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kendrixtermina · 4 years

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Sigh. Chibnall.

Jodie Whittaker and demographic realism

So I want to make clear that I have no problems whatsoever with Jodie Whittaker’s performance - the character seamlessly kept walking across the screen, she has great energy, love the steampunk goggles.

Honestly I’ve always believed that giving existing characters a demographic change is not really as revolutionary or helpful as ppl think; New characters and stories (esp. told by writers of those samedemographics) solve the problem much better. Keeping specificity is often better than losing it, and the character still has a background (from an “advanced” civilization that used to do dirty deeds and is still kind of uppity attitudes, a character who’s decided to be against that attitude but still needs to be knocked own from the occasional uppity moment; It makes sense for them to look like a british dude, and they have the freedom to go wherever problems like sexism and racism don’t exist so... ), and will be linked to its origin. But at worst something that will look dated in a few years like the 80s outfits, the show’s done dated and crowdpleasing before; There’s no hard reason not to do it and I expected no quality dip.

It certainly worked as as attention grab, the premiere drew a lot of attention but that only lasted as long as it took for the reviews to go sour. But one of the main good things its proponents said could come of it was to help the lack of female anti heroes. So far she really didn’t get to anti hero much; It’s not Whittaker, it’s the scripts.

I want to make this clear: Varied demograpics are good;

This is why I kind of hate the term “diversity” is one of those vague euphemisms if you mean “demographic representation”, “social equity” or “demographic realism” just say that.

In a way this is a good thing, it used to be only the best boldest writers who could get away, noadays it has become acceptable to have varied casts. And that’s how it should be artshouldn’t have to have to pass some arbitrary quality standard to simply reflect reality. But as the rebootverse and star trek discovery should’ve proved realistic demographics can’t replace good writing. Sometimes lack of realistic demographis is associated with bad writing because both come from play-it-safe more-of-the-same consummerism focussed sameyness, often someone who goes against the formulas has a solid vision which makes them good, and focussing on ignored topics and perspectives can yield new ideas (consider stuff like Wonder Woman, Get Out, Black Panther... which were just good, novel movies) but you could have a super interesting memorable story where everyone is a medieval european monk, but the characters are differentiated by personality, attitude, beliefs, or something where the cast ticks all sort of all demographic boxes but the characters are 1D and the story trite and predictable

On the one hand you get those gamergate adjacent fanboys who make “diversity” and “good writing” out to be enimical opposites and then you have the purists/antis who treat any critique of writing to be founded in having something against realistic demographics. You need both!

Series 11

There were good things about it: An attempt at leastto do more of your classic thought provoking space operas or going back to the shows’ pulp fiction roots, covering some historic periods/topics other than the classic historical fiction tropes (they got a pakistani writer, had Yaz and Ryan discuss social topics among themselves etc.), the emotional story centered around this family coping with a loss, having Ryan sort of be the “main” companion and the one the rest of the team is protective of

But overall the reason I didn’t rush to watch s12 as soon as it came out is that it was a bit... bland. The team interacted mostly with each other; The Doctor had more charge with one shot characters like King James or the Solitract than she really did with the companions. Graham was such a missed opportunity. Remember how everyone loved the dynamic with Wilfred? No attempt to strike a bond over how they’re the older party members, or the professional xenophile trying to nudge the bilbo baggins like reluctant hero? We’re told the Doctor really likes Yaz, and I believe it cause she always liked people like that, but are we shown?

For all that Moffat and RTD were very different writers with different strenghts and weaknesses, both were very character-driven writers, and that was really missing here a bit.

Some ppl said they didn’t give Yaz enough screentime or personality - but the thing is, they did try. They just failed. They let her make little remarks here and there about her homelife, they just never really assembled into a whole beyond buzzwords and inspirational platitudes and the Standard Companion Traits. I didn’t get a read on what she’s about or who she’s like until the pakisan episode where she unlike Barbara, Donna etc. immediately accepted that the past can’t be changed. Ah, I finally thought, she’s a very responsible dutiful person.

