#plus you have the added knowledge of where the plot's going so you can properly appreciate like. foreshadowing and stuff

[aerophone-amphibians]

Goddamn, MTMTE goes hard on the third readthrough

[true-blue-sonic]

👻🚀

Thanks for the ask! ^-^

👻 What is your wildest headcanon?

Hmm, I don't think I have any super wild headcanons, to be honest. I had to sleep this one over a little! Here's some more average headcanons instead ^-^

Silver is left-handed and Espio taught himself how to be ambidextrous.

For a time traveller, Silv's got an ATROCIOUS grasp on the clock and time. His sleep schedule is also all sorts of messed up, usually meaning he sleeps in 1.5-hour intervals and then just is awake for a bit until the next interval, and just... does this whenever, day and night be darned.

Silver's curious about the past to no end, and with the right education and means for him to grasp the content he can learn about many things he is interested in. He does need to be taught by someone who has enough patience with him and is understanding of his whole situation and why he's lacking so much pivotal knowledge at 14 years old, though.

This boi loves himself some dinosaurs :3

🚀 Do you like to outline your fic first or create as you go?

Usually a fic of mine starts because I have an idea in mind for a scene and write that out, and then I build a story around it. I first create a list of bulletpoints with everything I have in mind for the fic. After that, I kind of begin thinking about a beginning and ending: where does it begin and when will it be over? I like knowing what I am working towards, even if the actual endings I have in mind oft get rewritten or added onto. Usually in my brainstorm list with the bulletpoints I tend to come across plot holes and gaps I need to explain, which can come to me at later brainstorm sessions. I've found that I do need to have some sort of basic 'how will the conflict be resolved' idea in my mind: for example, with Belong, I knew how I wanted the conflict to be resolved but I did not properly think of how that was going to actually come into fruition. Thus that was quite a scramble to write for when the actual chapter came there and I still had no idea! But generally it's a mix of outline to give a solid base to the story plus creating as I go, often because I get ideas from talking to other people about the fic.

[iamthenightcolormeblack]

Why I love writing about book adaptations

I think that book adaptations are highly important to the reading experience because they can translate complicated works into something a viewer can digest even if they haven't read the book while adding to an experienced reader's understanding of the book. Plus they are used as introductions to the source material(s) and can motivate people to read more. I focus on adaptations of classic literature because they are challenging to read and properly understand, and the beauty of a well-done adaptation is that it can simplify narrative elements such as setting and plot while highlighting character motivations, themes, or details that one would not find unless they "read between the lines." By evaluating how closely adaptations match the source material and how they diverge from it, a reader/viewer can learn more about the books adapted. Disclaimer: I'm not an expert in film criticism or literary criticism. These are just random thoughts in my head. Feel free to add on stuff.

I started writing about/reviewing book adaptations after re-reading Jane Eyre and watching several filmed versions of it because I had so many thoughts in my head that I wanted to write down somewhere. Along the way I discovered that I really enjoy doing this and here are my reasons why.

This post is a continuation of this fragment from one of my adaptation reviews which I wrote back in June:

"A picture is worth a thousand words” and the best adaptations should show rather than tell. Since film and books are different mediums, creative changes are inevitable in translating a book into a film. In fact, I welcome creative changes as long as they enhance what is already in the story. The best adaptations use creative filming techniques/additions to tell the story effectively, develop characters, or foreshadow future events.

Creative changes can enhance a story by digging beneath the surface to find otherwise hidden meaning/ideas/messages. In other words, they bring out what is hiding “between the lines” of a book—it’s in plain sight but a reader may not catch it unless they have special tools or skills like historical/literary context and analysis, or are deeply familiar with a book after reading it several times. How well creative additions are executed reflects the scriptwriters’/director’s/actor’s knowledge and respect for the source material. Great creative additions not only simplify elements of the story, they should ultimately ADD TO OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE STORY AS A WHOLE.

Where creative additions go wrong is when they condense too much, change character personalities or plot points.

Another reason I watch adaptations is to see an alternate interpretation of my favorite works and contribute to my understanding of the works adapted. The most memorable adaptations are the ones that attempt to contribute something new to our understanding of the work while considering the author’s intent and retaining important literary elements such as plot, themes, symbols, motifs, and character development so that the story is still recognizable.

This is why we want book adaptations, even if it’s difficult to satisfy readers—they simplify narrative elements such as plot and setting so that it’s easy to follow the story even if you haven’t read the book/don’t remember every plot point.

Book adaptations are fascinating to write about because they are essentially a balancing act between these conflicting goals:

Including as much as possible from the book but facing time constraints. What does a screenwriter/director choose to include and what do they choose to cut out? Should every scene from the book be included or should they be de-emphasized so that the audience won't be overwhelmed with little details?

Pleasing people who have read the book while making the source material accessible and easy to comprehend for a mainstream audience/people who haven't read the book. Sometimes this means substituting/changing dialogue or making characters act in more "modern" ways. Other times this could be sacrificing historical accuracy to appeal to modern tastes/simplify complicated social norms for someone without context.

Making the adaptation entertaining or respecting the source material as a serious work of art. Adaptations serve an educational purpose because they can help the audience better understand the work adapted, but they also need to be entertaining to attract viewers.

Replicating the book exactly or taking creative risks to translate a story onto film. No adaptation is 100% faithful to the book because book and film are different mediums. Images are worth a thousand words, so not every word from a book needs to be included. Sometimes inner monologues are cut out because they detract from the real-time action which is happening on film. Often internal thoughts are voiced out loud to remove the need for a narrator.

Ultimately, it's impossible to please everyone because our relationship with books is highly personal. An author creates a world and populates it with characters, but it is up to the reader to bring it to life through their own imagination, which is shaped by their own life experiences/perspectives. To watch an adaptation we cannot pretend that the adaptation is an objective recreation of the source material, because it is someone else's (director/producer/costume designer/actors & actresses) interpretation of the book.

A lot of adaptation reviews that I see evaluate them based on how accurately they can replicate the book. While I wholeheartedly believe that faithfulness to the book is important, I don't think that adaptations should focus on merely replicating scenes from a book. Adaptations that focus chiefly on replicating scenes exactly as they are written in the book forget that a key part of reading is imagination. They take the written words of the book so literally without examining what lies "between the lines" -- what is left unsaid or is implied can be key in developing the story. It's easy to perceive the classics as lifeless because the external things--the social etiquette, the small talk--are easily dismissed because they are "antiquated" and require historical/literary context to understand. The universal conflicts that a character must resolve in order to achieve mental growth, as well as the emotional turmoil and imperfection that is a key part of the quality of humanity are left unsaid or aren't immediately obvious; they are what lie between the lines. Focusing on replication means focusing on the external things rather than delving into the deeper messages found within the source material. Thus I believe that some creative changes/liberties are necessary in order to supply the imagination needed to bring a book to life. The most effective creative changes emphasize what lies between the lines, since the visual medium of film makes replicating the external things (setting, exposition, manners, social interaction) easier.

So keeping in mind that adaptations aren't objective representations of the source material(s), how does one critique an adaptation without lapsing into a "this didn't happen in the book" rant?

Here's the criteria I use to evaluate adaptations. Not all of them may appear in the final review but these questions are always at the back of my mind when watching an adaptation:

First and most important: are the major plot points included, developed, and flow in approximately the same order as they do in the book? This is usually what everyone does when watching an adaptation (checking if events as presented in the adaptation match up with what happened in the book), and it's a minimum standard necessary for a film/TV show to be considered an adaptation.

Dialogue: What is included or removed and how does that affect the development of the story? Dialogue is challenging to evaluate because it often needs to be changed to fit time constraints. Another case is when dialogue is added to remove the need for a narrator. Sometimes modernized dialogue can work if it successfully conveys the essential meaning behind the original (but most of the time it doesn't). But in general I don't support modernized dialogue, since dialogue is essential in preserving the written words of the book in a visual medium.

Do the characters act/think in ways that fit their personalities and motivations as represented by the book? Most importantly are they fully developed (do they achieve growth through resolving a conflict/facing challenges)?

Are the themes, symbols, motifs, and other literary devices (which can be translated onto screen) essential to the story present within the adaptation? Do the creators of the adaptation understand and fully develop these elements?

Do the creative changes made help to develop the elements of the story (themes, symbols, motifs, character development) or do they change the meaning of the story?

A teeny bit of film criticism. Is the acting good (does an actor/actress transform into a character) and how does it reflect the character(s) depicted? How well does an adaptation make use of imagery/cinematography to immerse us in the setting of the book?

The viewpoint of the average person. Can someone who isn't familiar with the source material get the basic details (plot, characters, setting) and understand what is happening?

My opinion: In the end, reviews are all elaborate justifications for our own opinion. Reviews would be boring to read if the reviewer's opinion isn't present. Because the experience of reading a book is shaped by our own perspective, I don't pretend to be objective in my reviews as well. I use the source material as something to judge an adaptation by, but in the end, it all comes down to opinion. Thus I can choose to take something seriously or not at all. If I really don't like an adaptation all these considerations may not matter. And if an adaptation is clearly bad (disrespects the source material) then I won't take too much time to write about it.

@thatvermilionflycatcher

[arlakos]

Things that I feel would have made Miraculous Ladybug a better show.

A Comprehensive Guide to what I would fix with Miraculous Ladybug, with 10 different Ideas.

WARNING: long post for mobile users

1. Combine the Riposte and Captain Hardrock episodes to introduce Luka and Kagami and have it be strictly a civilian episode.

After 3 seasons of Miraculous, I can safely say that I don’t care much about the whole lovesquare stuff, and to be frank I hate the fact that Luka and Kagami were added into the show just to be alternate love interests for the heroes.

I mean, Kagami gets a pass because she has a unique personality, but Luka is literally just every guitar teen ever, and is more one dimensional than season 1 Chloe.

EDIT: It really doesn’t help that because of these new ships, there is even more ship teasing that before, making the whole romance side of miraculous rather boring and filled to excess with ship teases

HOWEVER, if you really wanted to introduce these characters as alternate love interests, why not do something unique with it and in a way that won’t go over so long?

My idea is as follows

1. Have Adrien meet Kagami at fencing and Marinette meeting Luka with Kitty section.

2. Have the two main characters interact with these new love interests and learn more about them.

3. NOT have Hawkmoth come and akumatise anyone, because akuma’s shouldn’t be the only reason and/or way to progress the show or make it interesting.

