#i think additionally that's another reason I'm bad at social media because that's all I care about lol | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

canonicallyobserving911 · 2 months

Text

Buck & Eddie: "Is she staying in the picture?"... because Buck's not going anywhere!

In a recent article, RG was asked about M and his response was:

His response was similar to all his other answers regarding the status of Eddie's "relationship" with M or the lack thereof which could mean they will not be doing whatever they are or were attempting to do for long.

Also, as I included in a previous post (linked here), the colors of the t-shirt and hoodie Chris wore in 6x18 when Eddie was talking on the phone with M, illustrated something different than what he said about "Why is he so bad at this?" It showed that Chris is not ok with Eddie dating her, probably since he doesn't know her.

When asked what Chris thinks of Eddie's relationships, RG responded...

I've also stated in other posts that whoever Eddie dates, they have to love both him and Chris and so far, the only person who fits that description is Buck!

Let's talk about M shall we?

In season 6, before 6x17 aired, I included in a post (linked here) that Eddie saw the way M looked at her brother in 6x5 with raised eyebrows and he witnessed the same thing the audience did... a sibling relationship that reminded him of that "Folgers TV commercial" from the 1980s. Also, reminder, most viewers didn't even remember who she was and based on several comments that were posted on social media both after the episode aired and recently, a lot of them still don't. Additionally, she doesn't have a last name (neither does Connor and Kameron but I'll elaborate on that in another post) so that illustrates how much the show cares about her character.

In this post, I'm elaborating more on the previous one and I'm taking things one step further by looking at the totality of Eddie's interactions with her in S6 and providing my opinion at the end.

In 6x5, when the 118 arrived at M's home, Eddie didn't really even look at her, so it was interesting to see him do a double take later in the season.

After they freed her brother from her attic, they put him in the ambulance and she rode with them to the hospital. This is the scene where Eddie peeped the fact that she might be in love with her brother and the looks on Eddie's and Chimney's faces were priceless. It's also the scene that prompted many comments from the audience about M's interaction with her brother.

Later, in the same episode, Buck and Eddie returned with some additional firefighters (???) to help her repair her ceiling but please look at Eddie, he's wearing shades but IT WAS CLOUDY, THEREFORE THE SUN WAS NOT SHINING. Why was he wearing them when no one else was? Also, he arrived with Buck and they were looking at each other the same way they always do with Buck looking over his shoulder at Eddie (post linked here).

In 6x17, when he saw her at the hardware store, he was there looking for something for Chris the same way he had been the last two times with SD and AF instead of him looking for something for himself (post linked here).

In 4x13, Carla told him, "BE SURE YOU'RE FOLLOWING YOUR HEART AND NOT CHRISTOPHER'S, OK!" But it was more than two years later and he was still searching for the person who loves both him and Chris even though he was right in front of him. That person is Buck.

In 6x18, when he was thinking about texting her, the scene where he got her number was never shown and viewers were trying to figure out when it happened. Reminder, in 6x5 Buck was there too and if he had gotten her number then, Buck would have said something when they were at the cemetery in 6x15 but he didn't.

Later, when he finally did call, he said, "It's Eddie from the hardware store" and the reason he said it like that was because he told Buck in 6x15 that it never works out with someone they meet on a call. Well, Eddie in fact did meet her on a call which means their relationship or whatever... is/was DOOMED from the start just like Buck's was with N.

Now I have many thoughts about his interactions with M but I'll share the one I believe is the most relevant and the most important. When Eddie first met her, he didn't even notice her and later during the ambulance ride, he SAW the way she interacted with her brother, hence his raised eyebrows. Both him and Chimney were like WTF is this? And the audience felt the same way when we saw it too.

M is not memorable and most people had completely forgotten about her and the episode she first appeared in which I think was the point that was being made by 9-1-1. Nothing had changed about her from 6x5 to 6x17 so what exactly did he SEE months later that he didn't see before?

IMO, when Eddie saw her in 6x17, based solely on what he saw in 6x5 (the way she acted with her brother), he may have thought asking her out wouldn't be a big deal and it wouldn't go anywhere so he didn't have to worry about them getting too serious. And, the double take he did later in 6x17 when he bumped into her at the hardware store kind of proves it. Also, since he told Buck while they were at the cemetery, "Really? Dating someone you rescued? You know that never ends well!"; it appears they both knew that to be true but for whatever reason, they attempted to date M and N anyway (I have thoughts about this too and they're related to their conversation and other things that happened during season 6).

The point of this post is to highlight the possibility that Eddie knew going in with M that it wouldn't get too serious and it would end quickly. Now some people have created a whole life for Eddie and M even though he's only known her for a few weeks or a couple of months tops (depending on the time jump which is practically nonexistent). Please understand Eddie's number one priority is Chris and his number two is Buck, therefore M is so far down on the totem pole that anything she suggests about his son, his Buck, his job or his life would be laughed at by Eddie and viewers too and RG's comment about "if she's in the picture" kind of proves that point.

Let's talk about Buck, the love of Eddie's life shall we?

Eddie's relationship with Buck is a once in a lifetime, love of their lives, soulmate type of love that transcends space and time. I've said it numerous times (linked here) and I'll continue to say and scream it because they're in love with each other and NO ONE (no random love interest or hookup) will ever be able to give them what they've continued to share with each other for the past five years. Buck's definition of love in 5x18 described everything he already has with Eddie and Eddie putting Buck in his will as Chris' legal guardian was the second time he gave him his heart. Buck gave Eddie his heart too in 5x14.

In RG's most recent interview, he confirmed Eddie loves Buck and not only does he love him, he said, "I love you to the core!"

If that's not a soulmate, love of my life type of love then, I don't know what is.

Reminder, not only is M not in the picture, she's also NOT EVEN IN THE HOUSE. Even though AF stayed at Eddie's house during the blackout, he broke up with her after Buck told him he should🤪😜. Then he went home and told AF, "Maybe you should go home first" (I still LOL at that moment to this day). I wonder what he's going to say to M? Something like "Maybe you should go back to the hardware store." I know he won't but if he did, it would be EPIC.

They're in love your honor!

Anyway, please remember Buck's not only been in the house but Eddie's home is his home too because Buck's not a guest there (post linked here).

Buck and Eddie have keys to each other's places (they've had them for years).

Furthermore, Eddie's couch is Buck's couch too and he's slept on it many times.

He's everything Eddie's been searching for in a partner and all he's been waiting for is for Buck to get it.

Will Buck finally realize Eddie gave him his heart years ago or will it be more wash, rinse and repeat scenes with both of them "looking for love in all the wrong places with too many faces?" (It's a song lyric.)

From the way OS talks about how much Buck loves Eddie and the way RG talks about how Eddie loves Buck, maybe, just maybe Season 7 will be the one that they finally go CANON but only the showrunner, writers and producers know if they will.

#buddie #eddie diaz #evan buckley #christopher diaz #the buckley diaz family #buckley diaz family #911 season 7 #911 season 7 speculation #911 on abc #911 abc #911 meta #911 spoilers #911 speculation #ryan guzman #oliver stark #anti marisol

120 notes · View notes

heph · 3 months

Note

Hey, I remember you mentioning on your IG something about two types of popular artists and one being good at social media and the other being good at art or something like that (I can't really remember lol). But it got me thinking, any tips for how to be good at social media? Cuz I'm certainly not even after posting art for six years lol

Heya!

