The Onion Girl

The Autobiography of Jane Eyre is something I’m watching as… I dunno, really. Self-flagellation?

I hate Jane Eyre (though not with the depth and power that I hate Wuthering Heights).

I dislike Jane’s self-righteousness and how much pride she seems to take in being “good” when everyone around her is at normal human levels of good. I think Rochester is a huge jackass, and while I totally understand that keeping the crazy firebug wife in the attic was a more humane option than sending her to the asylums of the time, lying about it was truly terrible.

Someone who lied to me about something that big would not be able to regain my trust. And I can forgive someone for their lies without handing them my heart and marrying them.

So when AOJE was announced, I was skeptical. SO SKEPTICAL, YA’LL. There’s such a strong tendency to romanticize a relationship that seemed- to me- to be incredibly unbalanced and unhealthy.

So far, the video have been exactly what I expected. A pandering and unabashed piggyback on the popularity of LBD.

Jane is an LBD fan. Her favorite book is The Fault In Our Stars, and she reads books that are talked about a lot on tumblr. Jane feels out of place, lost, and alone.

Jane is basically a lonely teenager on the internet. She’s designed to be that way. It’s so blatant that I can’t understand how it’s worked so well.

So, take one character whose references to things she loves are forced and unnatural, add in a bunch of parallels to the LBD videos that are less homage and more “we needed an idea so we adapted what we liked about LBD,” and AOJE is there.

I guess what I’m doing now is hatewatching.

• society: oh you have your period? well you have two options.
• woman: okay.
• society: you can use sanitary pads, which make you feel like you are wearing a diaper, and have the added fun benefit of being extremely uncomfortable and give you the extreme paranoia that they will not be enough coverage and at any moment with any movement or sudden sneeze you’ll bleed over onto your clothes and walk around all day with blood stained trousers while everyone points and laughs at you.
• woman: sounds awful. what’s my second option.
• society: a penis shaped wad of cotton that you shove uncomfortably inside yourself and it catches the blood before it leaves your body.
• woman: still seems pretty awful.
• society: wait! it gets better! there’s the outside chance that using those will kill you!
• woman: well, are they at least free? like how men can have access to free condoms? i mean, it’s not like i’m choosing for this to happen.
• society: HAHAHA! that’s funny. no, you have to pay for them. and they’re really fucking expensive.
• woman:
• society: oh, and if you tell anyone that you ARE on your period, your judgement, opinions, and reactions are going to be dismissed as the crazy ramblings of a lunatic.
• woman:
• society:
• woman: i think i’ll go with my third option.
• society:
• woman:
• society: what third option?
• woman: i think i’ll bleed on everything you love.

erinwert:

LOOK GUYS I’M SORRY BUT TAMPONS ARE NOT UNCOMFORTABLE. Seriously, if your tampons are uncomfortable, you probably aren’t putting them in up high enough, or you need to try a different brand with a different shape. There are two primary shapes- Tampax is a longer, thiner shape, and Playtex has a more rounded, blossoming shape. For me, Tampax can be very uncomfortable at times, and Playtex I literally can forget I’m on my period. If the tampon hurts, it probably isn’t up high enough. Just push it up a little farther and viola. (or you’re using the wrong size- size isn’t just for flow, though flow and size usually coincide. Don’t use a super plus if you have a small flow and a smaller set vagina.) (oooor you might need a hymenectomy. Seriously. I’ve had two friends who needed one, and afterwards they were like. O.O I GET TAMPONS NOW).

And SERIOUSLY can we stop complaining about our periods as some awful burden we as women must bear and blah blah blah. Like, woman up ladies. It’s not that big of a deal.

Yes, it sucks that tampons and pads can be so expensive, and probably it could be beneficial to look into some more economical options for people, but I mean, do you seriously expect to get them for free? Let’s talk about economical ways to make tampons cheaper. Or buy in bulk girls.

I’m more interested in the fact that it seems to me that no woman ever turns down another woman’s plea for a spare tampon in an emergency. I mean, seriously- do you ever, if you have someone come up to you in the bathroom or whisper to you at work “do you have a spare tampon?” think “yeah, i have ten in my purse but hell if i’m giving one up for you.” Am I the only one who feels that unwritten rule that the emergent need for a tampon binds all women together in unity and support? I mean, ladies.

