I've been listening through the hobbit audiobook and it's really helping me collect my thoughts on the problem I had with the movies, which is that all the characters are sort of reworked to be more sympathetic in ways that undercut the chaos of the original book -R Thorin isn't Tiny Aragorn and his being a selfish dickhead in the leadup to the Five Armies isn't the result of a dragon-induced heel-turn, he was basically ALWAYS like that but never had any actual power or leverage to back it up -R

lovely day to remember that trans rights are human rights, trans people deserve dignity and autonomy over their choices, none of this is up for debate, and trying to scapegoat a vulnerable population to further a transparent agenda is ugly and embarrassing 😘 -R there is something very funny about how TERFs are so dedicated to enforcing the gender binary that they've circled back to the pre-feminist "every single woman is weaker than every single man and it is her fate to be crushingly victimized and powerless forever" -R

I think the best evidence for "people don't really know what they want and creators shouldn't just give what they're asked for" is what dropping entire seasons of TV at once is doing to us -R "I want to know what happens next NOW" is the kind of question that forms the backbone of a lasting fandom. Incremental buildup of narrative and speculation on future development reinforces fan spaces and builds communities that can and do outlast the series finale. -R

There's a pattern I've observed in fandom that makes me really sad, and it's that a media property will be absolutely beloved for being groundbreaking or exciting or just really fun, and then about a year or two later all that enthusiasm violently reverses into shame -R Not quiet shame, either - loud, aggressive, must-be-on-the-Not-Cringe-Side-of-history shaming. And like any cycle of bullying, it becomes self-reinforcing - unabashedly enjoying it puts a target on your back from everyone trying to prove how cool and cynical they are -R

sometimes I wonder why Encanto's ending didn't quite give me the warm and fuzzies it was clearly designed to do and then I remember not a single human being apologized to Bruno -R Which is kind of indicative of something I observed in the movie overall that just didn't quite gel with me – which was this feeling that the resolution was the family overall saying "don't worry, we loved and valued you this whole time" -R

gonna watch Alien and Aliens tonight, should I livetweet it or maximize the horror experience by spending the whole time alone with my thoughts? -R Quick folllow-up poll incorporating a popular suggestion:

started rewatching Avatar from front to back for the first time in several years so expect a resurgence in "fuck this show's so good" commentary -R we don't appreciate Bumi's introduction enough, frankly. aang pulling a clever protagonist-y move like "I have to fight whoever I choose? then I think outside the box and choose YOU, decrepit mad king" and bumi going "WRONG CHOICE :D" -R

I'm looking at a rare work-free evening and the thought of unstructured free time terrifies me, plz recommend movies to analyze instead -R this is quite a menagerie with no (?) wrong answers -R

Ghibli movies were very formative for my art, but since I watched most of them when I was little, long before I was actually doing art in any real capacity, I've never actually watched one with an artist's eye, and this is a long way of saying holy fuck howl's moving castle -R Every single background shot in this movie is making me exhausted by proxy. I can't stand drawing complex backgrounds because I get hella bored filling in the details and this movie might actually straight-up kill me through my artistic inadequacy -R

guys should I watch all the hobbit movies tonight -R all right guys, I've watched each of these movies only once before, when they were released in theaters. I remember them becoming progressively less enjoyable and more boring. Tonight let's find out if that's a fair assessment! -R

did you guys know you can just draw anything and no-one stops you?? it's great -R yes the runes say "art thou nasty" please get it tattooed on your body -R

hm…… it's been a while……… I think I would like to analyze a movie -R man you guys are on TOP of this -R

pst what's a good movie to watch tonight -R specifying GOOD movies really narrows the playing field doesn't it -R

so guys. guys. I've actually watched very few classic horror movies on account of fear not making my list of top five favorite emotions. but I've got nothing else going on tonight and I'm thinking it's about time I start educating myself - so what would you recommend? -R allllll righty you all know the drill by now -R

ducktales really cranked the Found Family Is The Real Family dial until it snapped off -R also featuring cameos by Age And/Or Maturity Have No Correlation With Your Capacity For Fun and It's Okay To Fall As Long As You Never Stop Getting Back Up Again -R

Historical accuracy in popular media is one issue, but today's "Unleash Your Inner Viking" trailers for Assassin's Creed Valhalla peddle disproven misinformation that supports dangerous ideology – we're talking toxic masculinity at best, and white supremacy at worst.
Here's how: The trailers follow a group of caryoonishly-inept losers going to a camp in the woods to learn how to solve their life problems by placing AC:V and then Acting Like A Viking – in practice, this means: being angry and rude, threats of violence, and actual violence.

is it too late to start a bad movie night -R okay hypothetically if it ISN'T too late to start a bad movie night what bad movie would you recommend -R

Some stories are all buildup to a final payoff, and some stories are a series of smaller buildups & payoffs. Smaller buildups and regular payoffs are considered risky because they don't FORCE the audience to keep watching - but they don't risk it all if the ending disappoints. -R So many series seem to believe the first approach is the only way to hold an audience. A finale can never be unconditionally satisfying - it leaves the audience wanting more payoff. And then if (when) those series fail to deliver in the finale, they leave nothing behind. -R

In order to avoid compulsively checking the news tonight, I'm thinking of doing a bad movie night! Anyone got any suggestions for a terrible movie? Maybe one that could have and SHOULD have been good but somehow absolutely crashed and burned? -R Hokay let's narrow this sucker down -R

I was minding my own business playing minecraft when something went "BZZ" right next to my ear and flew into my hair. This is NEVER good, but then I discovered it was a Fucking Wasp, and things took an abrupt right turn into shitsvillle… -R But the thing is, a bug doesn't wanna be in your hair ANY more than you want the bug in your hair. They can't move very well, and the human the hair is attached to normally starts freaking out and swatting them, which is bad. So, despite our differences, we had similar goals… -R

The more I write, the more I think I need to analyze the difference between coding, allegory, and parallels. Is the only difference authorial intent? Does ham-fistedness factor into it? Is the key factor what (if any) message the author hopes to send? There's a lot to unpack -R

https://twitter.com/AuroraWebcomic/status/1309997821907664896

Here's my initial thoughts:
Coding - character is written with traits intended to remind the audience of a real group
Allegory - char's experiences are meant to remind the audience of a real situation/event
Parallel - char's experiences mirror some real situations/events

-R