Everything lacks edges and defining moments.

So far, I didn’t sweat it. I though, ok, not everything can be the high-concept character driven spec fic epic type of story that is my personal favorite. Every time there was some addition to the mythos in any way someone cried ruined forever. When the time lords first appeared. When the time war was introduced.

The classics too were lower on the character driven ness; Still good pulp fiction content. (imho the character concepts themselves were often pretty good, just not used to the fullest and some of the actresses were treated crappy backstage)

I thought “okey, it wouldn’t be good to break with the tradition of making the sussequent incarnations contrasting”

I did think that there was much liberty with the additions which the others did do only towards the end when it feltmore earned, but, the addition of say, sisters, isn’t too disruptive

Series 12 and the Timeless Child Nonsense

The frustrating thing about this is that it COULD have been good.

The Master teaming up with the cybermen to try and take over Gallifrey is precisely the sort of story the classics would’ve done.

“Your society is founded on a shady secret and exploitation of the innocent” is a good plot twist especially in these times. The Master finding that secret and using it to his advantage - also very him.

Imagine what it could have been like if it had been approached from the perspective of someone who, for all that they were a rebel, still sort of profited from being part of that society, someone who wants to take responsibility for that past and would maybe have to make some tough choice to let the exploitation victim go because it’s right even if it has cosequences for themselves and their civilization.

but then you ruin that by immediately taking the protagonist out of that society. They and they alone are the victim.

like this plot could have been good except for the twist that the Doctor and the timeless child are the same.

Not connecting it to existing lore about the earlier war game days, everything with Omega and Rassilon, that bit about the Time Lord becoming what they were through exposure to the untempered schism... that might be forgiven. Even if it does stretch the suspension of disbelief that every single piece of sci fi scanning equipment in the show didn’t pick anything up; Not to mention that it destroys the stake on every heroic sacrifice or death prophecy plot, every time a companion or oneshot character took the bullet, the whole “out of regens” plot...

This is not me being mad about things being added or changed, but this being done in such a way that undermines the philosophy, the whole flavor...

Yes, the MC is mysterious, the 7th Doctor arcs did a lot with this etc. but doesn’t spelling something out this clear not deplete rather than add to that? It#s a definite answer even if the final origin isn’t clear.

But they’re so much else.

The trickster hero accomplishing great deeds with planning, guile, improvisation and duct tape, the implicit value that ressourcefulness trumps raw power.

The rebel, different because they chose to be or made themselves to be such through their adventures, sticking to their own values in a close-minded society - who embodies & encourages thinking for yourself in every situation and universal plot, who battles enemies like the Daleks and Cybermen that represent comformity

Yeah they have many names yeah they take out gods... but all this was the result of their actions & path in pursuit of knowledge, and also, as Moffat once stated, the funny part is that behind all the fearsome reputation is wit and duct tape.

The fish in a small pond who started out a misfit, failed their tardis driving exam... etc. and often made a point that they didn’t want immortality or endless godlike power. That’s meaningless if they had it to begin with.

The explorer who wanted to see more than their corner of the world.

The ANTI HERO that’s made alltogether too tragic here, too absolved from their uppity civilization

All that is wiped away if they were this special creature to begin with.

Where WAS the philosophy, rly? The big humanist speeches that made me love the show.

Going Forward

So I think - I HOPE - that this in particular will be treated like the “half human” thing from the TV movie or the now josses additional origin stories from the audios, or be handwaved under the “you cant get it wrong cause everything is in flux” carpet

It’s the Master effing with her to pay her back for the half broken chameleon arch thing.

It’s possible the Child actually existed, long dead or trapped somewhere - again, dirty mystery at the bottom of a stck-up society is a good twist. but this shouldn’t be more than another maybe in the multiple choice past not a definite answer.

