lauraschiller

[lauraschiller]

The world feels heavier these days. War and hate creep further into places once thought safe, and destruction—of forests, of lives, of hope—seems to be the one thing we’ve truly mastered. Whether it's bombs falling or ancient trees cut down or love denied out of fear or ignorance, the ache of it all is relentless. I won’t pretend I’m above it. Most days, I feel it in my bones. The despair. The helplessness. The creeping sense that we are losing something we won’t be able to get back.

But today, I did what I often do when it’s too much: I took my camera and went to the forest. I sat on a rock, as I’ve done so many times before, heart heavy with doubt. And then, from the green hush beside me, came a soft chirp. I turned, and there she was—a tiny fledgling robin, newly launched into the world. She didn’t know anything of war or hate or vanishing trees. She only knew that I was there, strange and still, and worth a closer look.

She hopped and fluttered from branch to branch, curious and bold in the way only young creatures can be. And in that brief moment, there were no headlines, no grief, no fear. Just a small bird being a bird. And me, being a person. Quietly alive.

I know her life will be hard. So will mine. So will yours, perhaps. But for that moment, the world paused, and there was joy. And I thought—yes. I can live another day. I hope you can too. European Robin/rödhake. Värmland, Sweden (June 22, 2025).

[lauraschiller]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Kira Nerys/Odo, Vic Fontaine & Odo Characters: Odo (Star Trek), Kira Nerys, Vic Fontaine Additional Tags: Episode: s06e20 His Way, Fix-It, Holodecks & Holosuites (Star Trek), Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, First Kiss, respecting boundaries, Song: Ours (Taylor Swift) Series: Part 12 of Playlist: Speak Now (Taylor's Version) Summary:

In which Odo and Kira work things out Odo-and-Kira-style, with a little bit of help from one of our favorite holograms.

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Kindness is a survival skill. THE WILD ROBOT — 2024, dir. Chris Sanders.

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The Cardassians from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are one of the toughest challenges I've ever faced as a fan fiction writer. Everything they say or do has so many layers.

First, there's the top layer: how they want to be seen. If we take Garak as an example, this is where he says: "Who, me? I'm just a plain, simple tailor."

Then there's the middle layer: what they tell themselves. Garak tells himself he's proud of being a spy, that he served his nation, and that all he regrets is being exiled.

Then there's the bottom layer: who they really are. In Garak's case, that's a deeply traumatized, incredibly resilient person, who if given half a chance would tear apart the entire system that raised him and rebuild it from the ground up.

They're rarely honest, even with themselves. Their whole worldview is warped by history, whether they realize it or not. And the more I write about them, the more I have to admit that humans are often the same way.

So, writers, if you want to practice realism, go watch some grey lizard people. ;) I highly recommend it.

[lauraschiller]

Rant incoming

I feel like the problem with a lot of Disney's live action remakes (and arguably Wish) is they're trying to appeal to a crowd that no longer exists, namely the people who used to claim that the Disney Princesses were sexist.

All the interviews tend to include, "Well she's not chasing a MAN anymore" which...almost no one sees the princesses like that, anymore. Virtually NO ONE still believes the princesses are man-chasing sexist caricatures of women.

Cinderella is now hailed as an abuse victim who stayed strong long enough to get help to get out of her situation. Anyone who says she should have saved herself is basically regarded as a victim blamer. And it's very clear in the film she wasn't looking to marry the prince, she just wanted a night off. She was the only one who wasn't in line to meet him. She didn't find out she met the prince until he went looking for her!

Snow White is now hailed for her negotiation skills, ability to calm down after extreme stress (she had a moment of panic and had to cry for a bit, but who wouldn't after finding out The Queen hired someone to kill you?), and ability to take charge of a house of adult men. And again, she was an abuse victim, this time trying to escape ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS. While she dreamed of her prince, it was secondary to her main goal of SURVIVAL. There are also entire video essays about how Snow White gave hope to people during The Great Depression.

Everyone acknowledges that Ariel wanted to be human BEFORE meeting Eric. We all know she was a nerd hyperfixating on humans, and also standing up to her prejudiced father.

We understand Sleeping Beauty wasn't the main character, the Three Good Fairies were, AND PHILLIP WOULD NEVER HAVE BEATEN MALEFICENT WITHOUT THEM! He literally depended on them! WOMEN SAVED THE DAY! But even then, is it really such a sin for a girl to fantasize about romance and fall for someone with corny pickup lines?

We all understand Jasmine just wanted someone to treat her LIKE A PERSON. She rejected every Prince before Aladdin because they treated her like a prize. So why did they need her to want to be Sultan? How did that make her more feminist when she already wanted to be treated like an equal and have a say in her future? Is it only empowering if you want a career in politics?

We admire that Belle, despite living in a judgemental village, was kind to everyone (even though she found the village life dull), and her story teaches girls that the guy everyone else loves isn't always a good guy. What's sexist about teaching girls about red flags? And she didn't start being nice to The Beast until he started treating her with respect and kindness.

Do I really NEED to defend Mulan or Tiana? I think they speak for themselves.