4. Have the new single episode be about Adrien and Marinette falling for new people.

That way, the show can introduce the idea of new love interests, change the episode format so a bit so that its not so linear, and save an episode slot for a episode idea more interesting... Or perhaps instead restrict the whole alternate romance subplot to a few episodes as part of a small storyline and have the whole romantic subplot be done with instead of extending it is like with the Lovesquare over 2 seasons

EDIT: I don’t particularly like the ship, but the idea I’m proposing could be a good way to shorten it into a more coherent and more interesting plot, instead of adding another ship tease into the series that ends up tearing the fandom apart.

2. Have Season 3 be about Ladybug and Cat Noir teaching the 3 new heroes how to fight.

Season 3 is trash. There I said it. And its not just the episodes themselves are the problem. The whole season and the premises it tries to introduce are garbage as well.

Lets start with Lila.

Based off of the Chameleon episode, it was believed that Lila would be a more prominent character in the show, basically being a villain for both Marinette and her alter Ego. Despite that, her actual effect on the season was about as minimal as you could get, with her presence only being restricted to a few episodes (with these episodes more relying on everyone else being an idiot for them to work, Chameleon included). It also didn’t help that the show still stuck to the single episode format, meaning Chamelon, which was meant to be an episode that would set up a ‘war’ between Marinette and Lila was immediatly suceeded by episodes such as Gamer 2.0 and Animaestro, both of which did not feature Lila at all and took the tension out of the first episode (unfortunately not the salt though, rip Miraculous Fanfics)

Also, the Finale robbed Lila of her spotlight. Imagine being presented as the villain of season 3 only for you to be replace with a knockoff Queen Wasp 😭.

Season 3 also made the mistake of introducing new heroes into the show.

Now, I’m of the opinion that the new heroes introduce in season 3 were a mistake, because not only did the new heroes make the idea of getting a miraculous not so special anymore (with so many new heroes), but some of the designs, powers and/or Miraculous tools were not really that great. I mean, Viperion looks cool and all, but his tool is a goddamn lyre. At least a yoyo can be used to tie up people. And do not get me started on Pegasus.

Also, with all the new heroes introduced, it meant that the heroes from season 2 barely got any screentime. Chloe was made into a villain by the end of Season 3, while Rena Rouge got to appear once and my boi Caracace got only one episode out of the ENTIRE SEASON to appear.

But I do have a solution to at least on of these problems.

What if, in season 3, that season was all about Ladybug and Cat Noir teaching Rena, Carapace and Queenie how to actually be heroes and form a team of 5? It would help bring some new dynamics into the whole hero stuff, and we could potentially see more of the stuff that we had only seen in heroes day.

(Also, rewrite heroes day so that the 3 heroes don’t immediatly get akumatized and actually help Ladybug and Cat Noir. God, they got ripped off for all the hype build-up.)

It could allow for new stuff in season 3 such as:

More hero dynamics

Seeing Alya, Nino and Chloe adapt to daily heroics

Ladybug (and Chat) learning how to be leaders and mentors, which would then make the plotline about Fu passing on his title to Marinette make more sense and justified, since they didn’t do that in season 3 at all.

A more realised storyline about Chloe’s identity being public knowledge that goes on for more than two episodes

Also it means we could get rid of Lila...just saying.

3. Have Miss Bustier work to rehabilitate Chloe and have that be the starting point of Chloe’s redemption.

In recent months, there has been a lot of salt aimed at Miss Bustier, and to be frank I don’t think she deserves it. Her characterisation is honestly really heartwarming when it comes to the idea of teachers caring for their students, but her character can often be forgotten by writers, especially when they desire a story to tell. This can be seen as early as Origins, where she ignores Chloe outright bullying Marinette so the latter can stand up to her later on, but notices Ivan being angry at Kim so Ivan becomes Stoneheart. I personally think her character is lovely, and certain fanfic stories like the Miraculous World of Caline Bustier show that good side of her that so many salt fics fail to forget or intentionally ommit because of one bad episode where Marinette cries (chameleon).

However I do think that Chloe gets way out of hand in the show, and I do feel that despite her best intentions, Bustier not doing anything about Chloe for two seasons seems a bit...off putting.

But what if she did do something about it?

I think that the best way for Ms Bustier to act more like a teacher without breaking her ‘kind teacher’ status would honestly be to actually work on rehabilitating Chloe, either by working with her after school with exercises or recommending her to a psychiatrist for help. I know this can come off as dark for miraculous, but Chloe has already shown that her life beforehand has been a bit rough (even though it doesn’t nullify how she has acted in season 1), so it would make sense that Chloe would need some help with her behavoir/attitude. It would be a great way for Bustier to actually do something about Chloe’s behavoir, without compromising her kind personality. She is kind enough to care about Chloe being better, but assertive enough to do something about it.

Plus, for those who like Chloe, it could be a great way to redeem her properly without going back and forth between a ‘likable person but also bitch’ and ‘an asshole bitch with no redeeming qualities’ like in season 3. Plus it would then make Chloe becoming Queen Bee more fair instead of making it seem as if she doesn’t deserve to be a hero.

Also it would make those people who make salt posts about Bustier frick off. Leave her alone she’s a good character

4. Not having everyone immediately liking Ladybug/Marinette but not hating her either.

Ok, this is where I get really heretical with this post, especially because of how much of the fandom likes Marinette, but I feel that having every single character in the show immediately liking Marinette is a bit too much, at least for me. This sounds biased, but it causes problems for the show for two main reasons.

Marinette is kinda at this point a part-Mary Sue, at least when it comes to the idea that everyone in the world seems to like Marinette and the only ones who don’t are irredeemable pieces of trash who are probably villains (Lila and Chloe being Astruc’s favorite examples :/ ).

Marinette often has everyone agreeing with her on everything (when Lila isn’t there) and majority of the time she goes unnopossed with anything that she does, to the point where even a fireman doesn’t call the cops when he see’s her outright breaking into Adrien’s home (in Oni-Chan).

It would be more interesting (or at least more realistic given the setting) if most characters aside from a few important ones were mostly indifferent towards Marinette, aside from ones such as Alya, Nino, Adrien and Nathaniel for obvious reasons. I’m not saying they have to hate her, but it would be cooler if the rest of the class were more individuals with their own lives and focus, rather that characters with a trope who just revolve around Marinettes world. 

Also those girl squad moments in Miraculous seem kinda forced, mainly because Alix, Mylene, Rose and Juleka don’t seem like the type to hang with Marinette unless the episode calls for it like in Gigantitan and Reflekdoll.

Now, lets discuss Ladybug. 

To keep it simple, I think that it would make more sense if people weren’t immediately trusting of Ladybug at first, and I feel that as seasons go on, it would make sense that over time, people would eventually start to lose trust in her or start to feel angry at her for her inability to stop Hawkmoth permanently.

I mean, if you take episodes such as Syren (where said villain floods a whole city), it is likely that some people got hurt (or worse) and people would eventually start to worry that Ladybug could fail or that her Miraculous Ladybug could stop working. 

It would wouldn’t help that Hawkmoth is mostly focused on getting Ladybug and Cat Noirs Miraculous, and people would start to realize that and would start to get the idea that if Ladybug and Cat Noir gave up their Miraculous, Hawkmoth would leave them alone.

Now, don’t get the wrong idea, I don’t think that this has to be a permanent thing that constantly worries the heroes like in other shows such as Ben 10, but it would be an interesting storyline for Miraculous if some people in Paris would start to get fed up Paris being used as a battleground for heroes and villains.

Also, it would make sense that the class likes Ladybug at least, especially for saving them in season 1.

EDIT: Changed my opinion, read my reblog

5. Have Adrien fall in love with Marinette and Ladybug fall in love with Chat - AKA I’m tired of the lovesquare.

I’m gonna be frank with you, I’m a little biased on this one, mainly because I can’t stand the lovesquare stuff. Its annyoing because people fight over which ship they like, and tbh it has gone on for way too long.

It also doesn’t help that it ruins the main characters. Marinette suffers because she can act like a creepy stalker at times, memorizing his schedule and even stealing his phone, yet can’t even speak to him properly (or more importantly like an actual friend) in a majority of episodes, making her look both creepy and/or idiotic.

Chat Noir also suffers, but even more so due to double standards by the fandom. I don’t think Chat is a sexual harasser like SOME might want to thing (looks at the salty side of fandom), but I do think he flirts WAY the fuck too much, to the point where it wastes most of his character. At least him making more jokes would be better than flirting.

So, my idea is to get rid of all that.

Let Marinette actually talk to Adrien, learn about him, care about him like he’s an actual human being, and actually be a good friend for once rather than being friends through Nino and Alya. Let Marinette actually be kind to Adrien and have her actions make Adrien realize that he likes her more than a friend, rather than Plagg telling him something he wants to deny.

And on the reverse note, Have Chat stop flirting and be more caring. I want Chat to treat Ladybug like she’s the greatest thing in his world, and not by flirting with her during akuma fights, but by checking how she is daily, wanting to spend time with her on lonely nights to make her feel better, and overall being more a friendly (yet lovestruck) partner than the flirty sidekick that Astruc wants to relegate him as. By all means, let him pun and make jokes during fights, that’s part of his charm, but I want Ladybug to fall in love with a Chat Noir that stands by her side, cares about her to the point of overkill and makes her always feel better no matter how down she feels.

And THAT’S what the lovesquare should be about, a story about two characters falling in love with two amazing people, not realizing they are one an the same.

I want Adrien to fall in love with the extrodinary Ladybug who changed his world forever and the simple but amazing Marinette who loves him for who he is, and not what he is. I want Marinette to fall for the sunshine Adrien that is too pure for this world and made her smile on a rainy day, but also for the caring Chat Noir that has always stood by her side no matter how dark the situation has gotten when fighting Hawkmoth, and has always cared about her to the point where cannot help but love him for who he is, puns, humor, love and all.

That’s what I think would make good romance in Miraculous Ladybug

Also Adrien doesn’t deserve that kinda salt btw. FIGHT ME.

6. Have Akuma battles actually cause an impact on the show.

Akuma’s are both a curse and a blessing for Miraculous Ladybug. A blessing because the powers can be unique and the designs are pretty to look at (minus a few), but a curse because the way they are written is responsible for Miraculous Ladybug’s stagnation and also how character issues are resolved.

Someone gets sad because a personal problem, they get akumatised, the return back to normal thanks to Ladybug, and their personal problem is suddenly resolved. Rinse and Repeat. All of the damage caused by the akumas is fixed, and no one seems to be affected by the akumas long term.

So...why not change the last bit? 

