Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 9hThis isn't about any specific video essayist and it was not inspired by recent events. Rather, it was inspired by me groaning at a thumbnail trying to make a small problem into a big societal collapse and a sign of fascism. Like, come on 000
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 9hlook at me saying search twice in the same paragraph. this is why proofreading is important. ah well 000
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 9hthe runtime. I understand this could sometimes be done for the sake of monetization (in which case the issue is the platform and not the author), and we'd be having another conversation entirely -- of those I speak not, and I mean a very specific problem with essays lacking substance 100
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 9his no shame in being an amateur essayist, and no piece is truly "pointless;" what I'm saying is that a lot of people don't seem capable of crafting an effective essay and instead they pad it with accessories that lead nowhere, have feeble connections to the main topic, and only serve to increase 100
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 9hcould've been a meaningful, brief, poignant exploration becomes the ramblings of an author who can't make sense of their own point. This is not to say I don't like the video essay genre. Rather, I'm noticing more bad essays these days from emergent authors, and I am picking up on a pattern. There 100
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 9hwith long-winded explanations that explore every possible connection as though they're all relevant, deriving conclusions from preconceived notions rather than anything explained in the text, which will be delivered in that jokey not-quite-so-serious style that's expected of the genre. And what 100
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 9hperhaps, the topic is deep but the author can't identify what to focus on and meanders using citations, examples, and quotes to fill the space. And what could have been a concisely made point turns into three, four, six pages about a subject that hardly warranted that level of attention. We end 110
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 9hsucks, and it does relate to systemic oppression... but it's not worth discussing in length. I believe this is a result of forcing people to write essays with word requirements, or at least in part, because it forces you to craft a long-winded narrative about a topic that might not warrant it. Or, 110
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 9hturn a small observation into a big narrative relating to some for of systemic oppression. I am not a proponent of "it's not that deep" by any means, and I do believe it IS that deep most of the time. With that in mind, sometimes it is deep but not worth mentioning. Sometimes the thing is, and it 100
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 9hI think a lot of video essayists trying to make commentary are searching for small topics they can produce grandiose pieces about in search for something to say. Anything at all, no matter how innocuous it is, is a vehicle for their voice; it doesn't matter how little substance it carries, they will 200
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 04/10/2026I will do it because I obviously want to be published, but submitting your writing is basically a humiliation ritual and it's really discouraging 000
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 28/09/2026finally breaking through a batch of writer's block to reveal some really fucking cool ideas is so liberating 000
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 11/09/2026While I agree trashing Trump is fun and valid, he is far from the first US president to lose a war. Need I remind you that you lost Vietnam as well...? 001
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 11/09/2026As a Venezuelan, I don't have mixed feelings about this 001
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 07/09/2026Truly so! I am of despicable ilk. What horrors await all who meet me? Only fate knows 000
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 06/09/2026Ever since I started this novel draft, I've become a lot more insufferable online. Being a writer requires a certain amount of conceit and the pervasive belief that what you write is worth reading. To everyone's displeasure, I am bolder and more willing to make comments. I apologize to everyone 100
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 04/09/2026Americans likening the imminent fall of their empire to the fall of Rome tells you all you need to know about how every single American is as self-centered as they come. How proud must one be to say those things with a full chest and not feel like they're part of the problem? 000
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 03/09/2026omg hi! I'm Catt from the guild and I hadn't seen your message on the board before, but I wanted to tell you your art is SO cute!!! 10/10 110
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Your racist grandma watching Fox News is more likely to listen to what El-Sayed has to say if he panders to her. Like talking about economics. Unless you want El-Sayed to lose support with the Fox News audience? He's talking to racist grandma here, not to YOU 011
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Yes, this is true, but did you forget the interview is with Fox News? What do you think happens when you reaffirm trans women as women in front of people who are predisposed to hate you? They stop listening, that's what they do That would be a great answer! ...in a leftist space 151
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 24/08/2026Love you too! You're always a delight. It's a pleasure to see you here; I didn't know you were on bsky❤️ 000
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 24/08/2026praying begging crying for artists to stop depicting men in gay relationships as having one manly and one girly guy like. can we stop reinventing heteronormativity please 010
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 24/08/2026How about they ratify Roe v Wade when they held the house and senate? They clearly didn't feel that was important enough to do. What DO democrats do when they have the presidency and congress? Trying to defend democrats for their ineptitude is a losing battle; all they can manage is a letter 010
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 22/08/2026Pero es que si quieres advertirles, es que eres un alarmista y ves peligro donde no hay. Pasa lo que pasa y ay, nadie lo pudo predecir Me da una RABIA 100