Cramps- okay, cramps suck, and I’m sorry because I don’t get cramps too bad so apparently I just have an easy life, but I will say that women- the more you move when you’re having cramps, the less it will hurt. Seriously, laying their moaning and bemoaning about how much you’re in pain literally makes it worse. You’ve got to get up and go and push through it.

I’m just so tired of seeing crap like this on my dash. I’m tired of women complaining about their periods all the time. If you want men to stop making a big deal about women being on their periods, stop making a big deal about it.

Also, I”m tired of “feminist” taking their rage at nature’s god given rite of womanhood, ie your period and the ability to bear children out on men and “society” as if they’re the people who have put some burden of fertility on you.

Stop treating it like a disability or a burden. It is a sign of your fertility and your ability to create and grow new life. It is freaking amazing. Give your period some respect please.

All women are not the same.

Some women have cramps that do not improve with movement (in fact, for me, moving around normally with cramps can make me puke).

Some women just don’t feel comfortable with tampons. In addition to the odd shapes (none of which work for me, and all of which actively make my cramps worse), they absorb all moisture, which is part of what makes them so uncomfortable. Women are meant to have cervical mucus.

It’s not that big of a deal FOR YOU, and that’s great for you. I have it pretty good, as well, and I’m pretty damn miserable that first day of every cycle. This is not true of all or even most women, because we are all different. I know people who have literally landed in the hospital frequently (like, three months in a row) because of the pain and suffering they go through every month with a body that is not actually sick in any way.

It can be amazing and a huge burden at the same time. What do you think toddlers are? ;D

(And PS: Not necessarily a sign of fertility. I have fertility issues and a miscarriage under my belt, and I still get to deal with pain and nausea and the cost of feminine hygiene products.)

(Source: archivesofgallifrey)

soliquius:

So there’s this four year old I know - a four year old who has frequently expressed desire to be an entomologist when she grows up.

I’ve spent the last hour watching her catch flies with her bare hands and releasing them outdoors unharmed.

She doesn’t like it when I use the fly-swatter on her “friends.”

loooonylovegood:

TIME FOR A SANDITON RANT:

I feel bad because my Domino video was part of Gigi’s recap episode today, and it seems like everyone sort-of generally HATED the video as a whole, and it feels like I contributed to something that made other viewers unhappy, and UGH.  If people weren’t hating on the video so much, I would have been THRILLED to be in it, but the overall negative response is crushing my vibe and making me feel guilty for posting the video in the first place.

I wish people who aren’t interested in the story of Sanditon would just unsubscribe and wait for the new series instead of ruining the fun for those fans who are genuinely invested in it.

EDIT: I totally get it if you aren’t interested in the RP aspects of the show.  Honestly, I’m not all that interested either, but I love the project, so I’m going along with it.  I completely understand if you don’t want to watch the recap videos. That’s cool and everyone should do as they please! (YOU DO YOU, GURL.) I’m just frustrated with the folks who watch them anyway knowing what to expect and then are all scary and angry in the comments.

Welp, I didn’t mean to be so rant-y about this. Please don’t hate me. I’m going to shut up now.

In addition to my thirding of not being anti RP-people, just anti-RP-in-official-videos, I’d like to say about the comments-

I’ve been on the internet a long time, and seen a lot of messy comment sections. The LBD and PD related videos and their associated comment sections are some of the best on the internet. I’ve read through all the comments on today’s video, and of the 200+ comments, only a couple of them are truly out of line. People are disappointed and making legit comments and criticisms. Calling that “scary and angry” is unfair. You’re totally entitled to dislike what people have to say, but criticism of the storytelling choices and feeling betrayed because the creators have not been entirely honest about the project is not scary and angry. It’s just people expressing their hurt.

thedovenest:

succexiest:

loooonylovegood:

TIME FOR A SANDITON RANT:

I feel bad because my Domino video was part of Gigi’s recap episode today, and it seems like everyone sort-of generally HATED the video as a whole, and it feels like I contributed to something that made other viewers unhappy, and UGH.  If people weren’t hating on the video so much, I would have been THRILLED to be in it, but the overall negative response is crushing my vibe and making me feel guilty for posting the video in the first place.