What I meant by that is that there are traits that allow you to grow on social media, and traits that determine what a highly skilled artist is, and those traits do not always necessarily overlap.

I've seen so many amazing artists that post artwork that blow my head off, and yet they don't have many likes. On the other hand, some artists at the same skill level who draw more popular things will get way more attention.

That is not to say that either is the correct way to create art, but there is definitely a formula to social media that is in play.

There are a lot of posts about how to grow a social media account, particularly on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram art spheres, and imo you really need to examine what you want from your art before jumping into social media mode

The stuff you create to pander to social media might not be art that you want to create at all - I'm lucky, because I am less artist more storyteller, and what I enjoy is telling jokes and silly stories to liven up people's moods :] this, of course, conveniently does well on social media. On a personal note, I have a history of being a recluse and not connecting well with people, and art is my way of trying to communicate my feelings, one way or another.

So of course, if you draw for any reason other than my own, my approach to art and it's relation to social media might be inappropriate for you.

All that being said, if u take a look at those "get big on social media" videos they always cite the same few points... And you can look into that, for sure, but this video sums up how I feel about all that.

I spent like 20 minutes drafting words after the above paragraph, but I really ended up regurgitating sentiments from the video... So really don't listen to me, listen to that video

EDIT:

I just realised I didnt actually answer the question with my anecdotal experience, so here's a list of things I did

1. Posted like 3 doodles a day on social media

I did this for 6 months on a side account on Twitter recently and got the account to 11k followers... And I did this for 3 months on Instagram a few years ago and I think got 3.5k followers. Of course, do not spam maliciously and make sure your art is still of good quality, but for those artworks I posted quickly, I did not colour, and mostly did clean sketches. This also trains you in the matter of line confidence haha. Again, this worked for me because of my set of circumstances (love for the media, want to tell stories, simple art style)

2. Focus on my favourite aspects of media

This helps with respect to burnout - kinda hard to burnout when you love what you're making! For me, it's character interactions and comics. I want to see my blorbos kiss and if I'm not the one drawing it who will?!

3. Interact with people

People eat up work that they can interact with. A choose your own story situation, one of those like/rt to strip a character 😭 those do numbers for a reason.

Additionally, if you post stuff people love, people will respond to it with comments, maybe their own headcanons, adding on to the work... I've gone into long looong Twitter thread conversations with people who added onto my ideas that I threw up onto the screen and I think it's also a nice thing to do to respond to positive comments haha... I'm not very good at this (read: bad at communication)

I think that's the key points... Hope this helps!

#people who are good at social media are good at marketing basically #theyre their own hype man who has something cool to show #and would like to show everyone that cool thing!#its not purely about art its also about charisma and trying to get people to be convinced that youre cool as well #thats why there are social media influencers #people who vlog and get popular because of the way they present themselves #me i am very much my own hype man #not really because im particularly good at art (im not) but because i have so many thoughts in my head that i want to share #and i need people to also be poisoned by these thoughts so i enthusiastically promote it #side eyes the blood soup comic i dedicated like 20 pages to #on my end it comes from the love of media and my desire to build upon the established canon #but i understand that not everyone is so intensely passionate about their own work... but yknow #you need to love your own art in order for it to succeed #just like you need to love yourself before you can grow as a person #its easy for me to say because i do have social media attention though #i remember so desperately chasing social media validation when i was 16 #so really i cant really say much regarding that haha #but do watch the video and hopefully it helps!#i wrote so many words...#heph answered

30 notes · View notes

spacelazarwolf · 2 years

Note

So… I am a biracial queer Jewish person with SERIOUS concerns about the dangers of doxxing marginalized people, because you never know when that information is going to be out into the wrong hands and it worries me a lot. That being said, although I don’t support Madoll’s doxxing, I can’t ignore the knowledge that came of it, and I think xie bullied a lot of people over things that were extremely nominal compared to xer work at a weapons contractor, and that xie was really throwing stones in a glass house. I AM worried about xer safety but I don’t it’s possible to be against the doxxing and also feel xie is a hypocrite. Ganging up on people for what books they read when you work for a weapons contractor is… it’s concerning. Lots of people feel forced into having some kind of unsavoury job where they are complicit in something harmful, but feel it’s needed to survive, but they have the good sense not to have this moral high ground and act like they are above reproach. That’s what is really bothering me here. The moral outrage at others when you know there are some pretty big skeletons in your closet. And I think that’s what a lot of people feel angry and hurt about the most.

i don't really have strong opinions about ana mardoll or his takes because i'm not on twitter so i haven't seen most of them. my issue personally isn't that people don’t like his takes or think he's a bad person, it's that they're choosing now, in the midst of and in the aftermath of him being doxxed by a fascist organization and his life being put in danger, to spend hours on social media going on and on about how evil he is for working for this corporation while neglecting to address the doxxing at all. additionally, a lot of the rhetoric i'm seeing is incredibly ableist and transphobic, which is completely unnecessary. if people have legitimate reasons to dislike mardoll, they shouldn't have to use bigotry as a weapon to make their point.

also like, if he was physically hanging from a cliff, about to drop to his death, we wouldn't be standing around debating the ethics of working for a weapons manufacturer, we would be helping him up. and i feel like that's one of the dangers of the internet. we stop seeing people on social media as real people, and we stop seeing danger recounted on social media as real danger. it's just another outcome of the 24 hour news cycle shoving death and destruction in our faces every second of every day, sandwiched between ads for vacation homes and deodorant. we stop seeing the world outside the internet as real.

at the end of the day, everyone's allowed to feel however they want about mardoll, and i think there are plenty of criticisms to be made like the ones you mentioned, but leftists in particular are setting a really terrifying precedent for how to react to things like this. i've been concerned with the lack of sympathy and empathy and kindness in leftist circles for a while, but this whole debacle really confirmed it. if it was really about protecting marginalized people, they would have come through for mardoll regardless of how they felt about his opinions because he's still a person who deserves basic human decency, but they didn't. they took this opportunity to assist fascists and potentially put his life in danger, and it's just so incredibly disappointing and scary.

but we have to see it as real. we have to acknowledge that these people on twitter we think are annoying and have bad takes are real people and no matter how bad their takes are, they don't deserve to have their life put in danger for them.

11 notes · View notes

dustteller · 1 month

Note

Is it bad for a piece of media’s main story to focus on the oppressors in an oppressive/imperialist regime instead of the people victimised by said regime?

Hmmm I'm not sure I'm the best person to ask (because while im loud i also have no credentials), but I think my answer has to be no?

Ok, so, this is complicated because there's just several different aspects to this question. Overall, I do not think a narrative 'owes' its audience any form of abstract moral correctness. I think it's reductive and limiting to say that media MUST do this thing or NOT do this other thing because that gets in the way of good storytelling. A safe story is a boring one.

Additionally, I don't think focusing on the oppressors is inherently bad either. It's a neutral choice. I think there's a whole lot of great stories, many of which I love, that do this. This is my overall stance for most things in media, and it hold true for this topic as well.

Where I think things start to get dicey, however, is when the narrative props up the oppression itself as something positive. This is tricky, because if your main characters are the oppressors, then often the colonialist system they rule over being successful will often be a good development for them. I don't think this is bad either, because it's a character stake/goal/tool that can often serve the narrative. What I mean by proping up the oppression as something positive is when the piece of media starts to present it as something that should be desirable to the reader in real life, instead of simply something advantageous in the diegetic world of the novel.

