#12freddofrogs talks

[sroloc--elbisivni]

(On mobile so I cant actually hit the right symbol but) infinity - song meme?

Like a Staring Contest (Future Kings of Nowhere)

literally this entire song but also 

Now I’m going through the motions like a drunken ballerinawho’s too tired to dance but keeps on getting up to see ifanybody stuck around to see a show that has been over now for daysand I know that they’re gone but I keep checking anyways

put a “∞” in my ask box and I’ll shuffle my music player and give you my favorite lyric from the song that comes up.

[prixmiumarchive]

Reaction to tumblr nonsense post

Hello People Who Follow my Blog,

Since the announcement on December 3rd that tumblr would like to go from no moderation to speak of to pointless, automated censorship, I have been working on a few things to brace myself against the eventual loss of this platform.

While I don’t think it will vanish overnight, there is a fairly recent post I read, even before the announcement, talking about Yahoo’s history with this kind of thing. Tl;dr, they buy up fandom spaces, thinking that the amount of regular traffic and account growth is a promising space for creating some kind of consumer base. However, fandom spaces and consumer spaces tend to be very different things. Long story short, Yahoo doesn’t get what it wants, never learns, and either shortsells or shuts down whatever the thing was they bought. I just wouldn’t be surprised if this wasn’t a thing that happened to tumblr in the foreseeable future.

I started using my tumblr in March 2011. With a few lulls here and there, I have used it pretty consistently ever since. It is a time capsule to my interests and, especially early on, my thoughts. It is something I am emotionally attached to in spite of its being immaterial. So, when I learned about the impending policy change, I went about finding a way to back up my tumblr to my computer. Now, as you might imagine, this file was HUMONGOUS as a result of how long I have used this blog. It actually forced my hand in buying an external hard drive, which I had been meaning to do anyway, because I really have to offload the file somewhere else in order to have any room left on my computer itself. Still, I think that it was worth it.

If you are interested in doing the same thing, I followed this process and it seems to have worked really well indeed: https://github.com/bbolli/tumblr-utils/blob/master/tumblr_backup_for_beginners.md#tumblr-backup-101

So what’s next? Well, I think that I’ll probably wander back here as long as links lead me back here and spend a few moments scrolling down and looking around. Old habits die hard. However, I am very reluctant to create new content on this platform. I just think that it is sort of pointless when it feels like giving a greater reason for there to be traffic and original content on a platform whose owners seem fully intent on alienating a big chunk of their userbase. It isn’t that I even care about the kind of content they’re trying to ban for the most part. It is that censorship is a creeping thing, and the people they’re trying to appease are not the people who actively asked them for sensible safety and moderation standards that they were oh-so-unable-to-do when the actual people who use the website regularly wanted them to.

Therefore, I have decided to give Dreamwidth another go. I have talked many times before about how I miss LJ-era fandom, and I hope that the actual influx of traffic there can reach critical mass enough to keep going even after the initial panic has died down. In spite of the fact that tumblr ultimately netted most of the fans who left a dying LJ back in the 2011-2012 era, Dreamwidth has quietly chugged along with a loyal userbase. I’ve tried to use it in the past, but it felt unnatural to muck up my Dear Author journal with other types of posts. To that end, I made a new one.

If you would like to subscribe to me on my new, personal and fandom Dreamwidth, you can find it here: https://prixmium.dreamwidth.org

If you would like to see a resource I have been putting together for tumblr migrants, you can look here: https://tumblrmigration.dreamwidth.org/

And here is a news announcement from DW staff concerning their intentions and a welcome to tumblr users who might be considering the platform: https://dw-news.dreamwidth.org/38929.html

Again, I’m planning to keep tumblr. I’m not going to delete mine ever until my hand is forced. However, I just feel like it is time to begin establishing new fandom habits that might tend more toward the open and slightly more personal dialogue that I have missed from the LJ era and even the earlier days of this website. Please feel free to message me here still, as keeping in touch with some of you is the main reason that I am so reluctant to go.

