#with all of their problematic lovable selves

[bbygirl-aemond]

I for one am angry that they didnt make Helaena fat. She was described as stout in canon. Why they didnt bother to cast a bigger sized actress is beyond me. another reason why i think aemond will turn out to be a simp for her. some unrequited or forbidden love. smh. as if fat women cant inspire love and devotion.

as much as i ADORE phia sabhan and emma d'arcy, they're both very slim, and i do wish we'd gotten a more accurate representation of their character's body types as described in canon. especially because there isn't much representation for any female body type that doesn't have a super thin waist, especially not for women who are considered desirable. and especially not for moms which is so wild to me like what!! in general the idea that it's normal for women's bodies to look like their teenaged selves after a whole ass pregnancy makes me so mad

i know the commentary on rhaenyra's weight is framed in a very sexist way in fire and blood in that they act like alicent is better than rhaenyra for being slim after childbirth, but that doesn't mean it's inherently problematic for rhaenyra not to be slim, just that it depends on the framing. it's so freeing when media depicts fat women as being desirable and lovable without framing that desirability as being in spite of their weight, and i would have loved to see that.

seeing helaena be absolutely beloved by everyone, and seeing rhaenyra have all these men (and alicent) falling at her feet, not in spite of them being fat but simply because they love or desire them, would have been excellent representation. alas, it now exists only in my imagination!

(this does go for aegon too btw, but there are way more fat male depictions of characters in pop culture than female characters because of sexism, so i focused on helaena and rhaenyra here)

#ask #asks #answered #hotd #house of the dragon #helaena targaryen #helaena #rhaenyra targaryen #rhaenyra #fire and blood #fab

[aeide-thea]

i've said this before on here, albeit more euphemistically, but it really is funny to me how fixated my subconscious has gotten on the very specific scenario of 'getting fucked in the cunt without getting misgendered'???

like historically that particular configuration is so, so low on the list of things i like—i like getting fucked in the ass and i like getting my mouth on people pretty much everywhere and i like fingering them and i like fucking them and that's without getting into any of the kinky things i also like [which are not especially hardcore imo but like. the way america is going who the fuck knows what counts as hardcore anymore, also frankly that sort of ranking is problematic in a bunch of ways we can talk about if you want]—

but it has nonetheless loomed very large in my imagination lately even though it's like. the least satisfying thing i can do with my body by a long chalk, because like. don't we all want to show someone the things about us that we feel/fear are dealbreakers and have it turn out that somehow, miraculously, they're forgivable and we're lovable and desirable as our own real, imperfect, acceptable, accepted selves, just as we are…

#so like. it would be uncompelling except it has teeth—the concept‚ that is‚ thank you very much!— #and so it becomes very mesmerizing after all. gotta keep a wary eye on the thing you're afraid will bite #and then of course the tension of that becomes eroticized because that's what brains do with things! #nacre nacre nacre em. #(and yes you may take all the oyster jokes as read.) #anyway. feel vaguely as though i ought to have aged out of confessing things to the internet by now but. idk #it's a valuable pressure relief valve! #in conclusion thank god for the aegosexual space of fandom but also it has really been enabling me in ducking some of these harder things…

[lets-talk-spirituality]

How are you?? Miss reading your words

Awww. That’s sweet. Honestly bestie. Idk. Some days I’m at such peace it’s like I’m a monk and some days my anxiety is so bad it’s like I’ve not been trying to address this shit for years. Me and the universe had a little talk about them holding up their side of this bargain. They always come through at some point lol.

I’m realizing a lot about how I view love and relationships needs revitalizing and that some of my desires are tied into warped programming. I couldn’t see it under all my trauma before but guy, let’s call him Jesus lol (everyone who meets him does), he’s showing me that some of what I want in relationships is at it’s core codependent and about control and ownership, which I don’t think are always problematic, but for me yes. It’s part of unwinding my enmeshment wounding and learning how to truly be autonomous, blah blah.

