#(by not a major plot point i don't mean that it wasn't significant)

[highkey-lowkey-as-hell]

sometimes it just hits me that like. chess qualified for the olympics. chess was supposed to go to the olympics. chess may not have competed but she was this close to being an OLYMPIAN.

[velvet-games]

hmm ok thoughts/questions so far on hazbin hannibal au (feel free to chime in):

okay full disclosure I haven't watched hannibal in like four years but I was obsessed enough with it at the time that I can hopefully still analyze it without forgetting major chunks of plot (emphasis on hopefully)

also full disclosure that a lot of my view of alastor is based on fandom/my own extrapolation; I rewatched some of hazbin recently, and we honestly don't get much! there's a lot of room for different interps and I'm just using mine

the most obvious choice for hannibal is alastor, but the characters are just different enough that I can either a) have someone else be hannibal or b) have the whole point be that alastor is not hannibal (and why that's interesting)

hannibal is a lonely devil (but like, not from the bible): he's the only guy in the world that knows how to play chess, and he'll do anything to keep playing with the one other guy that knows how to play chess; hannibal is legitimately better and cooler than most people, and he is only actually made vulnerable by will.

alastor is like. just a guy tbh. even in hell, he's kind of mediocre; not all of the other overlords respect him, and he's not even as powerful as the goetia, much less anyone in heaven. and that's not even touching on human alastor.

hannibal is born into a lot of wealth, and I think that shapes his sense of "morality;" instead of absorbing actual morals, he absorbs a need for decorum and propriety (the aesthetic of morality basically). he kills because people are "impolite." he fucks with people because it's genuinely just interesting, and he doesn't respect them as people.

I don't really know what to do with hannibal's trauma with later being destitute and having to eat his sister; it wasn't fully explained in the show, and I think it's kind of a relic from the more human version of him in the books. maybe it speaks to a level of having to remove oneself emotionally because being invested means Something Bad Happened to Hannibal, which cannot happen ("nothing happened. I happened." etc etc), and that's why he needs to see everything as a game he can control. that makes will a lot more significant because hannibal could've chosen not to play chess, but now that he does, he needs someone to play with him (or he might have to go back to believing something bad happened). eh.

I don't think alastor was born into wealth at all; I'm good with the general fandom interp of him growing up poor with a shitty father, and I don't really see him as ever becoming wealthy in life. I doubt being a radio show host paid that much, especially since his whole thing is not being a sellout.

alastor's morality is kind of a big question mark that everyone has a different answer to. I don't like the politeness thing because again, I see it as being shaped by hannibal's childhood, and I also do think alastor is Invested. I think he's too invested, actually; there's kind of this desperate edge to him that hannibal would never have. alastor's ego is wounded multiple times and he is, at least to the audience, very obviously ticked off by it. he doesn't like that the other overlords aren't impressed by him, he has a meltdown over husk's minor jab, and tears out his own hair at the idea that other people might've thought he had a heart. he's less of a master chess player and more of a wounded animal that got really good at scaring other animals into not hurting it again. but he's still an animal. and no one has gotten close enough to heal the wound.

so I guess alastor's morality is just whatever feels good/safe. I watched swarm a while back, and I liked the use of murder as a kind of coping mechanism: "this feels bad. I don't feel safe. I don’t know how to deal with this. no one in my life has taught me how to process emotions normally, so I'm literally just gonna do murder." dre's killing is subtextually compared to stress eating; it feels good, there's a dopamine rush, and you stop thinking about the bad things. you can also eat comfort food just because you want to and enjoy it.

something I realized while I watched the show is that I'm pretty sure we don't see alastor actually kill that many people? like he fucked with pentious and tried to kill adam, plus we get a flashback about killing other overlords, but I only remember him actually killing the sharks that were after mimzy. so. lots of extrapolation still.

I think all of those examples can be read using the eating metaphor, but obviously there's some other stuff going on too. killing the overlords was a reputation-building (no one will hurt me if I'm scary enough) moment, but it was also just for the more practical side of gaining power/souls. killing for mimzy helped confirm to charlie that he could defend the hotel, and it also plays into his role as a gentleman that will clean up mimzy's messes. he gets to be a hero in a fucked up way.

there's obviously no redemption arc for hannibal. I don't even know what the fuck that would mean in a thematic sense. but I do think alastor can be softened a lot if he lets someone in to heal the wound. not sure who that would be though.

I have a lot more, but just one little thing to end on and get y'all's thoughts going: what if vox is hannibal? not in the full character sense, but just to fill the role as the rich guy that psychoanalyzes people. he's probably more obviously suited to a freddie lounds-type role, but maybe he does hypnosis "therapy" and realizes it doesn't work on alastor, which sparks his interest. just some food for thought.

[markantonys]

I'm curious how the show is gonna handle Rand's relationship with the Aiel. It should be very interesting. Bookwise he kinda rejects their culture/seeing himself as Aiel cause of him clinging to his old life. They might just frame it differently, maybe he just doesn't feel a right to it cause he wasn't raised Aiel. Overall it seems like the show might be going in the direction of people in general being more receptive to learning about Aiel culture over them just handwaving them away as weird (like Perrin's interactions with Avi when book Perrin wouldn't have done that). Maybe Rand is more willing to learn cause he wants to learn more about his birth parents

yeah i don't know what to expect in this regard! my only particular annoyance with aiel-culture-related stuff in the books is that the books would introduce something as culturally or thematically important, but then shuffle it aside once it became inconvenient to the plot. i.e:

the aiel are introduced as very anxious to tie rand to them so that he doesn't destroy them. but when later plot prevents rand from having aiel hanging around him, they stop hanging around him and aren't overly concerned about him ignoring them (bar complaints here and there, with little attempt to actually Do Anything to make him stop ignoring them).

avirand's relationship is introduced as a crucial binding cord between rand and the aiel and as significant to general aiel-wetland relations, but this is dropped once later plot prevents them from spending time together, and aviendha is never used as a mediator in rand-aiel conflicts when by all logic she should be since that was one of the main narrative purposes of their relationship upon introduction.

the maidens & wise ones are so concerned about keeping avirand together for binding cord reasons that they chase off any wetlander woman who tries to hit on him, but once RJ decided that a) he wanted min to hook up with rand without being obstructed by the aiel surrounding him and b) there would be no opportunity for her to become first-sisters with aviendha before doing so, then suddenly the maidens & wise ones are all about min and becoming top min/rand shippers and aviendha is saying it's totally fine to make an exception to the first-sister rule for min even though she is very adamant about upholding it for elayne. when by all logic, the maidens & wise ones should NOT be happy about another wetlander woman with no connection to aviendha trying to get with rand (they'd have no reason to think min is any different from isendre, cairhienin nobles, etc in this regard) and aviendha should be much more resistant to making exceptions to rules we've been told are hugely culturally significant to her.

so my one wish for all aiel-culture-related stuff in the show is that if the show introduces something as culturally or thematically important, it should commit to that importance for the rest of the series rather than sweeping it aside once it's no longer convenient to the plot. that doesn't mean rand/wetlander-aiel relations needs to be a major theme or plot point of every single season for the rest of the show, because ofc it should naturally fade more into the background as the story goes on and other things come up, but it's gotta be either a) rand is tied securely enough to the aiel by the time he has to go off and do other stuff that it makes sense they're not concerned about things like him ditching them and getting a new wetlander girlfriend, or b) if he's not tied securely enough, then make the aiel react accordingly and actually try to use aviendha to intervene with him on their behalf.

hopefully this ramble makes sense djkjfg and it didn't even end up having much to do with rand's personal attitudes towards aiel culture, so i got off topic a bit! but for me, i am good with whatever show!rand's personal attitude ends up being as long as things remain emotionally consistent throughout the course of the show.

[chiriwritesstuff]

An Apology, Reflection, Staying true to yourself, and Some News: Updates on 'The Girl in IT' and 'My Wife in IT'

Hey Guys.

