I want a church girl who goes to church and reads her bibleee

Lestat the Marty Stu

I love s1 AMC Lestat (messy bitch that he is), but I don't like book Lestat. I stopped reading the series after the first three books (I couldn’t get through TOBT), but the VC summaries and book excerpts posted on Tumblr and Twitter have only reinforced my decision to stop reading these books.  .

Book Lestat is an utter Marty Stu, a male self-insert for Anne Rice, a character she could never write with any discipline after IWTV because she was too closely connected to him. 

Other compelling characters and relationships just fade away in the blaze of his light. Louis retroactively becomes a liar just to make Lestat look better. (Louis just invented his killing of children, I guess). Lestat’s characterization also warps the fandom. You have one faction of fans who basically read him the same way Anne Rice does and won’t countenance criticism. The other side, I think, overcompensates for his Marty Stu qualities by hating him for nonsensical reasons. I don’t hate Book Lestat, but everything I’ve read about him makes me roll my eyes.

Perfect son who slays 8 wolves alone and provides for his abusive and undeserving family.

Almost always wins except when he loses in over-the-top ways that become beautiful angst.

Always has the best lines.

Runs away to Paris and becomes an actor so moving that a vampire becomes obsessed with him.

Almost everyone who meets him becomes obsessed or falls in love (except Claudia, LOL).  Armand spent 100 years with Louis and still loves Lestat more than anyone on Earth.

He’s a composer, actor, philosopher, and singer who sings so well he awakens a stone vampire god.

Drinks the blood of Akasha and gains more vampire powers: telekinesis, mind reading, sun resistance, super healing, is nigh invulnerable. Maybe the most powerful vampire on Earth.

Drinks the blood of Jesus. Seriously.

Goes to Hell. Seriously.

Falls in love like six times.

Fathers a human son. WTF.

Becomes a fucking prince.

I could love a vain, bad-tempered brat with an insatiable lust for life, but this is just over-the-top, and the ways that the other characters are warped for his benefit turns a potentially compelling book series into something unreadable. And that’s before we get to the aliens.

Thelreads, Vigilantes 49, Replies Part 2

1) “Alright, they found the lab. A bit of refuge in audacity, as the secret genetic experiments were happening in the secret genetic experiment wing of a pharmaceutic company. When you stop to think about it, Man, McBee reaaaally was cooky, wasn’t he?”- He’s got a flair for the theatrical and dramatics, not for rational, sane planning- besides, odds are this is mainly his boss’s operational setup here, and he’s just the wetwork man cleaning house before too much evidence is found to link back to the VF and their mysterious boss.

2) “Meanwhile Fatgum is out for fucking blood, jesus man, calm down as well, have a snack- one snack I said- Fatgum, put the snack bowl down I’m warning you-“- I think he got pissed the panda was snacking on that delicious-looking bamboo and wanted some of it.

3) “And we found another Mass Produced Eva unit folks! And identical to the first one, yeah no, there’s no fucking way they aren’t cloning those fuckers somehow, I don’t recall two exact nomus and with exact powers in the main series.”- As with any good explosive, sometime ‘Quantity’ is more important than ‘Quality’. One mega-powerful bomb is good for blowing up a city, but you can do just as much, if not more damage and panic and terror with multiple smaller bombs going off all over the place, or all in one place- and they’re a hell of a lot harder to stop when there’s so many of them as well.

4) “WHAT THE FUCK, HOW DID THEY GOT THIS? AND WHY DIDN’T AFO USE SUCH TECHNOLOGY IN THE MAIN SERIES? WHAT, THEY ARE WEAKER THAN REGULAR NOMUS OR SOMETHING? WELL TOUGH SHIT, I WANT TO SEE WHAT ANY PRO HERO COULD DO AGAINST A SQUAD OF USJ NOMUS, EVEN IF THEY WERE ON A FRACTION OF THE ORIGINAL POWER.”-Well, it might not be an exact match, but Hood did seem to use Muscular’s muscle-growth quirk to extend his arms and such when fighting Endeavour, so quirk-cloning technology wasn’t completely absent from the future Nomus, though lord knows how that was pulled off, given Muscular never lost his original quirk before he was captured. On the other hand, none of the Nomus in the future look quite as uniform and identical as the Bomus here, even if there was shared powers that the high-end type demonstrated with others, so it’s possible that there is some kind of difference between the VF’s creations and the Nomus that allows one to be endlessly duplicated, and the other to merely duplicate power types amongst different creatures.