We’re holding two truths right. This guy I like is emotionally unavailable and he’s deep soul connection. It’s very confusing to be straddling two worlds sometimes. How he acts in reality and how I feel him on a soul level conflict. Why? Well we’re all holding contradictions with our human and soul selves. It’s just hard when you can see multiple people in one person. My soul deeply loves him and sometimes humans can’t handle that based on where they are in themself. My human feels like he’s not that into us and we should back off. My wounded child is scared he’ll abandon us and that we can’t survive that because it means we aren’t lovable. My soul feels like he’s gonna come around again and that we’re intricately connected and that we’ve been feeling his impending presence in our life for months. (If I say here and told y’all all the shit from a spirit level…) We’re holding that he’s not giving us the attention we want and that need for attention comes from a wounded place. We’re holding he doesn’t put in enough effort to make us feel secure and that at this time that’s what’s best for us because we are not in a place where we can hold our own in a relationship yet. If he gave me all the attention I wanted, I would lose myself again. I already feel it happening sometimes. Yeah so that’s how I’ve been.

#ask box

[kingofthewilderwest]

Things I Fucking LOVE About VLD S8

Katie watching freaking Defender of the Universe and marveling at how Pidge’s voice actor sounds.

Katie Holt looking adorable wearing ponytails.

Mrs. Holt totally momming Katie.

GIRL’S SHOPPING DAY GIRL’S SHOPPING DAY GIRL’S SHOPPING DAY!!! Getting together Nadia, Ina, Allura, Pidge, and Romelle?!!

Pidge and Nadia being such gaming nerds.

Pidge exploiting her fame as Pidge and dressing up as freaking Darrell Stoker / Retro Pidge. Like you have no idea how much I wanted to scream in happy seeing her with the old outfit and hairstyle, this is such a blessing. SUCH a blessing holy crow.

Allura wearing one of her old outfits from the 1980s too! So many DOTU references this season!

Coran is having way too much fun with Lance.

Lance and Keith chilling out together on top of the lion watching the sunset and having a good convo. Look how far these two’s relationship has come. Look at them. It’s so good.

Dinner with Lance’s family is so pure.

The visuals with Allura and the tree are so beautiful.

Cute photograph moment! 

There’s an entire episode dedicated to Honerva’s past, showing her struggling emotions now that she’s remembering everything that’s been, showing her internal conflict and struggle, giving us a clear and deep understanding of her hurt and hate.

Baby Lotor is fucking adorable. Like look at that kid. Look at those big eyes. Oh my gosh he’s adorable. 

Lotor’s past is painful and it’s exactly the sort of crap I expected. Received no affection from his father. Was pushed into a Galra empire that didn’t value mercy. Watched the place he cultivated destroyed. Exactly the sort of thing I was expecting from his past to lead to his current state of mind as we meet him in S3. It shows how he’s someone who wants to revolutionize the empire, but is someone whose mind and ideas have been clearly influenced by his culture and upbringing.

I like how the robeasts have been developed throughout the series. How they clearly evoke the past ideas from DOTU/BKG of turning biological creatures into mechanized weapons. How the first season starts with Voltron doing lots of single episodes one-on-one fighting the robeasts, akin to the 1980s show. How the robeasts grow into an increasingly great problem by S8, and are now piloted by brainwashed Alteans. It’s a legitimately cool progression and makes the robeasts feel like a threat even while not repeating the same episode format over and over.

So many Altean warrior ladies on the forefront of Honerva’s forces.

“The Prisoner’s Dilemma” is a fan-fucking-tastic episode all around. One of my favorites for this season for sure.

It starts with Voltron, the ATLAS, the rebels, and the MFEs working together to take down a base. This is an amazing fight moment. It’s showing how far everyone has come since the start, how much they’ve grown, and it sings. And it’s showing REALLY cool team coordination. This is like. All around epically cool I fucking love it.

Matt Holt and his ponytail <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

I love how this episode focuses on trying to end the Galra Empire’s remaining power but also trying to show mercy to the Galra. I love how it shows a Galra leader who’s had help from Voltron before still being doubtful - and how more acts from Voltron bring him around. It takes time to convince someone who’s been part of the Galra Empire that Voltron is okay to ally with - and it shows how the Voltron Coalition is gaining ground.

There is some serious nice creepy tension in this episode.

KEITH BLASTING THROUGH THE DOOR WITH EPIC BIG GUN!

I love how Lance’s characterization feels like they took him and turned him more into his DOTU self over the course of the series. Honestly, as with all of them! The characters grow into those positions and selves.

“Battle Scars” is probably the episode that got me the most emotional. Olkarion is a planet and culture I loved, too. Watching it fall - watching that beautiful planet actually get destroyed along with many of its citizens - was painful. This is a good way to show Honerva’s power and the high-stakes dangers of her actions.