The reason as to why this specifically is bad is because this usually reinforces white saviourism/manifest destiny/white man's burden-esque ideologies, or leans into some very racist stereotyping that actually harms people in real life. This is not like violence or problematic ships or weird porn or whatever that no reasonable person is doing in real life just because they enjoy reading fucked up shit in their spare time. This type of imperialist ideology propaganda is often far more insidious, and bleeds into real people's perceptions of the world. And if it bleeds into how people think of politics, or power, or people themselves, then it starts to reinforce existing prejudices, or even create new ones. And these prejudices then influence a person's actions, and suddenly you have a piece of media that acts as a funnel towards more extreme content if you're not careful.

Ironically enough, the best way to counteract this happening is to do away with the idea of a piece of media being bad because it does one thing or another. That leads to oversimplification, and if your mental framework doesn't leave space between the divide of Good Media and Bad Media, then you're not going to consume media critically past the initial classification. All media is bad in some aspect. You just have to learn to dissect media and examine what it's telling you, so you can make a conscious decision about whether it's right or wrong on a topic instead of uncritically absorbing the message. You're not going to agree with everything a story tells you, and that's ok. It's normal.

And finally, there's another issue when the oppressors being focused on becomes the norm. This is not really the fault of any independent piece of media, and is instead a marker of a social and systemic issue in real life, where narratives of colonialism almost never actually center the real life people that are colonized, not as authors, not as publishers, not as editors, marketers, reviewers, and certainly not as characters within the story. As such, there is a serious lack of diversity when it comes to narratives of empire, which leads to many of these genres tending towards abstraction when discussing the topic. After all, its very hard to create something with a main theme you've never experienced. In this case, its not just one person's fault, one bad actor that has spoilt the lot. Its bigger than that.

So no, I don't think a narrative centering an oppressor is inherently bad. I just think we need to make space for the oppressor to NOT be centered, and be critical of the media we consume so we don't inadvertently absorb something we don't want to become a part of ourselves. Imperialism and colonialism and oppression are much bigger than a single fantasy world, and quite frankly i don't think any of us are equipped to handle the full breath of the issue. It's about working together to dismantle the old and make space for the new.

#my thoughts #asks

1 note · View note

icewindandboringhorror · 5 years

Text

The problem (or ONE OF the many problems ghgh) with me having any sort of social media is that I regularly cycle through phases with my hobbies, yet usually people expect like.. One Type of content and that’s it or etc.? Like I’ll do a lot of costumes for a while and get people following me for costumes or something, and then I... randomly go 7 months without doing a costume and become obsessed with worldbuilding elven religions or making sculptures or something else instead and it’s like ghghghg... Yes.. I will get back to the costumes eventually.. but I’m going to have to spend months on This Other Activity first.. The only consistent thing about me is that I will always post pictures of my cats...Hopefully nobody expects anything else of me lol

#and of course as BIg Detached Hermit pleasing strangers on the internet is not my top priority but it does feel kind of awkward sometimes #to know like 'lol abt to post smthn that has NOTHING to do w/ ANYTHING my parasocial conceptualization has heretofore been associated with'#and it's not that I keep inconsistently picking up NEW hobbies it's just.. the 12 or so solid ones I have I tend to switch between a lot ghg #i have no idea how people juggle doing actual multiple things at one time #my brain is just like 'no.. no multiple tasks in one day... ONE single task.. for one week'#like I cant write in the morning. do costumes in the afternoon. paint in the evening. it's just like.. CHOOSE ONE.. you can write.. okay..#but that has to be ALL you do for 3 months straight and any attempt to multitask will result in very poor disorganized work #... bfhbbbplease brain.. please.. may i have some Multiple Tasks In One Day juice..#right now I'm trying very hard to do a costume and work on my game but my brain is like 'HERE'S A NEW SPECIES IDEA #AND IF YOU TRY TO THINK ABOUT OR FOCUS ON ANYTHING ELSE I WILL.. dESTROY YOU'#i think additionally that's another reason I'm bad at social media because that's all I care about lol #I don't have ''niche interests'' in the sense of ''oo i like bands nobody's ever heard of and i'm so Random and Obscure'' but #it's like... i have niche interests in the sense that most of all I'm interested in is my owb projects and worldbuilding and stuff #and even the things I've posted about on here are only about 30% of anyhting I have established so far like.. there's so much I have #made up about the world that I just haven't shared with others yet or etc. even IF you were one of the maybe idk... 4 people on the #entire planet who regualrly reads worldbuilding stuff I post or etc.. you would still have no idea what the hell I'm talking about if I #mentioned a lot of things. Now I am a very opinionated person and I could ramble about ANYTHING because I have trouble organizing #my speech and am very wordy so I'm not saying that I couldn't type paragraphs upon paragraphs about any current topic or tv show (if #it's one of the few I've seen lmao.. i dont watch anything much) or etc. but it's just that I'm not passionate about that? I have an opinion #on nearly everything but merely int he way that you may have an opinion on a meal you just ate or something #it;s just casual observations in a distant way but not something you're attached to. The only thing I'm genuonely passionate about #talking about is my niche world and maybe one or two other topics so it's not like I can get Onto The Internet and like.. write #very relatable opinions about movie characters or talk about some commonly significant something or other ggh.. all I feel like #doing is just being like ''HEY i have a new idea for marriage traditions that southern elves practice. so first they dig a root #up from the ground and then they paint it and then..' and it's like GHGhg...#I've thought of trying to be more personable or relatable by talking about random opinions or things ('hey i like this song!' 'this is my fa #vorite food!' 'lol remember this fashion trend from middle school' etc.) but it's like.. I'm not passionate enough about it to go through #with it. I have an opinion but since it's so casual and Not As Important As Elves nothing else feels worth sharing to my brain #aka why I have 130+ drafts saved bc I'll type things & then be like 'eh.. i dont really care strongly abt this' then never post them ghgh #unfortunately I have Doopy Brain Disorder and that means I can only think about one thing ever.. sorry I dont make the rules ghgh

18 notes · View notes

literaticat · 4 years

Note

I'm wondering what you heard this week about the activity/interest level of editors and publishers. How do you think agents' submissions numbers are looking compared to numbers before the pandemic? How do you think agents are feeling about their jobs? Do you expect to see many agents leaving the profession? Thank you!

There are reasons for fear amidst this unprecedented time, obviously, but there are also reasons for optimism.

Here’s the good news:

See, books are slow to make, and publishing is a long game. We have to sell books this year in order for there to BE books two and three years from now -- and two or three years from now, there won’t be a pandemic, hopefully! Therefore, books are still selling. I can’t speak for any other agent, but I’ve sold books every week since the stay-at-home order (pth pth pth). While I’d say numbers across the board are down from the same time last year, business hasn’t ground to a halt or anything. Some books that are already in progress are being delayed, for one reason and another – but books ARE being sold, edited, designed, and yes, even published, during this time. Also, this is royalty season and there are LOTS of things for agents to do at all times that have nothing to do with the negotiating of deals, so our actual jobs are still quite busy.

Additionally, this “long game” business means that agents who sell a fair number of books and have a backlist that earns royalties are somewhat insulated from the vagaries of short-term bad economy. First of all, if we are commission-only, our income fluctuates all over the map anyway, so we’re used to it, and also, I’m getting paid now for stuff that happened months ago or even last year and earlier - so even if I were to have a few months where I didn’t sell anything, while I would definitely be ANNOYED, and it would SUCK, I also might well be earning money during that time regardless.