I think that the akumas should do more than just trash Paris and not by being more evil, but by also have an effect on people mentally, similar to how people write about Chat Blanc causing Marinette to have PTSD. I don’t think the akumas have to be more threatening then they are, but I do wish that certain akuma’s or even the experience of being akumatized would affect certain characters more than what is shown.

Like say, how about an idea where Style Queen suddenly trying to turn Chloe into a statue, and not caring for the fact that she is her daughter, causing Chloe to straight up hate her now that her true colors are shown? Or perhaps an episode where people get hurt due to rubble from a battle, and one of the main characters sees someone greviously hurt despite them being fixed after the battle? These are just some ideas, but as is, akumas feel somewhat of a let down, because despite their cool designs, they are just one-shot glorified henchmen of Hawkmoth who are essentially forgotten after a single episode.

EDIT: I personally got some asks saying that giving characters PTSD would be a bad thing for a kids show, so Im just gonna clarify: I dont think that the characters should get PTSD, but I do think akuma battles should matter, given that some akuma backstories are made from more personal problems but are treated as with less seriousness than expected and often times fixed instantly by the end of the episode.

7. Give Luka a personality

Luka is the personification of every soft spoken teen music player ever and has the personality of the song Wonderwall. Next.

8. Have Alya not try to Figure out Ladybugs identity.

For someone who has read hero comic books, Alya should realise that trying to expose someone’s public identity is a VERY BAD IDEA.

9. Have Ladybug and Chat Noir unlock new powers on their own, rather than having to rely on Gimicky power up potions.

I’m gonna be frank, the power up potions are lame as heck. They are essentially glorified costume changes that add new stuff onto the suits, which doesn’t sound that bad until you realise that Miraculous Wielders are capable of Changing thier costume designs anytime they want, meaning more likely than not they could probably just change costumes without the potions. Even the Aqua form is pretty lame once you realise that Ladybug and Cat Noir’s tools function like water breathing devices.

Instead, I think it would be cool that as the heroes wear their miraculouses, they star to bond with them as they get close to their kwamis, allowing them to unlock new abilities over time, similar to how learning the basics of martial arts follows into more advanced styles. It would also make the miraculouses feel more magical and add more depth into them, as it turns the miraculous from magical jewellery that give powers, into a magical experience that grows and changes as the wielder and Kwami bond together on a spiritual and magical level.

It would also help to offer contrast between the heroes and Hawkmoth, because while the latter doesn’t have a timer for his powers and is stronger (for the time being), the heroes bond with their kwami’s and unlock new abilities in the process, while poor Gabe is stuck with his base powers due to forcing Nooroo against his will, only able to unlock more abilities through cheating (aka Scarlet Moth).

10. Change Hawkmoth’s story

Hawkmoth is about as bland of a villain as you can get when it comes to villainy. Even with the whole sob story of Gabe’s wife in a coma and her trying to bring him back, Hawkmoth himself has always been all over the place, especially when the writers try to bring the two sides of the character together. They want him to be unwilling to hurt Adrien in one episode, but then for him to be a dangerous and despicable villain in Chat Blanc. It gets really annoying, as they both want him to be a sympathetic villain, but also a villain who isnt afraid to be pure evil as well.

Also Mayura doesn’t help much with the story either. Before she was revealed, people were speculating that she was a new person would be the actual big bad of the show, and it was rumored that she would be Hawkmoth’s boss, and also the possible reason for Hawkmoth getting the Butterfly Miraculous, which could have been used to expand upon Hawkmoth’s character, and potentially have some sympathy given to him if the writers wanted to go that path, with Mayura being the new evil of the show. Unfortunatlely, it turned out Mayura was Nathalie all along, essentially being a glorified henchman for Hawkmoth, and not only that, but her powers were a copy and Paste of Hawkmoths own abilities (Villain infects an object, something something magic, Ladybug needs to destroy an object and purify it in order to return it to normal) 

They could have at least given the job of purifying feathers to Chat, would have made him more essential in season 3 if Mayura was actually used more.

Hawkmoth’s character has stagnated, and personally, I think he needs a rewrite.

Some ideas that I have for Hawkmoth that could make him a better character better are:

Have Mayura be the actual big bad of the show (and a completely different character) and have Hawkmoth be her (somewhat unwilling) lackey. She could also be written to be crueler than Hawkmoth, and could show how Hawkmoth is a more sympathetic character by having him only focused on his son like in Gorizilla, while Mayura’s the one more likely to pull a Chat Blanc situation and absolutely torture the poor cat into being an akuma. Also, it would still allow for those Nathalie/Gabriel moments without ruining them with character changes.                                                

Have the Butterfly Miraculous be corrupted with dark magic (thus allowing Hawkmoth to make possesed villains), but as a side effect make him more crazy, causing him to go from the kindness we see in Gorizilla to the ruthlessness seen in Chat Blanc. (On a a side note, the idea of the Butterfly Miraculous being corrupted would make more sense, given that it can corrupt people into being villains, and would also explain how something that is supposed to be used for good can be used for evil.)         

(My Favorite one) Have Gabriel and Hawkmoth being entirely seperate characters. Have Gabe keep the book like in canon and have the Peacock Miraculous be broken, but Hawkmoth is for all intents and purposes a different person who is also a villain. It would allow for Hawkmoth to become an actual villain without the moral restrains made in season 2 with the revelation in The Collector, while also allowing for a story with a nuanced yet kinder Gabriel. Perhaps even a story where Adrien reconnects with his father.

I think that all of these story ideas would really help make Hawkmoth a better character, either by allowing him to be a villain that the writers want him to be like in Chat Blanc, or the sympathetic villain that wants to fix his family.

And that’s about it! Do you agree with this list? Don’t agree? Got more ideas? Reblog this post and write about what you would fix with Miraculous

[sparda3g]

My Hero Academia Chapter 226 Review

This is a rather conflicting chapter for me to grade on. On one hand, there are points that I like such as Toga’s backstory and the battle’s conclusion. On the other hand, there are points that reminded me on why the series’ formula needs an update or change that will benefit in the long run. It also doesn’t help to assure the purpose behind the new faction. When it comes down to the overall, it was a good chapter that was saved by focusing on Toga, one in which is long overdue for adding character’s depth.

From the get-go, the flashback shows many people interviewed about Toga’s strange behavior. She was seen as an outcast, weird, and unloved for who she really is. She even drank a popular boy’s blood back in middle school. There’s a couple of blocked text to hide Toga’s real name for some reason. It could be nothing or maybe a plot twist; who knows. Bottom line, she was not seen as normal for her fascination with blood.

The chapter shifts to the battlefield. I thought Toga will make a comeback at this point, but instead she collapse, leaving the floor room to Curious. This means more rambling, though because of her knowledge, her words basically narrates Toga’s life story. I believe that’s her whole point of her character; other than that, she’s rather single dimensional, and that’s disappointing. Anyway, Toga’s backstory is exploited further, where it becomes clear that her life cannot relate to society; eventually, pushed her away.

She has a strange fascination with blood, be it human or animal. People around her, family included, were disgusted by her action and smile. So much for the phrase, “A face that only a mother can love.” Reminding Toga of her past pisses her off, but Curious brings out a special glove and Curious Burst her face. Toga is at a clear disadvantage. She tries to run away, but she can’t get too far ahead. By this point, she was narrating how her life was never unhappy because of what she believes in.

She uses Ochako’s blood, transforming into her; I almost laugh at the ideal she does more work than the real self. Anyway, it doesn’t matter because it’s only for a disguise, not to use a quirk like one. We’ll get to that soon. Bottom line, Toga is screwed one way or another. Disguising as Ochako reminds her that she is lucky to have Deku’s complete trust in her and she wants to be like that. That’s her life. That’s actually a bit sad. If only she wasn’t this crazy.

Right before Toga gets another Curious Burst head-on, Curious begins to float. No, the real Ochako isn’t there and reveal as the big traitor as one theorized. No offense. It was Toga that made her float. She goes after other enemies, touching one-by-one. She recalls one of her ways of living as a villain: don’t get caught. This push her further and further to overcome the odds. Hero much? She realizes that she can use Ochako’s quirk.

According to Curious, she implies that quirk has evolved or upgraded by the power of fear, or in Toga’s case, it might as well be the power of love, even if her definition is twisted. This seems to reinforce the idea of feelings to be the key to unlock more power-ups. Even Deku’s recent new quirk was said to be reflected by his emotions. Toga regains her sadistic smile and release the float on Curious, dropping her from high up in the sky, straight to the ground. You see, when you’re a villain, this type of display is welcomed. Granted, heroes can do that in other series, but for this one, you need to count on a villain to be violent. Dead or knocked out, the battle has ended and Toga continue to live on to do what she knows best: destroy.

Let me first address the parts I like. I like the backstory of Toga. It’s simple, straight-forward, and reasonable. She was outcast by society, but she stood by her way of living, including love. I also like the struggle she was facing against Curious, probably the only good part aside from the ending. Speaking of which, it ended cool because it was dark and somewhat new to the series. We hardly see a villain gets the win; actually, probably never. Because it involved with two villains, a loss wouldn’t be harmful, like “Oh no! He’s my favorite hero! I really like that guy!” Basically, anything goes.

The problem I have is the execution. Let me first address the main key before everyone begin shoving at me. Yes, I know in volume 19, it was addressed that Toga can copy quirk alas Monoma 2.0. The problem is how it was presented. I have to look back at the past chapters, and the last time her quirk was described was in Internship Arc. That was the last time. It never said anything about copying quirk. Now, if we go by volume 19 additional detail, just exactly when Toga knows she can do it. The answer is just now. It can go many ways. You can say volume 19 spoiled the surprise of this chapter. You can say volume 19 was more or less contradicted since this chapter was designed as a big update. Which is it?

Removing the detail from volume 19, let’s talk about the idea of quirk’s evolution. I don’t have much of a problem with it. If anything, I would have prefer this over Six Quirks of Deku. That begs the question, why not use this concept instead. Maybe it’s not about evolution, but simply another technique. Whatever it is, at least this will keep character up-to-date. Although, everyone has a quirk, so it still applies the same effect; only few characters will get the spotlight. I can only hope Kohei’s imagination is expansive if he’s willing to go through with evolution. It’s passable; what’s troubling however, is the execution.

Toga acquired the ability to use other’s quirk. First of all, is having multiple quirks the Senju DNA of My Hero, where it becomes the most abusive tool to obtain godlike? It’s getting really old. Second, if volume 19 said she can do it, why is this a big surprise to her? Even if she did know, only she has properly control it, how convenient this was. It would have been a lot more interesting to see overcome the odds since that was the narrative it was pushing for. It can be said the same for acquiring a new ability, but it’s more of a cheap getting out of the corner technique. It’s the same problem this series seems to keep on bringing.