The idea of Pidge watching the past to learn what happened was a cool narrative effect, and also had good long-term story arc development since she learned how to track the robeasts, too.

Also amazingly good lesson / theme for that episode.

“The Grudge” is another cool episode that’s got the unique twist of the Paladins relying not on their typical weapons, but on having to be resourceful with the minimum. Another good, original premise.

Acxa and Veronica. Acxa and Veronica. Oh my gosh Acxa and Veronica. Acxa and the rest of the MFEs. Acxa and the humans. It’s so great. Acxa saying everything and it’s coming out SUPER edge-lord and everyone’s trying to figure out how to handle it. 

I fucking love Ina Leifsdottir. I love her personality so much. And I’m 99% sure the writers intended her as autistic representation and I think they did a good job with her.

Okay but this season really has a lot of fun with the MFEs. They don’t steal the show and take too much time, but we get a GREAT sense of personality from them. Rizavi and Kincade together is a delightful combo. I love her energy and love of action. I love his nerdy passions. They’re so fun. 

Let’s be real: one thing Voltron does consistently well is that, no matter how much screen time we have with a character, we get a GREAT sense of their personality, and we love them. There are so many different, lovable, often quirky personalities in Voltron. It’s so rich with its character personalities. I love how there’s a broad cast of characters and yet I can still connect to them all.

I appreciate how S8 wrapped up the story of Lotor’s generals. It would have been easy to have them die, just be casualties, and not have them or their narrative go anywhere. Instead, we get a wrap-up. They’ve been through a lot of twists, turns, and confusing life choices. Now they finally find a place. I like that Lotor’s team (who followed a man who was extremely misguided but wanted some good things) ended up being able to find a productive cause in the end. 

SPACE GALRA LESBIANS RETURN!

I honestly love the dynamic of ATLAS + Voltron. The Castle of Lions is really cool and I felt extremely sad and nostalgic when they lost it. But ATLAS + Voltron has a legitimately awesome sci-fi, mission-oriented dynamic. The Castle of Lions felt like there was always a home, whereas ATLAS gives the sense of being in space on a journey and mission. It gives me Vehicle Force Voltron vibes, ESPECIALLY with the inclusion of the MFEs.

Speaking of the 80s show and retro Voltron references, we got Merla!

This season focuses a bloody fuckton on Allura, but it shows a lot of depth and conflicted thoughts with her. It shows her as a woman of power. It shows her as someone tempted with problematic solutions or darker powers. It shows her loving, being loved, finding family, and marching ever-steady onward with her purpose. There’s a lot of complex psychology with how Allura’s handling these latest events and it’s written in a way we can understand exactly why she’s making the choices she does, good and bad.

“One... two... three... ALUMINUM!”

I love how Sam Holt overall gives Slav good respect for his more “superstitious”-esque approaches to things, and also valuing Slav for his powerful mind and abilities.

Lots of things from earlier seasons get remembered - Olkarion, Slav, Matt Holt, Shay, the Balmera, and more - and continue to play out in the final conflicts.

I legitimately love seeing Voltron team up with ATLAS in its transformed form. Shiro and Keith working completely equally. Keith’s become a fully-fledged leader. Shiro’s got hoards of respect and leadership power. Together everyone coordinates and kicks butt.

HOW have I not mentioned the visuals yet in this season? This was the most colorful and visually appealing season in Voltron YET - and we’ve been given season after season of really beautiful images. I love how, even though Voltron is set in SPACE, which is so full of voidness, we get so much color and light and appealing color pallets. Voltron is a visual delight.

“Day Forty-Seven” has got to be one of my favorite episodes of this season, if not a stand-out for the entire series to me. Some people might feel differently about this episode than me, but I honestly find it so unique and fun. It’s legitimately hard to try to write an episode following one camera for twenty minutes, while also telling a coherent story. And yet it DOES. We get a good narrative - while at the same time it feels so REAL. “Day Forty-Seven” gives us the ability to watch the entire ATLAS crew work, and allows us to watch Voltron from an outsider’s perspective as they go on dangerous missions - without the music, fanfare, camera angles, etc. And it’s so amusing getting everything from a dog carrying a camera around to Rizavi being upset that yeast is part of the documentary. And it shows so many characters and character dynamics and a sense of a full crew where everyone knows each other. And Rizavi and Kincade together are such a DELIGHT. And oh my goodness I could gush incoherently about this episode for a long time. It’s so much fun.