I am going to tag a few people, hoping that I’m not being obnoxious, but it is people that I have talked to recently, have been friends with a long time, or just feel like I have known you via tumblr for ages. Even if you’re not tagged, please feel free to hop over and see me on DW, but I just wanted to make sure that I got my main tumblr-friends and anyone else whose content I constantly watch and might have interacted with once so that you wouldn’t miss this. No need to respond if you don’t want to. <3

@morethanprinceofcats, @stargazerdaisy, @lostinthespeedforce, @toshikogalanodel, @pleasantfanandstudent, @thetruecaptain, @foreverfelicityqueen, @12freddofrogs, @bentfire, @popkin16, @tohsaka-rin, @anodyneer, @jedijenkins, @thethirteenthhouse, @jaimelannisther, @enterthefray, @roboticonography, @vvayneskyle, @yourfandomfreak, @beautyinsteadofashes, @huntingwendigos, @lomedraug, @pressurebuilding, @tsukinotoxic, @2soft2sensitive, @runasyoulike, @supersecretsciencebrosclub, @supercanaries, @hymnsofheresy, @thatchapstickchick, @significantly-simon

[oh-mother-of-darkness]

asks (19)

Anonymous said: Hey can you do something like Bruce reacting to Jason's death? Or just dealing with it in general (I'm feeling awfully sad)

Ahhh I get that you probably want new material, but I don’t have the time for it just now, so I’m just gonna link to all the sad Bruce and Jason content. I hope you feel better! Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help :///

The fic about Bruce right after Jason died

The fic from Under the Red Hood

The fic with Tim as Robin

The fic where Jason gets injured

Generalized angst with a Bruce and Jason section

Anonymous said: Your new list of punishable offenses really, really improved my day

I’m so glad! We all need a lil help, you know?

@thephilosophersapprentice said: Headcanon that Dick uses those relaxing videos from youtube to get Tim to fall asleep

Sleep?? He doesn’t know her (what videos tho hmu)

Anonymous said: Have you done your torts reading yet? Should I poke you? I believe in you!

I did it that day but regrettably there is new torts reading every day :///

Anonymous said: I read the thing about Damian liking plants, and I'm just imagining him and Poison Ivy talking about their favorite plants and like, having a full-on discussion about plants

Selina says it’s “good for them both” and “vaguely cute” but honestly? Makes Bruce nervous

Anonymous said: JOSS WHEDON IS NO LONGER DIRECTING BATGIRL!!!! I am screaming with joy!!

Ahhhhhh it was just a rumor but I WISH

Anonymous said: Hi, I just read through like, all of your Damian hc's and I also read the one about him giving people thoughtful gifts and then I cried for a while. Thank you

One of my favorites! He’s a good kid

Anonymous said: Hey, gotta question. How old is Jason? I had a friend ask me and I wasn't sure.

Really hard to say on that one :/

My personal guess would be somewhere in the 19-22 range in the n52/rebirth, maybe 25ish in the preboot

Anonymous said: Have you read Worlds Apart by Fernandidilly_yo??? They just updated it and it is SO good, I think you would enjoy it. :)))

I haven’t, but I’ll give it a look :)

@giotanner said: Thank you very much for reblog my art (Tim Drake -inktober). This means a lot for me, 'cause I love your blog and always I follow it. Have a nice day!

It was a beautiful picture!

Anonymous said: what did you like about justice league tho ///

Spoilers below

I liked seeing Ben Affleck’s Batman and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman on screen, acting like friends. I loved new-Barry and new-Arthur and new-Victor (especially Victor), especially when he called Bruce an asshole?? Iconic

I’ll be the first to admit that the movie had substantial problems, but here’s the thing: I just genuinely enjoy watching the characters I love on the big screen. The movie made me happy, and that’s all I really care about just now.

Anonymous said: hey mom, can i rant a lil? i am.... disappointed after watching justice league. i mean, i loved the new characters but coming out of the theatres i felt.. icky??? something just didnt sit well with me - the movie was too.... altered i guess is the only word i can think of right now. it didnt feel right. the tone was too light too different (forced?) for me too but thats just me. idk i just... im just upset right now. what did you think?