People would argue that Shounen series tends to have the characters acquire a new technique and win the battle. The difference is it’s not done as a game changer, rather a deciding factor. Naruto has Sage Mode; it wasn’t the endgame. Luffy has Gear 3; it wasn’t the endgame. Even the last big fight wasn’t as one-sided or one-hit kill. This wouldn’t be a problem if the battle structure would alter for each one. It’s either a brand new power or overwhelming defeat. The storytelling is getting repetitive, or already has. Plus, it’s odd for a villain to obtain a heroic factor to win, but they are designed for us to grow attach to their characters. I guess that’s why Curious hardly has any, and I could expect for others as well.

The battle was mediocre suffered by familiar structure, weak opponent in many ways, and a cheap turnaround. At least the ending was cool though. The artwork is pretty solid as well. I still like the chapter despite its execution. Toga’s backstory was long overdue to address, so it was good to learn more about her. Simple but effective. She is arguably fans’ favorite villain, so this is a great treat. My concern for the Meta Liberation Army has grown. They’re here as stepping stones. Maybe it’s still early to say, but perhaps I’m being optimistic. We’ll see after the break.

[alphacrowdcontrol]

Make Your Guest Feel Comfortable With An Effective Crowd Management Strategy

We all love visiting events! I mean they ‘re so fun and knowledgeable to go to. But there is only one thing that irritates us the most is the long waiting times. It really feels disgusting when forced to wait in a long line especially when asked to wait prior to entry. It just kills our excitement. This thing is not frustrating for the crowd but at the same time is a nightmare for every event organisers. It ends up in more disaster when some bad crowd is involved. This further gives rise to anger and violation among the crowd. This situation creates fear among the most patient individuals, thus turning everything into a mess.

It becomes a big challenge when it involves large crowds. Every crowd is different in some or another way. Obviously handling small size crowds requires less effort than managing big crowds. Why not? It requires more manpower, more planning and the most important thing is patience. Being an event manager you have to be more patient, otherwise it would be very difficult to control the crowd. When talking about large crowds, one can never forget about safety. The Bigger the crowd, the more safety it requires. However , following the below effective crowd management tips will make you feel much more secure and safe. Let's read them.

Must do proper risk assessment- If you really want to keep your event away from any danger, doing risk assessment is the only solution. It’s essential to do that, after knowing every important detail of the event, you must start plotting your plan keeping safety and security of all attendees in mind. For instance- you must consider the type and size of the event or specify risk in advance if involved in the event. All this will keep you and your crowd totally safe.

Add effective crowd control barriers at your event- After properly estimating the size of the event, there is the best way to manage your crowd. And this is adding crowd control barriers at your event. Plastic barriers provide the best safety to your event as they prevent overcrowding and protect the crowd from hazards. Plus they guide every guest by providing them their ideal direction about where to go and where not. Talking about their usage, these crowd control barriers are used in almost every place. They are widely visible at museums, sporting events, and shopping malls. Installing these barriers at your event ensures the smooth and safe running of the business.

You must understand your crowd behavior- Understanding the crowd is not an easy task, especially when it comes to managing big crowds. To avoid unsafe circumstances, it’s advisable to understand the crowd behavior. Doing this will minimize various potential risks and thus will keep the entire environment safe and comfortable. For example - you can take into consideration which thing makes your crowd happy? Or anything that makes them feel really good.

After reading the above article, I hope you‘ve understood how it’s important to adopt the best crowd management strategy. If you seriously want to make your guest safe and secure, you must add quality crowd barriers at your event.

[authoratmidnight]

SO, now that that monstrosity is over with, a more lengthy er, rant, about why the movie is shit(and comparing it to the source material).

So, obligatory warning for book and movie spoilers.

The big problem is, they tried to put too much in. They tried to cramp together the first three books, into a ~2 hour length movie. That’s a bad idea, even if these books aren’t that long.

Because, these books are set up for everything to come.

Book one introduces the Cirque and the freaks, introduces us to vampires and the fact that such things exist, sets up some lore for them, it introduces us to Steve and sets up his reason for wanting revenge(which is massively important later down the line).

Book two sets up Darren’s relationship with the Cirque, and has him over come his repulsion to human blood(and explains why he can’t live on animal blood alone), it introduces us to Mr. Tiny and the Little People.

Book three introduces us to other vampires, to the vampaneze(Murlogh to be exact), to the conflict between them, to Debbie(Darren’s human love interest who appears again later, she’s not a one off character) and basically sets up things for the big plot later on and gives us more worldbuilding.

There’s probably more but it’s been a while since I read them. But they’re set-up books, they establish things. Important things.

So squishing these three into one, doesn’t work.

You could, possibly, squeeze book one and part of book two into one film, and the rest of book two and book three into one, but not all three into one(book two is the only one that could be condensed into one of the others for a film tbh).

And it makes the pacing so awful.

The first part is so rushed, it rushes through everything, through meeting Steve, through sneaking out to the Cirque, through the events at the Cirque, everything. It’s mostly faithful to the source material(enough as it can be being as rushed as it is), but pretty much everything after Darren’s dug up is, off the rails.

And then the rest of the movie is all over the place crushing together the events of the third book with the whole ‘I won’t drink blood’ from the second book(also, this is another thing that causes the age up to be weird) with things that either never happened at all or didn’t happen until much much later(like Darren and Steve fighting, they do clash several times but not until much later in the series). As well as adding in characters that never existed/removing characters(Debbie and Sam), events that literally never happened(Darren’s family getting kidnapped along with his love interest and having to pick between them, that did not happen. Hell, his parents never find out he was alive, only his sister ever does, when she’s a grown woman!) or having them know things that they literally should. not. know(such as the name Harkat, this is literally not revealed until book 4, and by Harkat himself).

And it loses pretty much all of the worldbuilding (what’s the difference between a vampire and vampaneze? what does and doesn’t affect vampires? what animals can they drink from and which can’t they? what speed do half vampires and full vampires age at? all of these are answered in the books, but not so in the movie)

Now, changes from book to film are bound to happen, and sometimes they can work. But not in this case. Literally none of the changes work.

As I mentioned during my liveblog, they aged everyone up, Darren and Steve, who were ~12 in the books, are now 16. This is, problematic because as I said, it was in fact a plot point. Because 12 is very young and it’s generally frowned upon(if not taboo) to blood someone so young. So Darren’s young age becomes a plot point in book 4 when everyone is basically like ‘Larten wtf?’ when learning what he did and trying to figure out what to do with Darren.

And why he’s excited about finally getting to experience his teenage years(and highschool while he’s basically undercover) after ‘the purge’ basically makes him go through several years of puberty in like, a night, and he ages straight into being 15/16(and why meeting #2 with Debbie is so awkward, he’s a teen and she’s now a grown woman).

Plus, it makes them all look like idiots. I mean yeah, the string of bad decisions they make in the books are absolutely dumb (sneaking out to a possibly illegal freak show, confronting a vampire, blackmailing him, asking him to make you one, stealing his deadly spider, trying to train said spider etc...) but when you frame it with the knowledge that these were decisions made by 11-12 year olds it’s at least, slightly understandable, cause kids do dumb things ad think they’re good ideas. But 16 year olds? Now they just look dumb.

Also, book!Steve at 12 years old was able to figure out, on his own, that Daren was a half-vampire. 16 year old movie!Steve needed fucking Desmond Tiny to practically spell out to him that Darren wasn’t actually dead a what he really was. Our future Lord of the Vampaneze everyone. :|

I want to make a correction to my liveblog. Evra wasn’t aged up as much as I thought. In the book he’s described as being ‘about fourteen or fifteen’, while he’s 16 in the movie. The movie still fucked him up though. I like book!Evra, I don’t like movie!Evra.

Crepsley’s scar. Oh boy.

In the book it was a large, prominent one down the side of his face, made remarkable due to the fact that he just, doesn’t talk about it, which is odd for a race that is proud of scars earned in battle. In reality he got his in a very embarrassing way(he drunkenly flirted with the wrong woman and she slashed his face).

The three small scars are 1) implied to be a battle wound, 2) actually have an in-universe meaning.

When Vampaneze choose a victim, they mark them with three small scratches on the left cheek. There is only one vampire ever shown with those marks, one we don’t meet until book 4, with the marks intending to hint as what he’s been up to(meeting wit them in secret).

Giving Crepsley those marks is, odd. And proof that someone did read the later books. I am not sure the reason for this change aside from maybe, giving him Kurda’s role in the story, which would *really* fuck things up.

On the note of bad movie changes, the Little People. No, not people with dwarfism, Little People, the small(roughly book!Darren’s height, so probably ~3ft tall) creations of Mr. Tiny. That’s what they’re called, though I question if they are technically “people”.

In the first book all we know about them is that they’re about Darren’s height, wear blue cloaks with hoods that hide their faces/bodies, and don’t speak. Ever. They just shuffle around the Cirque doing this or that and that’s about it. It’s not until later (at least book 4 but possibly in book 2 while Darren’s with the Cirque) that we get a look under the hood and get a better description of them.

Where in we learn they are-grey skinned and appear sewn together, have no neck, lidless green eyes atop their head and a lipless mouth full of sharp teeth, have no nose or visible ears and wear a sort of mask over their mouth to so they can breath(earth air is toxic to them, though they can breath it for a time). The ones in the movie....look like a rejected house elf design and there’s no sign of the breathing mask.

And everyone’s, too chill around them. They freak everyone out due to their connection to Mr. Tiny + their appearance. And none of them have names, which is why it’s such a big thing that Harkat Mulds has a name (and can speak! luckily the movie didn’t spoil that). Something not revealed until book 4. By Harkat himself, not someone from the Cirque.

Which brings me to my next point, Rebecca. She literally does not exist in the books. I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cirque had a monkey girl as part of its line up-goodness knows there have a large group and not everyone is always there-but one never appears in the books.