Keith and Hunk stuck on a musical ride. Love it. 

The bargaining Pidge and her mom do!!! The Holt family photograph!

Epic arm wrestling competition is epic. And I love how it all started because Shiro felt abashed being called “old.” Poor guy’s still in his 20s! And I love how it turned into all of Team Voltron CELEBRATING THE FUCK out of Shiro winning. Like, these guys have fought countless dangerous foes across the universe. And these dorks get over-the-top excited at Shiro’s accomplishment of winning an arm wrestling competition at a fair.

I laughed so hard at the Warden talking about how he found a purpose in arm wrestling.

The Voltron team joining up with the original Voltron team was pretty cool. I also love how it was animated where we would see the original Team branching off like apparitions out of Voltron, or how we’d see the pilots in the cockpit fading from one to the other.

Allura and Alfor reunion!!! I think this was done right. I am not a fan of stories where a character seems to lose someone, only for that person to magically be brought back. In this case, given the location of where Allura and Alfor unite, we know they’re not going to be able to resume a life of father and daughter. It’s a temporary reunion, and it happens a VERY LONG time after we’ve suffered through all of Allura’s pain in VLD about leaving Alfor behind. It doesn’t compromise the integrity of all the seasons that have come before it about their loss of Alfor and the Alteans, but it also gives us a touching moment of Allura seeing someone she’d never thought she’d see again.

VLD S8 shows that people aren’t cut-and-dry “always evil.” It shows how it’s a complex combination of your environment and your choice. Zarkon isn’t someone who is innately evil pure and simple, nor is Honerva, nor is Lotor. It also makes sure to remind us of the power of choice. Zarkon and Honerva also aren’t JUST victims of the entity - S8 reminds us that they pursued quintessence and poor choices that led to further bad consequences, too. And just because someone might not have been a villain with alternate choices, and just because someone DID become a villain... S8 reminds us that they still took this particular path. It doesn’t erase that Lotor might have wanted to make some positive differences, but turned into a villain. It looks at the complexity of people, how they have both goodness and badness within their potentials. And... it lets it be shown that just because you make a bunch of bad decisions doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to leave those choices and turn around. People aren’t “just evil.”

How have I not yet mentioned I love the uniforms that the Paladins wear when they’re not in their Lions?

THE ATLAS-VOLTRON FUSION. THE ATLAS-VOLTRON FUSION. THE ATLAS-VOLTRON FUSION. THAT IS AWESOME AS FUCK!

The S3 idea of alternate realities gets brought back in QUITE the way as Voltron chases Honerva through many realities.

I appreciate how Honerva spends so much time trying to find the perfect reality... and when she thinks she’s found it, it doesn’t do what she wants. It’s exactly what we would respect she’d reap. You can’t just tear across space and time to find happiness. At the same time, we can also feel her pain. 

Okay but Honera? I love her armor in this season too. Man I just. Love lots of what people wear this season.

I love Allura’s send-off. I love that the stakes got so high in VLD that we had to lose a main character, but not in a way that felt like a painful death. I love that Voltron was willing to give us a concrete ending where there’s no “going back” to the way things were before. I love that they still give us a sense of hope and growth even with the hurt of losing a main character. I love how it takes Allura, who always had such a strong sense of responsibility, and act on that responsibility in the most responsible and selfless choice possible. I love that she got to embrace every Paladin and say how much they mean to her. I love that they cried. I love how this was done. That’s a proper send-off, one filled with heroicism and selflessness and responsibility and power and strength and emotional pain and also a sense of HOPE.

There are some fucking powerful quotes this season.

I love how we got Altean Lance? Like honestly, when I first heard fans theorizing about it, I thought it was wishful fantasy and the typical desire for AU characters. But the way this was incorporated into VLD actually in canon was really cool.

I love seeing Pidge create Chip. DOTU REFERENCE!!!!!

I love how the Galra Empire has been shown fracturing for seasons, and how it’s finally come to a point Keith can naturally talk about needing change - and it’s believable to think that the Galra would now be open to this change happening.

I love seeing the entire team together after everything’s ended.