I wish people who aren’t interested in the story of Sanditon would just unsubscribe and wait for the new series instead of ruining the fun for those fans who are genuinely invested in it.

:(

tbh, i havent really enjoyed the vids with RP, but it has nothing to do w/ the RPers personally!

we were just told that we could engage w/ sanditon w/o being involved in that side of things, but since theyre forcing it on us in these vids thats not really true, and it gets frustrating. cause alot of the stuff makes no sense unless you are involved w/ that (for ex: the last time, jawsica? what?)

in fact there are v. few ppl who are RPers compared to the viewership (~30k+ views compared to 600 townspeople on the twitter list? you do NOT want to make a show for 600 people. that will pay for zero things.)

I’m going to agree with succexiest - I *AM* interested in Sanditon, as a story. I’m intrigued as to where they could take the world Austen set up. I’m not interested in the RP videos or transmedia. It sucks if the RPers are feeling bad that the videos aren’t well received, but for those non-RPers (which, as noted, vastly outnumber the RPers), it feels kind of exclusionary. We could go to twitter or the Domino portal for that, but we don’t. And we were told we wouldn’t HAVE to be involved in the transmedia and role play to enjoy the series.


I guess I was just looking forward to something to love as much as LBD, and I’m not feeling it. I want to love it, but it’s missing the mark for me. I am, however, eagerly anticipating the next adaptation.

Thirding all this. It’s nothing against the RPers, but you guys are only a small portion of the viewers. We’re upset with the misrepresentation from the creators, but everyone I’ve talked to is glad that the people who do like to RP are having fun.

It’s just that the creators have decided that your fun is something they’re going to show us in place of story or character development…

mamaleh6994:

theoniongirl:

mamaleh6994:

oplik replied to your post: [[MOR]I actually like Sanditon? I don’t know. I…

i like it too and everyone keeps getting mad at thursdays and im like OBVIOUSLY THERES NO PLOT ON THURSDAYS

I guess I just feel like that’s an old argument? Like, sure, I would have liked to know the schedule ahead of time too. But, now that it’s been established … why complain about it? 

To be fair to the people complaining- this was literally only clarified last week. Until then, we were promised that we could follow the storyline in the videos (which still hasn’t happened, btw), and the only mention of this so-called “obvious” lack of plot on Thursdays was Gigi saying that she had a weekly update.

Weekly update is not an obvious statement that plot will only happen one day a week. Most people interpreted it as “Gigi will update once a week and others will have plot-moving videos once a week.”

How can it be an old argument if it was only told to us one week ago?

Okay, I definitely see your point, and you’re right. I shouldn’t have used that phrasing.

But I’m of the opinion that we are able to follow the storyline with just the videos, but the storyline isn’t what everyone thinks it should be. It’s simple and much, much less complex than LBD ever was.

Basically, Gigi took Domino to Sanditon to both put Domino to public use, and also to help Sanditon gain tourists as a sort of give and take relationship. There’s conflict over the fact that the mayor appears to be lying about almost everything that drew PD to the city, and the ice cream/juice bar conflict is how those lies are affecting the town’s citizens. And … that’s about it.

Is it simple? Yes, absolutely. But we weren’t promised a full on drawn out plot like LBD. This is a mini series that is literally here to just fill in the time until the new series. It’s supposed to be a simple, light, fun summer thing. And I think that people are upset because they expect more plot when really … this is it.

It’s my opinion that the plot is actually extremely easy to follow in the videos, it’s just that because it’s so simple, people think they’re missing out on more story by not participating in the RP. When really, that’s not the case at all. The RP is people building their own stories, and these compilation videos are just giving a few highlights to the people who don’t want to watch all the Domino videos. Which, if you don’t want to, that is absolutely fine.

I mean, this sort of thing is not going to be for everyone, and yes, I agree that there are a lot of things that could be handled very differently. But this is just how I feel about it.