She seems to be filling the roll of Debbie, and to some extent, Sam, both of which were cut from the movie. Which does not work. Both of these characters had specific roles, Debbie esp, which can’t really be swapped out, and not like this. Debbie’s role can’t properly be filled by making her a member of the Cirque. Also worth noting, Debbie wasn’t the one who was kidnapped(she’s actually fairly self reliant and takes an active role in later books), it was actually Evra! So the movie went and turned the love interest into a damsel in distress. :/

And Sam...*sigh* Sam dies and his death is a tipping point, that moment that readers realize that no one is safe, that good people, innocent people, will die. Because that’s what Sam was, an innocent. The moment Darren realizes this, and realizes that he has to drink human blood if he ever hopes to protect the people he cares about(b/c he held off on feeding on human blood he wasn’t strong enough to fight off the Wolf Man and protect Sam). Rebecca dying during the fight, would actually have been truer to the book(and the tone of the books). But no, we get awkward love plot(and an awkward one for Crepsley too, for some reason)

And Mr. Tiny. Oh man. He might be the master manipulator in the series, but he has rules he has to follow. Rules that if broken would unleash even worse beings(his family) onto the world, which even this chaos loving nut, does not want. And the movie basically ignores all this. As far as I recall, he can’t directly interfere with things, which is why he has to manipulate people into doing things for him. And you’re not supposed to even now any of this until pretty much the end. Until then he’s a seemingly neutral party that no one really likes and is just unsettling. He’s more than he seems and has his own agenda, we just don’t learn it till the end.

Except the movie basically gives away that he’s the antagonist and the one behind everything and has him all but telling everyone what to do.

I guess the writers realized their movie was so bad that they couldn’t do anything without a character literally telling them what to do to move the plot along(for example, Steve discovering Darren was a half vampire and going after him, in the book he figured this out all on his own, in the movie he literally needed Tiny to spell it out for him).

The characters, as you can tell, barely resemble their book counterparts, both in appearance and personality. In some cases the only thing they share is a name(the bearded lady for example, name and ability-to grow a bread at will-are all they have in common).

The movies took everything I liked about the characters, about the books, and just, threw it out. I can’t even bring myself to like the characters, because there’s nothing TOO like.

And honestly, it makes me sad and mad. Because I love these books, and back when I heard there was going to be a movie made I was ecstatic! And then the movie came out and I felt so betrayed. This was not the story I liked, the characters I liked. This was, garbage.

Fuck, I’d sooner sit through Eragon again. At least that has dragons and magic and is interesting and visually appealing.

[trulyyourstrina]

18 Things From Wattpad

Literally the 18 things I learned from Wattpad, which I wrote back before my eighteenth birthday. Could be counted as tips or advice for all those newbies.

*This was originally posted for Wattpad Block Party - Winter Edition II

Hello everyone, it’s me Trina or better known as yourstrulytrina, returning once again to the Wattpad Block Party. On my first party, I did an interview with the leading men of my books and on my second one, I gave out some tips for the newbies who would like to survive the amazing community known as Wattpad.

So what am I going to do for this time? Well, since it’s my last block party before I turn eighteen (the next one would be probably February or around that) and I’ve spent a good three years here on Wattpad, I’m going to give out the eighteen things I learned from this place.

The majority of Wattpad’s population is the youth and as I almost reach legality, I’m proud to be one of them. Three years, so that meant I came here when I was fourteen and this website indeed help me in shaping me up during the critical years of maturation. These may help you, these may not. You may relate or maybe not. But like everything else I do in Wattpad, it’s all for good fun.

1.) This is a community.

Undeniably so. You need some help? The ambassadors are there for all your needs. Need some tips? A lot of experienced authors are willing to share their knowledge and experiences. Need someone to talk to? Just reach out and people will be there chatting with you until you feel better.

2.) Community or not, people are competitive.

You and I know that most people here wants to get discovered. They want their works to be shown to the world, praying that a publisher might contact them. So what do they do? They claw themselves up to the rankings, and with Wattpad’s new algorithm with the ranking system, it’s quite difficult to do so. It’s all friendly though, we all just want to get our stories noticed and read. To be frank, I never wanted to get published, it never came into my mind. The opportunity presented itself so I grabbed it.

3.) People will chew your work and spit it out before repetitively stomping it on the ground.

It hurts to see your sweat, blood, and tears be harshly criticized to the point that you feel your heart dropped to your chest. At first, I couldn’t control my emotions, I was kept up at night just belittling myself because of one comment. I never responded to it though, because I knew that it would be adding fuel to the fire. Now, whenever I see hate-filled comments, I just shrug it off and move on. Trust me, your heart will be made of stone if you continue to stay here.

4.) Doesn’t mean you should disregard all criticism.

Some people really want to see you improve. They’ll sit there, skim through your work, and then tell you what’s wrong and what needs to be changed. Doesn’t mean they’re a bunch of haters. It’s called constructive criticism; take it, it’s good for you. When people politely point out my mistakes, I’ll give them a silent thank you as I work on the problem. No need to be an arrogant bish about it.

5.) Being in Wattpad is like being in an abusive relationship.

Not really, but think about it. You’ll pour your heart and soul out on your writing only for someone to belittle it. Are you going to stop? Of course not, you’ll keep going even though your self-esteem is continually getting shot at. I’m at that point that I’m no longer excited when I update, I just feel an unsettling anxiousness which doubles when I see the comments. Fake it, until you make it, kids.

6.) The only thing constant is change.

I’ve seen Wattpad when the ‘followers’ were still called ‘fans’. There was still a status bar where you can say quick updates to your readers. The homepage actually showed the activities about you and the people you follow. When you click on someone’s profile, everything was there. No need to click on ‘About’ or ‘Conversations’ because all you had to do was scroll down. You can actually keep track of those who dedicated their chapters to you, because they were all listed down on your profile. You couldn’t put the media into the story itself, you can only place them at the side along with the cast, plus you can create slideshows. When your story is in-progress, you have a higher chance of climbing up the charts, now they prioritize the completed ones.

Not all are bad, just like the mentioned multimedia inside the story was a good touch. When Wattpad added the text alignment and the magic three (italic, underline, and bold), I sang hallelujah because it’s a struggle when you have the lack of controls for certain emphasis. One of my absolute favorites that Wattpad updated was in-line comments, it made tracking your reader’s opinion much easier compared to when I had to struggle with making them comment on what’s wrong or right.

7.) You’re a writer? Well, good damn luck.

Literally, good luck. If I wasn’t too loyal to this website for opening the opportunities for me, I would have packed my bags and left. Readers are tactlessly opinionated, even to the point of dragging your name into other people’s business. I mean, just stop please. They complain and moan when we do something they don’t want and let me tell you, it gets on our nerves but we don’t do or say anything because we appreciate them. When they hit the last straw though, they have the audacity to go ballistic when we actually take action for the sake of our work, name, and sanity. And it doesn’t help that this is a reader’s app, we writers have the short end of the stick.

8.) It’s a good way to expand your network.

Publishing deals are flying all over the place. Those little stickers of promoters on the book cover? They’re more likely to show on the homepage and get your story known. Also, this is a good way to bridge out to other apps that offer serialized fiction, like my good ol’ buddy, Radish.

10.) The word ‘update’ can be one of the most annoying words out there.

Don’t get me wrong, I adore my readers and everything. Sometimes, I appreciate when people comment that they want an update, but for them to say it just a minutes after I did, it makes me want to put my phone down and take calming breaths by the corner.

Just a tip, wait at least a few hours or so before you demand an update.

11.) There’s always room for improvement.

I’m not going to flatter myself and say that I was a good writer from the start nor am I an amazing write now. When I look back on the first ever version of my first story here on Wattpad, I can do nothing but cringe. It’s horrible, to spare you the boggling thoughts. I’ve improved… a lot. I still have a long way to go though.

12.) Research, please.

I live in the Philippines, my usual settings are in the USA. A lot of their culture and the things I write about are extremely foreign to me – I even had to look up how much a freaking cup of coffee costs. Not only that, but I try to make things as accurate as I can, although I do admit that I have a few slip-ups here and there. Did you know that my mom asked me if I was running away because I had about six tabs about European tours and trips? All for the love of my story.

Plus, just because you live in that place, doesn’t mean everything you’re writing is already accurate. Just double check to make sure.

13.) Age is just a number.

This is directed mostly to the youths of Wattpad, so of course I have to include this. We are at the stage where our minds drift off to the craziest dreams. Write it down, utilize whatever knowledge you have and ignore the fact that you’re completely surrounded by an intimidating bunch of adults. Let me tell you this, they don’t know how old you are and you probably don’t know how old they are. The only thing of concern between all of you is your writing.

But of course, be reminded that you need to be at least 13 before you sign up steer away from those mature stories until you’re at the proper age that is warned by the author.

14.) Be reckless, be spontaneous.

I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again – I created my Wattpad account with my sleep-induced mind. I posted my first story a few hours later, about midnight. When I woke up in the right state of thinking, I freaked out. That was one of the biggest step outside my comfort zone and look where it took me – you’re reading it.

15.) You have an army behind you.

With my machinegun, I plow through the battlefield with my army following in my direction. What’s my army? My readers. Their loyalty is the one thing I treasure the most, their opinions are what keep me up at night, their words are like the comfort or the slap that I need, and most of all, they’re there when I need them. The writing world is no walk in the park, you need your back-up with you.

16.) You’ll change.

There are a lot of external and internal factors for my switch in personality, but Wattpad surely had a big contribution to my current self. This community raised my self-esteem and self-efficacy by a mile, because it showed that my works can actually make an impact on someone else. I became tougher in terms of emotions. Like stated earlier, I’ve had my fair share of harsh criticism and once it got to the point that there were just too many of those, I’ve gotten used to it. I also learned to use my words properly, in the way that I should know which information I should share and which I should not.

17.) Every author is a good one, it just takes the right readers to acknowledge it.

The golden advice I say to everyone and anyone who asks for it. You can’t please everyone, but you can please someone who shares the same vision as you so don’t get discouraged when someone say that you’re not good at writing or your plot is horrible.

18.) Write for yourself because it’s your story and only you can hold the pen.

Well, keyboard for my situation. I made the huge mistake back then of letting my readers pressure me into creating an ending I didn’t want. I didn’t hate the story though, I still loved it because it became a learning experience for me. For me, that book was at the bottom of the list because that was my story to tell, not theirs. After that, I promised to only write for myself – having the public like it is just a bonus. Write to express, not to impress.

That’s basically it. Thank you @KellyAnneBlount for once again letting this girl join the Wattpad Block Party. Now let me ask you this question: What was one lesson you learned from your experience on Wattpad?

Thank you so much for reading, I hoped you like it. Some of you may relate, some may not. All I know is that I’m grateful that Wattpad has become part of my way through legality. Well, see you guys.

[fairytalewlw]

Robyn Hood

“I have hatched a plan to finally catch Robyn of Loxley.” The Sheriff grinned slyly at his guards. “We shall stage an archery competition. With a prize. She won’t be able to keep herself away.” His guards looked at each other dubiously. “But, Sir,” one of them spoke up. “Surely she’ll see straight through our plan and not come.”