I love how in S2 characters talked about defeating the Galra Empire would mean that Voltron was no longer needed. I love how the writers stick with that. I love how the Paladins choose to retire from being Paladins, but intentionally go forth to make the universe a brighter place - there’s still so much to do. I love how the lions themselves choose to fly away. 

I love seeing their selfies. I love that they intentionally make sure Allura’s in their Paladin team reunion selfies. I love seeing how the characters age. 

I love how Keith’s hair just keeps growing.

I love that ENORMOUS fucking Vehicle Force Voltron reference with the Holts! Holy crap! I’m actually seeing characters like Cliff and Wolo in the background!!! And given the premise of Vehicle Force Voltron seeking out a new planet after humanity has contacted alien civilizations, it feels entirely fitting that this is how Vehicle Force Voltron gets incorporated into the VLD timeline.

I love how the Holts, such a POWERFULLY BRILLIANT family, are the people who keep exploring technology and build the next round of Legendary Defenders.

I love seeing how Hunk’s passion for cooking isn’t treated as trivial. It’s treated as a means of creating intergalactic peace and happiness. He uses it as a way to treat the Alteans with kindness when they’re prisoners on the ATLAS. He uses it to create a culinary revolution after Honerva’s defeated. Hunk is revolutionizing society and making an enormous positive difference because of his passion. That’s majorly epically awesome like fuck I LOVE it.

I love everyone’s endings, honestly. I love how Lance chooses a quieter ending. He wanted a lot of glory as a fighter pilot at the start of VLD S1. He grows into someone so much more mature. Now he’s someone who understands he’s impacted the universe. He’s willing to talk to Alteans at school and spread positive messages with the people in his life. But he’s also taking quiet time for himself. The homesick boy from the early seasons isn’t feeling that more - he has a concrete embedded home to return to, valuing family ever onward. And it’s all embedded in him surrounding himself in the memory of people like Allura he’s held dear. It’s bittersweet and one that happens when someone you love is gone, but it’s not a sad ending, and it’s one that will turn into a lot of happiness, peace, and meaning. This boy’s got a good ending.

I love that we even see where Krolia and Kolivan end up.

And dude. Keith continuing to work with the Blade of Marmora but turning it to humanitarian relief??? This guy’s amazing. So amazing.

I’m a Sheith shipper but I never expected a canon-concrete Sheith end game, so I’m totally happy seeing Shiro’s ending. They gave this guy the happiness he needed. This is someone who’s been trapped in war for so long. He’s had to work so hard without break because of the necessity of defending the universe. This is someone who can finally leave the battlefield and rest. Anyone who thinks for a second Shiro and Keith are any less close just because it’s not romantic is kidding themselves - their relationship shall be as pure and close and powerful and deep as always. And we get an on-screen gay kiss! An on-screen queer marriage!

This is a good ending in that it wraps up all the conflict... but it gives us a look at the hope of the future for everyone’s lives. 

I’m here to spread positivity and excitement for the good Voltron Season 8 did. A show doesn’t have to be “perfect” (nothing’s perfect) to be awesome, meaningful, and enjoyable. This show has been SUCH a wonderful ride, start to finish, and I can’t be more grateful to have been an audience member for this story. It’s going to last as one of my favorite animated series of all time.

#I don't want to see nothing but salt on my dash so here's some positivity to light the way <3 #long post #vld spoilers #Voltron spoilers #Voltron: Legendary Defender #Voltron Legendary Defender #non-dragons #vld #spoilers #Voltron #analysis #my analysis #anyone who responds with negativity is being rude to me please don't #I will NOT listen to you at this current time #I know where you come from but I am here to have fun online #be nice and let me have it #and let me grant other happy people happiness too! :D #jsyk if I unfollowed anyone recently it's only temporary as you go through your salt #that's fine - salt away - I'll be back soon #I just don't want to salt myself :)

[lucyreviewcy]

Made in Chelsea - S02 E09

In this episode, Caggie takes misc Frenchman on a tour of London. Spencer is mad at Caggie for not wanting to be with him, so cuts her out of his life. Amber throws a fundraiser for the Chelsea Pensioners and raises less money than she probably spent on breakfast that day.

Richard Ellis wrote in 2009 that as television proliferated throughout the twentieth century, audiences developed an increased awareness of emotionality in TV shows. By the time he was writing, which is handily close to the inception of MIC, he noted that public figures were trained to “present the appearance of sincerity.” He also comments on the way that TV dramas don’t actually allow their characters much closure, often resolving one issue amid a sea of other problems. As a constructed reality show, MIC is a tangy, sweet and sour combination of factual and fiction, mixing up these two elements to create a kind of sincerity that is completely unique to the show. 