I’m really sorry you felt that way! I know what you’re talking about, and I’m sorry it ruined the movie for you

@batfightart said: I am so so so so so so so so sorry to hear what you have been going through with this "friend" of yours. That is truly despicable of him to disrespect what you have already told him about yourself and attempt to pursue a relationship despite it. And it's especially terrible since he's your partner for a class and that you share so many friends. Please feel free to vent to us anytime you need, we all love you so much and care for your well-being. I don't know if there is anything I can do, (1/2)

batfightart said: (2/2) but please let me know if I can help in any way or if you need anything. Please remember that you are so loved and that you are VALID as you are. We all appreciate you so much on here, and just want to give you support. I'll be thinking about you and wishing for the best for you. Thank you for sharing with us. We are here for you <3

Honestly this was.... exactly what I needed to hear a few days ago. Thank you so much for your support :’)

@justhavingfun123 said: I understand a bit of what you going through. I've had something similar happen with a guy; he thought he was "the exception". But just because he's friends with your friends doesn't mean you have to distance yourself from them, it might seem like to right thing to do(I've done it before), but stick to your friends. He'll hopefully see he was cruel in the end, and you need friend at a time like this. Hope everything will turn out good in the end and love your work ✨

My friends have been super supportive, which is really great because I don’t think I could have made it through this week without them. Sorry about your shitty experience with that guy :///

@12freddofrogs said: : ( That thing with the girlfriend-zone sounds horrible. I'm really sorry for you having to go through it. I wish I could give you advice or help, but all I can do is offer a virtual hug and prayers. I'm sure it will work out, but it sucks right now, and that's what hurts.

Hug and prayers both greatly appreciated <3

Anonymous said: In regards to your personal distress: you are valid. What you want and don't want is valid. I don't know the full extent of the situation, but if you can take a few precautions then tell him to back the f off, do so. I hope that that will help you feel better(?) about the situation.

I really needed that, anon

Anonymous said: God I’m so sorry that this guy has been playing you that fucking SUCKS and you did NOTHING wrong and we’re very different people but I know the feeling of just feeling so violated over being touched and it’s just the worst UGH I hope this guy fucks off forever and things go back to being good and happy

It was really bad for a couple of days, honestly. I still get all shivery and gross when I think about it, but I’m getting better

Anonymous said: I hope everything works out for you. I wish you the best!!!!

It’s been rough. Haley and I talked to him about it yesterday, because before that, he didn’t know that I was onto him. I made an outline and everything, and I practiced the speech a bunch of times. I made it through the whole thing without breaking down or losing my temper, and he just sort of.... sat there for awhile, until Haley made him apologize. 

It was a really good apology. He said that he had justified the whole thing to himself, but now he understood that his actions were wrong, and he was sorry that he hurt me. I think it was genuine. He was visibly upset when he found out I’d been having panic attacks about it. 

On the one hand, I don’t think he’s a threat to me anymore. He won’t pull that shit again. On the other hand, we aren't talking to each other anymore, and he’s avoiding me. In all honesty, I appreciate that, but even though I know I shouldn’t, I feel guilty for hurting him.

Haley said that he cried a lot after I left. I know that doesn’t change anything. No matter how genuine his feelings towards me are, they don’t excuse his behavior. He manipulated me, and even if it was for honest-to-God-Disney-princess-True-Love, he had no excuse to violate my trust or my autonomy like that. 

I still feel guilty. I’m actively repressing the urge to call and see if he’s okay. I’m not gonna do it, but the urge is there. 

It’s just been.... a week. I don’t know, guys. I’m struggling. 

[12freddofrogs]

I think it definitely relies on what the character themselves (or what the viewpoint character!) considers their name to be.

I have a character that ends up changing his name in the first few chapters, to distance himself from who he was. So in those early days he considers his name 'Jack', until he hits the new plot point. The story narration then starts calling him 'David'.

(Mostly. Every once in a while David finds a situation Jack was good at but David tries to avoid, and - as the pov character - the narration often includes something like. “Jack - no, David, he was David - reached for the handle.”)

If you're not doing the transition period, however then I would recommend just using whatever name the character considers their own at this point.

Also, slightly unrelated, but often I think the best way of doing a 'multiple identity' story is to change the name with the person.

For example, I read a lot of superhero fics, especially Batman. And I have to say, I definitely prefer it when the character is called 'Bruce' when he's at home, and 'Batman' when he is in his cape. It fits it very well to show the distinction.

I have seen some very nice moments when he is wearing his cape and cowl yet has a personal moment with his family, and the narration calls him 'Bruce'. Likewise, a moment where Bruce Wayne gets up from the kitchen table, his eyes dark and his fingers clenched, could definitely say “Batman stood” instead of “Bruce stood”. But I find that should only be one sentence, rather than the whole scene, and it should switch back to the identity he is in at the moment.