“You underestimate me.” The Sheriff sneered. “Robyn will enter it somehow. She’s too cocky to not enter.” Still, his guards seemed uncertain. “My men.” He addressed them. “If the competition is not enough to tempt her, I’m sure Maid Marian’s presence will seal the deal.” With that answer, the Sheriff’s guards were content and made no further comment. It was common knowledge that Robyn was head over heels for the maiden.

“Look, Robyn!” Little John called to his friend as he pointed to a tree ahead of them. “There’s a poster! What does it say?” Robyn Hood walked over to read it. ARCHERY COMPETITION THIS WEEKEND HONOURING PRINCE JOHN’S VISIT WINNER RECEIVES A GOLDEN ARROW Sheriff of Nottingham and Maid Marian “Well,” smirked Robyn, jumping back from the poster. “I think we have plan for this weekend.” Little John outright laughed. “You can’t be serious. This is just a plot for the Sheriff to catch you.” “Deadly serious, my friend.” Robyn grinned. “I’d never miss a chance to see Maid Marian.” She reached back for an arrow from her quiver which she proceeded to shoot into the middle of the poster. “Plus, I never miss a shot. ” “You and your crush on Maid Marian.” Little John rolled his eyes. “And you never missing a shot is precisely why you shouldn’t take part. They’ll spot you from a mile away.” “You’re just jealous of our chemistry.” Robyn winked. “They wouldn’t catch me if I were disguised as royalty.” Little John’s mouth dropped open. “You wouldn’t.” “Oh, I would.” Robyn winked. “I believe I still have some silk dresses somewhere.” “But you haven’t worn those since the first few months after you came out!” Little John couldn’t believe his ears. After coming out as trans, Robyn had dressed as femininely as she could. As time went on, and her self-confidence grew, she began to develop her own style. For that, Little John was grateful. Firstly, because it meant that Robyn was feeling less insecure. Secondly, because it was a lot easier for them to run through the trees in trousers rather than long silk dresses that snagged on branches and brambles. “I know.” Robyn thought back, fondly. “I’m sure I still have my favourite rose silk dress somewhere.” She winked at her friend. She was certain that her plan was fool-proof.

Little John shook his head, smiling at the memory. “That won’t work. It got covered in blood the last time you wore it.” The two of them had been caught trying to hunt deer on the Sheriff’s land. His men had fired arrow after arrow at them as they ran back into the safety of the woods. They’d managed a clean escape without injury until Robyn looked over her shoulder to check the Sheriff’s men weren’t following them. She’d tumbled over a fallen branch, and scraped her knees and elbows on a rock the other side. “True.” Robyn hated how clumsy she could be but it always made for a fond memory. “I’ll have to settle for my lilac one. It’s not quite as glamorous, but it will do.” And with that, Robyn ran off to seek out her old wardrobe. Little John followed behind, shaking his head gently. Robyn was the best friend he had ever had, but she still managed to drive him up the wall daily. Her ego was too big for her own good.

“WILL THE REMAINING ARCHERS PLEASE STEP UP TO TAKE PART.” There had been heats throughout the morning and early afternoon until just two archers remained. One of these was Guy of Gisborne, a man dedicated to the Sheriff. The other was Robyn under the pseudonym, Valerie, Duchess of Devonshire. Little John kept himself hidden in the crowd while watching out for his friend. He really didn’t think this was a good idea but he supported his friend in everything she did, and that included this. “PLEASE PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR OUR FINALISTS, GUY OF GISBORNE, AND THE DUCHESS OF DEVONSHIRE.” Robyn waved to the crowd and winked subtly at Maid Marian, who was in attendance. She blushed, knowing full well who was competing.

Little John grimaced. The fewer people that knew who was actually competing, the better. Robyn was going to get herself caught if she wasn’t careful. The first to take his shot was Guy of Gisborne. He breathed in, drawing back his arrow. He breathed out, relaxing his shoulders. He released the arrow and it pierced the centre of the target. The crowd went wild, cheering. In any other competition, the remaining archer would be crestfallen. It was almost impossible to beat a shot like that. To win, the second archer would have to split that arrow down the middle.

But Robyn knew that she could make it with her eyes closed, and a smirk tugged at the corners of her lips. She stepped up to make the shot. She breathed in, drawing back her arrow. She breathed out, relaxing her shoulders. She released the arrow. It split Guy of Gisborne’s arrow straight down the middle.

Just as Robyn made eye contact with Maid Marian and turned to celebrate her win with the crowd, she felt someone grab her wrists. They were forced down by her sides and then behind her back where they were cuffed. “I’ve got you now.” Spat the Sheriff. “You’ve been caught, Robyn of Loxley.” He gestured for his men to lock her in the wagon to be taken to jail. “You’ve stolen from us for too long. You’re finally going to pay the price.” Suddenly, the sound of hooves caught everyone’s attention. It was King Richard. The Sheriff, his men, and everyone around bowed to him. “Welcome, Your Highness.” The Sheriff was the first to greet the Monarch. “We were just arresting this woman for theft.” “It’s Your Majesty.” Replied the King, entirely unimpressed. “And you have no authority in locking up this lady for theft. Robyn is a good woman. She has served me well for years.” He looked at her fondly. “I, on the other hand, have authority to lock people up. And I’m here to arrest you for tax evasion and for over-taxing the poorer population.” The Sheriff knew there was no use in arguing his case. It would only make things worse. He dropped to his knees in defeat as he was arrested by the King’s men and whisked away. King Richard remained with one of his men. “It seems we got here in the nick of time.” He winked at Robyn as he removed her handcuffs. “You really can’t resist temptation when it comes to archery, can you?” Robyn grinned back at the King. “Thank you, Your Majesty.” She curtseyed to him. “I can resist archery if I so wish.” “I don’t believe that for a moment.” The King chuckled. Robyn, quite out of character, took a great interest in her shoes and spoke shyly to the King. “It’s a Maiden that I cannot resist, Your Majesty.” The King smiled gently. “I see.” He surveyed the crowd. “Is it the Maiden in the silver gown?” Robyn answered without looking up. “Yes, Your Majesty. It’s Maid Marian.” So that Robyn couldn’t hear, the King whispered to his guard. His guard nodded and got off his horse to walk over to Maid Marian.

“Your Majesty,” Robyn asked cautiously. “What are you doing?” “You and your Maiden are coming for supper at the castle. She is being told that you have asked for her specifically.” Robyn’s mouth hung open in shock. “That’s awfully kind of you, Your Majesty. How may I repay you?” The King shook his head kindly. “No need to thank me, Robyn. You have served me well. This is a thank you to you. You kept my people from dying in poverty.” “Thank you, Your Majesty.” Robyn replied graciously. “But I was not the only one. I couldn’t have done it without Little John.” “Then he shall come too.” The King offered. “I shall send some of my men to meet you here this evening. Be here with your Maiden and Little John at sunset.” “I cannot thank you enough.” Said Robyn as the King’s guard returned. “I’ll see you after sunset.” The King bid his goodbye, and he and his guard rode back to the castle. Robyn turned around to see Little John grinning widely, stood beside the most beautiful woman Robyn had ever seen. “Maid Marian.” She greeted her, curtseying just as she did for the King. Marian blushed. “Congratulations on winning the competition.” It was Robyn’s turn to blush, a rare occasion. “It was nothing.” She dismissed with a wave of her hand. A nervous silence waved over the women as they both looked at their feet, unsure of what to say. Little John shook his head. “You two are like a couple of teenage girls. Robyn,” He turned to face his friend. “Maid Marian is over the moon that you want to take her as your date to the castle. Maid Marian,” He turned to face Marian. “Make sure Robyn scrubs up properly. We need to be vaguely presentable as the King’s guests.” He turned on his heel. “I’ll leave you two to get ready but please be here by sunset. I’m certain the King doesn’t appreciate tardiness.” “See you then, Little John.” Robyn grinned, grateful that her friend had the sense to leave them be before seeing the King. She moved to face Marian once again. “So will you help me scrub up?” A smile spread across Maid Marian’s face. “Of course. I’m sure I have something that will do.” “Wonderful.” Replied Robyn as she took Marian’s hand in hers. “Because I only have one dress and the King’s already seen me in it today.” Maid Marian let out a nervous giggle. “We’ll find something. But I prefer your usual clothes.” “You do?” Maid Marian nodded. “You look much more comfortable.” Then she added “And it looks better on you.” Robyn tried to hide the delight on her face. “I shall bear that in mind in the future.”

I’d like to say a huge thank you to @casstastrophy for beta-ing this fic and making sure it was a-okay!! I couldn’t have done this one without you

[beabanana]

April Favorites

i just thought it would be nice to share some of my favorites this month... ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

TV Shows

1. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013- )

Sooo I became obsessed with this American sitcom that I binge watched this one so hard lol. I even watched their interviews, searched for the cast’s information, stalked their Instagram and Twitter accounts and watched every YouTube videos I can found with them. Idk, I just found myself in love with this show, - especially with Jake and Amy (ohh, i love them so much) I’m still wating for season 6 to arrive on Netflix.

P.S. I even had an unexpected crush on Andy Samberg (Jake Peralta) because of his sense of humor lol (he looked so hot & young at 40) 

2. Friends (1994 - 2004)

I started watching the first 2 episodes of Friends last January but I got bored ‘cause I’m not used to watch old american TV shows with background laughs and some of the jokes doesn’t get me. But as I continue to watch the other episodes and I must say, I never knew that this will be so damn good than I expected. I’m now on the third season and I can’t stop. I love everybody on the show, the romances are so healthy, cute and funny. Plus I find Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) veryyy cute. (◕‿◕✿)

Movies

1. My Fair Lady (1964)

Another Audrey Hepburn movie, but was deserved to be played by Julie Andrews. I never really liked the singing voice on the movie. It would be a lot better if Julie voiced the songs instead of Marni Nixon. ಠ╭╮ಠ I’m so dissapointed, but anyways, I liked the whole movie. The plot, the choreography, only, Audrey’s voice in a Cockney Accent isn’t that clear so you can’t understand some of the words she’s saying unless there’s a subtitle. I fell in love with the plot. So amazing, sooo classic. 

P.S. Why do women in the 50′s up to the 60′s mostly paired up with old man for a romance movie? It's making the movie worse lol.

Books

1. Eleanor & Park (2013) 

Author: Rainbow Rowell

If you’re planning to read this and you want just pure butterflies and sweet moments, then this is not recommended for you. This book does not just tackles romance and coming-of-age, you will also encounter some issues like bullying, abuse, and more. As you go deep within the story, you will understand that teen romances has also it’s own issues and problems. This can be an eye opener to those people who witness this kind of issues, what it feels like to be like them and how hard it is to be in their shoes. I was bored reading this at first but not anymore when I realized what the characters were going through in the novel.