One of the things that sets MiC apart from other reality/constructed reality shows is that it lacks the confessional interview clips that have provided the world with so many gifs of the Kardashians. In other shows, these are usually first person interviews in front of green screened backgrounds, where the characters discuss events in the present tense as if they are reacting to the story as it unfolds. This allows the characters to demonstrate what they’re learning and how their feelings are evolving through the course of the narrative. For Richard Ellis, characters learning as they go is important. He notes that this offers the audience a “secular form of salvation”, where characters achieve “redemption through socialisation.” 

But MiC doesn’t have confessionals. 

In fact, have we seen any of our posh pals do any learning throughout these episodes? Let’s go through a few examples:

Binky (lovable Binky) and Cheska’s tiff over Hugo. This is an interesting example. Binky distances herself from Cheska after Cheska’s meddling in Milly and Hugo’s relationship causes a ruckus in the group. We have a few episodes where Binky and Cheska, rather than being our favourite dynamic duo, appear in separate scenes or in stilted confrontations. Following her holiday in Morocco with the Jamie/Spencer/Millie crowd, Binky returns to Cheska and Ollie. The relatable crew are back together again. Binky apologises to Cheska. So has she learned anything? Not really. Perhaps Cheska and Ollie have learned to value Binky as a part of their group? But overall, the conflict arises, but by the end of the story arc, the status quo is resumed. By this episode, Cheska and Binky are back to their old tricks of drinking together and making mischievous phone calls to help Ollie research his book. Relatable they may be, but they haven’t gone on a learning journey, and nobody has been redeemed here.

Hugo and Millie’s cheating saga

Hugo and Millie both cheated on each other during their brief relationship, but they eventually reconcile and become friends again. Or do they? Millie begins her relationship with Hugo when Hugo is more interested in Rosie, and sees Rosie as a rival. Rosie rejects Hugo, so he gets together with Millie. Millie cheats on Hugo. Hugo cheats on Millie. Millie and Hugo agree to be friends. Millie still likes Hugo. Millie sees Rosie as a rival. 

Millie, in particular, doesn’t appear to have learned anything. There’s certainly no symbolic redemption arc for either of them because Millie’s treatment of Hugo when she finds out he’s a big cheater is completely undermined by the fact that she is also a big cheater. 

In real life, they’re married now. So I guess nobody learned any lessons here at all.

Spencer and Caggie… again… I mean the subtitle here says it all. This series is rife with circular storylines; Caggie and Spencer are no different. The storyline follows this pattern: Caggie is not interested in Spencer, Spencer is interested in Caggie, Spencer professes his love for Caggie, she’s still not interested, Spencer decides to be mean to Caggie, Caggie is not interested in Spencer. Oh look, you’ve gone all the way round, collect £200 for passing go. 

The series arcs are repetitive, and characters leave each episode in pretty much the same state that they left it. What is it about Made in Chelsea that allows it to get away with this?

Ellis writes that “Reality TV shows encourage speculation about sincerity and the limits of permissible behaviour”, and suggests that the audience gain entertainment from speculating about the sincerity of the characters involved. But as I’ve talked about previously on this very blog, most of the characters on the show come across as naturally incredibly insincere. I think of MiC as a very pretty fiction, but I never feel like the characters are being their true selves.

Is it possible that the reason MiC is so successful despite its inherently insincere cast is that there is something fascinating about the idea of a world with no consequences? The way that the characters in the show behave is predictable. Spencer will pursue Caggie, Millie will flirt with Hugo, Rosie will wear hats. These are not complicated characters. Watching the show is a little bit like watching different games of chess each week. What happens when you put this character in this conflict with this character? But at the end of every series, the characters are put back in their neat lines, perfectly intact and unchanged. 