I owe you all a huge apology. It's been a rough ride lately, and I want to take a moment to explain what's been going on. I think it's important to have this conversation, even if it scares the shit out of me. So, before I dive in, I want to say sorry in advance for what I'm about to share.

Firstly, I want to say sorry for my absence. Back in February, I got hit with a nasty virus right when 'The Girl in IT' was really taking off. Seeing the story gain traction was incredible, but it also came with its own set of challenges. Suddenly, I was getting hundreds of notes instead of the usual handful, and it was overwhelming, to say the least.

At the end of the day, I'm just like anyone else – human. I write because it's a passion of mine, but I also want to create something that resonates with all of you. However, in the pursuit of trying to make everyone happy, it's easy to lose sight of your own vision. That's exactly what happened with 'The Girl in IT'. I got so caught up in trying to cater to my self-created expectations that I lost touch with what I originally wanted Sugar's journey to be. Adapting to all the changes I've made from the original story became a real challenge for me, and I just... felt so lost.

Then came the burnout. After being sick, I hit a wall. I just couldn't find the energy or motivation to write, no matter how hard I tried. Burnout is real, guys, and it's something I wouldn't wish on anyone.

The turning point in all of this coincided with a major plot development in 'The Girl in IT'. Originally, my intention was to shed light on PCOS and its painful realities. However, in my eagerness to please what I thought everyone wanted and to avoid delving too deeply into darker themes, I ended up complicating matters for myself.

Enter 'My Wife in IT'. I had a clear timeline in mind for Joel and Sugar's relationship progression, but the unexpected turn of events forced me to rethink my plans. This had a ripple effect on 'My Wife in IT', leaving me facing a significant roadblock. I started to hate everything I attempted to write for Wife, and it didn't feel right to post something I wasn't 100% okay with.

I really want to take the time to emphasize that this is no one's fault but my own.

But here's the thing – I'm not giving up. I'm taking this as a learning experience and using it to grow as a writer and as a person. Which brings me to the big news...

I've decided to go back and rework the last few chapters of 'The Girl in IT' to align with my original vision. Think of it as 'The Girl in IT: Christine's Version'. But don't worry – we'll still get our happy ending. And once that's done, I'll be diving headfirst into 'My Wife in IT'.

I want to take a moment to apologize for any disappointment or frustration this may have caused. Looking back, I realize that I lost sight of staying true to myself and the story I wanted to tell. I got caught up in the numbers and metrics, instead of focusing on what truly mattered – telling a story that resonated with me and hopefully with you, too.

I want to express how incredibly thankful I am for all the love and support you've shown Joel and Sugar. Your encouragement has been like a beacon of light, guiding me through this journey. But you know, sometimes life throws us curveballs, and I've realized that I owe it to Joel and Sugar, and to all of you, to stay true to the story I set out to tell from the very beginning.

I'm truly sorry for any bumps in the road or delays that may have caused frustration. Your understanding means the world to me. Thanks for being there, for listening, and for being a part of this adventure with me. Hopefully, you'll love what I have planned for Joel and Sugar... for real, this time.

[emmabirb8]

Actually, you know what, it's not JUST Guillermo's arc that peaked at season 3. The WHOLE SHOW peaked at season 3, narratively speaking, and they've continued to fumble and struggle their way forward since then.

Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed a lot of aspects about the last two seasons. Certain episodes knocked it out of the park humor-wise, and certain scenes have just been *chef's kiss.*

But that's just it, though. It's aspects, not overarching story that have maintained my attention and interest. And that's a problem.

For a show like WWDITS that has shifted into having an overarching story and overarching themes, the writers continuing to miss the mark is creating a wholly unenjoyable watching experience. Because now we're constantly being disappointed.

Plot threads are being introduced left and right and then completely dropped with no explanation. HUGE narrative turns that should rightfully have lasting consequences for the characters have been dealt with either very minimally with just a few sentences in reference to them or, worse, just scrubbed away entirely. (LIKE! GUILLERMO TRAPPED IN LONDON WITH NAJDA?? NANDOR THINKING GUILLERMO ABANDONED HIM??? HELLO?????? YOU CAN'T RESOLVE WHAT SHOULD'VE BEEN A NUCLEAR FALLOUT FROM THAT KIND OF SITUATION IN TWO SENTENCES) Previously established canon information and character traits are being blatantly contradicted. Storylines are set up and made out to seem like they will be significant and lasting, and then they're abandoned or reversed with no solid or satisfying reasoning.

This kind of shit wasn't happening in seasons 1-3. Guillermo discovering his Van Helsing heritage and then gradually becoming a slayer against his will and finding his unique strength and power through that means is a perfect example. THAT was an excellent overarching storyline that was built up, stayed consistent (at least for the majority of the time) and followed-through on in a totally satisfying manner.

I mean, granted, the series was a little more episodic during seasons 1-3 and was focused more on "haha, vampire shenanigans, what're these crazy creatures gonna get up to next? :P", but still. My point stands true regardless.

Idk, I'm just... I'm getting increasingly frustrated by what they keep doing, and it's getting to a point where I'm considering not bothering to watch anymore if things get much worse. And that is something I thought I would NEVER even THINK of doing with this show. 😞

[fromtheseventhhell]

Do you think it's true that GRRM said that Sansa wasn't a Stark anymore after Lady's death? I've seen the interview passed around before but I'm not sure if it's an official thing

In regards to the conversation about the dire wolves and the Starks the point was made (I forget by whom) that Lady was dead and Sansa still alive to which I replied that Sansa wasn't really much of a Stark anymore. IIRC (this is a little hazy), at this point GRRM kind of leaned back in his chair, smiled and said something to the effect of "A very astute observation." (source)

I'm assuming this is what you're referring to. To answer the question, I wholeheartedly believe that George said something along these lines. A majority of fandom disregards it for obvious reasons but it definitely makes sense within the story. Now, he obviously isn't saying that Lady's death means Sansa isn't literally a Stark anymore, and that's the perspective I often see people use to refute this idea. She still has her Northern and familial connections and no one is debating that.

The fact is though that the Direwolves are a big aspect of identity for the Starks, on top of being the living embodiment of their sigil. They are soul-bonded, connected through magic, and they're going to be very important in the upcoming books. We have Nymeria and her large pack, Jon (most likely) warging into Ghost before his death, Rickon's direwolf being used to confirm his identity (and it's very likely he's developed his warging), Bran has a very strong connection with Summer and it's helped him develop his abilities, etc. All very tangible, plot-relevant aspects. The direwolves are also connected to each other and aware of their siblings, and Lady's death is acutely noticed by them. Sansa is, literally, disconnected from the other Starks in that aspect. George wouldn't have just put that in the story if it wasn't meant to mean anything. If he wanted Lady alive, he would've found a way to keep her alive. I don't think this means Sansa is destined to die, forever lose her identity as a Stark, or anything else particularly bad because of it. I just think that within the context of the story, her losing her direwolf is of some significance 🤷🏾‍♀️

[rruhlreviews]

Book Review - Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

I finally read the book everyone was talking about.

I found it average. Solid 5/10. It wasn't as bad as I expected, but neither was it as good as some sources, such as the NYT bestseller list, made it sound.

This book is getting a long, detailed, passionate review because I found it so very average. It's been on my mind since I first heard mixed reviews of it last year, and I finally sat down to read it. Buckle up. This review was a ton of fun for me to write.

Introduction

Let's begin by saying, I know why this is a bestseller. Fourth Wing hits all the popular marketing metrics for YA fantasy and romance. There's a magic school, there are dragons, there's a rebellion plot, the love interest is a bad boy, the main character is a girl trying to prove herself. Furthermore, the book is bringing some new things to the table, like a disabled protagonist, and it's in the burgeoning subgenre of romantasy. Newness attracts attention. I won't rehash my rant about booktok for the third time, either. You know what that audience is like: drawn to tropes and flashiness more than technical skill and substance.