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 22/08/2026And the box keeps getting fuller and fuller! Who could have seen this coming 100
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 22/08/2026"Promise you will never bully *me* (but you can bully anyone else you fancy and I will always stand by you)" is not a winning strategy. You're just giving up your agency on a maybe. Do better, Canada 110
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 22/08/2026Canada enjoyed the US' good graces for so long that they thought themselves immune from the bullying, extortion, and disrespect. It was only a matter of time before the US cranked the dial. The "friendship" between the two nations has always relied on a very tenuous trust 110
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 22/08/2026Of course, this is bad and Canada shouldn't even entertain this. But it's funny to see the outrage when my country has been suffering an all-encompassing embargo for 10 years or so, and no one cared 110
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 22/08/2026I keep saying this: the second Trump administration is showing the world what Latin America has always known. This is the kind of heinous shit the US has been doing for ages, but it's only news because they're doing it to someone other than "the browns" lmao 120
Reposted by CattleyaCryo @cryodraws.bsky.social · 20/08/2026I did it, I made everyone sad #animation 1813633
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 20/08/2026🫠 I'll take a break from trying to think about marketing/selling and focus on the writing. If nothing else, to have the goddamn book finished. Thank you. You're infinitely kind 100
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 20/08/2026original, and I don't hope to be, but I feel as though it's gonna be such a common take on a story that it's gonna be dismissed right away 100
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Thank you, you're very kind as always. I'm just having a hard time finding energy to complete this draft, because even if I end up proud of my work, I keep thinking that it's gonna fall as flat as a plank when I try to get it seriously edited into something worth reading. I know nothing is ever 100
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 20/08/2026But who cares about the sad ramblings of yet another bad writer. Let's just finish this draft 110
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Trying to be a writer is depressing. Not the least of which is due to my exposure to other writers, who are such bitter and mean people that it's hard to stay optimistic. Their self-hatred is only matched by how much they hate other writers 000
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 20/08/2026I know I'm not particularly good at writing. Average at best. But what I really want is to share my story and have someone at least enjoy it, which already sounds like too much to ask 000
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 20/08/2026I know that I must temper my expectations as a writer. I'm not likely gonna spark the interest of a publishing house, and if I self-publish I'm probably not gonna sell more than 30 copies. Less, more likely. But it's such a depressing outlook for something that brings me so much joy 100
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 17/08/2026A tyrant always stays in place because they have the power of the military on their side. This makes me wonder: how does Trump hope to hold power if he is embarrassing his military, and torturing his own soldiers in the middle of a recruitment crisis? I know the answer, but it's a fun question 000
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 16/08/2026doesn't have to be exactly like the source material" or "the medium is different, so the experience is different" The comparison to the original isn't just about fidelity. It's about QUALITY, which the movie is sorely lacking 000
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 16/08/2026It's okay if you liked it. Truly, it's fine. Our taste in media doesn't define us as people, nor does it represent a moral failure to enjoy something others consider badly crafted. But if you're going to defend the movie, try not to stick to thought-terminating phrases like "it's an adaptation, it 100
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 16/08/2026In short, the movie does away with:t he simple, visceral fun, religious context, thematic significance, and characterisation to leave us with a poorly written allegory for societal collapse in a reinvented historical timeline full of visual spectacle It's a bad movie, and an even worse adaptation 100
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 16/08/2026It's also way too chaste, which I feel is in part owed to the core audience: Americans, to whom extramarital sex is unsympathetic. But when so much of the adventure is about violence and sex (depicted as fun things), and you take both away, what DO you have left? A guy going on a long trip? 100
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 16/08/2026Nolan's reimagining of the Odyssey takes away Odysseus' wit and charm, the religious context, the historical context (only to add its own hamfisted message about civilisation collapse by mixing myth with history in the clumsiest, laziest way), and even the fun out of Odysseus' voyage 100
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 16/08/2026material strips away meaning from certain scenes, which then ring hollow as they're played out" It's not an issue of adaptation or medium. It's an issue of WRITING ability, thematic consistence, and the capacity to create emotions beyond spectacle, shock, and awe 100
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 16/08/2026People defending the Odyssey movie by saying "it doesn't have to stick close to the original poem" in response to the historical and thematic inaccuracies are missing the point of those complaints. The issue isn't "it's not 1=1 with the source material", but rather "the divergence from the source 100
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 12/08/2026remain hopeful. It won't be easy for a while, though, I'll agree with that much 000
Cattleya @cattleyamossiae.bsky.social · 12/08/2026I believe the damage will be undone in the long term. I don't think I will personally live to see it, but I still have hope for the future. The energy transition is underway, and new technologies that aim to mitigate the damage are being developed daily. There's a lot of work to be done, but I 100