By “limits of permissible behaviour”, Ellis refers to the discussions audiences have about the moral and ethical decisions that the characters make. We use these shows to develop and understand our own morality. By making the statement: “Spencer is a bad person”, and then having to give the reason: “because he doesn’t respect Caggie’s boundaries and treats her like property”, I’m expressing my beliefs about how people should interact. While I don’t believe these stories are occurring organically, I do find them helpful as a chronicle of what was acceptable ten years ago compared to what is acceptable now. We watch our favourite toffs bounce off each other and come to blows, and we use their actions as examples to justify our own way of living. By saying “I think Spencer is a bad friend to Caggie”, I am saying “I recognise that this is not a good friendship, and wouldn’t treat a friend that way.” My dislike for Spencer reinforces my own beliefs, because he behaves in a way I find morally objectionable. 

Ellis points out that all reality TV shows are also a safe playground for discussing and expressing your beliefs. There is enough distance between the viewer and the character for us to comfortably discuss these complicated ethical structures without getting caught in the crossfire. If a friend says to me that they love Spencer, I would disagree with them. We wouldn’t be discussing our morals and ethics, though, don’t worry - no reason to get heated - we’d be discussing Spencer. 

This has been an unusually long post for what is, let’s face it, a ranty little blog about posh misogyny, but I’d like to finish by pointing out one thing. Ellis was writing in 2009, before social media really got its grubby little fists out and started pummelling the world into submission. It used to be much safer to explore your own beliefs by discussing the actions of characters in TV shows, but social media becomes a free for all battleground for shouting your opinions into the void. Rather than exploring our objections to characters and storylines, we all to often write them off as “problematic”, without delving into the problems that make them that way. Mass media is made for a mass audience, and it is good for it to start discussions, but all too often we use our love/hate for a specific piece of media to symbolise our ideologies. I like watching Made in Chelsea. It doesn’t make me a Tory. It doesn’t make me a capitalist. It doesn’t make me sexist. It makes me a person who likes watching Made in Chelsea. In the same way, liking Lizzo doesn’t make you a feminist, and liking Joker doesn’t make you a gun-totting clown. We should not use our media consumption habits to define ourselves. They should spark discussion, they should cause us to evaluate our beliefs, but they are not who we are. 

#made in chelsea #tv #MiC #Spencer Matthews #Caggie Dunlop #Media studies

[itsclydebitches]

An H.R. Study: What Do You Do With a Non-Logical Character in an Otherwise Logical World?

Who’s your favorite Flash character? Mine is Harrison Wells and yes, I mean every Harrison Wells. From Star Trek’s evil Mirror Universe counterparts to the Fringe division learning to embrace their alternate selves, the doppelgänger has long been a beloved trope in Science Fiction, capable of drawing out both conflict and nuance of character — and Tom Cavanagh’s work is no exception. It means that I was (and remain) thrilled to get another iteration of Harrison Well on the show: the quirky and enigmatic H.R.  

Now this meta could have easily been a ranty defense of H.R., considering that the other members of Team Flash mostly seem to hate him and, from what I’ve seen, the fandom does too. Which honestly surprises me. I personally find him to be lovable, entertaining, and a breath of fresh air within the story...but hell, no one needs to like the characters I like. This isn’t a ‘my fave is the best!!’ pissing contest.

No, I’m more interested in the question that H.R. represents: What the hell do you do with a non-logical character in a predominantly logical environment?

As a sort of disclaimer, I’m using ‘logical’ here as a nebulous catch-all for the hard sciences/pseudo-science/things that do not fall into the realm of the Humanities. AKA, most of the stuff you find in superhero stories. Because that’s what The Flash gives us: a world where science rules, unquestioningly. It is the source of the protagonists’ power, the means to the antagonists’ defeat, and even when something ethereal like magic is introduced (“Legends of Today”) it’s quickly shuffled out of the narrative because it’s too much of a threat. This results in a set of characters with a (heh) logical, but rather limited skill-set:

Harrison/Harry/Eobard Thawne - All genius scientists with backgrounds in, frankly, whatever the story needs. 

Cisco - Mechanical engineer who, as Harry says, “can do anything.” 

Caitlin - Bio-engineer capable of solving any medical emergency under the sun. 

Barry - Our protagonist, who could have easily been a part of this group purely because of his powers. However, he’s also a forensic scientist and easily keeps up with all the technical aspects of their work. 

Wally - A student, but one with incredible mechanical and technical talent. 

Jesse - Also a student, though said to have a “genius IQ” and clearly takes after her father in terms of worshiping science. 

Julian - Another astoundingly talented forensic scientist. 

Hartley - Physicist who was once the “favorite” of Dr. Wells’. 

