Can We As A Fandom PLEASE Learn To Use #anti?

Can we as a fandom PLEASE learn to use #anti?

I feel like every time I want to just read jokes or peoples analysis’ or see cute fanart, I’m absolutely bombarded with vitriol for the show, the actors, the changes, etc.

I realize I can’t stop this behavior, but I would like to distance myself from it, and unfortunately I can’t do that just myself. I just want to enjoy my favorite show in peace, without every online space being full of unavoidable hate.

So, I’m begging you…

“I hate how they changed Bill’s storyline” wow, fascinating, tag it #anti tlou hbo

“They should recast Bella Ramsey” well that’s certainly an opinion, and may I just add… tag it #anti bella ramsey

“The show is worse than the games in every way and I hate the show so much adijnfokdcm” hm, I see, #anti tlou hbo

If your first thought is “but all I’m doing is providing good faith criticism!” Or “I don’t hate Bella Ramsey, I just wish they cast someone else!” I don’t care. Tag it #tlou hbo crit or #bella ramsey crit if you’re unwilling to tag it #anti. You’re smart, you know full well when you should be tagging things like that. I don’t want your justifications, I just want to be able to look at #the last of us on tumblr and have good time.

Oh my god stop you’re too nice I can’t deal with this😭❤️

This made my day, thank you❤️❤️❤️

Today's fic review is for @paigegonerogue's fic, Skin! I read this fic a few months ago and it was an absolute rollercoaster.

TW: referenced rape/noncon

First of all, this AU has such a moving, heartbreaking premise. What if Joel and Ellie met at Silver Lake? When I first saw that, I thought “oh nooo” and then when I read it, I was shook. Girl, you did not disappoint. 

Joel’s flashbacks to Sarah’s death, and how you referenced that memory throughout the fic, was such a creative portrayal of his PSTD. This is especially because, in this memory, “gasping” is the sound of Sarah’s life slipping away. It just hammers home Joel’s feelings of utter helplessness. This angst was an emotional gut-punch every time you used it.

This was my second time reading chapter 1, and Ellie’s introduction still made my stomach turn. It’s so well executed and I’m angry for her all over again. The exposition is spaced so well. It blends right in. For example, “She didn’t have washing privileges that day,” gives so much information about Ellie’s situation in just one sentence. Also, her snark and humor in her scenes with Joel are perfectly in character. You blend the fluff of their dynamic and the angst of their shared conflict in a way that sort of swings us readers back and forth. 

I’ve read this fic before, so I want to give some praise for the final chapter as well. Tommy was a fucking beast in that chapter. That man deserves a medal. The last few scenes had me at the edge of my seat. The action was so good! It felt fast and punchy and so well paced. Also, I got the ending I wanted. I don’t want to spoil, but thank you for what you did. It was satisfying as fuck, and then that cliffhanger was wild. You did such a great job, Paige, and it’s been so wonderful to hear about your progress on Scars. I know Scars gonna be fantastic!!

Phrases I loved:

She didn’t think her laugh was always this cold, this hollow. Her laugh used to be happy, joyful. Not shaky and broken.

The girl seemed to study him, her eyes tracking every twitch of his fingers and every breath he took.

“Mornin’, princess!” She said, forcing breeziness into her tone. 

“That’s James.” Veronica told him. “He’s a dick.” (Yes the fuck he is!! I know you wanted him to be a gray character, but fuck James, that fucking dick.)

He looked back over at her, seeing the way her face was burning in the tangle of her limbs.

She tried to smooth down her hair, tugging at her shirt, his smell still lingered, curling its way down her throat. Choking her. (Ouch)

It was warm. Warm like hugs in winter. Warm like her smile. Warm like her blood as died, gasping, gasping, gasping. (OUCH)

The tremors blaring through her hollow body. Shaking her broken parts. (Do you like hurting us?????)

Something that TLOU HBO did that I loved was that they let Ellie be an actual, real fourteen year old girl.

I feel like so many shows just assume that teenage girls are inherently unlikeable, so they portray them as stupid, annoying pests who should never be take seriously. Sometimes if they don’t do that they’ll go in the opposite direction, making their teen girl characters distance themselves from the demographic by being so unbelievably charming, mature, and witty that it becomes impossible for real people, especially real teenage girls, to live up to it. (As great as The Last of Us Game is, it very much does that).