Remember that normally, the name is the thing the reader sees. You might describe their shirt and jeans, sure, but the name is the thing that comes up ten times on the page. If that name can demonstrate who they are as a person and what their character is like, you should absolutely use that.

if a character has two names that they go by, how do i determine which one to use in my work? it's not like a name-and-nickname thing, more like a character went by a certain name for a part of their life, and then went by another for a different part. for the character i'm thinking of, i've seen both used in other people's works, so idk

There’s a character like that in my fandom. In season 1, she goes by Skye. In season 2, she learns that her birth name was Daisy. By season 3, she’s using that name. 

I make the choice based on when in her personal timeline I’m basing the fic. If it’s pre-canon or season 1 or 2, then I go with Skye. If it’s season 3 or later, then I go with Daisy. That’s how she identified herself at those points in time, so that’s what I use. 

How do the rest of you decide?

[12freddofrogs]

So as a general question to the Girl Genius fandom: has there ever been any confirmation on what happens if a slaver wasp infests a child Spark before their breakthrough?

(Most) wasps don't affect Sparks, but at the same time you are not really a Spark at birth. Although the kids do seem to be unusually brilliant, so clearly there is some indication from early on. Maybe you are immune from birth.

For that matter, do we know how old you have to be to get wasped? Could an infant be caught when they were born, or would we say they need to have an understanding of language? An infant won't be able to understand any orders, but if they're already inclined to obey it might be easier than doing it on their fifth birthday or something.

(Mostly I'm wondering how Sturmhalten handled new Sparks. They're rare enough there might not have been any born into the town at large... but it's equally possible there was a teenage boy working in a tavern who one day built a robot to collect and clean dirty plates. What happened to him? Did he throw up the remains of a wasp embedded in him for over a decade and assume that's a usual part of breakthrough? Did that wasp never manage to enter at all? Did the town perhaps notice when a small child was immune to the wasping, or were his parents - ordered to present him for it but no one thought to be more specific - just not questioning it, because they were too glad their son would be free.)

[12freddofrogs]

I made myself a dragon! Eyes are a little wonky but I don't care; I love them.

They're Fidelis from Deltora Quest, aka the Topaz dragon. Pattern from BeeZeeArt, and topaz fabric from Spoonflower.

[12freddofrogs]

I really don't understand the general perception that "Fairytale means nothing bad ever happens!"

Like, I understand people who think "All fairytales have a happy ending," or "Fairytale means the good guys win." A lot of people grew up on Disney and those are the only fairytales they know. I understand that.

But Disney movies do have villains. There are witches and curses and I am fairly sure every one of those movies has a part where its possible the princess would die.

Like, not even getting into actual fairytales and the dark things that happen, the most basic Disney kiddie movies have conflict. It is a basic element of what makes a story. They might live happily ever after but bad things happen before they get to that point.

[12freddofrogs]

Character swaps are fun! But to be fair, if you have two well-rounded characters, you can break them each down into a thousand individual traits and see which ones overlap.

For example: Inej can be the entire Gaang. A powerful fighter who's very name strikes terror into enemies but would prefer to avoid violence if at all possible? A girl boiling with righteous anger and clutching her culture? A child grown up too fast because of the world around them and no longer able to smile the way they wanted to? A young girl derided and underestimated until she learned to win? Someone who just wants to go home and will fight tooth and nail to survive the next day, but kept a strong moral compass? A strategist who knows battles while never giving up her humanity and laughter?

Regarding Zuko as every SoC character - he is also the powerful-but-not-worldbreakingly-so grisha / bender who would betray someone he loves in order to protect his nation (siege of Ba Sing Se) ; the young child far from home and forced to grow up into someone more deadly than they ever wanted to be; definitely an expert fighter who would follow his friends to the end of the earth but bad decisions follow him; an angry young man who is very willing to put aside his morals and get his hands bloody if it brings him what he really wants; and of course you already mentioned him as a patriot who learns his country is wrong but still believes in it, AND a disillusioned rich boy fighting his father.

... TBH six of crows with just zuko could be played well enough. He's just at different points in his timeline. Book One Zuko as Kaz, pre-series idealist as Inej (or maybe Zuko Alone), Ba Sing Se refugee Nina, Matthias as the first half of book 3 and Wylan as the second half.

CHEERS THERE WE GO, THANK YOU FOR WRITING IT OUT!!! Six of Crows Zukoverse works wonderful. All the romance is a metaphor for learning to live with and love yourself.

[12freddofrogs]

Three episodes into Artful Dodger.