Martin Stein/Ronnie/Jefferson Jackson - Brilliant physicist, structural engineer, and mechanic, respectively.

The main outliers:

Joe West/Eddie Thawne - Police detectives, the former of whose lack of scientific knowledge is often used for comic relief. It’s fine though because they’re still able to back up Team Flash with police resources. They’re “useful” despite not being scientists, and thus their outlying nature is not just tolerated, but looked upon fondly.

Iris West - Journalist, was “useful” in season one when her writing was introducing Central City to the Flash... now though? She’s able to follow the science mumbo-jumbo slightly better than Joe (“Speed-canon, Dad.”) but that doesn’t mean she contributes much. She’s tolerated, frankly, because she’s the main love interest (which is a whole other rant). And don’t get me wrong, I adore Iris, but within the boundaries of this world her contributions are primarily in the form of giving Barry pep-talks and something to fight for. (Again, rant for another time.)

And then there’s H.R.

This is the world H.R. is entering into. This is the team he’s trying to join - one that’s saturated with the logical; the scientific. It’s a group that says loudly and clearly that if you can’t talk particle acceleration or invent a quantum splicer, you don’t belong here. Hell, Cisco says it outright when he complains that out of the entire multi-verse they got the one Wells that (supposedly) isn’t a genius.

I find this absolutely fascinating. I also find it incredibly problematic.

On the one hand this is a golden opportunity for the writers. Look at this change of pace! They have a character who supposedly doesn’t fit, who brings an entirely new set of skills to the table, and that should, in turn, provide new opportunities and complicate what it means to be “useful” in this logical world. If we look at this analytically, we can see that H.R. has already demonstrated a number of astounding talents and characteristics:

He managed to trick the team into thinking he solved the cryptogram (acting skills) 

Read through the entirety of the Team’s records and has used that information to achieve his ends - such as getting them all coffee (critical reading, memorization) 

When caught admits that he’s working on a book and that he’s produced a number of best sellers (creative writing) 

Presents himself as the Team’s “muse” (ability to act as a sounding board for developing ideas, helping to bring out others’ potential) 

Trained Wally when no one else would (coaching, compassion) 

Built an entire museum within STAR Labs, presumably single-handedly (planning, execution, perseverance)

Is constantly pulling together events and cracking jokes (organization, decorating, entertainment, moral)  

I think this is an impressive skill-set. And yes, I’m admittedly biased. H.R. largely represents who I am—a reader, a writer, a funny sort of person who happens to be completely useless at science—and I was thrilled to see how the writers would fit someone like me into this logical, genius-driven world. What’s sad though is that their answer to the “What do you do with a character like H.R.?” question is apparently, “Nothing.”

Despite a few throw-away lines about how he’s indeed a part of the Team now and Cisco’s fight for him against Gypsy (which can be read as a ‘this is just what heroes do’ action), nobody seems to actually like H.R., let alone appreciate what he can do—let alone explore how his talents might benefit the Team. He’s rarely given credit for the ideas he helps to develop. His (frankly beautiful) acts of friendship are met with consistent disgust and unease—even moreso now that Harry is back on Earth One. Joe once asked him if he had a pathological need to make people like him, which brings up another important issue within superhero narratives: that apparently neuro-atypical people don’t belong there either. H.R. reminds me of a lot of  my friends—hyper, anxious, needs to fiddle with things, uses humor and self-depreciation as a defense against horrific insults like someone spitting into your coffee—and the fact that the show neither has the other characters defending H.R. or at least warming to him is incredibly disheartening.

I hope this improves over the second half of this season. I’m not sure it will.

Because I have a bad sense of where H.R.’s story might be going. We’ve had one ‘good’ Wells who was revealed to be bad. One seemingly ‘bad’ Wells who is now firmly on the side of good. Now it’s time to have a Wells who is exactly as he appears, but since The Flash writers don’t seem to know what to do with a creative character in an otherwise logical world, I fear that H.R. won’t be surviving the season. That, in an attempt to make him “useful,” he’ll sacrifice himself for the Team—and then everyone can look back and regret how cruel they were, once he’s safely out of the way.

I think H.R. deserves better than that. I hope I’m wrong. Because he represents a class of character we so rarely see in the superhero genre and I, personally, would like to see a whole lot more of him.

Thanks for reading <3 

#The Flash #Harrison Wells #HR Wells #Team Flash #science #representation #mymetas