The part with Violet meeting her dragons, and the last 50-70 pages with the fight at the border village, grabbed my attention and made Fourth Wing not a completely terrible read. I was pleasantly surprised that the fantasy version of the American imperial machine is being set up as the villain (but also, the author doesn't get bonus points for fulfilling a genre expectation with the fantasy rebellion plot). It was interesting to read about Violet having to mentally unpack the nationalism she'd been fed her whole life. I could tell the writing about the trauma of military life came from the author's experiences and that was meaningful.

My favorite part, hands down, was the dragons. Big creature that headbutts you like a cat. It was an expected trope for them to judge by inner strength instead of external strength, but it's a good trope. (Though the dragons using colloquial dialogue was a turn off.)

However, the writing style and handling of disability in the narrative strongly brought down the book's score for me. There was a major issue with telling instead of showing, in which a lot was told that contradicted what was shown. The blending of genres, while not a bad thing, at times made it feel like too much was happening at once.

Let's dive in.

Style: word choice, pacing, and voice

1. Every time I started to get invested in a heavier scene, the style immediately drew me back out of it. The excessive swearing grated on my nerves. I don't mean this in a prudish way, but it made for a sloppy read that diminished the weight of any significant scene or emotion. How many times can you say someone is "F---ing beautiful?" Do the characters know any way to express happiness, surprise, love, anger, fear, or sorrow that isn't the F-word? It was repetitive and got old fast. Also, the book didn't get the memo you can just use 'said' as a dialogue tag. I was distracted by the amount of 'argued,' 'exclaimed,' 'refuted,' 'groaned,' and similar tags.

In regards to the writing style in the sex scenes, I'll be professional and just say the dialogue and descriptions grabbed my interest much more than the actual loving. 10/10 score for those scenes, solely for making me laugh.

2. I compared the pacing to what I remembered from the H Potter books, which isn't a compliment to either. There are 400+ pages of long, meandering detail about the school year and interpersonal conflict, which can be entertaining, but does little to make me want to turn the pages. While we're talking about comparisons, Fourth Wing even had a contest between four different groups of students. But I digress. 400+ pages of slow pacing, interspersed with minor action moments and the progression of the romance side of the plot, followed by 50-70 pages of compelling action. The climax of both the fantasy and romance plots were decent, but honestly I skimmed entire pages of the first and second acts.

There were virtually no transitions in this book. A scene started slow and then all of a sudden after a break was fast with major plot info incoming. Or, a scene ended fast and then jumped right back into slow school-year pacing with little follow through. I had whiplash.

The beginning of the climax was rough. Violet and Xaden work through the separation beat of their romance plot, nice, then they get roused from bed because the kingdom is under attack. Oh, something is finally happening and this has been foreshadowed! Nope, it's just a training exercise. I put the book down and went to bed when this happened. The payoff comes later, but the fakeout here was frustrating. Tension was not consistent or maintained in the story.

3. The voice was juvenile. I kept forgetting the characters were supposed to be 20-23 years old because they spoke and acted like 15 year olds. If you told me this was a fantasy roleplay to cope with gym class, I would have believed you. I almost got the sense this was intended to be YA, but the characters were aged up so they can have explicit sex, without changing other behavior or dialogue. Every antagonistic character sounded like a playground bully. I can't imagine any 20 year old talking like Jack. On this topic: characters who are nice to Violet are the good guys, and characters who are mean to her are the bad guys. That's a boring morality system, to say the least.

There's a part where the dialogue tag says, "I blatantly whine." That's 100% of the book. I would not like Violet if I knew her for real. I don't think I'd like any of these people except Liam. There's also a part where Violet is pensively reflecting on how normalized death is around here and how it's troubling that people move on so quickly after brutal happenings, but then in the next sentence with no transition moves to thinking about how sexually frustrated she is with attraction to Xaden. Girl, where is your self awareness?

Disability: intent vs interpretation

I have EDS and have much to say about how it was represented in this book. I know Yarros also has EDS, and I have no argument with her writing from her own experiences. The descriptions of how the ligaments don't work and the chronic pain were pretty accurate, as well as the dizzy spells triggered by strong emotion from POTS. "We need to strengthen the muscles around your joints" was painfully familiar. The way disability was handled as a narrative device, however, left a bad taste in my mouth. There's a lot of telling and not showing. Everyone tells Violet, including her inner voice, that she's weak, she's small, she's a delicate little flower, she'll shatter like glass, she's so frail and tiny. I got tired of this after like, two pages. We get the point. This goes along with my earlier note about the voice. It's so repetitive. I got angry by how much they kept calling my chronic pain condition a failing.

The characters say the theme is that Violet's mind made her strong while her body was not strong. But that is not shown. What is shown: Violet only has worth to herself and others when she gets physically stronger. This bordered on inspiration porn for me. If you don't know what inspiration porn is and why it's not good for the disabled community, think of those videos of people struggling out of their wheelchair to walk at their wedding. If a disabled person wants that as a goal, cool. But it should not be the expectation. Inspiration porn sends the message that you only have worth if you push your body past its limits to prove to everyone else you aren't weak. As if disability can go away if you only "try hard enough." Now, the narrative does indeed present these ideas as flaws of the mentality of Navarre's culture. "Kill the weak" is a terrible judgement system and it's clearly shown as bad. However, I get the feeling the author has some internalized ableism to work out. It reflects in the story. The idea that you must push your body past its limits to succeed was present in my interpretation of Fourth Wing, even if that was not the intention. Sure, Violet is stronger than other people because she overcame more pain, but she should realize that she didn't have to do that to be worthy, and she doesn't, at least not in this book. There's a scene towards the end when Violet is reflecting on how much stronger she's gotten since the beginning of the school year. She's going up a staircase and remembers when she used to be afraid because it didn't have a handrail, but now she's strong and doesn't need handrails and feels it was silly to ever worry. What? Just because you don't need it now, Violet, doesn't mean you shouldn't have had it before, or that other people don't need it.

Sure, maybe the author and some readers want a fantasy where the disability actually can go away. It didn't work for me though. I have EDS and could never do what Violet does. Does that make me weak or mean I'm not trying hard enough? No. Pain medicine is not bad, and using it does not make you lesser. I wanted to say, "Get out of my way, Violet, and let me have the magic medicine you keep refusing, maybe this will finally fix my shoulder." The part with the braces on the saddle was cool, but Violet's reaction got on my nerves. Someone spent days making you custom mobility aids! Stop being stubborn, Violet. If someone did that for me, I would cry. At least she did accept them and acknowledge how she was stronger because of the aids.

Here's the main point. Violet's disability only shows up in the story when it's an obstacle to overcome. People bully her for her disability and it's there to contribute to an emotional conflict and self worth issue. Dain sees her as weak but Xaden sees her as strong, and it's a tool for the love triangle. She's tiny, she's frail, yadda yadda yadda. But this doesn't actually stop her from doing anything after the midpoint of the book. In the third act of the book, her disability vanishes when it's no longer plot relevant. She still uses braces, but she channels a ridiculous amount of magic without burning out. In real life, chronic pain doesn't go away even after physical therapy, and it certainly doesn't go away after you reach an emotional breakthrough. My biggest grievance is, what happened to her hypermobility during the sex scenes? Girl, how didn't you dislocate your hips immediately with some of those positions? How can you even walk the next day after going for five rounds? You broke all the furniture in your room with rough loving but didn't have any pain from the physical effort, how does that even work? Violet's back miraculously survived the sex scenes, but mine did not, because I pulled it from laughing so much at the absurdity.

Thus concludes my list of grievances. Let's discuss where Fourth Wing fits into genre trends.