That said: Submission strategy is somewhat different, as I’m sure buying strategy is on the editor’s side. I find myself thinking about the future and, you know, I have no idea what it holds, but I don’t think it will be just the same as the old world. So thoughts about what the new landscape will look like, and what kinds of books will stand the tests of both time and dramatic societal upheaval are certainly on my mind. I would say I’m submitting very JUDICIOUSLY, bearing in mind that editors probably are stressed on a number of levels, as I am. Theme-wise, I personally am avoiding extremely dark and upsetting books in this moment -- I tend to think that most editors of my acquaintance would prefer distracting fun, joy, and optimism. (As would I.)

Here’s the bad news:

At this exact moment, there are editors and agents who are sick themselves, or have family members who are sick, or who are recovering but still not doin too hot. There are editors and agents who are stir-crazy from being trapped in studio apartments for a month, or scared, or depressed, or just feeling EFFING DISCOMBOBULATED (that’s me!). There are editors and agents who suddenly have to learn to homeschool and figure out how to balance full-time-toddler-entertainer with working from home. You get the idea. We’re people.

Additionally, publishers are tightening their belts. Which means some editors are being furloughed or laid off, or cut down to a four-day-a-week schedule or staggered off-on schedule, for the duration of the crisis. Small publishers may have acquisitions frozen entirely for a time. More measures such as these are sure to come if the crisis continues. I have no doubt that my editor friends are Le Freaked about all of this.

As for agents? Well, all the belt-tightening publishers are doing affects us as well. Not only because if editors are gone or acquisitions frozen, there are fewer places to sell books – but also because some publishers are reacting in predictable but screwy ways, such as wanting to put book payouts into more installments so they don’t have to pay as much on contract signing, which is quite problematic, particularly for newer agents who do not yet have a robust backlist. (I can get further into this at another time if anyone is interested but it deffo involves math and it’s not very nice, so it can be a topic for another day).

Point being: As much as publishers might be saying, “it’s business as usual” -- it’s certainly not business as usual! It’s weird! Things are getting done, but it’s weird, OK?!

Here’s the long-term view:

Publishing is an ecosystem. Creators, readers, bookstores, schools, libraries, publishers and agents all have a symbiotic relationship. There is NO DOUBT that this pandemic, and the economic distress that comes in its wake, will have a negative impact on this ecosystem, and already has had. It would be naïve to pretend otherwise.

But. Publishing HAS survived pandemics, disasters, depressions and world wars. I am 100% positive that the book industry in general will emerge from this and be OK in the long term… but individuals may well not be. Some bookstores won’t make it. Some publishers will shutter. Some editors will be laid off, and some creators and agents will have to adios to greener pastures.

We do what we can. If you love books and you can afford it – keep buying books! Preferably from a local independent bookstore or B&N! We really really REALLY need bookstores to still exist when this is all over, the margins are already razor thin, and if the bookstores don’t make it, that’s a HUGE PROBLEM for EVERYONE in publishing.

Keep promoting books and authors you love! If you ARE an author – PLEASE keep talking about your own book and the books of your friends! I promise – we all actually REALLY DO want to hear good news and things that are NOT doom-related! I PROMISE that you are not already talking about books too much!

If your friends are doing virtual launch parties or “at home” book events or fundraisers or whatever – GO TO THEM if you can! Talk them up on social media!

If you are an author who is lucky enough to be able to concentrate for more than ten minutes at a time – Work! On! Your! Amazing! Books! This WILL end. We WILL want to read your brilliant work at some point, even if it isn’t today. And if you’re an author who can’t muster up the wherewithal for writing, amazing or otherwise? THAT’S OKAY, TOO. No pressure, babes! This WILL END.

12 notes · View notes

bigskydreaming · 5 years

Note

Do you think that fics where Dick is in 24/7 Big Brother Mode and his whole existence is to take care of the other kids (which are most of the fics I've read, but I'm not sure how prevalent that trope is or or if those are just the types of fics I click on), are trying to make Dick essentially replace Bruce as a father figure when Bruce can suck a little at it? Not to try to justify that, just curious where the extremes come from, that Dick is either a raging jerk or a super soft caregiver.

Yes and no, I think.

On the one hand, I definitely think there’s a tendency towards that for that reason, because of this implicit idea in a lot of canon writers and fans that Batman can’t be Batman without emotional and mental health issues. With at the same time, a lot of inadvertent ableism accompanying that, because like….people overlook the fact that like….you can have mental health issues and be bad at various emotional and social interactions and STILL be a good parent, like, they’re not mutually exclusive. I mean, Bruce HAS been a good parent at tons of points in canon, and at no point has anybody said….that is an impostor, that’s not Batman.

But still, there remains this idea in a lot of times and places, I think, that Bruce is just….resistant to change. That he is who he is, for better and for worse, and that there’s no point in trying to alter his behavior in in character ways, because it either won’t stick, or he for some reason won’t be “Bruce” anymore.

And this I think is where the tendency to slot Dick into that second parent role comes from. Like, I think that trend is already there to begin with in society, with it functioning that way in a lot of families, where this expectation is placed on eldest children…but then add on top of that this unspoken view I feel a lot of people have, that there’s just no POINT to trying to address where Bruce’s parenting is lacking, because he wouldn’t get it, or whatever….but Dick’s right there, so just have him step up and pick up the slack, even though that shouldn’t remotely be his role or responsibility in the family…

And you’ve got there a recipe for Dick being the super soft caregiver 24/7.

BUT.

Then you have to factor in the Good Dad Bruce Wayne fics, the ones who discount his worst tendencies and canon instances of being abusive or neglectful, because understandably, a lot of fans don’t want to see or have to deal with that in their content when writing Batfam. Its not what they’re here for, they don’t stan an abusive father, so why should they have to write the character in a way that’s fundamentally opposite to what they view as him at his core, the Good Dad that drew them to him in the first place? And they shouldn’t have to!

No fan should be hampered in writing positive, wholesome Batfamily content simply because a bunch of dumbass edgelords over the years wrote Bruce being abusive to his kids without these canon writers GETTING that they were writing him as being abusive….and so they didn’t address it as such ever, and it continued, or reoccurred.

BUT.

Here’s my issue with how this tends to play out…..because the fics that COMPENSATE for Bruce’s shitty canon parenting or ignore it entirely to focus only on the good parenting in canon or Bruce’s characterization at those periods….

This is where we most often see Dick the raging asshole, who causes strife and conflict in his family, or is too stubborn and hot-tempered when interacting with Good Dad Bruce.

And this is where I get so so frustrated….because they’re ignoring or choosing to disregard Bruce’s worst parenting, which is totally their right….BUT at the same time, making no adjustments for how a LACK of those shitty canon parenting moments would in turn result in vastly different characterization and behavior for Dick too….especially around the times of their greatest canon conflicts.

If you change Bruce’s behavior, or omit the times he’s been a bastard to his kids….BUT you do nothing to change Dick’s behavior in turn….THEN Dick inevitably tends to look like a spoiled selfish asshole….because here’s Bruce being this perfect, doting father….and yet, their conflicts still exist….and those conflicts still have to come from somewhere….enter Dick The Asshole.