Rapunzel was yet another abuse victim who just needed a little help to get out of her bad situation. In this case, she also needed to learn that she was an abuse victim, and that what Mother Gothel did WASN'T normal, much like many victims of gaslighting.

And don't get me started on the non-princess animals.

Perdita had a healthy relationship with Pongo to the point she was open to express her pregnancy fears to him, and was ready to TEAR APART Cruella's goons for daring to touch her puppies as well as adopting the other puppies. Like, she was so ferocious the goons mistook her for a hyena! She's basically that "I AM THAT GIRL'S MOTHER!" scene from SpyXFamily if Yor were a dog. She and her husband were a TEAM.....but they made a Cruella live action to turn her into a girlboss?! The literal animal abuser!? THAT'S the woman you wanted to put on a pedestal when Perdita was RIGHT THERE!?

Duchess kept her kittens calm after they had been catnapped and was classy as heck. Nice to everyone regardless of social class during a time period where that was uncommon.

Lady stood up to Tramp when she believed he had abandoned her and didn't really care about her. She found out he was a heartbreaker and was like, "Nuh uh. No. You are not doing that to me! You put me through enough."

Miss Bianca from The Rescuers was IN CHARGE the whole movie, and was willing to risk life and limb to save an innocent child. THAT TINY MOUSE TOOK ON ALLIGATORS! And she picked Bernard to accompany her because he was the only one who wasn't ogling her. And then in the sequel SHE DID IT ALL AGAIN! I wish I were as brave as her.

Like, the public haven't accused these ladies of being sexist caricatures since 2014 (Actresses and actors don't count, they're out of touch like the rest of Hollywood) yet Disney is operating under the assumption that the public still thinks that way, hence all the "sHe'S nOt AfTeR a MaN iN ThIs VeRsIOn" talk.

The live action remakes are trying to attract an audience that doesn't really exist much, anymore, and back when it did exist, was comprised mainly of people who didn't actually watch the films. The Disney princesses are no longer seen as sexist, and feminine qualities are no longer seen as weak or undesirable.

[lauraschiller]

I just wanna say that I really really think it's such a miserable way to live for Christians to look at TV shows and movies and books as either Christian or not. And proceeding to HATE anything that they think ISN'T.

Like... what about seeing God in everything? What about seeing the Christ-like values hidden in even the most secular stories? Even the ones that get it wrong? What about looking at a story and instead of hating it for having non-Christian and even incorrect views or roots and seeing it as something that needs to be fixed and changed, what about seeing the beauty of God in it anyway?

Shouldn't we be LOOKING for the things that are good and pure and true in EVERYTHING instead of just assuming only SOME things are worthy of being seen that way? Isn't that the more Christ-like way to live?? Loving things because despite it all, God is within??? Instead of fighting the world on everything and deeming things not Christian enough that it needs to be fixed, why not look for the truth within??

Because it's my firm belief that everything has Christ-like values in them. You just have to be able to see it.

(And no, this isn't to the Christians who have headcanons that are related to Christianity and Christian values and have characters become Christian in fics and stuff, I ADORE THE PEOPLE WHO DO THIS because what THEY'RE doing is bringing what's there already OUT. This is more to the people who instead act like "this thing is BAD and I must FIX IT to be CHRISTIAN and I refuse to like it otherwise BECAUSE IM RIGHT" or "Ugh this has [insert diff religion/incorrect things], which means BAD".)

(this post is prompted after a long and lovely convo with @the-old-fashioned-girl)

[lauraschiller]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Major Character Death Relationships: Dukat & Tora Ziyal, Dukat & Benjamin Sisko, Dukat/Tora Naprem, Tora Naprem & Tora Ziyal Characters: Dukat (Star Trek), Tora Ziyal, Tora Naprem Additional Tags: Episode: s06e11 Waltz, Gul Dukat Has Visions, Gul Dukat Is His Own Trigger Warning, Redemption Fail, Song: I Knew You Were Trouble (Taylor Swift) Series: Part 17 of Playlist: Red (Taylor's Version) Summary:

What Ziyal and Naprem might have said to Dukat if they had appeared to him in those caves.

[lauraschiller]

i'll trash russian novel translations every day, but the russian movie dub, on the other hand, kinda EATS, and here's my favourite bit:

where in english diaval says, "in return for saving my life, i am your servant. whatever you need," in russian he says, "in gratitude for saving my life, i shall serve you. faithfully and truly".

and then when maleficent talks about her wings, where in english she says, "they never faltered, not even once," in russian she says, "they never faltered, they served me faithfully and truly."

they said we'll shove the parallel down your THROAT

[lauraschiller]

Chapters: 2/2 Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Kira Nerys/Odo, Jadzia Dax/Worf Characters: Kira Nerys, Odo (Star Trek), Jadzia Dax, Worf (Star Trek:TNG/DS9) Additional Tags: Episode: s06e07 You Are Cordially Invited (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Past Female Founder/Odo, Unethical Changeling Linking, Dominion Occupation of Deep Space Nine, In-Laws, Weddings, Reconciliation Series: Part 4 of Playlist: reputation (Taylor Swift) Summary:

Two couples (although one won't admit it) share a heart-to-heart during and after the bachelorette party,

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Odo'Ital, having dealt with his feelings for a number of years: My love for Major Kira is a difficult thing to hold back but I must do so, to prevent potentially destroying the friendship we share. She is my dear friend and I would not want to lose her, no matter how much it hurts knowing she will likely never see me the same way.