The Romantasy Subgenre

The blending of genres made it feel like Fourth Wing was trying to balance two main plots and wasn't able to fully go in depth with either.

One, we had the romance plot between Violet and Xaden which, in my humble opinion as someone who doesn't specialize in the romance genre, followed romancing the beat pretty soundly. It was overall enjoyable (ignoring the writing style and pacing). I will say though, I don't think the book knew what 'enemies to lovers' is. We have yet another incident of telling that contradicts showing. Violet keeps talking about how Xaden is bad for her and how their families are enemies and he's scary and she's such a bad girl for having feelings for him. What is shown: Xaden is the only character to consistently respect Violet. He never hurts her, and despite being abrasive, is kind and gentle with her. He makes her mobility aids, bends over backwards to prioritize her, and is great in bed. Another nitpick: at one point, Violet thinks of him as 'controlling,' just because he installed a lock on her door after someone tried breaking in. Girl, if you saw the 'controlling' characters I write about in horror romance, you wouldn't believe it.

Two, we had the fantasy plot, which in my opinion was the weaker of the two. We have a clearly epic fantasy setting, with dragons and a magic college and a hearty amount of worldbuilding (which was injected at weird times like dumping the country's history during a fatal balance beam trial or interrupting a sex scene to mention they have magic birth control). However... what happens in this setting? Typically from the fantasy genre, one expects some sort of quest. Much of the story felt like a YA school romance that happened to be in a world with dragons. There was a little foreshadowing to the fantasy quest throughout the school year, with censored information and border attacks. It could have used more foreshadowing. The parts where the fantasy half of the plot shone through were my aforementioned favorite parts: the scene with Violet bonding with her dragons, and then the 50-70 final pages with the reveal about the Venin and the ensuing battle. It was in these scenes that I felt the story was truly beginning, even though one was the ending.

It felt like the fantasy half of romantasy didn't begin until the romance plot was 2/3 complete. Additionally, there were times when the romance half took a backseat to the worldbuilding or foreshadowing what would happen later when the fantasy plot began, which made chapters drag on. Much of the book felt like neither plot was advancing. The two main plots made each other weirdly paced and some balls were dropped in juggling.

Final note on the genre blending: having magic tied to emotion is pretty run of the mill for fantasy but I couldn't get over Violet's magic being tied to arousal and how her libido skyrocketed when her dragon was mating. This reminded me of shifter romance without actually being shifter romance. (Didn't help that when Violet was angry, the narration said her hackles rose.) (And mind you, I say this as someone who enjoys shifter romance.)

Some people criticize romantasy for having romance. This misses the point. Audiences and markets change, and there are still countless options for epic fantasy with no romance for the people who are clutching their pearls. I criticize Fourth Wing for having a writing style that made it impossible for me to take the romance seriously and for struggling to balance two plots in way that didn't inhibit each other's development.

New Adult vs Young Adult

Fourth Wing simultaneously feels like young adult and new adult. Young adult: it has a coming of age narrative, and the characters' behavior and voice make them seem like teens. New adult: the characters are in college, and there's explicit sex and violence. It felt like the book couldn't commit to either YA or NA. I'd call this book YA written for people in their 20s who grew up reading YA fantasy and want to keep reading YA but with college age characters now.

There's nothing wrong with any of this, but Fourth Wing is indeed trying to be many things at once. I wonder if this contributed to the strange pacing and voice. Blending genres is a relatively new phenomenon, as is the new adult category. I don't think these are necessarily bad, but I think as we move forward, people will look at what worked and what didn't work in books that pioneered new adult and romantasy in order to refine future entries. I'm excited to see how it evolves, even if I don't write the genre or age range.

Conclusion

Yep. That's about it. 5/10. Some compelling plot points with a dubious writing style. I don't understand the hype but whatever. It wouldn't be the first time a book of this genre and quality blew up, became a NYT bestseller, and got movie deals.

Am I interested in how the rebellion will play out with Violet unpacking the nationalism she was raised with? Yes, that was cool and surprising. It felt gutsy for an author who spent her whole life in military culture to do. Will I be reading the rest of the series? Nope! I was not invested in a single character to care what happens to them next. The book never showed me a reason to care about them besides telling me I should root for an underdog. Nor do I think I could handle reading one more page of that "f---ing" style.

Mainly, I read Fourth Wing so I could use it in a bigger project about disability representation in genre fiction. Do I think it was good disability representation? Not really but I respect the author writing from her own experience and the part with Xaden making her mobility aids was sweet. The shown message that Violet only had worth after getting stronger despite what the theme about brain > brawn might have told, and the way her disability pretty much stopped being an issue once it no longer served her emotional conflict, really bothered me. And I gotta reiterate: Girl, you are not pulling off that rough sex without breaking your body.

I've been haunted by mixed reviews of this book for a year, and now that I've read it, I can finally say "I thought it was average" instead of "I heard it was average." I am finally free. I'm at peace.

Oh wait, I almost forgot to mention. Before reading, I saw this interview with Yarros.

What? There are two genders: romance and dragons?

I'm baffled. Speechless.

The end.

[rantceratops]

Hey so like, I'm looking at your post about still believing in Luz and Hunter as siblings. I'm on board for that too obviously, and am thinking of the part where he's in The Collector's palace and feeling like no one is waiting for him. I guess I'm trying to rationalize somehow...why he wasn't thinking of her words "You're family now" right after he sent Willow off to her parents. I get why the writers wanted to include Luz's narration of "And if someone thought they had no one waiting for them, well, they were in for a nice surprise", yet I'm sort of telling myself that perhaps Hunter didn't want to burden Luz and Camila at that time or something. If he's Luz's sibling he could just walk to Eda's house and join them there after making sure Gus and Willow are reunited with their family. Maybe that's what he, Darius and Eberwolf did offscreen after they reunited. Hm..

Honestly, I almost don't get the point of them including the "You're family now" line in TTT if they weren't going to follow it up with something a little more solid. Then again, one of my major gripes with the last three episodes in general are them constantly bringing up plot points that don't ever get any real follow-up("You're family now"; Hunter's flashstep powers(why did he even get them if they weren't going to be used in the finale in a major way? Seems like an odd writing choice so late in the game. And I am a FAN of him still having the flashstep, but I'm still pointing this out as a weird choice); Hunter not getting time to grieve at ALL; no Wittebro/Evelyn lore(I think TTT should have done a proper delve into their past. I don't necessarily think it's a good choice to leave it unexplored, but I'm kinda torn); Hunter's fear over the others finding out he was a Grimwalker getting glossed over with two lines when it was SUCH a Big Deal to him and he needed a proper conversation about it - that one's a BIG beef; probably several more I'm forgetting).

And like, back on Hunter and Luz Siblings, as I've said, it doesn't have to be straight up adoption papers or anything, it's found family, it doesn't have to be traditional anything. I just think it's so weird to have this really significant moment where Luz calls him that and he literally bursts into tears over it because he has no one at that point, but then there's not like, any other pay off or mention of it? (Camila also called him 'baby'.)

Imagine if Hunter had been looking sad after Willow ran to her dads, then Camila(and Luz maybe, even though she was still with Eda at the time), came up and smiled at him and hugged him? Really cementing that found family thing that was brought up with them. (And just to be clear, none of this means I would have wanted Hunter to live in the Human Realm, I was never a fan of that idea. I just want him to be Luz's sibling and visit the Human Realm often because he has a PLACE there that will always be there for him when he needs it.)

I pretty much figured they'd go for Dadrius, and I'm not like... livid about it or anything. I just think if they really wanted to go that route then they should have built it up more, and I personally would have also needed an apology from Darius to Hunter about how he treated him in ASIAS was wrong and how he's going to be better from there on out, etc, before I feel like that scenario would have any actual meaning or pay-off. (I am not bashing Darius, I like Darius, but he treated Hunter like shit in ASIAS.)