YouTubers/YouTube Channels

LIFE:

1. Sophia Concio

I just recently binged almost all of her YouTube videos because her content is so much relaxing. I found her just three weeks ago and her videos can totally make you relax even when you’re having a bad day. She doesn’t brag too much, she just shares what she’s thinking and doing. I also love her edits! This girl is from our country, soo it’s great!

YouTube: Sophia Concio

2. Joslin Nicole

I also love this girl’s content. She gives so many ideas and advice that are very helpful. Plus, she’s making songs which is nice because her’s is also relaxing. By the way, she’s also a Filipina and is currently studying at UP Manila. My bedroom is actually inspired from hers (just so you know lol) she also makes journals, and is very friendly. 

YouTube: Joslin Nicole

MAKE UP:

3. Tina Yong 

I’ve learned so much from Tina about make ups, skin care and stuffs! Her content is very informative, especially on her tutorials, it helped me a lot since I’m lacking knowledge on how to use them properly. She also made a playlist called “Tina Tries It” where she tries a specific brand of make up her subscribers and fans requested, then she will review it in order for us to know if the product is really effective or worth the price. I can’t imagine YouTube without her. I’ve discovered her channel a year ago but I’m liking her content even more.

YouTube: Tina Yong

4. SammieSpeaks

This girl is great when creating a make up look. I always watch her tutorials when I’m bored and finding myself doing that make up look later. I also love how she’s making her tutorials, very informative and relaxing. Her make up look is so aesthetic. She’s also great at making names for her own make up looks lol.

YouTube: SammieSpeaks

FASHION:

5. bestdressed

Yes, she’s my inspiration when it comes to fashion. I liked her thrift flip videos, her hauls, try ons and more. Her fashion is very trendy and cool, It made me want t buy clothes whenever I watch some of her videos. I also liked her body built, height and she’s so pretty! 

YouTube: bestdressed 

6. Studio 86

These girls make fashion videos that is Korean inspired based on the weather. They can pull an outfit even if it’s from a thrift store or even if you have 5 clothes available, they can make 10 outfits from them. They have a very nice fashion sense. They do hauls, try-ons and tips on how to pull an outfit nicer.

YouTube: Studio 86

Music

1. Old Fashioned - Bruno Major

I was just watching instagram stories when I first heard this. It was a promotional ad from Spotify, I guess? I swiped up and looked for Bruno Major's song and they were freaking relaxing. I saved this on my playlist and played this a hundred times a day. (lol just kidding) but I liked this song very much. It's on repeat!! ≥﹏≤

2. Easily - Bruno Major

Another freaking lovely song of Bruno that I'm obsessed with. It's so much relaxing to hear.

3. Movie - Tom Misch

When I was making my playlist to put Bruno Major's songs, I stumbled upon this song. You know I love vintage, soo, I liked the voice over on the song, it's so old, classic and the song is so damn great! You must hear this guys!

4. I Want It That Way - Backstreet Boys

Yeah, I know this is an old song but Brooklyn Nine Nine made me to liked this song even more. (you'll know why if you watched B99, everyone loves that cold open lol)

5. Bless Myself - Lucy Hale

I was making my "elementary" playlist and this song makes me remember a lot of things from my childhood. I remember memorizing all of songs in the movie (A Cinderella Story: Once Upon A Song) and how this movie is in repeat everyday. I miss my childhood so much.

6. Wouldn't It Be Loverly? - Julie Andrews

This one is from My Fair Lady, the stage play and as I watched the movie last few weeks, It made me liked this song from Julie Andrews. This was the best version I've ever heard.

7. I Could Have Danced All Night - Julie Andrews

This is my second favorite song after Wouldn't It Be Loverly by Julie Andrews. This is also from her stage play, My Fair Lady. I fell in love by how hshe delivers those high pitch she made, I hope I can do it too.

That's all for now! (･´з`･)

[copperpearl]

You used to be anti "A Long Way from Home". What happened to change that?

The extended explanation, which I strongly encourage everyone to read(YES, EVEN IF YOU’RE DEFINITELY NEVER READING THE FIC), but scroll to the bottom bolded part if you must:

First, it’s important to understand my initial introduction to the fic and why my reaction was so severe: Someone who will not be named, who I am no longer in contact with, recommended it to me. This was knowing I deeply identified with Pearl, knowing I was an assault victim, and knowing that I was using jaspearl with Pearl being a survivor to help cope with that. I wasn’t warned about the contents, just told that it was a good jaspearl story, and given the illustrated version to read.

Being easily triggered by graphic images, this did not end well. Without knowing anything else about the story, and the initial assault scene very nicely mirroring my own experiences, AND it involving the rape of a character I identified with by a character I was shipping her with to heal that pain, I was, as you said, VERY against the fic. I was under the immediate impression that it was rape-as-entertainment porn. I got nauseous every time I saw the title, or even mention of the author’s name. NONE of this is her fault, and it’s important to remember that. I know a lot of people say things about her, and they really aren’t fair, because I know for a fact that reactions such as mine are not something she wishes on anyone, because she’s said just that to me. I’m only mentioning them again to show how significant and sincere the rest of the story is.

I was(and still am!) in a discord chat centered on an SU character, one of the first people who were in it, and I became a regular voice in it. Around mid/late October, Butts got added to it. I immediately got upset and worried, and I went to the creator of the discord chat for help. I knew it was rude of me to be so upset, since she seemed nice and others were excited about her being there. I had the idea to try and talk to her. Maybe knowing why she wrote what she did, and what the purpose of it was, and an affirmation that it wasn’t “rape is hawt lol” junk, would help stop my irrational fear of her. But since I wasn’t sure what she was like or how the rest of the VERY long fic outside of that first chapter progressed(plus a few snippets of the early chapters that were also sent to me to mess me up), I was way too nervous to do that. Thankfully, the chat mod had read it, and assured me that it was all about survival and subversion, and NOT what I had been led to believe it was. Still something I was sure I’d never want to read, but I still wanted to talk to her.

And I am very, VERY glad I did. She immediately apologized. Yes, apologized for the fact that someone else made their own choice to use her content to hurt me. After a bit of conversation she said this, which I’m putting copied from that convo since I couldn’t say it better myself(with her permission):

“ No, it makes sense. I understand coming into it and not expecting it must have been jarring. The first 6-7 chapters have some very difficult, hard-to-swallow content. There are themes there that point out and enunciate every ugly, demeaning trope that we have become normalized to. And it’s on purpose. Because I wanted to explore the characters in the context of a society that condones that behavior. I want Homeworld’s culture and flaws to reflect ours in an acute, unmistakable way. Building up these issues and the society that breeds them in the first ~7 Chapters or so is only for the explicit purpose of later tearing it down from the inside out. I wanted to show Jasper unravel herself from the Homeworld mindset and I wanted Pearl to come into her own through the experience as well. I’m currently in Act II of a three-act fic, so it’s quite a long game I’m playing. And yes, it’s not always pretty. It’s a hard fic to read and stomach for some. I won’t deny that. But it’s the fic I needed to write for myself as an artist and a creator to deconstruct some of these themes.I apologize–I know hearing about it might upset you. But I also hope it will help explain some of the choices made from my perspective. Know not every fic I write as those themes.  But when I do write about them, I write them for a purpose.I’ll be honest, it can be a little upsetting that there are a lot of conclusions draw about me and my writing before I’ve finished it. I’ve had people call it “that fancy rape fic” and other such things that really make me uncomfortable. Yes, there is non-con in the fic, but that’s not what it’s ABOUT. Not to me.”

There was much more to our conversation, but that’s the bit that helped take away the majority of my fears. And even after accepting and thanking her for her explanation, she not only told me to let her know if she ever did anything else to make me uncomfortable, but offered right there to excuse herself from the server if I felt her presence would be too much for me. That wasn’t something she had to do. She could have just given her explanation and left it at that, and I wouldn’t have blamed her for doing so! But she still offered. I declined, and we’re still both in the server.

It would have ended there, except for two things:

1. A friend of mine who also didn’t want to read the fic or hear about any of the darker parts, but did think Butts had a lovely art style, mentioned looking at the later chapters for the pretty art.

2. I was still getting much milder but still irritating reactions when I came across mentions of the fic or looked in the art tag of tumblrs that reblogged some of the earlier art and stumbled across it. Not to mention, tumblr savior and blacklist are just plain shitty sometimes, and people also just don’t feel like tagging their reblogs either.

Because of that, I decided maybe some mild exposure therapy would help, on my own terms. If I looked just at the later chapter art, and saw the pretty things my friend liked, which I knew wouldn’t be triggering because she was avoiding the fic itself for similar reasons, maybe I’d be able to associate content and talk about it with things that weren’t immediately disturbing.

And of course, I made the mistake of not asking to clarify WHICH chapter art that friend thought was pretty, or going to Butts herself or any other fans for direction to which illustrations would be safe for me to view. So I looked a liiiittle too early, and saw things like Pearl in her cell/the nursery Pearl(”Hello”) next to her, and the three Pearls in the brothel. These weren’t enough to be triggering or that upsetting, but I didn’t like them at first and was annoyed that this time I didn’t take the right precautions to avoid them.

But I’m glad I messed up, because it got me intrigued. From those pictures(and some others) plus snippets of sentences I caught while scrolling, I got the feeling this wasn’t just a fic that subverted awful tropes and handled the idea of a society that has no concept of sexual assault well. It was one which also had themes and worldbuilding elements around that main concept that I, specifically, would enjoy and appreciate. Remember, I’m currently working on two projects involving Pearls that are sexually abused and either healing from or fighting to escape said abuse, though all of the assault happens off-screen. Take all the written/drawn instances of it out, and replace Jasper with an OC since I don’t like thinking of canon characters as assailants, and you have something I might write myself!

I thought, ok, what if I try reading part of the fic? I remembered that Butts had said it was the earlier chapters that had all of the especially hard to swallow things before the subversion and tearing down of tropes started. It wasn’t a guarantee, but if the world she’d made was as captivating as I thought it might be, that could help with my lingering issues. With the few snippets I saw, I really, REALLY wanted to try. After some debate, I decided to go to Butts for advice on where I should start. She was the person with the most information on how badly the earlier versions had triggered me + an extra intimate knowledge of where certain themes were.

