the vessel of dad jokes

okay anyways my thoughts on all of it are below the cut

"Mistborn: Secret History would only be adapted if the actor's schedule allows it, as a standalone project released after the original Mistborn film trilogy."

YOU'RE SAYING IT MIGHT ACTUALLY HAPPEN????

okay anyways my extremely overcapitalized thoughts are below the cut

"This is an LGBT safe space. Of COURSE I fully support individuals who identify as transgender and their right to self-determination! I just think that transitioning is a very serious choice and should be heavily regulated. And there could be a lot of harm in exposing cis children to such topics, so we should be really careful about when it is appropriate to mention trans issues or have too much trans visibility."

apparently he (who through my drunken memory I remember only as Earl) liked some woman, and she told him that he wasn't cultured enough and needed to attend his first drag show (she also flaked on him)

Now I'm reasonably androgynous and was wearing makeup, a short leather skirt, and black heeled boots, but still when this guy came up to me when I was standing off alone and asked "So. Do you come here often?" with a very earnest expression, I thought. Surely not. This guy doesn't think I'm a straight woman does he????

Anyway I start talking with this guy and he has no idea what the fuck is going on but he is just a very kind and earnest dude and asked a lot of questions (while asking if it was alright if he asked those questions). I track down my husband and friends and I'm like y'all. We need to make sure that Earl has a Good Fucking Time tonight.

Man was completely out of his depth. At one point they put on a puppy auction to raise money for Pride, that started with a 6 ft drag queen in all her glory leading a leather pup out on a leash to the tune of that damned RSPCA "in the arms of the angels" song

We look at Earl. Nervous. He squints, laughs, and then goes "I was wondering why people were dressed like that!" He turned to me and asked "So they're like dogs?" And I said yeah pretty much. And he just chuckled and went "Yeah I thought so with the tails! Never seen this before!"

When the first drag king came out, Earl looked at me wide eyed and went "There's a dude version too?!" And I said yeah they're called drag kings. And he said, low, "Drag kings."

During one of the queens performances, he frowned, shook his head and told me, "Your legs are better than hers." in a tone that implied he thought there was some travesty taking place and I should also be getting paid

When he found out I was there with my husband (and that I am not a woman) he profusely apologized and said "I'm so sorry, it's dark in here and I thought you were a hot chick! I wouldn't have said nothing if I knew you had a husband, I'm so sorry about that."

When beemovie invited me to the dance floor with him later and I still had a drink in my hand, Earl said "Oh don't worry about that I can hold your drink, you get on out there and shake your ass with your husband!" Then before we left, Earl bought me drinks for "Putting up with me all night and answering everything. Y'all helped me have a great time tonight."

like. You gotta recognize there's going to people who have never had interacted outside of their of their own community. This includes you. And just because your community is familiar with all the right vocabulary and how to correctly say something, it doesn't mean they're actually going to support you. If someone like Earl shows up, confused and out of their depth but kind and curious and earnest, you gotta have patience and truck through the small things, so when he goes back to his friends and his coworkers and they snicker asking how the drag show was, he can genuinely talk about how included we tried to make him feel and that he had a great time

I’ve been thinking about “Don’t like, don’t read” since an anon asked me about it. I’ve also been thinking about fandom communities that discourage negative views and promote positivity.

On the surface, these ideas sound perfectly reasonable. Fandom spaces are meant to be places where we share our joy in the media we love, right? Why spoil someone else’s enjoyment by expressing negative opinions? It’s like going to a restaurant regularly and complaining about the food every time. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to go there. Keep your opinions to yourself and let others enjoy things!

That’s surely the logic and it's the correct attitude.

But is it always?

On further reflection, I’ve come to think that even in fun, voluntary communities, having space for both positive and negative views is essential for a healthy environment. Not all “negative” opinions are the same, and not all of them are harmful.

I think there are broadly two kinds of negative reactions:

1. Simple venting

This is mostly about taste. “I didn’t like the casting.” “I wish they’d kept that scene.” “That's not the voice I'd imagined for ART”

It’s emotional, subjective, but it's human. Venting helps people process disappointment, and it doesn’t have to hurt anyone if it’s kept in the right space, such as sharing with like-minded friends through direct communications or posting with appropriate tags.

2. Constructive criticism

This is thoughtful, grounded, and often comes from a place of care. It includes things like:

concerns about representation

noticing harmful tropes

pointing out narrative changes that shift meaning

discussing industry biases

talking about why a change matters

For example, in the Murderbot Apple TV adaptation, some fans felt disappointed that the focus shifted away from Dr. Mensah – a middle‑aged Black woman who is central to Murderbot’s emotional development – toward Gurathin, a white‑adjacent male character. Many people loved the show, and that joy is wonderful. It was lovingly created with blessing from Martha Wells herself. The actors played the characters powerfully and memorably. The music and cinematography were beautifully crafted. It brought new people into the fandom.

Nevertheless, the disappointment is also valid, and worth discussing.

This is not the same as “I don’t like Kevin R. Free’s voice” or “The cover art in that edition isn’t my cup of tea.” It is part of engaging with media thoughtfully. What do the choices they made – regarding actors, scenes to include or cut, scenes to newly introduce – mean? Were they commercial choices to bring in existing fans of popular actors? Were they meant to make the show more accessible to viewers who don’t usually watch sci‑fi? Did unconscious social bias play a role in sidelining a Black woman protagonist? What does the change say about the target audience and the society producing the adaptation?

These questions aren’t negativity. They’re analysis. They’re care. They’re part of loving a story deeply enough to think about it.

Constructive discussion, including criticism, has always been part of healthy fandom communities. It’s one of the ways we think about the stories we love, and how we connect with each other. But when communities treat any discomfort as unwelcome, or insist on constant cheerfulness, it can slip into toxic positivity: a pressure to only express joy, and to hide anything that might be complicated or critical. That isn’t healthy for anyone.

At the same time, it’s completely valid that some people may not want to see criticism at all, especially if they already have a lot going on in their real lives and want fandom to remain a space of comfort and escape.

I think a good fandom community doesn’t choose one group over the other; it helps everyone curate their experience. Clear tagging, opt‑in threads, and designated spaces for venting or analysis let people enjoy what they want to enjoy, and avoid what they need to avoid. Joy and critique can coexist, as long as we make room for both.

okay anyways my extremely overcapitalized thoughts are below the cut

Ok but seriously he would be so perfect. Like the longish blonde hair, the French vibes. Also I think he could totally pull off Kelsier’s thing of charisma but with a darkness underneath it. It would actually be kind of similar to what he was doing as Lestat.

Also so relieved that Vin is getting aged up. I really can’t see any downside to it, and it does reduce a lot of the inevitable age gap discourse.