hillary is escorted by the policemen to her supposed husband who is actually christina shapeshifted , and, actually, by christina's entire motivations and characterization, that very same presumption of innocence is one of the sources of their oppression, because they are infantilized and stripped of their agency in favor of the men in their lives -- husbands, brothers, fathers etc --, being stopped and/or forbidden to do things cis het men usually get to and are expected to do.

in spite of this paradox, white women still have a privilege when compared to black women, because they're are still seen as ppl that belong to the world of affections and are worthy of receiving love, care and concearn for their wellbeing.

but that is not the case with black women.

usually, we are reserved two roles: one that revolves around being hypersexualized for men's consumption, both white and black alike; and the other, in which we are seen as "beasts of burden", carrying the weight in terms of work, emotions and so on, being expected to be desensitized to experiences and problems that no human would be expected to. sometimes, these two roles actually cross paths.

here in brazil, black activism and academics have been calling it "solidão da mulher negra", "the loneliness of black woman", and i think it's a very pertinent and powerful way to describe it.

and, that is the thing, when you're a black woman or feminine-aligned nb that doesn't fit into this role of being sexualized, you can feel this loneliness go a step further, because all that is left for you is that beast of burden part.

you end up not only being cast aside and abandoned by cis het white men and black men alike if you're attracted to men, but, overall, everyone in your social circle, including family, relatives and friends, expect you to be this source of strength and carry weights and resist to things ALL. THE. TIME.

and, guess what type of women and feminine-aligned nbs usually don't fit into this role of being sexualized????

the ones that are dark-skinned, fat, bulky, or any combination of these.

it's a combination of colorism, fatphobia, misogynoir and other factors that come to play, really.

one can check a few boxes, or check them all.

i myself don't check the "dark-skinned" box because, as a biracial women, i have light-skin privilege -- even though my skin is not as light as jurnee smollett's, who plays ruby's half-sister letitia "leti" lewis. but i sure have dealt with the consequences of not having the right body type for my whole life. i've been one of the "fat kids" for all my teen years, and, even now that i lost weight because of health issues, i'm still bulky and with large shoulders, feet and hands bigger than what is expected for women, and for most of my life i've felt in a similar way than what wumni mosaku describes on that elle magazine interview i mentioned earlier.

now, ruby literally checks ALL. THE. FUCKING. BOXES.

while we haven't seen much of her past, for the tidbits we got we can imagine that she had to be the responsible one in her family, being the older child, and basically raise her two siblings while their mom neglected them.

and we can see that, while the producers and writers changed a lot of her characterization from the source material -- in the part of the book i am right now, she has yet to show up, but the way she's described she seems more domestic and the shrinking violet type like show!hippolyta at the begining -- she is still seen as someone respected in her community and a source of strength -- e.g. being trusted to take care of dee.

and that clearly takes a toll on her, because everyone in-universe seems to expect her to be this mammy type or a role model, "a credit to the race" -- which is kind of ironic, given that it seems the audience seem to expect this of her as well.

and she puts all this pressure on herself because of it, and, while she is a woman with a very active sexual life, she seems overall very unsatisfied and repressed.

interrupted, as ruby herself perfectly put.

everyone seems to expect something of her at home, and not only all of her goals in the professional realm seem to be frustrated by social structures of oppression, but even her relationship goals as well, given that most of the men that she gets involved with, whether they are black or white, seem to believe they have the right to abandon her and treat her like trash because she doesn't feel a thing and is "strong" enough.

and that is where christina comes in.

now, it's true that the character that's pointed by many as a representation of white feminism surely is problematic in many ways, including her "colorblind" approach to racial issues, which is a particular form of racism that comes from an indifference towards social issues that steem from the privilege of not having to worry about said racial issues because one's not affected by them.

but, inspite of this colorblindness, or precisely because of it, christina sees ruby not for the roles she plays in other ppl's lives, but as the woman with her own emotions, motivations, hopes, dreams, wants, needs and desires that she is (see??? i told y'all to keep that in mind because it would be useful later).

some of these things might not be politically correct, like wondering what would it be like to be white and not have to deal with all the bullshit she has to.

some of these things might be dowright immoral and unethical, like the revenge fantasy she made come true against that abusive, sexual harasser and possibily rapist that was the guy from the department store that appeared in episode 1x05.

but, they are what makes ruby, well, ruby.

they are what makes her human, what humanizes her.

and christina accepts all of it, all that makes ruby who she is.

like the av club review for episode 9 pointed out, the two women are actually not that different when it comes to motivations: the stakes might be different for them because christina is protected by her whiteness and wealth, but both of them want the same thing in the end -- to not feel interrupted by the social restraints that bind them.

and that is what draws them to each other and feel attracted to each other, even though they might not understand quite well what to be queer means to them, or even avoided/repressed the question altogether as they grew up.

they are two points that seem opposite, and might as well be in some ways, but belong to the same axis that is gender and sexuality.

their relationship is incredibly complex and layered because of all these intersecctions.