All this being said, I don't think the ending negates Hunter being Luz's sibling, even if Darius straight adopted him(I don't think he did), it doesn't mean he's lost his place with other important guardian/parental/mentor figures in his life. I think that's the most beautiful thing about found family. I think most of my salt just comes from them not really following a thread that was seemingly started in TTT and seemed like an awfully Big Damn Deal to the boy, considering how hard he cried.

I'm being salty and I have my critiques, but don't mistake this for me hating on the show or anything. I still really enjoyed the finale, but as a fan I have issues and things I didn't like.

[musicmakesthemovie]

"What Was I Made For?" A Look into Barbie's Most Tear-jerking and Overplayed Song

[WARNING: Spoilers for Barbie ahead]

If you've been alive and conscious for the last few months, you've at least heard of Barbie if you aren't one of the people who's been decked out in pink to go see what could, arguably, be called the Movie of the Year.

Even if, by some miracle, you haven't seen Barbie, you've probably heard Billie Eilish's song "What Was I Made For", which plays a pivotal, emotional role in the film. And you've probably drawn your own conclusions about the song, whether you're a fan of Billie's or not.

If you know anything about Billie Eilish, you know that she is no stranger to airplay and TikTok fame, and her most played songs tend to be earworms, played repeatedly until you're ready to pull your hair out. We've all been there.

So, it wasn't shocking when a friend, after seeing Barbie, told me how much he despised the song. I mean, he absolutely loathed it. His argument was clear: "It doesn't fit with the movie! 'Don't tell my boyfriend, it's not what he's made for' totally undermines the entire plot!"

Initially, I nodded in agreement. I like Billie's music, but did it really fit with the movie? Like every weekly hyper fixation, this required a deep dive. I researched how Billie Eilish came up with the song and what it meant to her. To my surprise, I found that it resonated beautifully with the Barbie movie. Let's break down the lyrics before delving into the song's musical significance.

"'What was I made for?' is...it's Barbie's voice...it's your voice...it's anybody's voice" - Billie Eilish Jul. 13, 2023 (Interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music)

The first verses are quite straightforward in their references. "I used to float, now I just fall down" alludes to Barbie's malfunctioning state, a central plot point in the movie. "Looked so alive, turns out I'm not real" reflects Barbie's mental conflict with realizing that she's just a toy; however, it could also be seen to reflect the other struggle Barbie faces: realizing that the real world is not the feminist, women-driven world she thought it was. Even as "Stereotypical Barbie," she senses that something's amiss. For her, it means that everything the other Barbies worked for has been lost. What's her purpose now? What was she made for?

Now, let's address the contentious line: "I'm sad again, don't tell my boyfriend, it's not what he's made for." At first glance, it seems like Barbie is concealing her sadness from her boyfriend as if she needs to put on a facade to shield him from distress. While this is partly true, there's a broader context that some miss. Barbie grapples with depression, a daunting experience for someone who has only known happiness. We've witnessed how it affects Barbie, both physically and mentally. In the film, Barbie lacks someone to confide in about her feelings, especially Ken, who's portrayed as having limited critical thinking skills. Barbie refrains from telling Ken because she understands he either wouldn't grasp it or wouldn't cope with the impact of her emotions. Thus, the song authentically mirrors Barbie's inner struggle to communicate her newfound feelings and her desire to protect others from her experience.

Another criticism my friend raised was that the music wasn't complex enough. The melody was too simple and the harmony was boring, etc. Here's where we delve into the technical side of the song, starting with the harmony or chord progression.

Firstly, Billie's song is originally composed in C major, one of the simplest keys due to its absence of flats or sharps, with a 4/4 time signature, making it rhythmically straightforward. The main progression comprises C-Em-F7, with an Am thrown in on the repeat of "What was I made for?" resulting in C-Em-F7-Am-Em-F7 until the beginning of the chorus, where the Dm and G chords are introduced.

So if we look at it as a numerical chord progression, it would look like this:

(verse) I-iii-IV7-vi-iii-IV7

and (chorus) ii-V-I-iii-IV

The most used chords in pop songs of a major key are I, V, vi, and IV.

So, what's the "iii" chord doing there? It's rarely used in recent pop music. The Beatles featured it in "Here, There And Everywhere," and Elton John in "Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters," but it's uncommon. When we think of common progressions, it's typically I-V-vi-IV.

What's intriguing is that the dominant (V) chord is only used 3 times in the entire piece, with the final one being the very last chord as a Dominant 7th chord, which, in itself, is such a cool choice. The "V" chord naturally gravitates back to the "I" chord, and the addition of the 7th intensifies this desire to return to the home chord, especially since the expectation has been set for it to revert to C major, as it did twice before in the song. Thematically speaking, this choice reflects Barbie's longing for answers and a purpose. The last chord leaves you aching for something more.

Up to this point, we have a harmonic progression that may not be groundbreaking, but it creates compelling tension. So, what about the melody?

Billie's sung melody is quite simple when looked at on its own. All of the notes are diatonic (within the key signature), and the most complex thing is the few leaps between notes that are present. However, when the simple melody combines with the harmony, that's where the magic happens.

The interplay between the melody and harmony is where much of the tension lies. Billie often sings notes that are "unstable" or not part of the chord playing in the harmony, even though the individual notes are diatonic to the key of C major. This adds complexity and tension to the song. When we hear these notes that don't quite harmonize with what's playing underneath, our ears long for something less discomforting, like the warmth and safety of the tonic chord. In this case, that mild discomfort is what gives the song its potency and relevance to the movie as a whole.

If you want to take a deeper dive into the music theory behind the song, I highly encourage this website to get you started!

Q&A: Do you have a song from a film that you feel strongly about, whether you love it or hate it? Share your thoughts and why it resonates with you.

[sflow-er]

You give great insights into the YR fandom although I disagree about it becoming a more Wilmon only trend after S2. Been lurking in this fandom since July 2021 and it's always been a Wilmon only trend from the start. Most fan content has only been on Wilmon from day 1. S2 did try an ensemble cast but S3 backtracked on it (maybe because fan feedback wasn't favourable)

Hi anon! Thank you for your message <3

You are right, of course. I did mean to say in my initial post that the Wilmon only trend had been strong from the start, but I seem to have deleted that bit while editing and just written that it has grown stronger (believe it or not, I do try to trim these rambles down).

Yes, most posts and fanworks definitely were about Wilmon from day one. This is reflected in the number of fics for other ships that I included in my initial post, as well as this reblog where I noted that no other romantic ship has even been tagged in 2.5% of the total number of YR fics on ao3. (Yes, really. Two point five percent.)

It's more that...as one of the very first non-Wilmon authors, I also saw first hand the side of the fandom that was really excited for any fan content exploring the still largely unexplored world of the show. My magnum opus was long and niche, and I had neither the guts nor the platform to promote it, but many people still found it (and some even told me it inspired them to include Walty in their own fics). Granted, it did also feature Wilmon as prominent side characters! But even so, the curiosity it was met with could only arise in the early stages, when the fandom was hungrier for different takes.

In other words, even if we never had much non-Wilmon stuff even at the start, what we had was or at least had the potential to become more popular. And of course that's largely to do with the size of the fandom, but I think it's also to do with the makeup.

In the other reblog thread that you are referencing here, I said that I personally thought the significant influx of new fans in the run-up to and after S2 was one of the pivotal moments. Fandom is always in flux as people come in and move out, and if the early fans who leave are replaced by new fans with different expectations, the focus of the fandom inevitably changes.

The immediate aftermath of S2 was actually a very good time to be interested in non-Wilmon things. Lots of Stedrika fics popped up, and we saw the first little surge of thirty Walty fics over four months, for example! But as the first months of excitement turned to a long wait for S3 and people started to drop off...