Thoughts so far that are not particularly spoilery but will be under a readmore nonetheless:

1. Baby Dodger is adorable. I love his little accent ("guv!") that very much feels like a literal Dickensian street child. I want more flashbacks. Give me all of the flashbacks.

2. Belle and Jack steadily creating all of modern medicine themselves within a week is a little bit dramatic, but I don't care; it's fun. They have a fantastic dynamic and it's a fun balance of genuine respect and also being very annoyed at each other.

3. Actually everything about Belle is fun? I like that she's just running a different subplot entirely. Just blackmails a surgeon into teaching her. Doesn't fully grasp her class privilege but does have a pretty good idea of it; is very willing to use her title to actually fix things. Assists with surgery in a ballgown and a tiara, and presumably climbed out of her window wearing it.

4. On a character level, I support Jack's desire to not thieve and want him to do well about it, but also I adored watching the Artful Dodger do a pickpocket with the card. He is so good at it, its his absolute skillset.

5. Fagin is less annoying then he was in the first episode. The fact he does actually seem to care about Dodger/Jack helps, the whole e2 scheme being almost entirely for Jack's benefit with the gambling debt rather than to make a profit himself. That said, Fagin definitely has some plan upcoming that Jack isn't going to like.

6. I liked Fagin making a "best of times/ worst of times" reference, but it was almost too subtle. Different book entirely. I am very much hoping Jack will at some point say "Consider yourself part of the furniture" or something equally blatant as a reference to the musical. Tells Belle "Its clear we're going to get along."

7. I want Oliver Twist himself to turn up at some point. Ideally as a very nice guy, because that is more in tune with the book of the virtuous kid, regardless of Jack's feelings towards him, and it would be kind of great if Jack just punches Oliver and he's still not telling anyone about Dodger.

But come on, you can't just name a character 'Jack Dawson' and call it an adaption (spin off? Sequel? Its not trying to be Oliver Twist), there needs to be significant link. Yes, yes, Fagin is there but they are inventing half their backstory so it helps but doesn't really count. I am still mad about that book that just named characters Peter, James, and Wendy and called it an adaption with no closer link. That's not an adaption that's an allusion.

(7 and 1 are linked, btw. Please give us a flashback of baby Oliver and the Artful Dodger. Show us a scene from the book, or make one up during the book's time period. I want it. I will not give you anything for it but I want it. Please)

[12freddofrogs]

And I think I do want to do a proper summary of my thoughts on Once Upon A Time, season 1.

It's a fun show to mock, in a lot of ways. Most of those ways the show itself is in on the joke. Like, the dwarves hatch from eggs. I responded with "????" and that was absolutely the intended reaction of the audience.

And at the same time, the dwarves hatching from eggs makes sense? It's in dialogue with traditional fantasy. Old fantasy stories that claim that dwarves are single-gender, and while newer versions say "they're not, but humans can't tell the difference," this is just OUAT having fun with "if there aren't female dwarves, where do new dwarves come from?"

Genuinely, there is some really great writing moments. The whole Beauty and the Beast retelling? I swooned. It suffered a little from the pacing, but I don't know what else they could have done from that - the story couldn't practicably have been more than one episode, so they needed to get all of the romance into forty minutes. They did okay. That shot of the chipped teacup? Fantastic.

Or the reveals? A young Regina saving a little girl off a horse, and that crying child admitting her name is Snow White was amazing. Or August pulling up his pants to reveal wooden legs, answering immediately exactly who he is. Graham's appearance in the last episode. Multiple episodes leading up to Rumpelstiltskin bottling True Love, and then being able to use it in the finale, with the bonus amount of effort to establish how powerful True Love actually is. Some of it was over dramatic, but it was always fun, and if you give it a little slack for the dramaticness the reveals are actually pretty good.

Some questions remain. The big ones (what happened to Baelfire? Why are they not back?) will absolutely get answered later on. Some might get forgotten.

I do have a problem or two with the in-universe timelines, especially the flashbacks. They're split up over episodes, but taken chronologically they're just... not working?

Like, let's take the dwarves doing an intervention for Snow White. They told her she's not acting like herself since she took the potion. Which is absolutely correct, but, how do they know? Let's remember their meeting: Snow broke into the castle the night before Charming's wedding. She met the dwarves, fights, rescues, she goes off to stay at their place. The next morning, Grumpy goes to tell her that Charming ran off from his wedding, only to find Snow had taken the potion. Like, she had known them for less than twenty-four hours before her personality completely changed; how close could they have gotten?? I don't think the wedding could have gotten delayed, seeing the amount of effort that went into Charming not being supposed to know anything went wrong.