Also, i hate this line of thought but I can’t stave it off: Why is is now that the MC looks female that we get this vulnerable, passively victimized tomato surprise rather than something with an ugly but definite choice in it.

I will probably ignore it - parts of me resents this cause “your civilization is based on a lie” could be such a good plot twist (then again the existing twists to that end from the classics and End of Time do enough rly) but if i have to choose between that and the basic meaning of the character....

#Doctor Who #timeless child #chris chibnall

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sillyfudgemonkeys · 6 years

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idk, I feel like the two can't really be compared. I mean, Marie is mostly disliked is because of her personality, which isn't similar to Goro's, and also because she simply wasn't even in the GAME before Golden. Not to mention, I keep hearing how after a while P4G focused pretty much only on Marie, whereas from what I've seen Goro isn't anywhere near to the main focus of the series. It also helps that he's meant to be an antagonist, so him having more scenes I feel also makes more sense.

I think a part of them can be compared. They have some overlap esp with their roles in the anime (and then also being shadow archetypes for the MC, tho tbh Goro is probably the worse in the series imo cause he’s....pretty shallow, while Marie is.......piggy backing off of Izanami tbh but hey....at least she does add a new aspect....if it was needed that’s another thing).

P4GA is an OVA series that is just suppose to be add ons and of course they need to focus on her because she is tied to some key add on stuff from Golden (the only issue is shoehorning her into the events she wasn’t in, BUT then they’d have a hard time adapting character development for her or the cast). P4GA wasn’t P4tA, they couldn’t just re-adapt 25 eps plus the 12, it’s just a waste of money. It shouldn’t be held up to the same standard as the P3 movies, P4tA, or P5A it’s kinda BS to do so. Also Marie is technically an antagonist in the same vein as Ryoji, both are fulfilling a role they don’t want but gotta. (btw, small aside, Marie is the OG Mona.....how their roles are executed are pretty much exactly the same).

With Goro in the anime isn’t just an OVA series based only on a remakes events and the need to adapt him into events he’s not in or else he won’t get any semi-decent. He shows up earlier than in the game, and apparently shoehorns his way into other characters’ CoOps, which I think is a A LOT worse than some added on events that also weren’t in the original game. >.> Btw I heard he overran Yusuke’s and Futaba’s/Sojiro’s, but not Makoto’s (I might not have watched the anime but I didn’t hear about him joining in on her CoOp, if he did then I dunno why I didn’t see people complaining or cheering about it)????? And Makoto gets a whole ep to herself????? (I thought Eiko was disliked) Like all three of those involved “investigating” but he couldn’t swing by for Makoto (didn’t he do that for Yusuke and that took place earlier???). It seems like the perfect time to do that, like don’t just do 2 CoOps but not the 3rd, ya should do it all or nothing, keep it equal! Only ones I can see being omitted is Ryuji, Haru, and Anne’s....and that’s cause the first two it’s a timing issue (maybe Ryuji if you push him back, but Haru’s can’t be maxed till Goro leaves so obvie he’s out), and Anne doesn’t even have anyone to investigate so that’d make no sense(didn’t they cut out Mika? Even tho she was ranked a fav NPC?). And apparently he’s appearing enough in the anime when he isn’t suppose to (not sure if it includes or doesn’t include the Coop invasion) for people to get ticked so....I dunno...

It seems to be in the same league as Marie adding scenes that weren’t in the original game (at least in Marie’s defense they had the good mind to remake the game with those added scenes), and it’s enough to piss people off. But one was in an OVA series that’s just a freaking addon that you don’t really need to watch, while the other is a legit and full adaptation of something (or at least it’s supposed to). Now he seems to possibly get his own OVA (not really “his own” but he’s surely gonna be a big center piece since this is his arc in the game). There’s a couple similarities....and it’s just funny people hate Marie as if she killed someone while Goro, who has freaking killed, isn’t as all around hated (he divisive but the fact he has a lot of fans shows he’s more well off than Marie).