5) “DON’T BOTHER WITH IT AIZAWA, I DO BELIEVE THAT THEY WON’T BE WASTER ON ANY OF YOU, THEY ARE AIMING AT A SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER-PROFILE HERO.”- On the other hand, if there’s a clearance sale, and everything’s gotta go anyway, why hold back? Scarface needs the dust and smoke from the explosion to make sure Aizawa doesn’t shut down his quirk when he’s making his getaway, so sacrificing one out of many isn’t a big loss for him at the moment.

6) “AND THERE’S THE MAN HIMSELF… SHARING THE MOMENT ON FACEBOOK, DAMN MILENIALS, CAN’T GET AWAY FROM SOCIAL MEDIA FOR EVEN A MINUTE, I NEED TO GO ON TWITTER AND COMPLAIN ABOUT IT”-Good luck, that site’s become a complete garage fire for those of us who want to see the posts but not sign up to it

7) “Alright, color me impressed, he did waste at least one of them on the heroes. I was expecting them to just fly away and leave the heroes behind, but apparently being dramatic is a trait of McBee that I always forget about. I mean, there are windows in that building they could’ve flew out through, we can see them right there, you know?”- On the other hand, who can resist a good movie reference opportunity?

8) “Is that- Is thatfucking McBee being carried away by the MP Eva units? Am I seeing it right, is that how he got away from them? That was his escape plan?”-

I was not kidding around when I said Scarface loves being the Saturday morning cartoon villain of this manga.

9) “Okay, this seems… odd… You make it seem like the plan isn’t even to actually kill the Captain, more like that you want to see if its possible, like you’re testing the capabilities of those cloned Nomus and seeing if their overall power measures up to the original one.

FFfucking cloned Nomus I can’t believe this shit”- In keeping with the VF’s focus on testing their creations in the field, this seems to be partially a test of how effective the Bomus are as a weapon of terror and destruction, and there’s no better way to do both than by blasting a public hero to death in front of a televised audience. CC’s not All Might-level, but he is kinda close to the lower top ten levels if you factor in what his power allows him to pull off- dude literally has an everything-proof shield on him that makes him invincible unless you’re punching at the literal god-level class All Might can, and even then it might hold up to the first blow, if not the second. In fact, seeing as how it’s such an overpowered defensive ability, it actually makes CC the perfect test dummy for the offensive ability of their Bomus, because if they can kill him, any other heroes will be easy to finish off, given they can’t take the hits he can.

10) “That’s one Egg that’s about to crack, and it will be with a loud boom, that’s for sure.”- Well, at least Scarface is smart enough to know not to push his luck too much with that near-miss at the lab- whatever plan he’s got cooked up will be executed by the Bous up close, whilst he blends into the observing crowds and grabs some popcorn.

11) “Well, never mind that, we’ll find our eventually, but for now, let’s focus on the new challenge ahead: Chapter 27: Business as Usual.

Yeah, I’m sure it will be, after those bombs we got…”- Then Furuhashi decided to dispense with the pleasantries and just had Koichi deal with some actual bombs, complete with endangered civilians, crazy bomber obsessed with his own cause, the whole terror attack shebang.

@thelreads

how much longer do you thing sj/m can keep up her publishing/writing/diversity habits before it catches up to her, if at all? and what do you think would be the final straw for her to lose a significant number of stans, if that's possible? -polysorscha

ooooooooooooh this is a good question. (and sorry for how long it took me to get to it @polysorscha!!

i think she can keep writing them so long as she has readers and so long as her books keep getting printed. plus, she rapidly keeps pumping out new books, so for readers who don’t really care about the quality so much as the quantity, i think she’ll keep writing and publishing. even so, i’ve seen and heard about stans lessening their love in droves. sure, there’ll always be the most vocal of them out there (such as the ones who usually post in our tags and then block us after we ask them not to post in our tags) but i dunno if they’ll keep bringing in new readers–at least not new readers age 18 and up. i know that when i was 12 and at the bookstore, if an author had a lot of books out i’d typically pick up the first one in a series. and i know that back when i was 12 the book community online was nonexistent, so 12yos might be more in-the-know about bullshit in books now than back then, but it’s still possible. 