A lot of times that ‘perfect teenage girl’ philosophy also carries over to appearance, with teen girl characters always dressing and looking mature, stylized, and unrealistic.

(Not the main point of the post, but you can absolutely see how these portrayals harmfully affect real teen girls by making them feel like they aren’t worthy of love unless they conform to impossible standards) (is this getting about me? Pfffffft, nooooooo…)

But The Last of Us HBO doesn’t do that. It lets Ellie be a real teen girl with all her faults. It doesn’t portray her as annoying or idealized, it portrays her as a real person who deserves to be taken seriously, and that’s something that will always help the flawed-14-year-old still inside me. She’s awkward and abrasive and charming and funny and brash and sweet and it sees her not as a pest but as a person. Someone who doesn’t always look perfect or fashionable. She’s someone who cries and screams and gets flustered without it being something to make fun of.

Craig Mazin, the main writer for the majority of the show, doesn’t see being a teen girl as something inherently wrong. I think it’s because he has a now-adult daughter who it’s clear he adores. He wrote Ellie with so much respect and care, and it’s clear he loves the character (and is also a fantastic show runner)

Thank you, Craig Mazin

My Top 5 Shots of Every Episode of TLOU

Episode 9

TW: Gore

Number #5

What can I say? I just think this one is gorgeous. It represents why The Last of Us HBO’s cinematography works so damn well. It’s subtle, atmospheric, and gritty, while still being absolutely gorgeous. I love the dingy yellows, and the rim-lighting on Marlene. Just a fantastically put together shot.

Number #4

This shot is absolutely brutal in the best way. In the show, the camera doesn’t show the bodies of dead people, opting to go the route of showing the main characters when someone dies. It’s this really effective way to make the violence more impactful and character-driven. During the hospital massacre, however, they very purposefully don’t do that. They show the bodies. They show the people falling. It’s this really affective subtle twisting of the knife that gives this sequence this really unique and incredible tone of shock, and it absolutely wouldn’t have worked without the buildup of amazing, character driven violence until then. Small (“small” tangent aside, the shot itself absolutely rocks! The high-angle of the body squished against the stairs. Joel scavenging the dead man for parts. It’s so brutal and clinical, another thing the hospital sequence does incredibly. It’s an extremely affective, amazing shot.

Number #3

This show’s ultra wide shots just go so hard, but this one even more than most. The dreary sky, the ultra wide on Anna showcasing the field and the city in the background… it’s so atmospheric and just absolutely fantastic. Bravo.

Number #2

What can I even say about this shot? The lighting. The contrast. Ashley’s incredible acting. It’s just incredible.

Before I reveal my #1, here are some honorable mentions…

It’s the symbolism here more than the shot that makes this absolutely excellent. But Joel taking Ellie out of the light just hits so hard I couldn’t not include this somewhere.

Another absolutely gorgeous side-view shot, it’s just so good!! The reason this one isn’t number five is because there was already another amazing side view on here…

I debated this and the other Anna shot for number two, and while the other one came out on top, this one is just so gorgeous and emotional I couldn’t not include it.

This one’s just really pretty lol

Number #1

I don’t even know how to express how good this shot is. It works on so many levels, and in so many ways. It’s dark and emotional and it has incredible contrast (all things that describe episode 9 as a whole) Ellie over Joel’s shoulder, in the dark, with the gorgeous rim-lighting and the deep blues… it’s just incredible. INCREDIBLE.

That’s all for now, folks! I’ll do this again when s2 comes out!

(For the assumptions post) I feel like you have some kind of background in literature and/or publishing, or are involved in some way with the creation of media outside of tumblr because you're understanding of the source material and your analysis for everything is always *chefs kiss*. Genuinely some of my favourite posts in the fandom,, you just understand these characters SUPER well

First off, this is the nicest thing ever!! Seriously this means so much to me, and I read this so, so many times back to back b/c seriously—you’re so amazing omg😭❤️

Also, yes! You’re completely correct! I’m a film student working to become a writer and director!

Oh god… let’s do it

I wanna know what people assume about me because of my tumblr.

Put an assumption in my ask. I’ll confirm or dispute it. I’m not gonna be mean or anything, I’m just very interested.