finished She-Ra!! So good. What a satisfying show.

my only complaint is the same complaint I have with every piece of media ever:

WHY CAN'T I WATCH THE SHOW ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS *AFTER* THEY'RE DONE FIGHTING EVIL!!

That would be the best part!!!

not to turn every conversation into "what I liked about steven universe" but: it did kinda rule that we got a taste of that with Steven Universe Future at least

I talk about this a lot, but like, I will never stop wondering whether "shows about nice people suffering, that end literally the instant they would've gotten pleasant" is the result of a culture that's just really set in its ways to the point of not making sense…

…or whether that's actually what most people *like*, and I'm just unusual in this respect?

and if it's the latter: like, what percentage of other people *are* like me, and, is there a word for that

like, I get lured in by great casts, and stories that are relatively mild enough to just be kinda exciting without being too oppressive

and then without fail, they just keep ratcheting up the struggling past the point where it's pleasant any more… but by then I'm too invested!!

I can't just NOT find out what happens to these characters that I've gotten so attached to!! but it means that the last like, 1/3 of any show/movie is me getting stress headaches but not willing to give up!

the last chunk of it wasn't bad at all! they escalated the story really well, in ways that make sense, and tie together thematically, etc etc

I'm just like: why do stories always do that!!

what if they just stayed season-one fluffy, but with the benefit of all the character development you get after a few seasons? how is that not obviously the perfect formula. I feel like I must have some completely alien way of seeing this stuff??

like: I get that some people get some kind of thrill out of stressful stories, I've talked to enough people to know that it's a thing. But is that really a big enough percentage of the population that it's the ONLY kind of story that ever gets told??

ESPECIALLY these days, with....... EVERYTHING going on.......... does NO-ONE like escapism??? Does no-one like being reminded that the universe at least has the POTENTIAL for anything besides this miserable society we're stuck in??

I think a lot about how… I forget who said it… someone was talking about the creation of The Muppet Show, and they said, the only reason that they had musical numbers was because Everyone Knew that you couldn't have an entire show of *only* comedy; it would overwhelm people

that was the nature of entertainment programs: "the variety show", it was interleaved music and comedy, from as far back as vaudeville, because nobody wanted to question the formula

just give me slow-burn slice of life stories about gay people crying about REGULAR things instead of What If The Whole World Ends!!

but like, with art direction like She-Ra had!!

I just realised I'm basically asking for more Tuca and Bertie

and that we're getting more Tuca and Bertie

so

yeah OK my nerdy frustration is temporarily sated, hahahah

(I guess Tuca and Bertie isn't TECHNICALLY particularly gay but it's, close enough!!)

(it isn't, like. Hollywood Smotheringly Heterosexual, it has a couple who actually relate to each other as people despite being straight! I guess I hadn't realised until I spelled it out that I'm so used to only getting to see that on TV in gay stories, hahah)

ok now that I've finished getting all worked up about a cartoon, time to try and sleep, hahah

also god I wanna end this thread by apologizing for doing that thing that I always do again, complaining about the only thing that I DIDN'T like in something that I DID like

it's a good show and a good season!!

I don't hold it against them, I blame the culture that shapes what does and doesn't get greenlit. I feel like this show already did plenty to push against that envelope already :P