ruby and christina's relationship is all about revealing different parts of yourself to the other and peeling each other's layers (sorry for the pun, but, it was just there lol), and, because of this, it's no wonder that it's seen as more romantic than, say, tic and leti's relationship, that seems to be playing out like plenty of cis heterosexual relationships, moving too fast because of the passion involved and what society expects, without the two of them being able to truly proccess and decide what they want, something that will defintely get more complicated now there's a baby on the way.

everything is so raw between ruby and christina, quite literally (it's one ot the things i love the most about all the gory scenes between them, it's a very clever way of using a fantastical setting to highlight these metaphors and symbolism).

with all of this, it shouldn't be a surprise that many sapphic black women and feminine-aligned nbs relate so much to ruby and got so attached to this relationship.

it's not because they endorse the problematic stuff christina or ruby have done -- although, well, to be fair, in a show that draws inspiration from pulp fiction magazines, particularly horror and detective/mystery stories, all characters are expected to be problematic and do fucked up things.

it's because queer black women and feminine-aligned nbs, regardless of whether they check only a few of the boxes i mentioned before or check all of them, can relate to this feeling of loneliness that the producers and writers portrayed so well with ruby -- but also with hippolyta, and dee too.

and for relating to these feelings, they relate to this relationship between ruby and christina.

and it's kind of hard to know what's gonna happen next in the show and the future of this ship

hell, even know whether the show is gonna be renewed or not.

but this should be a lesson for the future, on this fandom and others, to try and consider the perspectives of LGBTQ+ black ppl in these spaces, because, when you don't do that, you're basically reproducing, in a space we should be safe to have fun, the same oppression and silencing we deal on a daily basis

#lovecraft country #ruby baptiste #christina braithwhite #ruby x christina #lgbtq #lgbtqiap+ #black women #black representation #character analysis #character meta #meta

[ferrerochocobo]

Okay SO.

Pending that I have most of my oc retcon taken care of, I'll give my review on the anime briefly-

1- I want to punch Gilgamesh in the face.

Like. So hard. You don't even know. We were gyped when it came to his look in the anime versus how he looks in game. I hope he aged so fucking hard. That broom on his face is the real fashion crime and the broom did nothing wrong to deserve that. It was a murder.

2- No matter what- I think Somnus is a dick.

It doesn't excuse Ardyn's actions against an unknowing Noctis in-game, but it DOES give me fuel as a fan-fic writer to fix that. I don't think Somnus is hot, either. And him looking similar to Noctis won't stop me from stabbing him. Hard.

3- Aera is a sweet and darling character, but also a damsel like Lunafreya was.

It hurts me so much that Aera was treated like Lunafreya was. It hurts me more that she got that treatment. But I'm going to try my best in fan-fic form to give her the best friend and support she deserved before death. Furthermore, WHY THE FUCK DON'T ORACLES HAVE BETTER PROTECTION AND SECURITY? Is there some SHORTAGE OF KINGSGLAIVE OR TENEBRAE EQUIVILENT GOING AROUND?

I'm making at least Aera a stronger force than that. Someone my oc s/o for Ardyn looks to. Because if Ardyn can have Somnus roaming around in his mind, Vivian can have Aera roaming her's.

4- Tell me whatever you want- but I'm keeping Ardyn's eyes hazel. Regardless of the scourge or not.

Because blue to hazel doesn't make sense to me. Even if the eye took on that trope of rot and death and any of that- wouldn't it be lighter? It doesn't add up. That doesn't add up to me.

Have I missed anything? No? Good.

Because I have had my own writer's doubts blocking me all night with feels and worries about doing cliche writing. I have been rubbing my temples and panicking like a chicken. I lost my cell charger battery pack, too.

Oh wait. There's one more-

5- Y'all can't stop me. I'm saving Ravus.

(Credits to maty-yami for this art)

Ravus is getting saved in mine. Because killing Ravus was illogical. It had me going-

And don't tell me it was to anger Noctis. Don't tell me that when Ravus gave fuck-all about how he treated Noctis. I'm very salty about that.

6- If possible, I'm going to keep Lunafreya alive.

See that? Yeah. That right there was her in Kingsglaive. And I LOVED her outfit in it. She looked like she was ready to go to war for Insomnia. In order to do this- I'm going to have to figure out how to allow the Tidemother scene to happen. To put Luna in some critical condition where Ardyn and Noctis thinks she's dead. As MUCH as I would love to have Noctis paired with Iris- this is an opportunity to me I won't pass up. Maybe that's something I can consider, but I want to make that happy ending happy and possible. My hand was forced by what the Prolouge did. But I'm not going to let it act out of emotion. If it does, I'm going to let it fuel my passion for filling plot holes.

Bearing all that in mind? I'm tired. But I got this.

This is the most challenging plot hole fill I've ever done. As my Editor-san and @count-bassifer know, I love broken storylines. I love broken things and repairing stories for the joy of others. I'm going to TRY. And this kind of thing can only further my talent for quick plot and story repair when it comes to my own original lore.