Kelsey, I know you’re just trying to help, but this is about the bajillionth time I’ve seen the “story” explained to people. And… Gigi going to Sanditon to promote Domino and the mayor thinking he has more power/legal rights than he does don’t make a story. They make a base for a story.

Right now, it’s like building a foundation and a set of steps and repeatedly calling it a house, then adding embellishments to the foundation, like lily-of-the-valley and ornamental bricks, and saying that those are walls and windows and doors.

I get that it’s supposed to be lighter than Pride and Prejudice. Let me assure you- I’m not uninformed on this subject; I’m just choosing to not partake in the transmedia because, as a busy adult, I have other things I am choosing to spend my limited time on (other busy adults will choose to spend their free time on transmedia- neither is better or worse than another).

I’ve read Sanditon- more than once, actually, though the last time was probably 15 years ago.

I’ve read the posts where the creative team talk about Sanditon.

But not all the video-only fans have seen what the crew has to say, specifically because they’re video-only fans.

And a lot of the fans themselves distribute a ton of faulty information. So you have fans dismissing all criticism in the YouTube comments because obviously all the action is in the transmedia and RP. There are fans talking about how obvious the plot is, when in fact it’s more like a pale outline of a plot (and if this is meant to be the main plot, it’s not a very good one). You have fans claiming RP events as canon. It’s all very messy.

And while I’m sure you and the others who have been lucky enough to be featured on these compilation videos are thrilled to see yourselves in an official, in-universe video, that doesn’t mean that those fan-made videos in any way enhance the story for the non-RPers. For people who have made videos and have not been included, those episodes may even detract from the world. (Not me, I hate seeing myself on camera :D)

Look, I really, really wanted to enjoy Sanditon. I’m given to understand that a lot of people in the fandom who recognize my screenname think of me as a bitchy hater, but it’s not true. I really love LBD and the potential that Sanditon has. I just wish that these wonderfully creative people would show that creativity to their audience at large, and not just the couple hundred people who have chosen to spend time on the RP factor.

And I hope they do it before they alienate and lose their audience for the next, longer, adaption.

mamaleh6994:

oplik replied to your post: [[MOR]I actually like Sanditon? I don’t know. I…

i like it too and everyone keeps getting mad at thursdays and im like OBVIOUSLY THERES NO PLOT ON THURSDAYS

I guess I just feel like that’s an old argument? Like, sure, I would have liked to know the schedule ahead of time too. But, now that it’s been established … why complain about it? 

To be fair to the people complaining- this was literally only clarified last week. Until then, we were promised that we could follow the storyline in the videos (which still hasn’t happened, btw), and the only mention of this so-called “obvious” lack of plot on Thursdays was Gigi saying that she had a weekly update.

Weekly update is not an obvious statement that plot will only happen one day a week. Most people interpreted it as “Gigi will update once a week and others will have plot-moving videos once a week.”

How can it be an old argument if it was only told to us one week ago?

Gotta say, condescending posts that talk about how OF COURSE a show isn’t what we expected- when we expected exactly what the show creators told us to expect- makes me lose what little faith I had left in the fandom.

I’ve been trying to give Sanditon a chance. I’ve been trying for FOUR WEEKS. And in those four weeks, I’ve been made to feel very lied to by the production staff.

There isn’t really a story to follow in the “main” videos- just the mayor being a douchebag. It’s not like he can actually change Sanditon Scoops into Clara’s Juice Bar without massive legal action taking place.

In the “extra” videos, which still are labeled as part of the episode list, we’ve gotten two recipes and two videos from fans over at the Domino portal.

You said we could follow the story in the main videos. You said the twitter and other transmedia were extra. This is clearly not the case. Catering to such a small percentage of your fans is a BAD IDEA. I’m not the only one who feels unwanted by the creators.

So, this is my compromise. I’m not going to actively avoid the videos, but I am putting my adblock on. If you’re going to actively avoid giving a full story to the people who don’t do all the transmedia, despite telling us that we would get a full story regardless of immersion level, you clearly don’t want the revenue from my adviews. 

SERIOUSLY?

Again?