Or Charming himself, having spent, what, a week as a prince before he met Snow? He's a hero, he's brave, he's in love with Snow and ready to fight. Why is he still in silks after going on the run? I get that he grabbed the clothes he had to pack, but it just feels... odd? Not the silks specifically. Like the writers forgot that the backstory they gave him should change a lot of things, that a farm boy isn't a prince. Give him a year-long engagement to Abby, at least, before he starts to adjust.

But I guess my real, big issue with season one is that time that Kathryn got kidnapped and drugged by an unknown person, and at no point did the Sheriff consider it might have been the same man who kidnapped and drugged her earlier in that same episode. Come on, Emma. Do a serious hunt for Jefferson, not just "Where did he go?" Not to mention Regina would have been delighted to be able to frame Jefferson for her own crimes, when he made himself into such a suspect.

But yeah. Ultimately, a lot of fun. Can't wait to see where it goes from here.

[12freddofrogs]

Okay, this cannot be the first time Regina has had fun ruining Mary Margaret's life. It has been 28 years of Regina having completely control.

Framing her for murder might be the most substantial one. But, you know, Mary Margaret might have started dating someone who wasn't her true love, but he was sweet and kind and made the loneliness go away a little, and Regina couldn't have Mary Margaret start to find any happiness.

Or maybe Mary Margaret was really invested in a project at the school, building a new garden, and whoops, the mayor has decreed, just as Mary Margaret put on that last coat of paint that the garden has to be bulldozed.

A dozen little things. Maybe Regina's largely ignored her for the past ten years, since Henry arrived, but come on that was absolutely Regina's main hobby when they first arrived.

Like, there is a reason it was Belle, not Snow White (or both, probably both) locked up in the asylum. I would much rather be trapped in the role of a teacher than to be locked up in a padded room; Belle is objectively worse off than one of the major figures Regina built the misery for. That has to be because Regina wanted to be able to dangle hope in front of Snow and to snap it away again, to make a game of ruining Snow's day and all Snow can ever do is smile at the mayor.

[12freddofrogs]

1, 9, 11, 12, 20

1: Your favorite fairy tale retelling

Hard question, but I might have to go with The Lunar Chronicles. Gets the essential points of most of the originals done, has a nice bait and switch with guy called Wolf not being the Big Bad Wolf, some fun worldbuilding in its own place. It was a fun read.

Although I still think the reveal of the magic mirror was a missed opportunity. You have a queen who is a) obsessed with her own beauty but also b) is obsessed with avoiding her own reflection because her illusion beauty will not work on it, and also a princess who c) uses no illusion and is genuinely pretty... and just tossing that out? No connection at all?

But ultimately I liked it.

Also RWBY is a fave, but honestly? That's not fairytale retellings, its just vague aesthetic. Which is fine, RWBY never really claimed to be anything but "hey, this girl wears a cloak and among the monsters she fights some are wolfish." Half of them you have to look it up to work out what fairytale they're supposed to be and they don't really fit once you do (Blake, Weiss).

9: Fairy tale you love but have never found a retelling for

I do quite like Snow-White Rose-Red.

They get refernced in a couple of places, like Fables or Beastly, but I've never seen a core actual adaption of it. That said, I haven't been actively looking.

11. A fairy tale retelling on your TBR

After the Forest by Kell Woods. It's Hansel and Gretel, and I am very intrigured by the premise. It looks like fun.

12. Fairy tale retelling you wish more people would read

Okay, so it is part of the Disney Twisted Tales collection, most of which is okay and varying levels of quality, but Unbirthday was genuinely really good.

It's not exactly a retelling? The other Twisted Tales were "what if this thing happened differently" whereas Unbirthday was "what if the movie happened exactly as we said it did, and then ten years later something new happened."

It had some really fun points, I adored the thing with the watch, Mary-Anne being a foil of Alice... it was just a lot of fun.

20. Talk about any retelling you want

I am going to use this opportunity to protest the Little Red Riding Hood that was in Once Upon A Time.