I’m ALL FOR changing, addressing or compensating for Bruce’s worst canon writing, in regards to his children. Where people keep losing me is they fail to consider the ripple effects of a Bruce Wayne who never let his children down the ways he has in canon….and thus never would have given Dick in particular cause to have the trust and abandonment issues and anger he has towards Bruce a lot of times. And I say Dick in particular, BECAUSE this is where its so important to acknowledge the way fandom and canon have chosen to willfully disregard a lot of what Bruce has done to him specifically….because it doesn’t fit the narrative of “Dick is the favored son” or whatever reason may be for that.

Like, this isn’t as much of an issue with Jason, for example, because nobody’s overlooking the ending to UTRH or RHATO #25. Nobody’s forgetting to consider that take away Bruce’s shittier writing, and voila….he and Jason have a MUCH better relationship…..because, that’s what we get in Good Dad Bruce Wayne fics. Its a lot of the reason FOR those fics.

In comparison, the unwillingness to engage with things like Bruce hitting Dick and throwing him out after Jason’s death….by being so willing to gloss over that or making this one of the specific things people ignore, but WITHOUT compensating for how the absence of this particular story would in turn affect Dick and his stories…..like look how that breaks down in comparison:

Because in NTT #55, the issue where all that happened….Dick went to see Bruce, to try and console him and grieve with him over Jason…even AFTER Dick had already dealt with the realization that Bruce had made no effort to contact him about what happened and the funeral had been held while Dick was still offworld. So, those were already issues that Dick had acknowledged and been shown willing to put behind him to focus on the bigger picture and be with his dad while they grieved for their brother and son….with Dick, upon Bruce finding him in the Batcave, making NO attempt to start a fight, and clearly expressing that he wanted to be there FOR Bruce, to grieve WITH Bruce.

The only reason it didn’t play out that way, and Dick and Bruce weren’t both in the Manor in the wake of Jason’s death, helping each other cope and move on AS A FAMILY….is because Bruce instead tried to instigate a fight with Dick, hit him, blamed him for Jason’s death, and threw him out.

This is important if ONLY because….this is the ONLY reason Dick - who HAD made an effort to reach out to Bruce and be there for him - WASN’T there, by the time Tim came along. Was the REASON Tim had to come along, and seek Dick out in another city and beg him to come back because Batman needed him.

So see how easily it gets flipped? By refusing to acknowledge or address BRUCE being the one to drive that canon wedge between them there, BUT still making no effort to compensate how the absence of Bruce’s part of NTT #55 would change Dick’s stories and choices….Dick inevitably looks like the one who just…isn’t there for Bruce, makes no effort to be, or just doesn’t care or prioritizes his own anger or guilt or whatever you want to pass that off as. But bottom line is, Dick’s the one inciting conflict, because Bruce has been given a fandom pass on….inciting the conflict. And nobody’s making any effort to factor in that without Bruce hitting Dick and throwing him out…DICK WOULD HAVE BEEN THERE FOR BRUCE AND WITH BRUCE. Like he initially tried to be.

And this is the sort of thing we get in a ton of Good Dad Bruce Wayne fics, even though its the extreme opposite of Caregiver/Substitute Parent Dick Grayson in Bad Dad Bruce Wayne fics.

Its because no matter how much people cite Dick being the heart of the Batfamily…Bruce is still the central pillar everything else revolves around. And the real issue isn’t the extremes for Dick’s character….its the extremes for BRUCE’S character, the sheer scope of the difference between Good Dad Bruce and Bad Dad Bruce…..with everything else rippling out from that.

And Dick, by virtue of being the closest to Bruce in length of history, age, various other ways….will additionally ALWAYS be the one to take the brunt of those ripple effects, for better or worse. Be the most affected, the most changed, by extension of the changes made to Bruce.

Or at least, he SHOULD. Except that’s not how it works out, when people only change Bruce.

So we get all these fics where Bruce is the kind, supportive, understanding dad we WANT him to be, and so choose to write him as….but Dick meanwhile still has his canon Daddy Issues….but now COMPLETELY without cause. When if you think about it, the MORE you change Bruce from his shittier moments in canon, into a better parent, specifically…Dick SHOULD in all respects be perfectly positioned and poised to benefit from that the most….and have a lot of HIS canon issues and insecurities and such….basically negated by Bruce’s positive parenting, in stark contrast to the stories that shaped Dick in so many negative ways.

Le sigh.

Anyway, back to how at the beginning I said yes and no in answer to your question….the no part is that there’s only so much I think its JUST because Dick’s a convenient substitute for parent when Bruce is written as being bad at it in various ways. Part of it I think also just has to do with Dick’s core characterization as being such an empathetic and supporting character for those around him pretty much any time.

As I’ve mentioned before, there’s a big problem in ALL our media, across the board, with these kinds of character archetypes being taken advantage of for their caregiving tendencies, without reciprocation….because its just in their nature to not demand or make a big deal about not receiving the same care and attention from others in turn……which, if nothing else, saves writers a hell of a lot of story time and space…which they can then devote to even more focus on the characters they’ve chosen to center as more dynamic and essential to the core narrative.

To support my stance on that front…..look at age swap fics in Batfandom. Notice how even in fics where Dick is repositioned to be the ‘baby of the family’ and the one who needs to be protected and cared for…….there’s no real tendency or trend towards making any SPECIFIC one of the older boys responsible for the others in the way Dick is in caregiver/substitute parent type fics?

Sure, there are a lot of plots about how Damian as the oldest in these fics SHOULD be more responsible for Dick or his younger siblings….but its his failure to do so, specifically, that drives the conflict of a lot of these stories….because in none of them is there ever the implicit understanding that Damian, as the eldest, should be fully capable of stepping in to compensate for Bruce dropping the parenting ball, the way Dick is in the normal dynamics of the family.

Like, all the age reversal fics I’ve read, yes, all his brothers are shown looking out for Dick at various times and in various ways….but I rarely ever see any single one of them CEMENTED in that stand-in caregiver role, where its EXPECTED of them….the way its frequently expected of Dick in canon.

Because, IMO, there’s this understanding and ACCEPTANCE, that this just isn’t their character type. And rather than address the discrepancies this creates between these fics and ones where Dick is the eldest, per canon, and expected to parent his siblings….people just kinda…roll with it.

And that would be my take on why we so often and so easily see Dick flip-flopped between extremely opposite takes.

25 notes · View notes

tabundabun · 2 years

Text

Not as good as I thought, not as bad as you said. (part4/?)

part1 part2 part3 part4 part5

Taking the "controversy" about the live action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop as an opportunity to analyzing the anime from Japanese perspective

cw// "Representation wise, the 90s anime was generally not that great" talks like pointing out uses of the F-slur and stereotypes and the lack of diversity, “The anime is not bad but wrong at some/many points” perspective [I'm not trying to convince to change the opinions about the live action was enjoyable or not, my opinion about the live action is "okay". I hope this post will not be used to bash it.]

[I’m here to just give a crap about some obvious bigotry on social media which pretend as "they ruined my childhood" defense and stop the prove-yourself-as-a-true-anime-fan-tough-guy-desu!-championship.]

[Since Netflix doesn't let me watch any dub/sub other than Japanese, most quotes from the anime are translated by myself.]

[Honorifics omitted.]

Reassigning ethnicity and cultural localization is also a form of translation/adaptation.