Kira Nerys, twenty seconds after realising her feelings: If I don't kiss Odo within the next five minutes, I'm going to die-

[lauraschiller]

Panoramix × Apothika = Panorapothika 🤪❤️

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[lauraschiller]

It is so much more fun to listen to people talk about things they like instead of tearing down things they hate.

It's helping people to see beauty, encouraging them to think about good things instead of focusing on flaws. It can help people to appreciate something in a way they couldn't see from their own perspective, adding more joy to their life. It builds community, inviting people to enjoy something you like, instead of pushing away people who appreciate something you hate.

It's more useful from a criticism perspective, too. Endless "thou shalt nots" tell you what to avoid, but they don't tell you what to do. As a creative, negativity can paralyze you--if you're constantly backing away from the edge in fear, afraid to do something wrong, you find you have less and less room to maneuver, until you're stuck on a narrow ledge. Showing people what works gives them something to strive for, expands the tools that they can use, gives them freedom to explore and mix and create to build something new and beautiful that that has good things to give us instead of simply lacking bad things.

Creativity is about building things up, not tearing them down, so it's fitting when your criticism is in the same spirit.

[lauraschiller]

some asterix hcs nobody asked for ✨

Obelix doesn't get cold in the winter for a number of reasons but Asterix insists he wear a scarf and gloves anyway

Speaking of, Asterix is the village's professional worrywart (thankfully he's chilled out as he's gotten older)

In winters with particularly heavy snow, Asterix will ride on Obelix’s shoulder so he doesn’t get stuck

Cacofonix likes to people-watch from his cottage and has some of the best gossip bc of it 👀

Getafix secretly keeps a store of placebo potions for hypochondriac villagers (it’s mostly tea)

Asterix and Obelix have such bad separation anxiety that if they’re away from each other for too long they make themselves sick bc they’re drama queens lol

Getafix is a true workaholic who hates sleeping and can go up to a week without it, but he’ll then have to crash for an entire day afterwards

Whenever Asterix gets sick Dogmatix will sleep in his bed instead of Obelix’s

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socks are the primary producers of the laundry biome. they typically mate for life and come in a wide variety of patterns, though—unlike shoes, which many theorize to be a symbiotic species—they lack sexual dimorphism. juvenile socks resemble their parents, but have yet to develop the long necks that distinguish socks from other species of the extremity family, such as mittens

[lauraschiller]

Genius Things to Do When You’re Stuck in Your Plot...

Make a fake conspiracy board connecting every character like you're solving a murder. Use string, post-its, color-coded chaos. Even if your book isn’t a thriller, this helps you spot secret relationships, hidden motivations, and “oh crap, this character actually caused that moment three chapters later” reveals.

Write a therapy session transcript for your protagonist. What would they say to a stranger? What wouldn’t they say? What does the therapist pick up on that they don’t? (Also: gives you instant internal conflict fuel.)

Record a fake podcast episode where your villain is a guest. The topic? “Why I Was Right and Everyone Else Is Just Soft.” Let them monologue. Let them get unhinged. You’ll learn so much about their worldview and how they justify their chaos.

Assign zodiac signs to all your main characters and write how they’d react to a haunted house. Not because astrology is the answer—but because forcing your brain to imagine characters in weird situations unlocks surprising truths. (Your Scorpio would definitely flirt with the ghost. Your Virgo brought sage.)

Write the worst possible ending to your story on purpose. Like, make it hilariously bad. Deus ex machina, everyone dies, aliens show up—it doesn’t matter. Sometimes mocking your plot actually helps you figure out what doesn’t work so you can reverse-engineer what does.

Do a “what if this happened instead?” daydream session in the shower or on a walk. No pressure. Just free-thinking. Let your brain go off-road. You might stumble into a better twist, or a softer moment, or a scene that guts you in the best way.

Write the one scene you’re most excited about—now. Even if you “haven’t earned it” yet in the draft. Screw linear order. Give yourself a jolt of joy. That scene might be the key to unlocking everything else.

Make your characters write Yelp reviews about each other. “One star. Always steals my fries. Would still die for him.” This is ridiculous, yes. But it will reveal interpersonal tension you didn’t know was there.

Tell your plot to someone who knows nothing about it—and see where they get confused. Your roommate. Your cat. Your reflection. If you can’t explain it out loud in 2 minutes, it’s probably too complicated. Simplify the heart of the story. Get clear again.

Write a flash-forward epilogue. Even if it never makes it into the book. Where do these characters end up? Who are they now? That can tell you where the real story wants to go—and help you figure out what’s missing along the way.

[lauraschiller]

There was a young man from Peru

Whose limericks stopped at line two