Sorry, Ruby, but that wasn't a retelling of Little Red! You can't just give someone a red cape in a werewolf story. Little Red Riding Hood is a story about not talking to strangers. It is a story about trusting the wrong person. There is a plot, not just an aesthetic. A cape and a wolf is not enough, especially when the wolf was never a danger to Red or her grandmother.

The only stranger Ruby talked to was Snow White, which was a good thing for her. It's the exact literal opposite of the story.

[12freddofrogs]

"We finally got her, Daniel."

The easy thing to say is that Daniel would never have wanted this, that he wouldn't have sought vengeance on a nine year old girl and that Regina would horrify him in who she became.

That's not fun, though. Regina knew Daniel a lot better than the audience, after all. Maybe he did have a vicious streak. Maybe knowing he died because a careless princess would flick resentment, too.

Maybe if it had been reversed, if Cora had killed Regina for defying her or something, Daniel would have also gone after the little princess. Maybe he would have done it faster, too, found an opportunity within weeks instead of years of letting it fester.

Regina and Daniel might have discussed it, joking conversations eating a picnic at sunset. "If I died, would you avenge me?" "Oh, I would tear them into pieces." "Make sure they scream, sweetheart." And it was a joke, sure, never imagining it might be real, but a hint of truth under it.

Because then, then, if Regina ever stopped hunting Snow, if she explicitly decided not to follow her true love's wishes in order to focus on her own happiness, then it's a little bit learning to let him go. It's also a little bit selfish, or at least she would consider it as such, to discard those desires for her own end, even if said end is simply not to obsess over something that still isn't working out.

But you know, you don't get to be the Evil Queen without sometimes being a little bit selfish. Even if actually giving up the title of Evil Queen is selfish and tossing aside Daniel's desires, Regina has done worse.

[12freddofrogs]

"You can't kill her!"

I wonder what the chances of David's memory of Snow in the woods being the Enchanted Woods memory most likely to screw Snow over. I mean,we the audience might be getting that part of the flashback at the same time, but David has months of Enchanted Forest memories. He could have remembered chasing her as a bandit, or fighting guards together, or picking flowers, or even what Mary Margaret was actually doing in the woods.

I'm going to say that wasnt just plot convenience. I think Regina very, very likely set up Storybrooke so that any negative memories of Snow White could colour into the new reality.

That hasn't really worked out as of yet. A couple of people remember her being a little sharper than usual, one person has a vague sense that she might have stolen their eggs once (but he doesnt keep any chickens, how would Mary Margaret have...), that guard that Snow nearly tortured in that same episode is unsure why the friendly teacher actually scares him when she walked too close in the grocery aisle. But ultimately people have pretty good opinions of Snow White.

Regina would be very pleased to realise the effort of adding that line of 'worst possible memories seeping through' finally had a use.

[biolizardboils]

nope, because despite my best efforts most people arent willing to do the little research it takes to prove its fictional :')

(and also because its a fair critique of the school system)

everyone please look at this form harold filled out in kindergarten

[12freddofrogs]

My take on adaptions is that if you change everyone's names and you can no longer tell it's connected to the original work, it is not an adaption. I'm not saying it's a bad adaption, I'm saying it's not an adaption at all.

Like, The Lion King is an adaption of Hamlet. Not an incredibly close one, sure, but someone who had a reasonable understanding of the play could pick up on the similarities without knowing in advance it was based on Shakespeare. The names were already changed anyway. Or that Romeo and Juliet with garden gnomes one - even if the lead didn't have the subtle name of Gnomeo, it still follows the basic plot beats of star crossed lovers, arranged marriages, accidental murder leads to exile... love it or hate it, it's absolutely an adaption.

Compare that to, say, the Catwoman movie with Halle Berry. The costume is vaguely reminiscent and she has a whip, but other than that there is nothing at all to do with the DC character. She was barely a cat burglar. Could have called it Cat's Eye or something and marketed it as a fantasy. Or I liked The Artful Dodger, but it had very little to do with Oliver Twist other than the protagonist being Jack Dawkins. Go into it completely blind and you'd get the impression Fagin only ever took in two kids, Oliver and Jack, instead of a whole group. The show wasn't trying to be an adaption; it wanted to be a period romance with a famous name and a hint of thief background.

There's plenty of very bad adaptions that miss the point of the original, like the Last Airbender movie, but you can still tell what it's supposed to be based on. It had controlling the elements and the Fire Nation attacking; it was recognisable, at least. But sometimes you should just accept you made a story that has no connection to the original anymore and just not market it as such.