For example, the line "Randy, Blanket, and Hills" in Wild Horses is a part of baseball references, but it’s harder to notice than the “Blue Socks” one for foreign people. It’s a parody of Randy Bass, Kakefu Masayuki, and Okada Akinobu; the baseball players who played in Japan and they’re also the three big figures of the victory of Hanshin Tigers in 1985. The names Blanket and Hills was taken from literal translation of 掛布 ("a cloth to cover" or "covering with a cloth") and 岡田 ("a rice field in the hills"), and the line "They won the league 14 years ago" is also a nod to the victory of Hanshin Tigers in 1985, which was 14 years before the original air of Wild Horses. If you want to tell the joke in another language/country, you need to “translate” the essence of it. If you don’t like the translation, just watch the original.

To be honest, I like the “translation” about Jet in the live action, though it can be called “simplification” too, but I think his domestic nature (not only his conservative view about women, he has a obviously women-like role on the ship. I really want to talk about it, but keep it for later) is hard to recreate, and it’s a good opportunity to “modernize” the franchise since the live action is made in an American studio in the 2020s.

Actually the reason some people go nuts that... the live action is... not bigot-friendly? It’s funny to see a nerd (who basically bashing everything about the live action because “it’s not same as anime”) gets mad like “live action Alisa is cheating bitch blah blah...” when I already saw other nerds bashed anime Alisa for “not being mindless doll” aka just left from her boyfriend because their relationship is not a equal one and she want to change it even if the way she choose was reckless. They just can’t stand a woman who has her own mind.

I think the change is not about Alisa but Jet, because she’s still a little helpless woman who needs somebody she can rely on to raise her child, and being bossy to your partner means you're a terrible person in 2021. Isn’t it obvious? They made him a “less messy” person and emphasized his sweet side. Maybe it was a bit much, but they know the truth: Jet+kids=best.

(put the whole conversation about “boyfriend” aside) (you’re younger than you look but still too old for her, man.)

Additionally, Shakir’s acting is better than the Japanese dub.

Though the Japanese dub is one of the greatest points of the live action; the localization staff gathered almost all of the original cast of the anime and it’s like a huge reunion, yet the absence of Ishiduka (Jet’s original VA) hurts me a lot.

It doesn't matter that the VA's voice doesn't sound like the original because there’s no perfect replacement for Ishiduka, but the VA's way of speaking doesn't sound like the original, and it makes itself hard to watch.

1 note · View note

ailuronymy · 6 years

Note

One of my OCs is a deaf white cat (Whiteflower), and I've been told I'm writing her wrong. In my setting, the cats have a simple but effective sign language. It lacks things like complex adjectives and words with more common synonyms (for example, there's no way to say furious but 'very angry' is possible) and there’s not always specific words for rare situations, such as an eclipse. The sign language was developed only in the clans, and even though everyone knows the basics (==>)

(because that’s mostly just the same body language they all use already), not everyone is fluent. One of Whiteflower’s quirks is that she’s unwilling to go on any type of diplomacy meeting because she worries she’ll be misinterpreted or unable to explain what she means as well as she wants to. In addition, she prefers to stay closer to camp rather than the far reaches of the territory when hunting, again due to a general fear of being misinterpreted or encountering a cat she’s not able to communicate well with. I was told this was a very ableist way of approaching this, and now I’m unsure if I’ve accidentally handled this very poorly. Sorry for the length, and thank you for any input!

Hello, Ruddles! Before I give you my thoughts, I’m going to have a little rant, because this person who commented on your character reminded me of it.

Preface: I’m not saying that you should disregard any and all criticism or feedback on your work! That would be very wrong. But the fact is, not everyone is qualified to give the criticism or feedback they’ll offer you. You as the writer should be critical of your critics, because not everyone with an opinion is someone who ought to be taken very seriously. It was very sensible of you to seek out other voices after getting feedback like this, because sometimes people are going to just say whatever or make bizarre claims, and especially since this feedback was vague.

That brings me to: something that’s really important–for writers, and for reviewers–to think of whenever giving or receiving feedback is the concept of constructive criticism. If a reviewer says, “This is work is bad,” but offers no thoughts on how to make it less so/resolve the problem, they are failing to give constructive criticism and therefore failing to actually make any difference in the world.

The writer is no better off for being told, “This work is bad,” because, if the writer had known how to make the work better in the first place, that’s probably what they would have done. You can usually assume that ignorance/not recognising problems/not knowing how not to write the problem is at the heart of a lot of issues in writing (especially in amateur/fan writing!), and therefore the actually helpful thing to do as a reviewer or critic is to identify the problem (”this text does X and Y”), explain the problem (”X and Y both have a history of being real ick things”), and then propose solutions (”if you don’t write X, this work will be better” or “if you write Y this way instead of that way, you’re not falling into the stereotype”). If you do only the first and/or second step on the process, you’re sort of being a bit… useless, in my opinion.

So, this person who gave you this information is not a really useful engine at all! I just wanted to get that out of the way, because there’s something so exasperating to me personally about people who think they’re doing something by making a statement and then walking away. It’s very Tuxedo Mask “my work here is done,” and it grinds my gears. (End my little rant).

All that said, I think I can pinpoint what it is that got this person’s back up and what needs to be reworked in your story. It is an ableist narrative set-up, because this character is restricted unfairly by the fact she’s deaf: where she goes and when she talks is limited in a way it isn’t for hearing characters, which is particularly surprising given a setting where all characters can basically sign. As a native deaf signer, she is going to be highly fluent and surely can work around characters who are less competent. Language teachers do that constantly. Additionally, she doesn’t have to be involved in negotiations or diplomacy, because plenty of cats (deaf and otherwise) might not want to do that, but that doesn’t mean she’d have to be a homebody and live in fear that someone from another clan might misunderstand her.

In reality, deaf people want to be heard. It’s a big deal to be listened to, because hearing people almost never do that! Therefore, there’s a strong possibility that writing a character who is scared to communicate in sign to other signers is going to get a very poor reception by deaf people. You might have constructed this setting, but we all write into a broader context, and in that broader context, deaf people almost never get a voice. A deaf character who is timid and shy is perhaps not the most tasteful characterisation available to you. With that in mind, I don’t think this character idea you’re working on is finished yet.

I’ve had a conversation with my little sister, who uses Auslan, and we recommend that you:

1. drop the idea of no synonyms/complex adjectives, because it’s not a realistic way of translating from sign. In Auslan, for example, “furious” is a much larger version of the sign “angry.” Sign language is expressive and has a lot of its own nuances! It’s better to focus on how your character expresses her personality and pick the words/impressions/syntax that fit her, rather than trying from the start to impose a limited vocabulary on how she expresses herself. You are, after all, telling a story, all of which you get to invent: it’s more important to accurately develop her as a character in the minds of the reader than it is to explore the exact details and mechanisms of your sign conlang.

2. you can still have a character who is deaf and not necessarily socially comfortable! However, how you approach this needs some thought. If she’s not comfortable meeting with strangers, it’s because she’s anxious the same way a hearing character would be, not because she’s deaf and worried she can’t communicate “well enough.” Hearing people aren’t really qualified to be writing about deaf experiences like that: you can absolutely write a deaf character, but it’s better not to attempt what it is to be deaf, if you know what I mean. So, I think this character should definitely still voyage out of the clan and to gatherings, but perhaps she insists on only travelling with a good, reliable friend or isn’t the first to jump into spoken conversations (preferring to converse only when everyone is signing). Both of those things are very familiar experiences for many deaf people.