i think, if sj/m was going to get caught out for her bad representation and horrific content, it’d have to be by a bigger author willing to speak up. you’ll see the most vocal authors on twitter speak up about problematic debuts (such as the uproar with The Continent, The Black Witch, and The Traitor’s Kiss) but for some reason a lot of them are much quieter about established authors, but specifically sj/m. (imo it’s strange that someone like justina ireland has let sj/m slide past, when i’d have thought she’d have a lot to say about at least the rampant racism.) but i think the silence might be partially due to how removed she is from the ya author community. other authors likely see how snobbish she is with her events (don’t even get me started on the bullshit k0a tour bc jesus fucking christ) and how she never does group panels anymore and is innactive on most every social media platform and just shrug and move on. 

which is dangerous, ngl, but that’s why we antis are here as bodyguards. 😎

as for what might be the last straw for stans…well, they’re already putting up with shit writing, nonexistent plots, pretty much every problematic thing under the sun, the obscene length of each book (which they praise), and get all hot and bothered over sex scenes that make people come down with a severe case of secondhand embarrassment. so i dunno how much lower they can go. plus, no matter how often they go “oh no who will die sj/m is so cruel uwu” everyone knows sj/m would never kill a fav. 

and as shallow as that sounds, that might be exactly what marks the end for the stans: if she kills riceman or rowboat. i think the stans would be angry but less violent over lorcan, yrene, or cassian’s deaths. they wouldn’t bat an eye at chaol, nesryn, mor, amren, or nesta’s deaths. they might get a little short-tempered if she killed dorian, manon, or elain, but i think killing faerug, alien, rowboat, or riceman would be the nail in the coffin. 

but bc sj/m is sj/m, that’ll never happen. she probably knows it’s only those four characters who are holding her writing career together (which is why i think riceman and faerug will have POVs in new ac0tar novels and there’ll probably be spinoff novels novellas for t0g) and so she’ll milk that for all it’s worth. it’s the #1 reason i think bryce and her love interest in cres/cent city will be just a soggy regurgitation of riceman/rowboat and faerug/alien. 

what can i say? sj/m is about as creative as turkey on white bread. 

They're Golden. They're Globes.