Most of the fans who stuck around were Wilmon only, and while the majority of those Wilmon-only fans were absolutely lovely people and amazing additions to the fandom, some folks with less lovely sentiments also came in on the same trains. These weren't just people who weren't interested in the non-Wilmon aspects - they were people who regularly said that "no one" cared about anything other than Wilmon, and upheld a constant discourse against characters and ships who were primarily seen as hurting/harming Wilmon, standing in their way, or hogging screen time from them (especially Sargust on here, but also Stedrika in some spaces). All that had already started after the premiere, but it gained a lot more airspace when the initial buzz died down.

That was a really, truly exhausting time to be invested in the non-Wilmon aspects of the show. I have wondered for a while how many lurkers or newer fans were put off who could have potentially been part of our subcommunity if we'd had a safe space for one back then.

I also wonder sometimes how much of this negativity the makers of the show saw, in addition to the hate that was directly sent to Felicia for example. As you suggest, it feels pretty obvious to me that Stedrika's plot was cut from S3 due to the backlash.

I don't think YR was ever a balanced ensemble show, but all the seasons did have some ensemble vibes. In both S1 and S3, Felice had a storyline of her own, and Sara and August's arcs were there all through the show. But do I agree that the ensemble vibe was higher in S2 due to Wilmon being broken up and some screen time being devoted to Sargust, Sircus and to a lesser degree also Stedrika (oh, and Rousseau, who thankfully wasn't on social media to read all the complaints about himself haha).

Anyway, thank you again for weighing in, anon!

[thestrengthofevil]

What are your honest thoughts on Lonnie+Family?

Sorry for the wait, but I wanted to finish Lonnie's warrior sword so I will probably be focused on that

Anyways onto my answer...

I was liken 14-15 ish when I watched the first two films and I really liked her and I still do too but now I kinda grew up and had a chance to look into her character more and realised she wasn't really well written.

What is most upsetting for me is she could be a key point at any time in the movies but also in the books. But no piece of media in this franchise took that opportunity. Like she is there, yeah and she has some lines and stuff but nothing more. Shes in the back like literally any ak. Except for Ben and audrey. And we see audrey as a big character only in the last film.

I've seen people say that the movies especially are really mal centric and I agree, majority of the characters are just there.

Now I dont remember much about Lonnie in the books. It's been a while and I'm planning to reread them but I doubt she had any significant scenes for herself.

In Lonnie's warrior sword, which I literally just finished so it might be a bit too detailed,

First we had a memory with mulan, and I was so happy but that was the end of it. Now I think living up to the name of Mulan AND SHANG is a great plot point for her and her character but they couldn't do it well. Lost opportunity... but we have Mulan's name being mentioned at couple more places which all serve the 'living up to the name' and if the book was a bit longer they could explore it a bit better.

There is the matter of Li Shang. The matter is he is not there. Everyone ignored the man like they ignored Lonnie in the third movie. I would love to see some father-daughter bonding and we WERE ROBBED. so if anyone has any fic recommendations about Lonnie and Shang I would love that. Anyways, Shang in Lonnie's Warrior Sword was mentioned one (1) time.

"...sword fighting with her mother in the gardens, running laps around the palace with her father..."

That's it. And although I love the image of little Lonnie trying to keep up with her father while Shang purposely slows down for her is incredibly adorable, how would anyone think this would be enough to feed the fandom

Shang Jr is a whole other thing. Again I would love to see a relationship between Lonnie and Shang jr. And I also would like to see how filling up the name of Mulan AND SHANG would affect him. Because it would affect him as much as Lonnie.

Then there is the name situation. Firstly, I am not familiar with Chinese culture and I dont have anyone I can ask beside the internet so let me know if I need to include/exclude and/or change anything.

From what I've understood from the fandom, naming your child after yourself is very disrespectful so that is an issue. Honestly even if they were not gonna look into his name, all they needed to do was to search for some Chinese names and meanings. Like I could do that (and I am planning to cause there is no way I'm using Lil' Shang as a name in my version of descendants. Same goes with Lonnie. I did started to research about that but like Lonnie? Why? Naming with the same initials as your parent is a thing in the universe but by that logic they were supposed to do a name with m for mulan or s for shang, why did they go for L (I am assuming L is for Li but still) So they are nicknames given to them by Auradon and Sherwood Academy(was that where he was, I don't really remember)

For once I want Lonnie and Shang Jr (I am intentionally not calling him Lil' Shang cuz honestly between the two Shang Jr is not as disturbing to me as Lil' Shang) to be sassy. And that 100% came from grandma Fa. You know Mulan's grandmother. I want that woman to teach her great grand children things she wasn't supposed to. Like and she words and how to trick mushu or something.

Another point is (I've seen someone talk about it, I'll credit them if I can find it) the situation with Yi-Min. They grew up together with Lonnie and her cousins. Like Mulan saved China with these man of course their children are best friends. Also I love that she also competes in the Auradon warrior thing.

One more thing, I know it's already too long and I didnt have my fixation on Mulan and Mulan 2 yet so Lonnie and family are not people I've given much thought about but still....

We knew King beast had like all magical and non magical stuff collected in the museum but why? Like why would you disarm MULTIPLE KINGDOMS. I hate that man.

Also, in Lonnie's Warrior sword it says "... There it(Shan Yu's sword) could be watched over by the Imperial Council, who oversaw all official matters in the Imperial City, until Lonnie was old enough to inherit it." Why? Why does Lonnie inherit a council. Okay I know her parents saved China but why does Lonnie inherit a council. (Do I need to rewatch the mulan movies? probably)

Anyway... with the addition of the All-Knowing-One and her potential is also being lost... I will finish my rant here.

I hope I answered your question and I am sorry if it's too long

[whetstonefires]

Hi! I hope it's if ask three questions together: 21, 5 and 8 for that delightful fandom ask 💕

in that order!

21. a fandom you're not active in anymore but that you still really like

Oh, tricky! What does it mean to really like a fandom. I have so much affection for most of the ones I've been active in, but at the same time it's often the fandom rather than the source material I used up my enthusiasm for and departed.

Yu Yu Hakusho, maybe? I posted a lot of like, character study bits on ffdotnet for it back in high school and I often think if the fandom was more active I might circle back to it with my more developed writing chops.

I have a lot of beef with some of the fandom's conventions around shipping though so I may not be able to fairly say I love it.

Maybe Trigun. I couldn't get through episode one of the new anime though because they took my Millie, so I failed to join the renaissance.

5. something you see in fics a lot and love

Also hard! Just for the broad scope of the kinds of things that are in fics. But haha, I'm not responsible for figuring out the the intended thrust of the vague question! There are no penalties if I guess wrong!

I really like the bit in a fic when the writer ties their story down to the canon mid-stream. It's such a distinctive feeling, there's a practically kinetic gestural motion to it, that you can often sense it in fics you've never read the canon for. It works basically the same in contexts where you're tying your narrative to an existing non-copyrighted mythos, or doing your diligence as the writer of a licensed sequel. It's the narrative equivalent of showing your sources and flaunting your tailfeathers. The most basic level is just making a point of including Emotionally Significant Plot Object without feeling the need to re-explain its significance in detail because we all know, but it can get so elaborate.

The other day I was reading this fairly high-concept fantasy novel that's quite well done but I can't decide if I like it or not, and it started becoming clear around the halfway mark that one of the major characters had been Merlin this whole damn time and I hooted in satisfaction and outrage every time a new piece of confirmation dropped. Same kind of deal.

Anyway fic creates so much space to do elaborate things with the relationship-to-source-material and I love seeing people have fun with it.

8. you hope more people will come to appreciate _ (a ship, a trope, an episode, etc)

Hm. How beautifully fucked up Jiang Cheng is? This man is suffering so much and he's reasonably self-aware about it and this does not help in the least.

I think the self-awareness makes it worse, actually, because it means he's constantly on the brink of confronting the things he can't let himself think about straight on or he will have a massive fucking breakdown that he cannot afford.