#ffxv #episode ardyn #ardyn izunia #ravus nox fleuret #lunafreya nox fleuret #gilgamesh #somnus is a big asshole #somnus lucis caelum #oc work #retcon #scourge's armiger and trash trove #square enix torments me once more #angrily screaming #angrily screaming at the sky about retcon #aera mils fleuret

[twerkinwithhazza]

Taylor Swift the Copy Cat

I sat here and watch the preview and my first reaction AND THIS BITCH STOLE FROM BEYONCÉ. OH MY FUCKING GOD SHE STOLE FROM FORMATION. THIS WHITE FEMINIST MANIPULATIVE BITCH STOLE FROM BEYONCÉ FORMATION VIDEO. I am going to sit here and break this down for Y'all. For all you Taylor dick riders and super fans, stay off my page and stay off this post because I am spreading nothing but the truth.

First of all, when I first listened to the song, I was just disgusted. But then I watch the video and was like

She copied Beyonce in every way she could get away without making it blatant to white people, but not for me bitch. I saw that shit clear as day 

Look at Beyonce in the formation video surrounded by black men in all black and adorned in luxury jewelry.

Look at Beyonce performing at the super bowl, surrounded by black women and in all black yet again only this time with no jewelry

Beyonce’s looks for each of the previous gifs was very intentional. The first one was to show imagery from slavery, slave masters and mistress, so rather than the black people being the slaves, they are the ones in power AS THIS IS A BLACK EMPOWERMENT SONG. In the video, she is the “master” and the men surrounded her which also alludes to women's empowerment.

Lastly, look at this image of Beyonce performing Formation during the Formation tour.

Now look at the preview

YOU CANNOT TELL ME SHE DIDNT COPY FROM BEYONCE LOOK AT HER STANCE

LOOK AT THEIR OUTFITS

THE JEWELRY

Y’all can say it’s a stretch but THE SHOE FITS

AND IT IS BEYOND DISRESPECTFUL

As I previously stated, EVERYTHING BEYONCE DID IN THAT VIDEO AND IN THE PERFORMANCES WAS MEANINGFUL. It had a purpose. People who truly understand the cultural importance of Lemonade and of Formation wouldn't dare copy it for some white foolishness like this.

See the problem with this is that Taylor is a victim of her own choices and her own foolishness…Yet somehow the world continues to praise her

She is the one who lied about the Kimye situation, knowing damn well she heard the song. Her team was the ones who had to change their statement several tries. When Kimye threatened, and then followed through, with leaking the tape that exposed her, she was the one with her tail tucked between her legs and then yet again pulled out the victim card when she threatened to sue using the California Law about recording someone unknowingly.

She is the one who has been writing her music, or at least so she claims, which is the same music that has given her the reputation she has. She is the one who has disrespected and dissed almost every ex that she has had and wrote songs about their relationship. Even with Calvin, she could have gracefully ended the relationship and moved on but no she sat there and tried to diss him for not giving her credit WHEN SHE AGREED TO BE THE GHOST WRITER. But good for Calvin for clapping right back and telling her that she needs to worry about herself and stop trying to make others look bad.

She is the one who has done nothing to prove that she isn't a white feminist. In her current video, she used Todrick Hall as a dancer and while at eye level it doesn't seem that deep because they have known each other since her 1989 tour it’s deeper than that.

Todrick Hall is one of the most powerful voices on Youtube. Do you know what Todrick Hall is known for? A lot of things, one of them being his covers. He is also known for his love Beyonce which can be seen in his cover of the Evolution of Beyonce.

And look who we see in Taylor’s new video, right by her side

Todrick Hall.

Now once again on the surface level, everything seems normal. BUT NO BITCH

She is using Todrick just as she is using the rest of the black dancers in the video. This gave me flashbacks to Shake It Off

We have seen this time and time again. White people take the stereotypes portrayed against the black community and or people of color in general and mock them/copy them. And then they use black people of people of color in their videos/projects as if that means that the entire black community will give them approval. 

Many people call Todrick Hall, Coondrick Hall but that is a different post for a different user to explain to you but the doesn’t negate the fact that Taylor used him and the rest of the dancers. She used Todrick in a video where she copied Beyonce because she thought that meant she would get the black communities approval. 

In this song, she is addressing her reputation and how people view her and talks about how she’s different now. She is suing the powerful imagery from formation to whine and complain about problems she caused for her damn self if that doesn’t make your blood boil  I don’t know what will. 

But am I surprised?

This is no different than what most white feminist and white women do. They are so caught up in their own whiny first world problems that they ignore real issues. They use the culture of people of color for their own benefit. They act like they are the victims and black people are either their puppets or always out to get them. And she gets away with it. Every. Single. Time. Why? Becuase she’s white and has money and the world is full ignorant people just like her.

It’s really sad but its hella true. I’m done y’all these whole situation wrecks of fucking white nonsense and foolery.

#it took me about two hours to do this #i hope black twitter drags her #i hope everyone drags her honestly #white nonsense #white foolishness #white feminism #taylor swift #taylor swift exposed #anti taylor swift #anti taylor #copy cat #Beyoncé #look what you made me do #white feminist #mine #taylor snake