Tis the season. Awards season. Where every other weekend Hollywood gives itself a handjob for the amazing, life-changing art they created over the past year. I really do appreciate them giving us Bachelor in Paradise. There’s no better birth control or reason to remain abstinent than that show. Of course, the cruel reality is this: I love the awards shows so, so, so, so much. What are people wearing? Who is willing to be part of a silly bit? Who is having no part of the host’s silly bit? Who is snubbed? Who makes a political statement? Who looks like they’ve been run over by a bus? Who appears to have a new and improved face? I’m looking at you Nicole Kidman. The Golden Globes were on last night. I just did not have it in me to stay up until the end of the show so this post is a day late and a dollar short. Much like most things in my life. I’m nothing if not a day late and a dollar short. The opening of the show was fantastic. Jimmy Fallon looooooooves celebs. He’s not there to roast anyone or make people uncomfortable. He’s super effusive so why not recreate the opening from La La Land? Why not, Jimmy Fallon, why not indeed? It was tons of fun. The monologue was great. Comparing Donald Trump to Joffrey Baratheon was inspired. We’d fucking be better off with Joffrey Baratheon. Overall the show was very good. Quality speeches. A few unexpected wins. A few WTF wins. A fair amount of normal Hollywood Foreign Press love of stars. Apparently the color of the season is a nude to light beige covered in sequins. Who chose that? Anna Wintour? Christ almighty. WEAR SOME FUCKING COLOR. No one looks good in nude. Especially these pale ass bitches whose skin never sees the sun. I’m looking at you Nicole Kidman. I thought Viola Davis looked outstanding. That yellow dress fit like a glove. Her hair was done. That’s another thing. Why do these stars not do their hair? Clearly they are paying some celeb hairstylist a trillion dollars to make them look like they’re on their way to Soul Cycle or whatever the fuck trendy workout is hip in LA at the moment. Thank you, Viola Davis, for doing your hair. Onto the awards….. Some person who is apparently British won Best Supporting Actor. His name is apparently Aaron Taylor Johnson. He is apparently in Nocturnal Animals. You should be sensing that I have no clue who this person is. I have not seen Goliath. Nor do I want to but Billy Bob Thornton gave a cogent, sensible speech. So I guess that counts for something. Get your Golden Globe for Best Actor in a TV Drama. We never started watching black-ish. But when Juan is out of town that’s typically what I watch on OnDemand. I am quite happy for Tracee Ellis Ross. She’s a treasure. I love how grounded and normal she seems despite having grown up with Diana Ross as a mom. That’s quite a shadow to come out from under. The Globen Globes looooooves to latch onto an entirely random show. This year that show is Atlanta. It won for Best TV Comedy. It’s not really a comedy. It’s not really a drama. I don’t really know how to categorize it. We watched it. We liked it. We didn’t love it. But Donald Glover seems pretty down-to-earth and is clearly talented so whatever. No more. No more of this The People vs. OJ: American Crime Story. I can’t. I just don’t give a shit. I don’t care. I lived through it in 1995. It was boring then. It’s waaaaay more boring now. I like Sarah Paulson and she is a worthy actress to bestow with accolades but I’m over this OJ shit. She’s also one who did NOT do her hair. Her award was presented by Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman. Were they high? Why were thy giggling? Nicole…..NO MORE BOTOX. Reese…NO MORE SELF TANNER. Ooof. Jesus. One more time. OJ won for TV Limited Series, Movie or Miniseries. Make it be over. Hugh Laurie won for his supporting role in The Night Manager. I so want to watch that. I tried to find it on our OnDemand over Christmas but it wasn’t available. Thanks a lot, Brighthouse. I loved in his speech when he said that this would be the last Golden Globes because the current political climates hates Hollywood, foreigners and the press. Hilarious. But where is your hair, Hugh? You be going bald! Oy. Carrie Underwood apparently went to the Pepto Bismol store for that dress. I guess I don’t want people to wear ANY color. I want them to wear a good color. That pink is not it. La La Land won all the music awards. Score and song. Duh. The composer of the score gave a nice speech and the lyricists from La La Land also did the Broadway show Dear Evan Hanson, so we love them. Viola Davis is butter. She’s amazing in Fences. She’s going to rule the awards shows all year for Best Supporting Actress. Ryan Gosling’s speech made me cry. He really loves Eva Mendes and his kids. His dedication of the award to Eva’s deceased brother was really lovely. Plus La La Land is remarkable and he OWNS that fucking movie. Emma Stone gave an equally lovely speech when she won for Best Actress in a Comedy but she decided on that awful nude color. Emma, you need to do better at the SAG Awards and the Oscars. La La Land is cleaning up. Screenplay is the latest in a growing list. Kristen Wiig and Steve Carrell were hilarious. The joke about their haircuts was amazing and their bit about their first animated movie was inspired. Zootopia wins for Best Animated Feature. That was a great movie about accepting diversity and overcoming challenges. It’s adorable. Tom Hiddleston’s speech was a little much. So you went to South Sudan and some of the relief works binged watched The Night Manager? Good lord. But at least Tom Hiddleston won as opposed to someone from that fucking OJ heap of shit. Claire Foy is yet another actress who needs a better hairdresser. That dress wasn’t great either. The Hollywood Foreign Press loves the Brits this year and every year. The Crown is supposed to be awesome. I am struggling to get Juan on board. It also won best TV Drama. Meryl Streep. Mary Louise Streep. I can’t say it enough. That speech was EVERYTHING. I was rapt. In tears. Hung on every word. Viola Davis also killed it while introducing Meryl. But apparently some asshat who takes to Twitter a lot think Meryl Streep is “overrated”. What the ever loving fuck ever. Meryl can trot out a movie every year and I’m totally fine with her getting nominated for awards. She’s that good. La La Land for the sweep….Best Director for the very, very young and eager Damien Chazelle. He’s maybe 14. Best Comedy. Duh. What the fuck is Sing Street? That category beyond Deadpool was terrible. Good for La La Land. Donald Glover is two for two with a win in the TV Comedy Actor category for Atlanta. Entertainment Weekly was right. They said that Atlanta was going to be the rando show that the HFPA lavishes with love. Casey Affleck looked ridiculous and his speech was meandering. I think he deserved to win for Manchester by the Sea. But he needs some press training and some sartorial training from his older, hotter, better look brother. I am sure that Isabelle Huppert is a lovely actress but I am sooooooooo not interested in Elle. We have seen the preview for that stupide (I’m trying to be French) movie like 200 times at the Keystone Arts Theater. I do not need to see the movie because I’ve already seen it just by watching the preview. Nope. And then the big award of the night. Best Drama. Goes to whaaaaaaaaaaaaat? Moonlight. Nary a peep from this movie all night long and then it wins the big award? Color me surprised. Albeit happily surprised because that movie is riveting and wonderfully well done but I was very surprised. So that’s that. Another Golden Globes in the books. I hope that Hugh Laurie is wrong and the show goes on next year. We’ll have to wait and see what the Oompa Loompa has in store. Jesus fuck. It’s going to be a rough go.