3. if your sign language is simple and effective, there’s no reason for this premise of “not being able to sign well enough.” If, as you say, everyone knows the basics, there’s no excuse for a deaf character not to be able to participate in everyday and inter-clan events and conversations with everyone else. It just doesn’t make sense and does come across as looking for any reason to exclude a deaf character from the action. I don’t think this is intentional, but you can’t have your cake (have a sign language-enabled clan system) and eat it too (have a deaf character who doesn’t participate): if the setting is accommodating to disability, disabled characters can–and should–play a meaningful role in it.

4. how many other significant deaf characters are there in this world you’re creating? If the only one is Whiteflower in this form, that itself is a problem, because without other deaf characters who are outgoing and charismatic etc. as comparison, you can wind up portraying Whiteflower’s behaviour and demeanour as conflated with deafness itself. “Mainstream” characters (straight, able-bodied, white, etc.) are rarely put under this same pressure of representation and can have their identities viewed as separate from everything else about them, but if you don’t want to write only mainstream characters (which I can strongly recommend! It’s very good), you do have to think about how you’re portraying them and where it fits in the broader context of media and the real world.

I don’t think you should give up on this character! But I do think these are things that need to be thought through, so that when you write her, you can write her as a complex and realistic deaf character. I hope this is helpful to you.

#also just want to say: i'm not deaf and so my thoughts on this are NOT the only possible thoughts or even the best ones.#i don't use auslan and only know enough of it to know when my sister is calling me rude words so please don't mistake me for an expert.#if you can i strongly recommend you research further afield and find actual deaf opinions on this topic and similar.#but i hope this is enough to get you started on reconsidering some aspects of this character.

18 notes · View notes

lehdenlaulu · 6 years

Note

I'm going for the jugular to ask: 1) why the fuck is reylo so popular, and 2) why do you think damerey isn't that popular?

Wellll.

Honestly, I think it’s a combination of factors that mostly have to do with social conditioning through fiction and media etc.

You know: Everything should revolve around powerful white men, and if they’re passably attractive you’re a fool not to want them. Taking away your agency is sexy and really a romantic gesture. If a boy is mean to you it’s because he likes you. If he hits/stalks/manipulates/etc. you it’s just because he can’t live without you/you’re the only one he can show his true feelings to/etc. It’s a woman’s responsibility to “fix” a “broken” man with her love and patience and sacrifices. If a man has any semblance of trauma in his past, it automatically excuses all trauma he inflicts on anyone else, especially women. Bad boys just need a hug. And so on.

I mean, most people are probably not even aware of the conditioning, it’s so deeply-ingrained they just react to a dynamic they’ve been conditioned to find appealing by, well, finding it appealing. It’s exactly the same with the popularity of Twilight, 50SoG etc. And the whole light/dark dichotomy and “opposites attract” etc. are popular tropes anyway.

Some people are probably aware of it and that’s exactly why they find it appealing. Sometimes people are into twisted things because they are twisted (and personally I kinda find that a more healthy approach, in a way). And some ship abusive stuff as a coping mechanism to abuse they themselves have suffered, sometimes unconsciously, especially by trying to change the narrative into a non-abusive and even redemptive one. And I suppose that’s understandable if, IMO, kinda unhealthy.

(And I guess sometimes people just want to see two people they find attractive together? That’s probably the only reason for some and there’s nothing deeper to it than that.)

It’s messy and complicated and more than a little creepy, but I can rationally understand the reasons behind it I guess.

Well, they do have the lack of screentime/interaction working against them, first of all. I mean, the second they interacted on screen the ship’s popularity doubled, basically.

Secondly, they’re a “het” ship competing against two popular m/f ships and a popular m/m ship. And, well, reading Poe as gay (or otherwise not a “threat” to their own ship) is in the best interests of all the other ships, which is why it has become such a popular fanon even with literally zero canonical evidence. And since it’s a popular fanon, it’s treated essentially as canon (with some additional fandom-typical misogyny and fetishization, I might add), which is why some people react with hostility to the entire idea that he might be interested in a female character (my dudes, bisexuality and pansexuality are things that exist).

Additionally... They’re basically about as sweet and unproblematic a ship as they come. And that doesn’t tend to be popular in fandom, ever. Especially since there’s another sweet, unproblematic option they’re “competing against” -- and I definitely get why some people prefer Finn x Rey, for example, and even why they might be suspicious of people preferring damerey (I guess Oscar is easily read as white/white-passing by some). And I guess the age difference bothers some people, which I can understand, even though they’re both grownups and I personally don’t see any risk of abuse or someone being taken advantage of (I find 19-year-old with a 32-year-old a little skeevy as an idea as well, but it also depends on personalities and circumstances etc.).

But yeah, if you ask me, the main reasons are 1) lack of canon interaction 2) the other ships being mega popular 3) ‘POE IS GAY!!!!1111′. :p

#ship meme #Darna talks SW #shipping #ask games #aimmyarrowshigh #q and a

13 notes · View notes

thefreshfinds · 5 years

Text

P.Dot: The Separation

By: Natalee Gilbert

Once the "uhn" escapes from his lips, P.Dot goes off with rhymes and reason.

As he caters to the highest form of himself, P.Dot keeps in mind that spreading the word is imperative. And so, P.Dot ventures into his gangsta appeal for those who didn't get the message. By popular demand, he supplies the hip-hop scene with what it needs. Through means of realness, P.Dot claps back at clout chasers and weeds out the fakes (while sprinkling some of that greenery in a wrap of course). Likewise, he opens up to soundscapes about the hard-knock life. And although his days might be numbered, P.Dot still makes them count. Overrall, P.Dot uses an impressive way of thinking in witty punchlines, grit and worldy advice. Thus, creating that "shock-and-awe" effect throughout the listen. Although some try throwing shade, the MC doesn't let it interfere with his light. As mentioned in part 101 of his weekly segment, #BARSFROMTHECAR, P.Dot remains solid and never folds because it’s easy to bend. “Class is in session, you ain't dealing with a substitute." P.Dot adds.

P.Dot's latest album, THE SEPARATION stresses others to find the silver lining in every scenario. At times reflective, each track serves as an outlet. Essentially, the album's theme revolves around betrayal, lost even love. But in turn, THE SEPARATION encourages others to work on theirselves rather than dwell on another’s actions. Thanks to the album's dark, eerie soundscape P.Dot is able to strike fear into his enemies. Likewise, P.Dot also uses clever ties when facing a partly sampled beat. For instance, "50/50" uses a snippet of Drake's production in "Free Smoke." Taking it further, P.Dot says in this phrase "I got pistols for n*ggas that want smoke about it." as a play on "Free Smoke's" underlying message. On the whole, THE SEPARATION comes loaded with assertive 808's, rhymes and features who keep the same energy. P.Dot adds "Words were always powerful to me. I learned how and why they affected me. Then, learned how to evoke the same feelings I got from other people's words into mine."

Starting off, "50/50" helps all listeners get the gist of THE SEPARATION. With a pistol for "n*ggas that want smoke about it," P.Dot comes gully through the speaker about those who clout chase. Besides this, "50/50" adds a flair to Drake's song "Free Smoke." by speeding up the tempo with slits of heavy base. Regardless he's good. All he's focused on the green and staying clear of phonies.