And hoooly shit am I glad I went to her. I explained that I’d seen snippets of middle/later chapters, both from being linked to earlier/middle stuff and from looking at middle/later stuff myself. I wanted to try reading the fic, just for the exploration into the Homeworld she created. I had a lot of questions. I wanted to know if it was possible to read from a later point, and if she would be ok with just telling me important plot bits of the earlier chapters, and if she would be ok with me asking questions while I read if I was confused about anything.

She did that, and WAY more. This wasn’t long ago, just over a week; looking at our convo shows my questions about reading started on the 9th. We talked for hours about the things I was intrigued by, the concerns I had, and what scenes exactly would be hard or impossible for me to read. We literally talked for HOURS about the themes she had, what her intentions were with them, worldbuilding stuff that other fans had never asked but I was curious about, seeing if I was understanding the mindset of the characters properly, etc. I even spoke a lot about the similarities/differences between her headcanon for Gem reproduction and mine, and a lot of my own original ideas in general.

She suggested I start at a specific point in chapter 7, gave me a phrase to ctrl + f to start from, and EXPLICITLY warned me of some future things that may have been upsetting, since she wasn’t sure what other things I was triggered by. This resulted in, from mid-chapter 7 to chapter 13, over several days, my reading what I could in short bursts and stopping both when I needed a break and when I was confused/had questions.

And Butts happily and enthusiastically answered every. Single. One.She was very attentive to my concerns, and even gave me a spoiler for something I was very worried about and said I would have to mentally prepare myself if handled a certain way(No, I’m not saying what it was or whether it’ll be handled that certain way or not, don’t bug her about it either, it was a personal issue for me). My questions even prompted the idea of a chapter-by-chapter reading guide for those who like me would enjoy the plot but needed to be careful about certain scenes! No guarantee on that, just bringing it up as that is the kind of genuine concern and thoughtfulness Butts has about these things.

It got to the point where I was pausing in my reading not because I had to or I was confused, but because the way something was being handled or something a character did had me very excited due to how WELL it was done, and I just had to fangirl over it to her directly. I even did a “liveblog” to her of my reading the latest chapter(14) via private messaging, again because I was just so damn excited(hence my partial analysis of the chapter). There are still rough themes, still things I have trouble reading, but now it’s all done with the knowledge that the author truly understands the gravity of these things, and how serious they are, and how delicately they ought to be handled.

That said, it’s still a very dark, very heavy fic. A lot of people won’t like it, and just plain won’t be able to read any of it. That’s fine! But I want to assure everyone that no, Butts does not write rape as entertainment. She doesn’t treat sexual assault lightly. She doesn’t want anyone to be hurt by her writing, and knows the importance of taking harmful tropes associated with assault and tearing them down. And, in the eyes of someone who once had full-blown panic attacks at just the words “A Long Way From Home”, she’s doing it EXTREMELY well.

In short: Yes, by no fault of the author, ALWFH once hurt me terribly, due in part to the noncon elements and how they are at first portrayed. Now, after just a week of careful guidance from Butts, those same exact elements are helping me to heal.

[comicteaparty]

August 24th-August 30th, 2019 Creator Babble Archive

The archive for the Creator Babble chat that occurred from August 24th, 2019 to August 30th, 2019.  The chat focused on the following question:

What is your favorite aspect when writing character dialogue?  What is your least favorite aspect?

HiddenElephant

My favorite aspect when writing character dialogue is when characters get into arguing or other verbal conflict; this stuff writes itself! My least favorite aspect is remembering to put in all the minor character verbal tics, such as no sharkfolk using contractions. Oh, and the obligatory link: http://thewideocean.thecomicseries.com/

spacerocketbunny

I love writing personal or emotional dialogue for characters, it's fun to see how they all express themselves differently in these situations and how they handle it! One thing I struggle with is adding bits of different languages in character dialogue if they're bi/multilingual. I'm not bilingual myself and I don't have the best resources or references to turn to when writing dialogue, so I worry if it comes off a bit silly(edited)

keii4ii

@spacerocketbunny I'm bilingual and know a lot of multilingual folks IRL. I don't know if this is universal, but it seems to be the case among the people I know: if someone is fluent in both languages, they won't switch between languages while talking to someone not fluent in both languages. (This ruined the character Mako for me, in her intro scene in the Pacific Rim movie...)

Someone who's only fluent in one language might very well be different. Also could be different if the two languages share a lot of similarities, e.g. two Latinate languages. Most of the bi/multilingual people I know speak Korean/English, so it's hard to mix them up unintentionally.

deo101

I am also bilingual, though it is in ASL so it would be incredibly difficult for me to even "accidentally" switch between languages. Though, I can attest that all my multilingual friends (usually spanish/english) don't really switch either. I can think of one time a friend yelled angrily in spanish at a videogame which was an accident, but that's it.

spacerocketbunny

In any instances that I have written parts with a bit of different languages it's always been intentional on the character's part, so none of them have been "accidental slips" and whatnot, Thank you for your insight though, that's very helpful!

kayotics

As per the question: dialogue is my favorite part to write, in all honesty. Probably why comics are fun for me. I think my favorite part about dialogue is figuring out how to weave exposition into natural character interactions. Sometimes it doesn’t make sense to do that (like someone explaining a problem), but for things that the characters would naturally know (like how the world works or relationships between other characters) I enjoy trying to tie in exposition for the reader while still making it seem natural. Least favorite is probably just keeping things trimmed down, I tend to get carried away. I also find remembering character voice a little difficult to implement, like one character using specific words or ways of speaking. And the comic plug: https://www.ingress-comic.com/

mariah currey

Lol same X') sometimes it feels more like the plot is directed more by conversations I want the characters to have than anything else. That's kind of an exaggeration, but the most fun part for me is thinking about the emotional exchabge between characters. And yeah my least favorite part is editing the dialogue down. I tend to write long so a lot of the time it's like a puzzle of trying to figure out how to still communicate what I'm trying to get across in half the words I originally wrote it to be. Link: http://rainydaydreams.mariahcurrey.com/

AntiBunny

I don't so much write dialogue, as I do let it play out in my head. The characters of AntiBunny http://antibunny.net/ sort of just write their own. Each has their own mannerisms from Piago's unexplained southern accent, that none of her family shows, to Pooky's use of British slang picked up from watching too many Britcoms. So my favorite part is just playing the scenes out in my head, and letting them form organically. Least favorite part is when it comes to the final draft, and cutting it down to what will fit on the page and flow well with the action. A lot has to go in the name of flow, just like a realistic organic conversation can't really be depicted in fiction and tell a cohesive story. So it has to be distilled down to the message that needs to be delivered, and then that needs to be balanced for what will display properly in sequential art.

FeatherNotes

As far as the bilingual tibit goes- my family has a lot of french /english speaking people and phrases often go in and out of each language when speaking to each other. The sentence doesn't straight up go into another language mid thought, rather its peppered in. Often when the point can't be articulated in the speaking language, in my example, french would be used to emphasize a feeling. And it's something I've done and seen a lot- i think it depends on where the speakers are in these situations. There are specific bilingual provinces and states that show people doing the same (im from quebec and the way the pepper in both languages is very much how they speak.) So, when writing characters, having a sense of environment and placement of culture is something to consider to flesh them out with dialogue. My least fave part of writing is trimming as well to fit the pages and not sound too wordy haha

Tuyetnhi

For me, I have fun writing dialogue when there's conflict and tension between two characters, like a situation where another has to decieve through their words or confessing their feelings. It does play a bit of foreshadowing but I also want it to appear as contingent as possible lol. About the bilingual thing, I'm also bilingual but i often struggle trying to say the right words either in english or vietnamese (such as describing a certain word in english to a Vietnamese speaker and I end up saying the english word of the thing I want to describe lmao. It happens a lot). I think that situation is common with a lot of folks who grown up in a bilingual household (such as both of your parents speak 2 languages, and you end up assorbing most of that native language of the country your in instead your parents native tongue). I'm planning to incorpate this through my MC's dialogue for that kind of naturalism (plus other factors too lmao).(edited)

least fav part is also trying not to be wordy as well. lmao. i do like trimming dialogue just to make it feel kinda punchy in a way depending on the character.(edited)

snuffysam

For Super Galaxy Knights http://sgkdr.thecomicseries.com/, I just love writing dialogue in general. Figuring out how different characters should react in different situations, figuring out a way for it to all sound natural... it's all fun. The one thing I dislike is when I have to explain some concept to the readers in a character's voice. Taci explaining energy usage to Mizuki was fun because he's the type to lord over his knowledge of something. And Pejiba explaining magic abilities to Mizuki made sense, though that dialogue still feels a bit lacking to me. But there's this one upcoming scene in book 3 where I HATE the dialogue, just because there's no other way to explain stuff other than "as you know, only one in every million people can survive the radstream" and it's annoying.

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I love finding moments to slip in random quirky character-building dialogue bits in Phantomarine (http://www.phantomarine.com/). The phenomenon of having a character say one thing - funny, heart-wrenching, relatable, or otherwise - and have the audience immediately fall in love with them (or hate them intensely!) is something I like trying, because I’ve experienced a similar phenomenon many times, both with fictional characters and in real life. Sometimes, all it takes is a single sentence for me to go “Ooh, you’re a unique one. I like you. I want to know more about you. What’s your deal?” My gold standard is the introduction of Lilo in “Lilo and Stitch.” She’s instantly memorable and relatable in her weirdness. My instinct is to streamline dialogue to convey information as clearly and quickly as possible, but adding those non-essential characterization moments is so important - it makes the characters so real, and breaks up the pacing nicely, especially in a story that’s generally pretty serious. Those quirky bits make the experience so much more fun.

Steph (@grandpaseawitch)

I absolutely love writing dialogue for http://oldmanandtheseawitch.tumblr.com/. I think it's really where a lot of characterization shines, especially if you know how to use speech bubbles fluently to do so. Every character has a different beat, a different musicality. Ains (and most of the Pub Lads) tend to have dialects a bit like dropping a rock into a puddle. A sudden beat with few ripples--they're laymen, fishermen, you have to get across a lot in only a short time span. "Yep," "nope," and for Ains, he's especially prone to this. Witchy, comparatively, when he finally talks (minor spoiler but not that surprising), has a purring, flowing, flowery sort of language. Ains is very upfront and forward. Witchy's comes across as having an ulterior motive. Dialogue becomes another means of illustrating their individual personalities. My least favorite part is purely technical: formatting and consolidation. Having to pick where you sacrifice legibility for character and character for legibility. Blurbs don't always fit nicely into bubbles, or I have to add a word so as to not break the rules of bubble formatting too much.