Not enough recognition for how 90 percent of the time when Jiang Cheng is being awful he very clearly knows he's being awful and he kind of hates that and hates himself and is aware that his mom and dad issues are major drivers of this behavior. And none of that means he's able to stop.

It's such a unique hell. Appreciate.

I don't know why that was the first thing I thought of and I'm pretty sure it wasn't the kind of wish that was intended, but here we are.

[wondereads]

Weekly Reading Update (07/03/23)

Reviews and thoughts under the cut

Woven By Gold by Elizabeth Helen (8/10)

I immediately picked up the sequel to Bonded By Thorns since it was such a fun read. As with the first one, the romance is very strong and probably my favorite part of the book. Also, we get to know more about the princes (including the evil one) and their complicated pasts with their actions and one another. I felt like Rosalina was adapting a little quickly, but then I remember that she's spent months in the fae world at this point and it seems less unrealistic. As fantasy romances are wont to do, the plot is a little thin and drawn out, but I really only have two major gripes. One, the problem introduced at the end of book one is resolved almost immediately, which was a little unsatisfying, but it did introduce some characters and plot points. Two, the 'big mystery' concerning specifically Rosalina and her family is so obvious. Like, I get that they are not aware of the tropes of the genre they're in, but come on. Surely someone can at least suspect it?

The Wicked King by Holly Black (10/10)

The Wicked King is absolutely my favorite book of Folk of the Air. I just love magical politicking, and Jude does it so well. This sounds weird, but her time in the Undersea is a part that has always stuck with me. She's obviously miserable, but I think it's when I realized just how far Jude would go for her ambitions (and just how far Cardan would go for her) and I love it. Speaking of Cardan, the build in their relationship is so well done; a true enemies-to-lovers arc if there ever was one. As much as I know what's really going on with the twist at the end, it still hurt to read. I enjoyed this reread so much that I ended up changing my rating from a 9 to a 10 because I really can't think of anything to criticize about this book.

Everblaze by Shannon Messenger (9/10)

I think Everblaze marks a significant turning point in the Keeper books. This is the first time we start really interacting with species outside elves, specifically politically, and it's the first time doubt in the council comes front and center. The books are starting to explore what the worldbuilding actually means, and it means a lot of dubious things when it comes to control and privacy. The development at the very end (and I mean very, literally last page) disrupts the pattern that has been set in these books so far, and it definitely makes you want to keep reading. Fitz and Biana sufficiently redeem themselves in this one, but Dex is going to have to step it the fuck up before I even consider giving him another chance, especially since I already don't like his pushy romantic feelings for Sophie. As always, my favorite relationships lie in Sophie and Keefe and Sophie and Grady and Edaline, the latter of which really stood out this book.

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black (9/10)

There are 308 pages in this book. I highlighted something 228 times. I remember when I read this book the first time I was a little disappointed that there wasn't much of the intense scheming that came with The Wicked King, and I take that back. Maybe Jude's plans are a little more straightforward this time around, but even knowing what was going to happen there was still an insane amount of suspense. The relationships in this book are so strong, and not just romantically. Jude and Madoc's fraught parent-child relationship in particular has me riveted; it's incredibly complicated and so good. But also romantically, Jude and Cardan are at the top of their game this book, and it's amazing to see Cardan so unashamedly in love. They deserve their happy ending and to take off their armor, one piece at a time.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (10/10)

I've been interested in this book for a while, but I was finally prompted to read it by the TV show announcement. And I can definitely say I wasn't disappointed. If you watch any sort of procedural show, this will be right up your alley. I loved how the actual investigation was laid out with Pip's notes and diagrams in the book. It made me feel like I was solving the mystery right alongside her. The focus is definitely on the murder, but I still got a good sense of Pip's personal life and how her obsession with the case was affecting her and her relationships. I won't lie, one of the most anxiety-inducing parts was her college applications, but maybe that's just me. I managed to predict who the killer was, but the actual story behind the whole thing made my jaw drop. I can't wait to read the rest of the series and see the show!

Guardians of Dawn: Zhara by S. Jae-Jones (5/10)

This book is not irredeemable. The plot is unoriginal but not nonsensical or boring, the magic is super interesting, and Zhara has a lot of potential as a character. However, most of the characters are one-dimensional and uncompelling and the writing is...not good. The unending focus on the romance when there were so many other interesting things going on was so frustrating. And then there was the unashamed insertion of what is clearly meant to be BTS (yes, worldwide kpop sensation BTS) that completely destroyed my immersion. Also, the disability rep is pretty dubious. I was pretty disappointed by this read, which sucks because I think it had a lot of potential.

Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater (10/10)

This book is like if Pride & Prejudice and Howl's Moving Castle had a baby, and I ate it up. This book perfectly blended a historical romance with engaging fantasy elements. Dora is a wonderful main character; she's lovable and engaging while still have a completely unique personality that really makes her stand out amongst a lot of fantasy romance protagonists. The love interest is suitably snarky while still being respectful and kind, especially to Dora. Their interactions are fun while still being incredibly romantic. The plot works well with the romance and characters, culminating in a very satisfying ending. Finally, I really appreciate the ending for Dora's issue in particular; it works well for her character and is, in my opinion, in good taste. I highly recommend this book, especially if you're looking for a light, quick read!

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas (CR, 57%)

I'm kind of just reading this one to get through it. The stories are fairly interesting, but I was told it provides valuable context for Queen of Shadows, which is really the only reason I'm reading it. I'm not a huge fan of prequels; I don't like reading stories that I already know the ending of. So far, while some things have been interesting, like Celaena's training in the desert, it's very obvious that everything is building up to what I already know is going to happen. As such, I have really no interest in letting myself get attached to any of the characters, which is kind of affecting the quality of my reading.

[mixigames]

MY THOUGHTS ON THE FONTAINE ARCHON QUEST

I just finished the Fontaine Archon Quest, and I have some thoughts. More under the cut!

Warning: contains spoilers for the story.

QUEST BREAKDOWN

Chapter 4 Act 1 - Prelude of Blancher and Noirceur

The first act is quite short, and flows very smoothly, in my opinion. We are first introduced to some of Fontaine's characters, the most import ones being the twins, Lyney and Lynette. The storyline is good, but we're also introduced to the basic way things work in Fontaine.

I like the end of this act the most, I think. Lyney's big performance is really, really good - and it has the perfect shock factor once the rope snapped. I love guessing plot twists, but I genuienly couldn't figure this one out!!

Honestly, I didn't expect death from Genshin. I know we've had characters dying multiple times before, but never like this! Although he wasn't that important to the story, it still quite shocked me. (My mouth was agape for like 5 minutes after, lol)

Chapter 4 Act 2 - As Light Rain Falls Without Reason

The second act is pretty short too. It didn't feel dragged out and with lots of unnecessary dialogue (yeah, I'm looking at you, Sumeru). The most important character is definitely Navia here.

The story is good and well thought-out. I liked how they solved the missing women case. That part where the Oceanids/women came for Vacher was so scary tho?? Like they just casually dropped that he lost his soul. What.

Chapter 4 Act 3 - To The Stars Shining

The begining of act 3 was a little fast-paced, considering that we found out Childe was missing and everything.

Neuvillette looked so good tho😻

I like how they designed Fortress of Meropide, yet I don't understand certain important things. For example, how is the fortress' entrance at the Opera Epiclese, yet it's actually in the sees under the Liffey Region? Strange if you ask me. I love the steampunk vibes, tho!

For me, this part of the archon quest was the most boring and most dragged-out one. For the majority of the quest you are either working, investigating or sleeping. And literally nothing else. It really annoyed me that we manually had to return to our bunk to sleep!

Chapter 4 Act 4 - Cataclysm's Quickening

The first half of this quest - up to the point we talk to Wriothesley - is also very boring to me. Nothing significant happens. I feel like they could've done without this part.