With urgency, “LAWD HAVE MERCY” tells the human race to be more attentive. Turning back the hands of time, P.Dot addresses through cut-throat rhymes police brutality and racism. In “LAWD HAVE MERCY's" backdrop, wails induce the pain felt by our people. Together with drums and an elevating harmony, listeners are struck with fear. Little do they know, African Americans deal with this on a daily basis. Aside from this, P.Dot pays homage to those who’ve died because of their skin color. He also shows off Black excellence with a subtle flex. And even pokes at the brain of others. Ultimately, “LAWD HAVE MERCY” says in mid-phrase that “we may fall down but we still get up.” Just like the emcee's previous work, “LAWD HAVE MERCY” sanctifies the wicked and nonbelievers. Through a fighter’s spirit, P.Dot projects his voice from start to end. By the horns “LAWD HAVE MERCY” grabs discrimination and stomps on top with anger.

Coupled with a repetive chant and revved-up base, "THE SEPARATION" proves that P.Dot is only made for greatness. Embodying an unstoppable work grind in this one line "I don't get tired, really feel like I'm Kevin Gate-ing." he takes the bad with the good. After all, pressure makes diamonds and P.Dot claims whats rightfully his: Notoriety.

From the get-go, P.Dot is hesitant to trust. In one line, he even says "Let me battle my own demons, like you're battling yours." But "GLORY" comes with no means to offend. Instead, it sheds light on why P.Dot moves the way he does. Off the rip, P.Dot expected for close ones and business partners to keep it real. Unfortunately though, they tried biting off the hand that fed them. So P.Dot kept himself guarded all the while staying money-oriented. To attest this is one of many clever punchlines that are used mid-song. Here, he says "You been looking real fake, I spot a real snake/I'm getting green in this field with a real rake/A couple n-ggas got bread. I want a real plate/ So why beef & kill the cow to get a real steak?/I be "walking on water", they throwing pennies in it/I work too m'f hard to be penny pitching."

“BABY BABY BABY” steps in the name of love like its predecessor. As this particular song draws inspiration from Alicia Key’s song “You Don’t Know My Name,” it manages to find a unique rhythm. Specifically, the roles switch as P.Dot admires a woman whose “a sure thing." In response to Alicia’s presumptions about her crush knowing who she is, P.Dot plays a bit with her melodic refrain “baby, baby, baby.” With Key's message in mind, P.Dot thinks of his own lover. In retrospect, she’s been holding it down. And so, he insists that he’s not a boo or man. Because of all they’ve dealt with she's not only a lover but a friend. Besides this, a love-struck P.Dot boasts with glee about her many attributes. To him, everything about her is just so perfect. One line that deserves recognition in “BABY BABY BABY” goes like this: "Couple n*ggas takin' shots, but nothing Curry bout them." The song alone proves that loyalty lies with P.Dot indefinitely.

Drawing influence from his segment, #BARSFROMTHECAR — P.Dot adds more hard bars onto it in “SURVIVAL feat. Allezy.” Beat wise, this track uses an eerie piano progression and sneaker-knocking base. Lyrically however, P.Dot uses notable punchlines like "remain solid, never fold cause it’s easy to bend." To prove that “class is in session” and that others “ain't dealing with a substitute." Closing it out, Alleazy expresses himself through undeniably solid rhymes. In a word this song speaks on seeing the light in the darkest of times.

“WRONG SON (featuring. Pressure, KYY and Quis Chandla)” consist of some heavy hitters from New Jersey. Anonymously naming itself as a gangster anthem, the trio bring out the gully through intellectually crafted rhymes and hard cadences. Beat wise, “WRONG SON” uses a heavy base, some sirens, bells and a faint echo in its backdrop. To summarize, this track address the haters and fakes all while daring them to stop being social media thugs. Notable lines like “No burial for corpses/scheduled to burn./And on his tombstone, here lies another rapper whos a waste of sperm.” from Chandla go to prove that they have no time for B.S. On the whole, “WRONG SON” spooks those who doubt their excellence. No cap, they say “If I can shine alone, I can grind alone.”

With deep confliction and a heavy heart, “PERKS DNT NUMB” indicates that P.Dot will achieve his dreams with or without a team. Although actions speak louder than words, P.DOT wishes both would correlate. Preferably, he’d love others to keep it a 100. But for now, he’ll weed out all snakes from the Garden State. Likewise, P.Dot makes a point about the music industry and social media frenzied generation. For self recognition, both rappers play the numbers game and mock fake sincerity. Lines like "....but led in the metal for n*ggas tryna erase me," take a jab at the retort, “I'm rubber, you're glue; whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you.” Overall, the song insinuates that P.Dot is good regardless. To take it home, “PERKS DNT DIE” adds a faint trumpet progression, hi-hats and snares in it’s soundscape.

Sometimes, people just don't know what they have until it's gone. Funnily enough, "TRIFFLIN (PURPLE HEART)" lives by that phrase. On opposing sides, the blame goes to a woman who just couldn't stick around for the long haul. Although he's angry, a logical P.Dot takes it to the booth. Thus, manifesting bars that come with the wrath. Referencing to the title, P.Dot says '(PURPLE HEART)' is an indication of a real one’s survival. Sonically, a dark piano progression foreshadows the pain he’s feeling. Likewise, the base comes with a mental socker-punch and takes P.Dot's not-so playful demeanor home.

In “CONCRETE ROSE ” P.Dot keeps a fighting spirit. Even though, he’s focused on the present — P.Dot can’t help but wonder if he’ll leave a legacy before the casket drops. Additionally, P.Dot opens up about his fear of dying young. Often, he references to his brother’s death but it’s only to show appreciation and face the man in the mirror staring back. With no return, P.Dot is “on a marathon until his time is done.” As mentioned in the song, he’ll run until his feet hurt and knee burst. On God, P.Dot prays to be felt before it’s time to go. Truly, he lives and dies by music. Sonically, the beat leans more towards somber instrumentations. As a whole “Concrete Rose” abides by the common phrase, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

Juxtaposed with an up-beat soundscape and remorseful lyrics, “EYE DON’T featuring D.Eeastwood and Fat Trap” speaks on the one that got away. Although he loved his woman immensely, P.Dot admits to not appreciating her enough. Revealing the story behind P.Dot and his loves split, “EYE DON’T” says, "I got a heart with brick walls & a seal around it/Gave you the finger when you tried to put a ring around it."

Second to last, “PROGRESSION feat. Chevy and Dibasi” starts off with a trumpet, hi-hats, a lo-fi synth, and dark piano riff. Besides providing a backdrop of earworthy auto-tune, P.Dot lets the listener hear his inner thoughts. Even though some people can be wishy-washy, P.Dot doesn’t let it phase him. Instead he beats the odds, by counting his blessings. Honestly he’s more focused on his progress than another’s occurrence. Like P.Dot, Dibasi and Chevy go in with nothing but real bars. Ultimately, they come with the same energy as the MC: inspired.

Last but not least, P.Dot finds himself on the ladder to success and he just can’t afford to miss a step. So, without breaking a leg, he treads precautiously with solid rhymes and reason in “MAKE A DOLLA.” Production wise, hi-hats bang in. Then, a dark piano riff arises to strike fear into his enemies. Still, "MAKE A DOLLA's” biggest distinguisher are the futuristic synths which go to prove that the days ahead consist of good fortune. To say the least, P.Dot refuses to be anything but fake. Out of his bag, he collects the coin and gets to work!

If you haven't already, stream THE SEPARATION now. It is available on Apple Music and Spotify.

LINKS:

1. Instagram - @pdotmmr

2. THE SEPARATION -

0 notes