And again, coming from someone who doesn’t really like Marie either (esp with the romantic parts in the anime, I actually really like her friendship route, but I don’t think the anime should be master blasted for just....an animated adaptation of kinda disjointed add on of events). It feels a bit like double standards.

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96percentdone · 6 years

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all the higu kids for the character ask meme

ALL OF THEM?! You’re lucky I love my kids. Under the cut it’s long as shit and also probably full of spoilers for those of y’all who haven’t finished..

Maebara Keiichi:

How I feel about this character: I’M LOVE KEIICHI I LOVE HIM HE IS MY SON. HE IS THE BEST. HE IS SUCH A GOOD BOY. NO I CAN’T UNDO THE ALLCAPS BECAUSE YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND. I. LOVE. KEIICHI. HE’S AMAZING. HE’S SO TALENTED AT PULLING SHIT OUT OF HIS ASS AND SUPPORTING AND MOTIVATING HIS FRIENDS. I WOULD LIVE FOR KEIICHI. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAll the people I ship romantically with this character: Mion and that’s about it lmaoMy non-romantic OTP for this character: the whole squad man the club is the ultimate brotp Although I have a super soft spot for his dynamic with SatchanMy unpopular opinion about this character: he’s a better protagonist than Battler fight me– uh no actually it’s that I’ve decided right now he’s bi and trans. No I will not justify that. You just have to live with it. I don’t want the straights to have my son. I wish they were like. less with him being a pervert. because tbh I don’t even like really think it fits his character? Like fine I can live with him being a little perverted; he’s a teenage boy with hormones, it be like that, but it’s so over the top to me that it’s obvious it’s just Ryukishi the author being gross through him because he does this with ALL the men. Keiichi is better than that. One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: I wish the dense mother fucker realized Mion has a massive crush on him. I don’t actually need a romantic resolution in Higurashi it just kills me inside when she’s being really transparent and tsun and fucking adorable and he’s like “yeah we’re bestest friends.” like son.

Sonozaki Mion:

How I feel about this character: I’m love Mion she’s so cute and she’s such a good girl look at her. she’s never done anything wrong in her life. she just wants to play games with her friends. she’s so cunning and smart. she’s the best ever and she’s just. so good. so supportive. so fun. listen I love her also she’s my favourite kind of tsundere and I love her so muchAll the people I ship romantically with this character: Keiichi tbh. Although MiiRena is pretty cute too but idk man I just like keiimiiMy non-romantic OTP for this character: THE SQUAD. OBVIOUSLY. Also Rena specifically. And Shion too obvsMy unpopular opinion about this character: Mion is the better Sonozaki twin she’s more compelling and stop writing fics where she goes yandere and kills everyone fuck you. she’s also. a bicon. and genderfluid. One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: I actually wish Mion got more focus as herself. The big arcs that involve her are Watanagashi/Meakashi, and Meakashi is centered around Shion cause she’s the POV character, but Watanagashi ends up being half about Shion too because it’s not actually Mion for half of it. She gets a lot of focus I just wish Meakashi compensated for that a little more.

Ryuugu Rena:

How I feel about this character: Rena is a good girl. I’m love her too. She’s got a lot of complexities and that depression is a shsl fucking mood. She’s also like super smart and it’s a lot of fun! Plus she’s compassionate and understanding even when you would expect it to have run out. I really love Rena.All the people I ship romantically with this character: ShiiRena is kinda fun tbh. MiiRena is tooMy non-romantic OTP for this character: THE. SQUAD. FUCK YEAH. Also Mion and Keiichi specificallyMy unpopular opinion about this character: do people still call her a yandere. fuck those guys. Also she’s not straight have you seen herOne thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: this is anime specific tbh but I kinda wish they killed her too in the disaster for tsumihoroboshi. it would really sell how fucking hopeless it is if none of them made, and kinda kills the crushing feeling at the end of the arc

Houjou Satoko:

How I feel about this character: I LOVE SATOKO SO MUCH SHE’S SUCH A GOOD STRONG CLEVER GIRL. SHE’S SO CREATIVE. SO MISCHIEVOUS. THE LIGHT OF MY LIFE AN ANGEL I MEAN LOOK AT HER. BABY GIRL. BABY. DESERVES THE WORLD AND NOT THIS SHIT. I LOVE HER SO MUCH OKAY SHE’S THE BESTAll the people I ship romantically with this character: Rika. That’s it she’s fucking ten y’all shitlords. Also have you seen satorika like enough said.My non-romantic OTP for this character: THE SQUAAAAADDDD. Also Satoshi obvs. And Keiichi. And Shion when she’s not being Like That™My unpopular opinion about this character: Satoko is the best actually and if you don’t like her you’re wrong. Y’all keep victim blaming her for crying and acting like an abused child even though she’s an. abused child. Who is just acting like an abused child would. Y’all really expect a fuckin ten-year-old with severe mental illness and a horrible history to not cry at minor things because all the stress is getting to her? Y’all really think it’s okay to beat the shit out of her for it? Fuck y’all; you’re disgusting.One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: Okay this is actually just a more general complaint, but it’s really bad for Satoko, but I wish matsuribayashi actually addressed like rule X and Satoko’s situation like Minagoroshi-hen did. Because yeah even if they save Rika, Satoko lives in a town that hates her for something that isn’t her fault, and Teppei could still come back. I just…wish we resolved that.

Furude Rika:

How I feel about this character: ah man Rika’s perpetual despair and hopelessness was me for so long she’s a big mood and I really support her quest to just live and be happy Rika is so good and she’s so sly and fuck she deserves the best too okay? OKAY?! LET HER HAVE ITAll the people I ship romantically with this character: Satoko. That is it. She is ten. That is her only option. And also Satorika is adorable.My non-romantic OTP for this character: the squad but esp Hanyuu. And Keiichi. My unpopular opinion about this character: stop fucking shipping her with keiichi or akasaka I should not have to explain why these are badOne thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: I wish we saw signs of her trying to do something in the question arcs. I mean you kind of see it but barely. I just wish there was more..

Sonozaki Shion:

How I feel about this character: Ah Shion. You are so divisive for me. Okay I actually like Shion generally but fuck in Meakashi/Watanagashi she’s fucking insufferable and pisses me off to no end. But she’s brilliant and fun too and I really like her when she’s not fucking like that.All the people I ship romantically with this character: ShiiRena and SatoShion and that’s about itMy non-romantic OTP for this character: the squad, but especially Satchan so long as she’s not being fucking like thatMy unpopular opinion about this character: she’s not a fuckin yandere either okay she toes the line in Meakashi/Watanagashi esp in the scene where she beats up Satoko, but like. her murder spree is motivated by revenge not by a possessive desire. While all her crazy and terrible behavior may stem from her love for Satoshi, it’s not this desire to possess him and make him all hers, and keep him from everyone else. She’s not a true yandere fuckin stop.One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: I think I would find reading Meakashi more tolerable if she struggled more with herself internally, and specifically realized she was victim blaming Satoko the entire time.

and finally for funsies Houjou Satoshi:

How I feel about this character: Satoshi is a good boy I love his voice. He deserves a lot better too like also he needs to come back because Satchan misses him and LISTEN. Anyway yeah Satoshi is good and it’s sad to see such a gentle boy get crushed from stress like thatAll the people I ship romantically with this character: Shion….? Honestly he only really interacts with her so I cant’ guage other dynamics.My non-romantic OTP for this character:the squad, but obviously esp SatchanMy unpopular opinion about this character: this relates to Satchan’s but uh fucking. Satoshi would literally never agree with any of you Satoko haters who justify it for his sake. Fuck y’allOne thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: why couldn’t we see him get out of his coma in matsuribayashi ryukishi. what the fuck.

#hope.txt #higurashi #not doing hanyuu she's not actually a kid #generalherasyndulla

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