Much is explained in this act, including the reasoning behind Fountaine's prophecy and it's eventual downfall. The storyline with the boat wasn't bad, and I liked how some characters liked Wriothesley while the others didn't - he also seemed like such a villain when Lyney thought he kidnapped Lynette.

We meet with Arlecchino, which was a much less significant character in the storyline than I thought she was going to be. The gnosis is mentioned only like, 5 times in the entire quest, and The Knave is about the same amount, too. I'm not saying that's bad, we are just used to the Fatui being the main problems in these Archon quests.

Chapter 4 Act 5 - Masquerade of the Guilty

This act was... Wow. What an end to this chapter of the quest. I mean, so many things happened! It was a rollercoaster of emotions. First of all, I was so sad when Navia's friends died. So much death in this quest!

The trial against Furina was painful to read. Her attitude is just so infuriating, yet the whole thing is really really interesting and the story is, as always, so great! It was such a shock when the Hydro Archon was sentanced to death!

However, Focaloros' plan was brilliant and I have to say, I underestimated her as an Archon. At first, I was a little sceptical on how she was one of The Seven, but I get it now. Also, I'm very sad that she's dead. Her sentance was so unfair to her, yet she did what was right for her people and I respect that.

Neuvillette was amazing in this part of the story, as well. I'm glad that he has the Hydro Archon's power now.

QUEST SUMMARY

new characters we met:

5 ☆ Lyney (bow, pyro): good character, a very concerned brother. he lied to us but for a good reason - turned out he's in the Fatui.

4 ☆ Lynette (sword, anemo): quiet, reserved, an assistant to Lyney.

4 ☆ Freminet (claymore, cryo): same as Lynette, but more shy

5 ☆ Navia (claymore, geo): passionate, brave and adventuristic. she runs a major organisation called Spina di Rosula. during the quests she turns into a real friend of us (plus she looks like Taylor Swift in the fearless era!!)

5 ☆ Neuvillette (catalyst, hydro): 😻😻😻. I'm in love. Literally. I'm so thankful the Genshin team desided to give us more very handsome men in Fontain. he's also a great character, and wields great power. (currently saving up primogems for him)

5 ☆ Furina (sword, hydro): might be an unpopular opinion, but I HATED her character. she's obnoxious, she's self-centered, and while I know it's only to put on a show for her citizens, I still don't like her.

5 ☆ Wriothesley (catalyst, cryo): I'm actually lucky enough to have Wriothesley in my team currently, and honestly, I really recommend him as cryo!!! I love his play style, and he's just been fitting into my team so well! aside that, i really like his personality as well. he's a bit playful and sure, just a tiny bit cocky, yet still sweet.

4 ☆ Charlotte (catalyst, cryo): a very annoying character to me as well. she's too pushy for my taste.

new info we gathered:

Lyney and Lynette are working under the House of Hearts, a Fatui organization based in Fontaine.

the "father" of their house is Arlecchino, the 4th of the 11 Fatui Harbingers, who's been sent to Fontaine to take the Hydro gnosis

Even though used as a punishment, the Fortress of Meropide is a separate institution from Fontaine's justice system and oparates separately. The "leader" of the fortress is Wriothesley, an ex-criminal.

Neuvillette is the hydro dragon sovereign.

Furina isn't the actual archon - she's the cursed human version of Focalors, placed on Teyvat for the last five hundred years to display the image of an archon. After Focalors' death, she turned into a normal human, and will continue on to lead a normal life.

Focalors, the true archon, served a death sentance to be able to save her people from the terrible prophecy. She left all of her power to Neuvillette.

Neuvillette gave the gnosis to Arlecchino as a gift, showing once again no resistance to the Fatui harvesting these materials.

Our next destionation is Natlan, the pyro nation. We learn from Neuvillette that Natlan is a country of war and dragons.

As for our sibling, we have learned nothing new. (Shocking, I know)

All in all, Fontaine is a beautiful new region which I cannot wait to explore fully. I think that the genshin team really outdid themselves (yet again). The story could have been changed just a tiny bit (were 5 acts really necessary?), but nevermind. We've got amazing new characters which I'm glad to play with, and a new little piece to the giant puzzle we call Genshin Impact.

Thanks for reading! Hope my guide helped. Follow for more!!

[dankovskaya]

It's crazy I felt like I had whole essays to write basically the entire time I was playing re8 (which makes sense what with it being an original game Lmao) but right now I'm just like.... Haha yeah that was resident evil 4 😁👍. Doesn't help that I failed to rewatch or play the original beforehand so my point of reference for everything is like. Obsessive but still hazy memories on the details. And yet in spite of that everything was so completely familiar and identifiable with no real subversions that I was readily conscious of at least that I was surprised?

I mean part of why I went slightly crazy with the filtered tags was because I was so sure there were going to be SOME significant departures in the plot to justify the remake even existing in the first place like at least ONE major fundamental difference 😭 but AGAIN unless I just forgot too much this felt really? Like? Equivalent? At every turn? Obviously some shit got cut or added here and there but... I really was not expecting them to truly ""obsolete"" the most iconic game in the franchise and yet similar to re2 + re2make unless you're already a big resident evil fan I don't really see a reason you would need to play both games 😭 In fact its way worse cause the controls are way closer together?!?!? So it doesn't even have the broader "accessibility" excuse? I guess if you're Capcom and you're gonna gonna functionally replace a game like that you might as well replace it with a version you have to pay 3x the price for.

Anyway my point is that re4make really didn't add anything that wasn't just a cosmetic procedure Lmfao so even though i love both games it is sort of disappointing and reaffirms the "Cool. Why does this exist?" feeling. I love Luís. Ada is so sexy I could throw up and kill myself. And I am going to go look up Leon death animations now 👍

[nangbaby]

I've got a controversial opinion about a spoilery Miraculous Ladybug topic.

Don't read if you don't want to know.

I think the whole the whole Miraculous Ladybug "bible" leak is a work. Meaning it was intentional by ZAG themselves.

Here's why I think that. I've seen the material. Yes, the leak contains spoilers...but there's something funny about the "spoilers." Everything is in VERY vague terms, even when certain end fates are revealed. The only things that aren't vague are either things that occur very early in the season, juicy bits that catch attention but aren't that important to the main plot (Miss Bustier's developments), and major appearances that we'd usually get image leaks about beforehand. The episode summaries themselves are on the level of the Season 3 episode summaries that were released. Those summaries only whet the appetite of the fans, but hardly spoiled anything.

Series bibles are usually a LOT more detailed than what was shown in that bible. A prime example is the Batman: The Animated Series Bible. It initially had a backstory for Renee Montoya, a recurring character, that was never elaborated in the episodes -- she's a cop who lost her male significant other in the line of duty (yes, she initially was not written as LGBT)...a significant other who was also a cop. Even if she seemed like a blank slate to viewers and even if such information didn't have much impact on the episodes themselves, it's explicitly written so everyone knows where to branch off.

By contrast...everything in that Miraculous Ladybug bible is very, very vague, to the point where it almost reads like promotional material. A series bible would usually, for instance, have a complete biography and backstory of, say, Adrien because the writers would need to know certain details about him to actually form episodes and make sure there are no contradicting information is revealed in the episodes. It's telling his allergy to feathers, a small but notable trait, isn't even mentioned except for the summary of the episode Mr. Pigeon. In a real series bible there would be complete backstories of Marinette, Gabriel, and all the other major characters in narrative format, not this "Oh, did you know this is why she is the way she is?" style that's tabloid-y and leading. Heck, that there's so very little written about the antagonistic adults is almost proof that this was a carefully crafted piece designed to conceal as much information as it reveals. If this were really insider information, there would be no need to conceal.

So basically, I think this "leak" was done to spike interest in the season, and that everyone, including Thomas Astruc, is trolling us by claiming that this wasn't planned.